The awesome and alluring RPS Advent Calendar 2017

We like to have our eyes fixed on the future here at RPS, celebrating those games and creators that push things forward, but from time to time, tradition can be a fine thing and the RPS Advent Calendar is our grandest tradition. Here's how it works.

As December begins, we round up our favourite games of the year and trap them behind the doors of a giant calendar/dungeon. Every day, we open a door and allow the game behind it to emerge, bewildered, into the cold of winter. Don't worry - there's plenty to keep them occupied while they're locked inside the calendar, including a bottle of pop, a half-completed Witcher colouring book and a cracked snowglobe. The final game to leave is our absolute favourite game of the year, but they're all great games so do greet their emergence with applause, cheers and kind words. Perhaps you could bring them a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa?

Now is the time to bookmark this page because it is where you will find the calendar. Every day, a new door will unlock, allowing you to click on it and discover the bounty inside. Don't try to open any of the doors before they're unlocked though. The calendar is a living thing and has been known to bite.

We've done this many times before, including in 2007 when the calendar was a photo of a fairtrade advent calendar, and then again in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. In 2014 we did the RPS Bestest Bests which were the exact same only it wasn't based around a calendar. This was clearly inferior, and so the Horatian calendar returned in 2015 and last year's edition was a roaring success.

All entries should be considered equally brilliant, though the later a game appears the more of our writers voted for it. And, yes, the game behind door number 24 is the best game of the year. No arguments. If you think we're missing some other, excellent games, you are certainly right. Twenty four doors could not contain all of 2017's greats, so do let us know about your favourites below.

And now, settle back, join us for the big reveal at 5pm UK time every day from now until Christmas Eve, and enjoy the countdown.