“Continue?” It’s one of the oldest words in video games. You stumble. You put in another quarter. You try again. Hey, you’ll get ‘em next time. Never has that sentiment been more true than in 2025 — seen both in the best games of the year and in the culture around them.
The industry-wide layoffs that started in 2023 showed no sign of slowing down. The stakes for new releases are higher than ever, as swollen budgets and development cycles demand recouped costs at launch. Planned games that showed a lot of promise were canned, while the studios working on them were shuttered. All of this went down amid the looming shadow of continued industry consolidation, which doesn’t spell doom by definition but historically has led to even more widespread layoffs, more canceled projects, and more studio closures.
But despite it all, the people who make games kept going — and that perseverance radiated through the games that defined 2025.
Case in point: You need to play through Silent Hill f at least three times to understand its ending. Hades 2 is quite literally structured like the lyrics to that one Chumbawamba song. Baby Steps builds one of the toughest gaming challenges of the year not around parries or RNG but around walking. Hollow Knight: Silksong, Elden Ring Nightreign, Blue Prince, Megabonk, Ball x Pit, Avowed, Peak, even Kirby Air Riders, if you squint hard enough — themes of “getting knocked down and getting back up again” ring through all of them.
And then there’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the de facto gaming story of the year no matter where it ultimately ranks on the various “best games of 2025” lists out there. (Sorry, you’ll have to scroll a bit more to find out!) Clair Obscur was born from the minds of developers who left the AAA industry to pursue projects more aligned with their interests. It was forged in the fires of the COVID-19 pandemic and imparted the sacred purpose of carrying on the mission even when those around you cannot. You can plainly hear it in the game’s motif, a riff on gaming’s oldest phrase, uttered by characters facing impossible odds and emblazoned on the victory screen after every battle: “We continue.”
The best games of 2025 share that message — to keep trucking along no matter the adversity — and we’ve taken it to heart. It’s been a rocky year, that’s for damn sure. Continue? Let’s see that quarter. We’ll do it together. —Ari Notis
How we chose the best games of 2025: Polygon writers and editors submitted individual ballots ranking the best games they played this year. Games in contention were released between Dec. 5, 2024 (the publication date of last year’s list) and the end of 2025. After casting votes, a group of editors tallied ballots and tailored a list of the best games of 2025 to represent the collective tastes of Polygon’s staff.
50. Ghost of Yōtei
Big-ticket PlayStation exclusives love to center a good ol’ tale of revenge, and Ghost of Yōtei is Sony’s latest to deliver a bloody tale in style. Sucker Punch’s samurai epic follows a woman named Atsu as she tracks down the Yōtei Six, a group of individuals who killed her family when she was a child. While the open world buckles against giving Atsu marked character growth, Erika Ishii delivers a standout performance as the titular Ghost. And there’s no denying Ghost of Yōtei’s gameplay delivers in spades, whether you’re slicing up enemies alongside a wolf or impaling them with a hurled katana from the shadows. —Austin Manchester
49. Strange Jigsaws
Strange Jigsaws is built around the idea that difficulty is personal but the rush of an epiphany is a universal thrill. Developer Fleb, a student of puzzlemaking and Mystery Hunts, starts players off with one puzzle before opening up into another, then another, then another. Down and down you go into the Inception of jigsaws, and reminders that this could only exist in the confines of a video game space. Through it all is a playful, dad-energy absurdity where jokes aren’t just flavor, but the spark that often becomes the puzzle itself. Gamers often conflate outstanding directing with AAA cinematics, but across the few hours it takes to play Strange Jigsaws, Fleb establishes himself as a fresh voice and visionary. —Matt Patches
48. Blippo+
Have you ever gone to another country and watched local TV? It’s a fascinating cultural experience. Passive observation becomes something of a meta puzzle as you try to piece together all the quirks of a foreign culture through news broadcasts and public access shows. Blippo+ recreates that experience in astonishing fashion. Originally built for the Playdate and later released on Windows PC, it’s less of a game and more of a channel-surfing simulator created by the band Yacht. All you do is flip through TV channels coming from a planet named Blippo. That instantly becomes mesmerizing, as you get a full picture of Blippian life through low-budget TV shows that are always bizarre and entertaining. There’s a little more to it than that, though, as a building mystery tied to the world’s current events slowly unravels through 10 weeks of broadcasting. Once you start watching, you won’t want to stop until you see it all. —Giovanni Colantonio
47. Arc Raiders
Arc Raiders is a revelation in the shooter genre. Extraction shooters aren't anything particularly new (although the subgenre is still in its infancy), but Embark Studios found an almost flawless formula here. It balances the risk level of its PvP and PvE components sublimely, and cultivates an experience that, while ever-changing as players progress more, has the potential to be friendly and pacifist, the likes we haven't seen before in the space. Head topside, gather as much valuable loot as you can, then return to your den to upgrade workbenches, craft weapons, and complete quests. That's the gist of it, and while it sounds simple, the Arc universe is enthralling, with metal robots and drones as far as the eye can see, and they're a genuine threat. Godspeed, raider. —Ford James
