The Most Mesmerizing Video Game Box Art Of 2022

From Citizen Sleeper to Stranger of Paradise, here are our favorite video game box art

PublishedDecember 13, 2022

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Bayonetta and Kirby gaze at Citizen Sleeper, Norco, Stranger of Paradise, Cult of the Lamb, and Tunic's box art. — “Marvelous” -Bayonetta (probably) “Poyo”-Kirby (definitely)

Video game box art is like a visual handshake between the game and the player. If the art is tantamount to a limp handshake, gamers will forget about it and move on to a video game that seizes their attention with a firm grasp. While many have an uninspired Marvel Cinematic Universe-esque composite shot of its titular characters, other game covers deserve to be hung up in the Louvre, or in a frame in your bedroom.

In that spirit, let’s take a look back at some of the most visually pleasing video game box art that’s graced our eyes this year. For full immersion, be sure to play some classical music in the background as you peruse this slideshow. Might I recommend some Claude Debussy by virtue of his last name making me snicker like a middle schooler? Excellent choice. Let’s begin.

2 / 15

Backbone

Developer: Raw Fury

Type of game: Pixel art noir detective story

Kotaku Kritic

You can practically smell the plumes of cigarette smoke, watered-down alcohol, and non-descript barn animal musk radiating off of Backbone’s film noir box art. Despite being stoic in their own right, the shadows that dance across the faces of these anthropomorphic animals breathe a familiar air of mystery and doggone tiredness that comes with living in a crime-filled world wrought with animal-on-animal discrimination. Stare at this long enough and you’ll see the art piece look back into you like the giant disembodied blue eyes of the TJ Eckleberg advertisement in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Although it was technically released in 2021 on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, it also came out this year on Nintendo Switch, so it makes the cut.

Read More: Backbone: The Kotaku Review

3 / 15

Bear & Breakfast

Hank the bear hammers nails into plywood. — Image: Gummy Cat

Developer: Gummy Cat

Type of game: Hotel management simulator

Kotaku Kritic

Relaxing yet deceptive. These are the words that come to mind when first confronted with the initial warmness of Bear And Breakfast’s cover art. If one were to look at this cover of the Bear hotel manager, Hank as if it’s a photo taken before the storm of the workday ahead of him, one’d find themselves captivated by his steadfast smile. It’s as if the morning’s malaise and pangs of sleep bear no weight over the bear’s brow, but the small details like Hank’s crooked nail job and the judgmental stare from the fashionably winged companion looking over his shoulder hints at the stress from the game’s resource management system. Oh bother, indeed.

4 / 15

Citizen Sleeper

A lone astronaut stands outside of a colossal space station. — Image: Jump Over The Age

Developer: Jump Over The Age

Type of game: Cyberpunk RPG

Kotaku Kritic

Nothing quite hits the eye like the saturated colors meshed with the brutal robotic landscape that’s expected from good cyberpunk cover art. Case-in-point: Citizen Sleeper. While most covers with the backs of its hero facing the viewer relay an exciting sense of adventure to come for the player, the slouched posture of Citizen Sleeper’s little dude juxtaposed with the mechanical fortress of the space station they’ll be maintaining instead gives an air of dread. If it weren’t for the cover’s effective use of depth of field between the player character and the space station, one might not even recognize them as separate entities. Given the outcomes of the game’s many brutal dice rolls, this artistic choice wasn’t made carelessly.

5 / 15

Cult of the Lamb

A cult of anthropomorphic animals perform a ritual sacrifice of a lamb. — Image: Massive Monster

Developer: Massive Monster

Type of game: 2D base-building action game

Kotaku Kritic

Much like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Cult of the Lamb’s team of artists knows video games that use subtext with their cover art are cowards because this cover art is exactly as advertised on the tin: Those lambs sure are partaking in recreational cultish activities. Despite the undeniable cuteness of its cult-following anthropomorphic characters, this art piece is teeming with menacing energy. By simply using three colors: white, black, and red to contrast the two, Cult of The Lamb’s box art perfectly encapsulates how the game skirts the line by having cute animals do some fucked up witchcraft.

6 / 15

Horizon: Forbidden West

Aloy stands on a sandy tropical beach with giant mechanical birds circling its shore. — Image: Guerrilla Games

Developer: Guerrilla Games

Type of game: Action-adventure game.

Kotaku Kritic

While Horizon: Forbidden West’s box art coasts dangerously close to being the same MCU-esque poster art this critique lambasts (particularly its special edition cover), it more than makes up for it by way of the tropical aesthetic of its standard edition cover. If you knew nothing about HFW and its release date curse, the contrast between its tropical landscape and tribal-getup of its main character up against the mechanical prehistoric bird feels like apiece one would observe in amused befuddlement at an art exhibit. How are the two in the same place? What narrative secrets lie behind each brush stroke of its cover? It effortlessly boggles the mind while being easy on the eyes, which is what most art should strive to do.

