Pushing Buttons: From Wordle to Elden Ring and GTA 6 leaks, 2022 was an exciting rebound from 2021

If 2021 was a bit of a nothing year for video games – the tentative first year of a new console generation, the second year of pandemic disruption, a year of delays and false starts enlivened briefly by the amateur traders giving Wall Street a shoeing via the medium of GameStop "meme stocks" – then 2022 has seen the games industry gradually get moving again. Our picks for best games of the year was published this week, and there are some proper greats among them. It's also been an interesting year for games news. The stories below are my highlights – the memorable moments from another year on this niche, unpredictable beat. No company is ever pleased when information about an in-progress game gets out ahead of time.