Over the next week, we will be posting features for what we've nominated to be the best games of 2020. Then, on December 17, we will crown one of the nominees as GameSpot's Best Game of 2020, so join us as we celebrate these 10 games on the road to the big announcement. Be sure to check out our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best Games of 2020 hub.

I know what you're probably thinking: "Wait, Persona 5 came out in 2017, and you even named it the second best game of the year when you used to rank games!" That's true. This nomination, however, speaks to the fact that Persona 5 Royal expertly builds on what was already a tremendous RPG and delivers all-new story chapters that are genuinely unexpected yet perfect thematic fits. It's a definitive version, yes. But to simply call it a re-release is to sell short the extra 15 to 20 hours of essential content, the clever ways a new narrative is woven into the base game, and the emotional conclusions that follow. When we thought that Persona 5 couldn't be anymore invigorating or inspiring, Royal proved us wrong.

Persona's bread and butter is its marriage of social simulation where you live the life of a Japanese high school student, and dynamic turn-based RPG combat as you explore surreal dungeons. Both aspects feed into one another to create a cohesive whole and instill a sense of purpose in the things you do. You grow to care about the world you're striving to change and grow attached to the friends you make and fight alongside, all of whom empower each other with conviction and strength to right the wrongs of a society corrupted by abuse and exploitation. The Phantom Thieves--the main cast of characters who drive the story--take matters into their own hands with such lavish gusto that you can't help but fall in love with the ways in which their style meets substance.