7 / 15

Live A Live

Developer: Square Enix

Type of game: Turn-based action role-playing game

Kotaku Kritic

Like a fine wine paired with a slice of aged cheese, nothing pairs better than a Square Enix game with art by Naoki Ikushima. Although the art piece could be described as a glorified character portrait of Live A Live’s disparate characters, Ikushima communicates each personality perfectly with the contours of their facial expressions. Even as a passerby, you’d be able to understand the broad strokes of each character’s personality while being pulled in by Ikushima’s lightly-shaded brushstrokes to learn more about them.

Read More: Live A Live: The Kotaku Review

8 / 15

Norco

Developer: Raw Fury

Type of game: Point-and-click mystery game.

Kotaku Kritic

Norco’s box art is like a magic eye mural filled with all the wonder and horrors of an industrialist future. Despite the dreamlike hues of orange and blue from its skyline, it’s clear that nature is on the back foot of a losing battle against mechanical imagery, which points to the brutal tango between innovation and mother nature that takes place in the game.

9 / 15

OlliOlli World

Developer: Roll7

Type of game: 2D skateboarding game

Kotaku Kritic

OlliOlli World’s box art is bursting at the seams with the same chaotic energy one would expect from a rollicking skateboarding game. Its cityscape is jam-packed with ramps plunging from dangerous heights and intermingled between its storefronts and skate-worthy architecture is a diverse array of characters It’s colorful, it’s fun, and it gives passersby a great impression of the skateboarding extravaganza awaiting them.

10 / 15

Rollerdrome

Explosions and rollerskaters dace around the head of Rollerdome's player character. — Image: Roll7

Developer: Roll7

Type of game: 3D sports shooter game

Kotaku Kritic

Much like the Death Race 2000 movie poster, Rollerdrome’s box art brings a vintage action movie flair to its box art with its cel-shaded collage of weapon-wielding skaters neatly contained by plentiful smoke and explosions. This is the type of box art you’d display proudly next to a Pulp Fiction poster in a college dorm room. It fucks.

11 / 15

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

A Stranger of Paradise illustration shows purple and violet water colors splashed across Jack Garland's face. — Image: Square Enix

Developer: Square Enix

Type of game: Action-roleplaying game

Kotaku Kritic

Ah, yes. Who could forget Jack and his epic tale to defeat chaos? The worldwide outside cover for Playstation and Xbox is comprised of art featuring the baddie’s outstretched arms wrapped around the game’s logo is serviceable, but the inside cover of its Austria, Germany, and Switzerland box art is what we’re here to ogle at. Jack and the crew’s determined stares inside Garland the Knight’s outline on the outside cover art is visually interesting, but its inside cover is deserving of five wet chef’s kisses. It is arguably this year’s greatest example of relying upon what brought you to the dance: Chaos, with a painterly illustration of Jack Garland’s face being corrupted by the red watercolors of Chaos. The frenetic slapdash effects of its red color splotches allow the viewer to grasp the contours of Jack’s face as well as his psyche throughout the game. Maybe the chaos he so vehemently rejects is as much a part of him as his sea-green eyes? Much to think about.

12 / 15

Tunic

Developer: TUNIC Team

Type of game: Action-adventure game

Kotaku Kritic

As a Zelda-like indie title with a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed protagonist, Tunic nailed its box art cover. Another stellar example of “keep it simple, stupid” but with a lethal injection of contagious cuteness thrown into the mix. The plan: Show your hero assuming the heroic sword and shield pose while imparting the viewer the same sense of wonder and fearlessness. Nine out of 10 Kotaku critics agree that this method is super effective. The odd-duck out would turn their nose up at it being a fox and not the superior red panda.

13 / 15

WWE 2K22

Rey Mysterio leaps into frame with tracer lights of neon blue, red, and orange trailing after him. — Image: 2K

Developer: Visual Concepts

Type of game: Professional wrestling sports game

Kotaku Kritic

Yes, really. In the recent past, WWE games were once simply a highly-edited photograph of one of its popular wrestlers on its cover. But this year’s game not only improved its gameplay by abandoning its intensive wrestling sim minigames, it added some much-needed flair to its presentation by putting the evocative Rey Mysterio on its cover. Arguably, there is no more “over” wrestler in the world than the luchador, so having him bask in his masked glory on WWE 2k22's cover was a no-brainer. Ronald Mysterious leaping into the frame with neon tracer lines dancing off his sequins gives the all-black cover an extra coolness boost. Booyakah booyakah, indeed.

14 / 15

Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus?

An outline of Uncle Marcus's face is filled with jagged portraits of his family members. — Image: Wales Interactive, Good Gate Media

Developer: Wales Interactive, Good Gate Media

Type of game: FMV murder mystery

Kotaku Kritic

Who snuck this movie poster in here? Security! Oh, you’re saying this is actually a video game’s box art. You can expect a jpeg on our social media issuing an apology. But seriously, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus’ is giving modern-day Clue with its jigsaw puzzle collage of the shady family members inside of the side-profile silhouette of the aforementioned uncle Marcus. The concept is straightforward with an alarmingly bright red and yellow color scheme to communicate the foreboding danger contained within this murder mystery.

And there you have it. If there were any video games you think got snubbed, too bad. Kidding, but be sure to share with your fellow readers in the comments below what video game box art pleased your eyes the most.

15 / 15