I am 85 hours into Death Stranding 2, an apocalyptic nightmare about Earth becoming infected with death monsters, and I've realised that I'm playing it as a cosy game. For hours at a time, I trundle along the photorealistic landscapes in my pick-up truck, delivering parcels to isolated communities and building new roads. The only reason I complete the main story missions is to open new areas of the map so that I can meet new people and build more roads. I find it blissfully enjoyable. Of course, I am far from alone in playing video games this way.

Panic is an odd little company. It started out in the late 1990s as an app developer, and in 2016 it pivoted to video game publishing with Firewatch, followed by Untitled Goose Game in 2019. Both of these were breakout indie hits, resulting in significant success for the developers and Panic itself. And then, in 2022, Panic debuted the Playdate, a tiny yellow game console with a crank on the side and a monochromatic display. Playdate was a verified hit and its library is still being updated today.

Quirky game publisher Panic's first-ever digital games showcase is about to kick off. The event, dubbed the Panic Games Showcase, can be streamed directly on Panic's YouTube channel starting today at 1PM ET, or you can come back right here to catch all the action. The showcase will feature a 20-minute video presentation with Panic's games publishing roadmap, including new looks at previously announced games Nour: Play With Your Food and Despelote. During the event, you can also expect to hear about new unannounced titles, along with new game development partnerships. While there are no further details on upcoming games, we do know there will be no mention of the Playdate.

If you head to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Acmi) in Melbourne right now, you can visit Out of Bounds, an exhibition that "explores the limits of videogames". There you can watch The Grannies: a documentary about four game developers and friends in Melbourne who, while playing as a posse of elderly cowboys in the Playstation game Red Dead Redemption 2, went looking for adventure in the glitchy out-of-bounds areas beyond the game's map. Alongside The Grannies at Acmi, attendees can play Red Desert Render, which was made by game developer Ian MacLarty, one of the four Grannies. Red Desert Render takes the experience of exploring weird, glitchy virtual spaces. It's not dissimilar to many of MacLarty's other games, which are often free, very Australian, and experimental, like Southbank Portrait and Ned Kelly.

Most people know well the tedium and joy of moving into some small space and making it their own. Meticulously putting things away might not immediately seem like award-winning video game material – but Tim Dawson is hoping it will prove popular. "The whole thing is already sort of game-like," says Dawson, one of the co-founders of Witch Beam, the Australian developers behind new indie game Unpacking. "You've got the delight and surprise of pulling stuff out of boxes and not knowing what will come next … and you've got this clear end goal where everything is finally organised." Now available for PC, Switch and Xbox One, Unpacking won game of the year at this year's Australian Game Developers' Awards – the same title won in 2019 by the riotously successful Untitled Goose Game.

Last year was an unquestionably great year for gamers, with a wide variety of titles that pushed the medium forward and were just downright fun to play. Whether you're on a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch or a smartphone, there's something to look forward to over the next few months. Here's a look at the video games we can't wait to play in 2019, from more serious fare like Anthem and Last of Us Part II to the supremely silly seeming Untitled Goose Game. Set on an alien world abandoned by its god-like creators, Anthem puts you in the shoes (or exosuit) of an armor-clad Freelancer, encouraging you to band together with your real-world friends as you explore the planet and keep the forces threatening humanity's continued existence at bay. When you're not protecting your species, you can spend time customizing your armor, unlocking new skills, and flying around like your second-favorite billionaire superhero.