46. Is This Seat Taken?
The debut release from Barcelona-and-Brussels-based developer Poti Poti studio is a delightful logic puzzle game about a common social anxiety: sitting where you want. The goal is to arrange gangs of fussy little geometric-shape-people on the limited seating available — on a train, at a party, at the cinema, at a sporting stadium, and so on — so that they’re all happy. No easy task when they want to sleep, haven’t showered, can’t stand the smell of cologne, like chatting, get sick when facing the wrong way, hate kids, or just want to be alone. Is This Seat Taken? is a tough but rewarding puzzler, presented with elegance and humor, that doesn’t overstate the point it’s making about the messy needs of the human collective. It’s also out on just about everything, but best played on your phone. (Maybe even on the bus, in an aisle seat, facing forward, with your backpack next to you and nobody playing loud music nearby.) —Oli Welsh
45. Digimon Story Time Stranger
Digimon Story Time Stranger proved a Digimon game’s appeal isn’t limited to the series’ loyal fanbase. Crisp visuals that bring the anime to life and gripping RPG gameplay supplement a narrative capable of juggling jokes and deep conversations about universal themes (like finding strength through friendship, or the immanent anguish that comes from fighting against time). But the merit of Time Stranger lies in its importance within the Digimon series. After having been unfairly compared to Pokémon throughout the years, Digimon finally has a game that carves the franchise’s well-deserved place as more than just a niche media. Time Stranger helps establish Digimon not only as a thriving cultural object, but also as a strong figure in the gaming landscape — strong enough to be one of the best games in 2025. —Paulo Kawanishi
44. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
The urge to start fresh in an MMORPG can come for us all. It's a sick desire, wanting to start at level one, hacking away at trees or killing lowly slimes until you hit a higher level. But for those down with the sickness, no game in 2025 scratched that itch quite like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. The game has you time-traveling back and forth to different areas with different functions. You can travel to villages full of side quests and NPCs, a barren wasteland filled with enemies to kill and items to harvest, or just head on back home to decorate your own little town. There are few greater joys than sinking into a sofa while farming resources for [redacted] hours, heading back to my village to build new houses and furniture, and then heading back out to farm for more resources. To some, the repeated task of crafting new items that allow you to craft even newer items is repulsive. To others, it’s paradise. —Julia Lee
43. Nubby's Number Factory
It’s time to clock in for work at the number factory, where your job is to make increasingly large numbers — oh, and if you fail, the sun explodes. This hilarious hyperbolic consequence perfectly encapsulates the essence of Nubby’s Number Factory, which looks like a blend of pachinko and an old-school Flash game. It’s one of the most unique games centered around making a big number get even bigger — a genre some have begun calling Balatrolikes — of the year. Made by a sole developer, just like the poker roguelike that brought a new level of relevance to the craze, Nubby’s revels in silliness as much as strategy, with items called things like Poop Butt (which is pretty strong, for the record), and it actively encourages players to break the game. It’s frighteningly easy to sink hours into. —Deven McClure
42. Tokyo Xtreme Racer
A retro throwback can be as refreshing and invigorating as something truly new if it resurrects an experience that’s been lost in the intervening years, and if its commitment to authenticity is more than skin-deep. So it is with Tokyo Xtreme Racer, one of the year’s best comeback stories. Developer Genki is the OG master of a peculiar sub-genre of racing game in which you eternally grind out one-on-one street races on the looping, nocturnal expressways of Tokyo. Tokyo Xtreme Racer brings this formula back as if the last 20 years never happened. It’s a hypnotic vibe, and a unique, forgotten flavor of racing game that cuts through the encrusted habits of this somewhat stagnant genre. —Oli Welsh
41. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Marvelous Games has done its utmost over the years to inject wide appeal into the long-running Harvest Moon series. This year, it succeeded with Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, a remake set in the picturesque Zephyr Town. The town's marketplace has gone downhill since the old farmer left, but now you're here, that's all about to change. Marvelous's remake comes with new bells and whistles in the form of additional characters and activities, but doesn’t remove the heart of what made Grand Bazaar so special. Better yet, it's a farming sim that isn't afraid to be challenging and encourages you to work as hard as you play. Words to live by. —Aimee Hart
40. Consume Me
When Consume Me begins, its focus seems clear: This is a story about eating disorders. It chronicles the life of a teen girl who is hyperaware of her body thanks to the pressures of a society that values small waistlines. That’s one part of Jenny Jiao Hsia’s autobiographical game, but it’s not the big picture. For all its food Tetris minigames and calorie counting strategization, Consume Me doesn’t set out to be a health class PSA. More broadly, it’s a coming-of-age story about a life defined by obsessions. The fictional version of Jenny is pulled in multiple directions as her priorities keep changing as she grows. Sometimes food is the most important thing in her life. Other times, it’s her boyfriend. It’s even God for one brief phase. The boldest thing about Consume Me is that it refuses to let players put it into a box. Our biographies don’t need to be solely defined by our lowest moments. —Giovanni Colantonio
39. REPO
REPO is designed to make you shake with laughter and scream in terror in equal measure — often at the same time. In this online cooperative survival horror game, you and your squad are dropped off at a creepy abandoned mansion with a straightforward task: gather as much loot as you can. Regrettably, the place is haunted by unfriendly ghosts, oddly shaped insects, and ducklings with attachment issues, so the survival rate is rather low. The sheer terror is worth it, though, as the constant teamwide panic, floppy physics, and intentionally tricky controls are a recipe for hilarity. This game may not be the most groundbreaking release of 2025, but if REPO proved something this year, it’s that horror and humor still form the best recipe for an unforgettable virtual fright night. —Marloes Valentina Stella
38. Dispatch
