There are already hundreds of games available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X even though the consoles launched only in 2020.
The current generation of consoles is still in its relative infancy, but the rate of new titles hitting the virtual and digital shelves is enough to make your head spin.
However, when it comes to getting the most fun out of either piece of hardware, these are the essentials you need to play.
Gran Turismo 7
Platform: PS5
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The forensic detail that has gone into creating this racing simulator makes it an absolute must for automotive fans.
Whizzing around famous tracks such as Germany’s Nurburgring in a ’66 Ford GT40 is a genuine thrill.
But it’s the nerdy depths of information about each of the manufacturer’s vehicles that will really appeal to petrol heads.
It’s like a playable encyclopaedia of the car industry — and it looks glorious, too.
Forza Horizon 5
Platform: Xbox Series X
Developer: Playground Games
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
For those that prefer their motor racing in bombastic fashion, Forza Horizon 5 is the game for you.
This open-world racer is set in a slice of pseudo-realistic Mexico that brings a festival feel to its vehicular action.
Powering through beautifully diverse landscapes, that include volcanoes and arid deserts, and navigating the ever-changing weather such as disorienting sand storms, makes Forza Horizon 5 a thrill ride from start to finish.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Platform: PS5
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The enduring duo of PlayStation since the PS2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the perfect game for all the family.
A cliche though it may be, this is as close as you’ll get to a playable Pixar/Disney movie on current consoles.
It mixes tongue-in-cheek humour and a range of fantastical weapons perfectly as you zip through galaxies and dimensions to rid the universe of evil.
This latest adventure introduces a new parallel universe version of our heroes, Rivet and Kit, to help along the way.
Halo Infinite
Platform: Xbox Series X
Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Xbox’s flagship hero, Master Chief, leaps back into the action for the sixth instalment of the Halo series.
This time he’s wielding some new tricks in his fight against the Banished such as a grappling hook.
This makes traversing the landscape much more fun — especially when you rain down hot plasma bullets on the unsuspecting foes below.
Brilliantly, the superb multiplayer is separate to the main game and free-to-play.
As such, you can always get taste of the action without paying a dirham.
Deathloop
Platform: PS5
Developer: Arkane Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Just like the movie Groundhog Day, Deathloop replays the same 24 hours of a day.
It’s set on a mysterious island in the middle of nowhere and unlike other first-person shooters, its greatness comes from the open-ended ways you can approach each mission.
Set traps, sneak in, go all guns blazing or use the Slabs that give you superhero like powers. It’s up to you.
It also has some of the very best voice acting around, as you can read about in our interview here.
Psychonauts 2
Platform: Xbox Series X
Developer: Double Fine
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
A sequel 16 years in the making eventually returns on Xbox.
It’s an artsy platform game where you get to play with pyrokinesis and telekinesis powers, but there’s a fairly serious tone underneath the flashy visuals.
The clever writing and gameplay sheds light on the complexities of mental health issues as you try to defeat conditions such as addiction.
Don’t worry, though, it’s not all depressing and there’s a large dose of humour that is present throughout the action.
Horizon Forbidden West
Platform: PS5
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Set in a post-apocalyptic North America, the sequel to surprise hit Horizon Zero Dawn, has huntress Aloy return to put an end to mysterious plague that’s set to finish off mankind for good.
There’s far more of an open-world feel this time around, which means more exploration of the treacherous lands.
It takes our hero to the top of a disused space rocket on an old launch pad to the depths of the sea, where she must face even deadlier machine/animal hybrids.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Platform: Xbox Series X
Developer: Asobo Studio
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Unless you’re an actual pilot, or training to be one, this is the closest you’re going to get to sailing across the skies behind the controls of your own aircraft.
It uses data from Bing Maps to recreate 3D plains of Earth. So one minute you can be taking in views of the Shetland Islands in prop plane, and the next soaring above the Burj Khalifa in a Boeing 747 passenger plane.
There’s also real-time weather to contend with along the way that makes sticking the landing on a runway a white-knuckle affair.
Elden Ring
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
From the pen (keyboard?) of George RR Martin (Game of Thrones) and the creative minds of developer FromSoftware is this zen-balanced action game that delivers on its hype.
You’re thrust into a land that has been corrupted and the only way to rid it of evil is to defeat those that hold fragments of the titular Elden Ring.
FromSoftware games are notorious for being tough from the off, but also fair. As a result, you’ll find the combat here incredibly rewarding.
Hades
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Easy to pick up, hard to put down, that’s Hades in a nutshell.
Loosely based on Greek mythology, you play as Zagreus, who’s trying to escape the underworld and his father, Hades.
There’s a real arcade feel to the game as you slash and shoot your way through waves of undead enemies.
The Gods of Mount Olympus offer you random perks, such as Zeus’ lightning strikes, to help you escape, which means no two playthroughs are ever the same.
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