Dispatch knows exactly what it wants to be, which is impressive considering how many dramatic changes the game underwent during its lengthy development cycle (often the bellwether of a game that feels confused). It says some nice things about relationships and the value of a second chance, but it isn't profound and doesn't try to be. Its strategy segments play with choice-based variables that creatively connect back to the cast's personalities, but genre innovation isn't the goal here. And it's a rebuttal of the cynical grimness of modern superhero stories, though it isn't trying to start a new trend. Dispatch is just Dispatch. It's a beautifully animated tale of one man’s transition from powerless hero to mighty desk worker, expertly balancing the line between comedy and vulgarity on a wide range of branching narrative paths. Just as important as anything else — and what makes the idea of seeing those potential futures play out — Dispatch is paced so you can experience the entire thing without devoting half your life to it. —Josh Broadwell
37. Promise Mascot Agency
Kaso-Machi is in shambles. The small Japanese village is run by a crooked mayor who has turned the place into a ghost town, killing small business and driving its residents out of town. It’s not a place where anyone lives; it’s where they go to die. Though Promise Mascot Agency dresses this premise up in a screwball comedy about misfits struggling to revive their dying business, it’s very much rooted in real political anxiety. Michi, an ex-Yakuza member forced into hiding, comes to Kaso-Machi only to find a town full of local eccentrics who deserve better leadership. He knows the world of organized crime well enough to see the local government for what it is: a gang. Who better than a reformed criminal (and a crying block of tofu) to expose that and find redemption in a place that really needs him? Underneath all the wacky card battles and absurd comedy, Promise Mascot Agency delivers a timely story about protecting local communities through the power of grassroots campaigning. —Giovanni Colantonio
36. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
In a year packed with ninja games, somehow the latest take on Sega’s Shinobi franchise comes out on top. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance nails what a ninja-action game requires: fluid, precise combat and platforming; a breadth of killing tools; and in the case of Shinobi specifically, magical ninja powers. Developer LizardCube’s deep affection for Sega’s classic properties is evident throughout Art of Vengeance. The studio both honors the franchise’s past while recognizing that very little about Shinobi, outside of hero Joe Musashi, is truly sacrosanct. In reimagining Shinobi as a combo-focused Metroidvania-lite, Art of Vengeance rewards thoughtful play and experimentation through a series of combat puzzles and ever-evolving gameplay mechanics. It sticks around just long enough to leave players wanting more. —Michael McWhertor
35. CloverPit
Gambling roguelikes have attained popularity in recent years thanks to games such as Balatro and Buckshot Roulette (and Nubby’s Number Factory, another one of Polygon’s best games of 2025). CloverPit is yet another phenomenal entry into this subgenre. For this one, a slot machine is your vice, as opposed to cards, but you're also not really there by choice. You're trapped in a spooky, PS1-vibe dungeon by a Jigsaw-esque villain who forces you to pull the crank and make the number go up, up, up, lest you're dropped into an eternally dark pit. Much like Balatro, you can earn plenty of modifiers for your run, so while you have less control over a spin than you do a hand of cards, there are ways to manipulate and increase your chances. The atmosphere is unmatched, and the stakes ever-present; will you be able to escape the locked room? —Ford James
34. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Nihon Falcom's Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter may be a remake, but that doesn’t preclude it from being a premium RPG experience. Beautifully crafted storylines, mesmerizing worldbuilding, remarkable character design, updated visuals, and a revamped battle system make a beloved tale more approachable than ever. But at the heart of Trails is the narrative of Estelle and Joshua, which unfolds from a simple coming-of-age tale to a world-saving epic, without once losing its rhythm. It gradually grows in complexity and intensity, never forgetting that these characters are people who change over time as much as the places they visit, though still remaining true to their core essence. Hey, kind of like Trails! —Paulo Kawanishi
33. The Roottrees Are Dead
Whether it's a modern movie like the Knives Out films or an older TV show like Murder, She Wrote, few joys are higher than tracking the clues for a good ol’ whodunit. In that regard, The Roottrees Are Dead is compelling from the jump. When a generationally wealthy family loses four key members, it's up to you to put the clues together using old magazine articles, scrapbooks, and even a rudimentary version of the internet to learn all of the secrets the Roottree family are hiding. It has all the hallmarks of a good mystery: twists, turns, misdirects, and even a mysterious character slowly doling out information that is more deeply connected than they want you to believe. The Roottrees Are Dead is a unique point-and-click video game experience that, in 2025, feels like a throwback and offers new surprises at every turn. —Chris Hayner
32. The Alters
Like its protagonist, space miner Jan Dolski, The Alters has many faces: a tough survival game, an extraterrestrial base builder, a time-sensitive management sim, and also a dark sci-fi story about corporate greed and the human cost of technological advancements. It raises big questions about who you should trust most. The silver-tongued CEO? Your ex-wife? Or… yourself? That’s the oddest part of The Alters; shortly after Jan gets trapped on an unexplored planet, he gains the scientific know-how to clone himself. But instead of exact copies, his “alters” are deviations from key points in his life — they may have accepted that one job, moved to a new city, or saved their marriage. As a result, the alt-Jans not only have a different skill set, but also different personalities. Choosing which alters to create and how to handle their issues, all while reflecting on OG Jan’s troublesome past and the questionable ethics of cloning, is what makes The Alters such a gem. If one 2025 game managed to mimic a struggle with past regrets and an uncertain future, it’s The Alters. —Marloes Valentina Stella
31. Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Z-A has enough exploration to fill a region within a single city. Even though the game takes place in one area (Lumiose City of the Kalos region), there's so much to do: battles against giant Mega Evolutions, where you feel like you're in danger yourself; shops to deck your trainer out in delightful fashions; nighttime battles to prove that you're the best, like no one ever was; parkouring around rooftops and discovering new Pokémon that you haven't seen yet — and if you're really lucky, hearing the sparkling ping that indicates a nearby shiny. But the strongest bit of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is its cast. There are no gym leaders, but there are a gaggle of type-specialist trainers with unique designs who help make the sprawl of Lumiose feel even bigger. And they don’t just disappear after you beat them; they all play a major role in the story, making Lumiose City feel like a living, breathing place that’s home to people who care about it.
Also we got Mega Victreebell and Mega Starmie. —Julia Lee
30. Keep Driving
What if a role-playing game didn’t have a set story, or a fantastical setting, or meaningful progression, or combat (except in the most abstract sense)? What if there was a management game about wasting time? What if a car game didn’t feature any actual driving? These questions get an unexpectedly compelling answer in Keep Driving, the gorgeously wistful and nostalgic roadtrip simulator by YCYJ games. It’s jumble of parts — cool pixel art, generative story systems, wittily observed characters, weird turn-based encounters, tinny indie rock — assembled into a deeply evocative and endlessly replayable meditation on the liminal time of early adulthood, when you have no money, no responsibilities, and nothing but time to see the world unfold before you, mile by mile. —Oli Welsh
29. Mafia: The Old Country
Mafia: The Old Country doesn’t begin with a thrilling car chase or a big shootout. It starts in a mine. Enzo Favara is living the life many Sicilians lived in the early 1900s as he toils away in dangerous working conditions under an abusive boss. It’s a slow, tedious introduction where manual labor replaces immediate video game thrills. That’s a bold swing for an entry in an action-adventure series like Mafia, but that’s what makes The Old Country so special. It doesn’t just hand you a criminal power fantasy; it practically makes you beg for it. Knife fights and sports cars become a seductive escape from the very real political context that The Old Country draws from, depicting an Italy ravaged by poverty and working class exploitation. It’s a story that doesn’t just seek to understand how the mafia grew to power, but how so many desperate people were pulled into its orbit. —GC
28. Sword of the Sea
Like everything in Giant Squid’s oeuvre, Sword of the Sea is an absolute work of art. Natalie Spitzel's mesmerizing environments compel exploring every inch of its breathtaking world, and is supplemented by an ethereal and captivating (not to mention Grammy-nominated) soundtrack from Austin Wintory. Sword of the Sea's intriguing story takes place in the same universe as the studio's previous titles (ABZÛ, The Pathless), and the game trusts players to piece the plot together without any of its characters ever uttering a single line of dialogue. But Sword of the Sea isn't just an artistic marvel — it's also a hell of a lot of fun, featuring slick, satisfying movement mechanics and a well-polished New Game Plus mode that turns it into a speedrunner's paradise. Ultimately, Sword of the Sea is the best of both worlds: easy on the eyes (and ears), but incredibly difficult to put down. —Claire Lewis
27. The Outer Worlds 2
The Outer Worlds 2 improves upon 2019's The Outer Worlds in just about every way. Maps are bigger, NPCs aren't suffering from same-face syndrome, and movement mechanics have been beefed up to allow for smooth sliding, double-jumping, and airborne gliding. But one of the best aspects of The Outer Worlds 2 is what a surprisingly good job it does with its companion characters, who are not all stereotypical good guys. Sure, some of them will get upset if you go around killing innocent civilians, but each companion has completely different goals, motives, and feelings — and each of them have unique responses to the player's actions. If you truly want to tour the galaxy as an interstellar serial killer without alienating all of your companions, The Outer Worlds 2 will let you do just that. Not that we’d endorse that approach, of course. —Claire Lewis
26. Ball x Pit
In 1976, Breakout changed the world. The legendary arcade game has seen so many clones, copycats, and imitators in the intervening years that you’d think the well has been completely tapped. You’d have missed Ball x Pit, in that case. Each round, you start at the bottom of the screen, and shoot balls at rectangle-shaped enemies at the top of the screen. Eliminating foes grants you powers. Soon you’re shooting lasers, triggering earthquakes, and summoning blizzards, and you can fuse those powers to shock, poison, freeze, or burn every brick in sight. Ball x Pit masterfully catches the thrill found in the best roguelikes. It doesn’t take long before the screen becomes a hurricane of chaos, and you have no clear idea what’s happening, other than one immutable truth: You’re in control of it. —Ari Notis
25. Split Fiction
Following up a Game of the Year winner with another hit is no small task, yet Hazelight Studios did exactly that with the co-op adventure Split Fiction. While you might roll your eyes at its early conflict, which pairs jovial aspiring fantasy writer Zoe with cynical aspiring sci-fi writer Mio, the initial surface-level squabble falls away as the duo gets to know each other. They become true friends during their adventures together through digitized manifestations of their stories and ideas, like a world made of candy or one inhabited by towering giants. By the end, you and your gaming partner will be sobbing right along with Zoe and Mio, but not before experiencing a gamut of too-fun-for-their-own-good levels and gameplay mechanics, where at any given minute you could be riding dragons, fighting as cyberpunk ninjas, or… grilling yourselves as hot dogs? —Austin Manchester
24. Megabonk
There are half-assed ways to fart out a roguelike survival game onto Steam, and even Megabonk has been the victim of cheap clone tactics within a few months of release. (There’s a reason Gigabonk did not make this list.) But for all of Megabonk’s intentional jank and high-as-a-kite chaos, developer vedinad still delivered the full package of a playable — and replayable — comfort game: quests, characters, and unlockables worth pursuing for 100+ hours. The meta is debatable, the tactics obscene. Thanks to well considered physics, skating around a desert as Calcium the Skeleton is somehow more fulfilling than Skate (2025). There’s nothing cheap about this resoundingly cheap-looking game, even if the product is pure junk food. —Matt Patches
23. Tiny Bookshop
Have you ever wished you could leave your life behind, move to a small seaside town, and sell books to the locals? Tiny Bookshop induldges that fantasy with flawless execution, creating an experience that’s genuinely heartwarming and serene. Players begin as a new resident of the idyllic hamlet of Bookstonbury, and are slowly welcomed into the fold in a game that’s just as much about helping your neighbors as it is about making good book recommendations. That said, the bookstore aspect of the game is also very strong, including a library of largely real-life books and stocking mechanics that are slightly deckbuilder-esque. Whether you’re recommending one of your favorite novels or helping a songwriting regular get more people at their gig, Tiny Bookshop is a transportive experience — the escape we needed in 2025. —Deven McClure
22. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 is better than the original Death Stranding, which has the unfortunate consequence that it’s actually worse. For the sequel to Hideo Kojima’s inimitable post-apocalyptic delivery epic, Kojima Productions improved the balance of stealth and combat, thoughtfully revised and elaborated the systems, and sharpened the characterization in its storytelling (even if it’s no less grandiose or nonsensical). As a result, the game is much more agreeable to play, but it lacks the friction that made the original so strangely compelling. Nevertheless, it’s still remarkable: as a technically outstanding AAA epic; as a deeply quixotic and personal vision; as a tribute to Kojima’s undersung skill as a deep systems designer; and as a showcase for the psychically unnerving power of Yoji Shinkawa’s art. —Oli Welsh
21. And Roger
And Roger is the kind of artful storytelling that can only exist as a video game. It isn't just the story of someone dealing with dementia. And Roger wants you to understand what everyone involved in the process feels and, to do it, takes creative swings with the basics — things as simple as a readable interface or practical input methods. The opening segment won't let you type your name. The button that lets you forge ahead doesn't work. Text boxes are pieces of gibberish cobbled together from sources completely irrelevant to the task at hand. It's meant to imitate the dozens of cognitive tests given to those who suffer dementia, but also the sense of bewildered frustration that comes with it, of being trapped in a world you recognize but no longer comprehend. What sets And Roger apart from most other media depictions of dementia is how carefully it intertwines the life of the main character's caregiver with her own, a side of the story that so often goes unnoticed despite the intense amount of emotional anguish involved. This is a thoughtful, sensitive game made by people who understand. It’s essential. —Josh Broadwell
20. Two Point Museum
Two Point Museum is arguably the best Two Point game yet. It maintains many of the series’ foundational management aspects while expanding its scope more than ever. Players now employ explorers to go on expeditions for everything from fossils to fish to haunted objects, and when discoveries are brought back, they need to be transformed into exhibits with as much infotainment packed in as possible. Each of the campaign locations offer a lot of variety in terms of goals — the first few are more straightforward, like expanding a botanical wing, while later ones deal with things like appeasing the ghosts that inhabit cursed exhibits and building contraptions based on excavated blueprints. With nearly endless possibilities for creating different museums, and the same sense of humor that’s endeared players since the Theme Hospital era, Two Point Museum is a real gem. —Deven McClure
19. Mario Kart World
The Switch 2’s marquee launch title is notable for feeling like the start of something rather than its summation. Frankly, Mario Kart World doesn’t quite deliver on the all-consuming open world of Mario Kart that it promised, while making fundamental changes to the Mario Kart formula that have caused some unrest amongst fans. But this is how it had to be. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an unimprovable game, the apex of a quarter-century of kart racing excellence. Mario Kart World is an imperfect draft of something new, a true cross between racing game and platformer where deep exploration and acrobatic exploitation of the environment, using the fabulously refined new rail-grinding and wall-riding skills, are given as much importance as the chaos happening on the track. There’s a lot of room for improvement here, but that’s what’s exciting about it. —Oli Welsh
18. Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Umamusume: Pretty Derby lined up at the gate in Japan all the way back in 2021, but finally made its way to the starting line on the world stage in June of this year. And by every measure, it’s off! Umamusume: Pretty Derby became a global sensation in 2025. Some spectators still sit shocked and bewildered as horse girls stomp around the track, but, the longer they watch, the more they realize that Umamusume isn’t just some anthropomorphic gacha game. Rather, it’s a racing simulator where you manage a junior horse jostling to become the URA Finale champion. Along the way, you develop their skills in a surprisingly in-depth training system and watch nerve-wracking races only to find yourself unconsciously standing out of your seat, cheering and applauding as you watch them cross the finish line. And once your (and your horse’s) hard work pays off, you start to see the light and grasp why Umamusume maintained its lead through 2025, ultimately crossing the finish line by a distance. —Johnny Yu
17. Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Bananza is single-minded: break rocks to get to the center of the earth, get bananas. Like its loveable ape star, this game is big dumb fun. Unlike its loveable ape star, there’s a hell of a lot going on beneath that unsophisticated exterior. For one thing, Bananza’s maps are fully destructible, and the game’s freeform camera is a technological marvel. The concept may be simple, but the execution is far from it. Bananza also ditches the mandatory collectathon have come to define 3D platformers over the past couple decades. (At least until the postgame, there’s none of the usual “get 100 dingleberries to unlock the wizard gate” nonsense.) If pretty much any other developer in the world attempted something like Bananza, it would be a disaster. Instead, Nintendo makes a masterclass in game direction and polish look like mere child’s play. Oooh, banana! —Jen Glennon
16. Öoo
Öoo inhabits the same space as smart platformers like Celeste, BoxBoy, and VVVVVV: games that take a simple concept and dissect it to a nearly atomic level. In the case of Öoo — no relation to Adventure Time — designer NamaTakahashi eliminates the standard movement mechanic of platformers. Instead of jumping, the game’s bomb caterpillar moves by being pushed forward and upward by exploding bombs that trail behind it. Using that simple concept, Öoo routinely delivers surprises about how to think about movement. Character placement, the environment, and how to weave what a game teaches you over time into your mental toolbox are all part of the game’s ingenious design. Öoo is one of 2025’s most imaginative games, constantly delighting over its few short hours, unlocking new ways to think about movement and progress in a huge maze — right up to and even beyond its ending. —Michael McWhertor
15. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
There’s currently no game better than Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 at capturing the experience of medieval European life. For narrative-driven RPGs where actions have dire consequences (caning, hanging, being branded for life), there’s also no better game than Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. And for drunken shenanigans, exceedingly odd adventures, and a good ‘ole tavern brawl? This is the gold standard. Following young Henry of Skalitz as he slowly works his way upward from muddy beggar to respected squire, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set in a historically representative version of 14th-century Bohemia. The amount of detail in the landscape, towns, and castles, all of which are modeled after real places, is beyond impressive, as are the many quirky characters that bring them to life. This isn’t the kind of game to hold your hand, but every secret you discover, every problem you solve, and every battle you win feels all the more rewarding. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 proves you don’t need magic or dragons to create a magnificent medieval RPG: Real history is eventful enough. —Marloes Valentina Stella
14. Peak
It may sound like a condescending term, but 2025 was truly the year “friendslop” came into its own as a genre, and Peak was arguably the best of the lot. The premise is simple: climb a mountain. In practice? Much easier said than done, as you need to manage hunger, energy, treacherous terrain and weather conditions, all manner of wild and wacky items, and friends that will take every opportunity to laugh at your misfortune as the ragdoll physics send you tumbling over the edge because you strayed too close to an exploding bush. It's cute, adorable, silly fun, and with a brand-new mountain every day, no climb is the same. When you reach the top, you'll be itching to ascend again tomorrow. —Ford James
13. Lumines Arise
When times are unrelentingly dark, it can be hard to find light. Hope begins to feel like a cheap word, and optimism becomes harder to muster. It’s easy to convince yourself that you don’t care unless you’re bogged down in the swamp of despair. In that context, there’s something radical about Lumines Arise. Enhance’s revival of a cult classic puzzle series applies the basics of Tetris Effect to Lumines, immersing players in psychedelic backdrops as they lose themselves in zen block matching. It’s not just relaxing, but unrelentingly positive. Its soundtrack jumps between therapeutic instrumentals and anthems about the ability of the human spirit to overcome anything. Yes, it’s a little corny, but so what? In 2025, that’s the sermon we need: an earnest puzzle game to give us permission to believe that the world is a beautiful place, and that human beings have the power to save it. —Giovanni Colantonio
12. Elden Ring Nightreign
Elden Ring Nightreign shouldn’t work. Combining a dastardly difficult action RPG known for its esoteric lore with Fortnite, of all things, sounds like something an out-of-touch executive might pitch while blindly following trends. And for much of the year, the skepticism around Nightreign was warranted. Its core loop — exploring a randomly generated island full of bosses who will help you stock up to take on a mega baddie at the end — gelled better than anyone expected, but a lack of multiplayer options, lackluster enemy variety, and humdrum island design kept Nightreign firmly in the camp of “fun diversion.” But now, with The Forsaken Hollows DLC, FromSoftware’s vision for Nightreign has been fully realized. Everything people liked about Elden Ring has been capsuled into a multiplayer romp rife with its own secrets, idiosyncrasies, and exciting boss battles that unfold differently on every run. Continued support for the game, which has included unusual classes, grandiose twists on bosses, and an endless mode for sadists, prove there was meat on that bone all along. —Patricia Hernandez
11. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Even aside from its big twist, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is all over the place in the best way. At first, it’s “just” a hybrid school-days visual novel and tactical strategy game about a bunch of kids who get kidnapped by a ghost and forced to use their blood for superpowers in a fight against alien invaders (we did say “just”). After that, you might wake up in a slasher movie one day and find yourself in a romance anime the next. Sometimes the best solution for a problem is firing your friends into space; other times, you might end up feeling more warmly than you should for a vicious murderer, with results more unpleasant than you could've imagined. Much of the creative impetus comes from Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi riffing on their previous works (Danganronpa and Zero Escape, respectively). However, Last Defense Academy isn't some pretentious re-examination of past glories. The imagination on display is unmatched, and Last Defense Academy redefines the boundaries of what storytellers can achieve with familiar genre techniques and character types. —Josh Broadwell
10. Baby Steps
Nate just needs a little help. The onesie-wearing star of Baby Steps, a slapstick hiking game from the minds behind QWOP and Ape Out, finds himself whisked away from his parents’ basement and into an Elder Scrolls-like fantasy landscape. He can only get home by moving his atrophied limbs and getting his ragdoll body up a treacherous mountain that exists to generate pratfalls. Baby Steps takes the ideas that Hideo Kojima experimented with in Death Stranding to a more confidently frustrating conclusion, reimagining the “walking simulator” as a hair-pulling challenge custom-made for the age of screaming content creators. Nate is the unfortunate guinea pig in that mad experiment, forced to become the unwilling star of a hero’s journey.
It would all be easier if someone would lend the guy a map — but that’s the problem. Nate, a self-conscious failson, can’t bring himself to accept help throughout his quest. He repeatedly turns down maps, lanterns, shoes, anything that would help make the maddening physics comedy a little easier. It’s an antagonistic design choice that turns Baby Steps from a playable shitpost into a vital meditation on masculine insecurity. To survive Baby Steps’ hardest climbs is to help Nate reject the toxic picture of manhood that haunts him. —Giovanni Colantonio
9. Silent Hill f
After the devastating cancellation of Silent Hills (the game P.T. promised us) and nearly a decade of letdowns and misfires, Konami has gotten its psychological horror franchise back on track. 2024’s Silent Hill 2 surprised fans with a capable, modernized remake, which was followed this year by developer NeoBards Entertainment’s equally refreshing Silent Hill f. It took no shortage of risks with the series’ staples. Yes, we’re thrust once again into a fog-drenched depressed town and into the shoes of a tortured protagonist, but the setting, characters, combat, visual design, and storytelling methods radically deviate from the series’ norms.
As young high schooler Hinako Shimizu, we experience a very different path to shocking revelations over the course of Silent Hill f, with some key storytelling beats only being revealed in second and third playthroughs. Hinako is, like other Silent Hill heroes, inexperienced in combat — though even here, NeoBards and Konami take risks, leaning into Dark Souls-like battle mechanics. And while this choice (and others) may be divisive, they are unquestionably intriguing decisions that help Silent Hill f stand out from its predecessors. Like other Silent Hill games, f is imperfect, and that’s at the heart of why we love this franchise. —Michael McWhertor
8. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Eight years of parody-level hype never lured Team Cherry away from its vision. Silksong feels less like a sequel strained to justify anticipation than a work of quiet, almost obsessive refinement that deepens Hollow Knight without ever outgrowing its own frame. Every system, sound, and story beat clicks into place with the confidence of something patiently assembled.
Set in the fallen kingdom of Pharloom, Silksong follows Hornet after her escape from captivity and her climb toward the Citadel, and the game unfurls a dense religious mythology. None of its lore — the remnants of the Weavers, the influence of Grand Mother Silk, the creeping Haunting that binds faith and decay — exists in isolation. Level design, enemies that make you scream in rage, and Hornet’s acrobatic combat all echo the same themes of ritual. What binds the tapestry is Hornet herself — a gossamer thread of a performance that might be easy to miss if it weren’t so precisely felt. Voice artist Makoto Koji’s instinctual, improvised bug-speak carries emotional weight that polished dialogue often fails to reach. Lore explains Pharloom. Hornet feels it.
Like a Fincher film or a Philip Glass composition, Silksong’s power comes from calibration. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is accidental. Every piece is exactly where it belongs, testing players to push through and find it all. —Matt Patches
7. Kirby Air Riders
Plenty of party games are worth lugging your Switch 2 around. Kirby Air Riders is worth lugging your Switch 2 and its dock (and some extra controllers for everyone). There’s a lot to praise about the year’s most unlikely sequel, but City Trial mode is the project’s chaotic multiplayer masterpiece. Players zip around an open-ish map for five minutes, collecting power-ups to prep for a randomized minigame — whoever wins that final challenge takes the prize. Therein lies the brilliance of City Trial. That the minigame selection is luck of the draw means it’s anyone’s game. Whether you’ve played five minutes or dozens of hours, you’re just as likely to win.
That’s not to say that Air Riders’ other modes aren’t great, too. There’s a thrill to racing through Air Ride’s gorgeous race tracks on a chomping Vampire Star. Shorter bite-sized Top Ride races are regularly almost too close to call (almost). There’s whimsy at every turn. Twenty years ago, Masahiro Sakurai and the team at Sora Ltd. took a swing with Kirby Air Ride, and ended up with a little-understood cult classic. This is their second shot. They put their souls into it, considering every option players might want — and nailed it. —Julia Lee
6. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 grips players from its opening moments and doesn’t let go; the stakes are immediately clear, both of the personal and of the “let’s go kill a god to save the world” variety. It deftly blends an intimate conflict about perseverance through grief with a metanarrative on bringing art to life. Those narratives are strengthened by some of the year’s most emotive performances, from star Jennifer English voicing Maelle to Maxence Cazorla’s motion capture work and vocal performance as Esquie.
An innovative combat system, which mixes turn-based gameplay with real-time parries, ensures Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t all sad cutscenes all the time. There’s plenty of slick, challenging action to be enjoyed here; amidst the grief and pain are climatic boss fights, devilishly designed enemies, and a gear system that allows certain party members to go positively nuclear. And this is to say nothing of its wall-to-wall banger soundtrack, top-notch art direction, and chaotically loveable Gestrals. All of this amounts to not only one of the best games of the year, but one of the best of this generation — and even that might be selling Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 too short. —Austin Manchester
5. Avowed
Under its lush fantasy trappings, Avowed is about very real choices and consequences. Its slick sword-and-sorcery gameplay Trojan-horses a narrative about authoritarianism's quiet rise in the aftermath of a pandemic. You play as a political envoy to a minimally governed island nation on the fringe of society. Almost immediately, you’re murdered. But then an unknown higher power resurrects you, spurring a 40-hour string of philosophical decision-making: What do you do when you’re given a second chance? Are you angry, vengeful? Do you lean into benevolence and forgiveness? Do you stick with your allegiances, even after death? Do you doubt the power of the gods, despite seeing — and living — proof of their existence every day?
Avowed sends you to various corners of the island on your quest, allowing an almost anthropological look at the various societies that make up its fantastical world. Along the way, you constantly face those heady questions, whether you’re settling a dispute between farmers or determining the fate of an entire city. There are certainly some wrong answers throughout. (Yes, even in Avowed’s high fantasy canon, fascism is still bad!) But there are no right ones. Whatever ending you ultimately land with, Avowed is clear about one thing: This is your doing. Sit with it. —Ari Notis
4. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
MachineGames could have taken the obvious route and made an Uncharted game starring Indiana Jones. And a lot of people would have liked that! Instead, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle prioritizes exploration over action, and is a much more memorable experience for it. Indy’s adventure takes him all over the world — from jungle ruins to icy mountaintops to subterranean tombs. And soaking in all the wildly different, immaculately detailed environments is one of the game’s greatest delights.
There’s gunplay and fisticuffs to be had, but kicking off a full-blown shootout typically leads to a game over — Indy’s smarter than that, after all. Keeping a low profile, shifting between an array of disguises, and relying on his whip and wits is key. After all, he’s an archaeology professor, not an action hero. While The Great Circle boasts all the big-budget aesthetics of a AAA blockbuster, much of the experience involves exploring ruins by torchlight and scrounging for relics. Whether fiddling with gilded trinket boxes or revealing a hidden cache of treasure beneath an ancient statue, the puzzles are satisfying while cultivating a sense of mastery. The Great Circle feels like more of a throwback to LucasArts point-and-clicks like Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis than the trailers would suggest, and the result is a top-tier adventure worthy of a pop-culture icon. —Jen Glennon
3. Despelote
Despelote takes just two hours to play, but in that brief span of time you get a universal memoir about childhood obsession, an on-the-ground documentary about the nation of Ecuador during a moment of both hope and crisis, a metafictional exploration of the creative process, and, last but definitely not least, the best first-person soccer control scheme ever devised. This breathtaking gem of an indie is by Julián Cordero, and is played from his perspective as a soccer-mad young boy during Ecuador’s qualifying run for the 2002 World Cup.
You boot balls and bottles around a recreation of the capital, Quito, that’s styled like a grainy, washed out, reprinted photograph. Without necessarily meaning to, you catch snatches of adult conversation and build up an aggregate picture of an economically crippled but proud culture on the brink of something. Then the walls dissolve, both between the (excellent) in-game 2D soccer game young Julián plays and his world, and between Despelote and ours. Though heavily stylized, Despelote is a totally immersive portal to a real time and place and a remembered truth. It’s truly new ground for video games, and it’s beautiful. —Oli Welsh
2. Hades 2
You’ve got to give it to Supergiant Games: believing it could surpass or even match the seminal roguelike Hades is audacious. In the live service era, it would have been easy for any gaming studio with a celebrated game to fall back on infinite updates. Have you seen how many versions exist for The Binding of Isaac, a game that was initially released over a decade ago?
But unlike other roguelikes or influential brethren that have spawned their own genres, no one has been able to remotely match what Hades achieved back in 2020. At best, we’ve gotten copycats that trace its outline, but lack the divine spirit needed to exalt the corpse. Turns out, no one but Supergiant can make an endless, narratively rewarding experience that reacts to even the most minute player choices.
Everything that made Hades exceptional is still here in Hades 2. Mercurial gods, whose machinations resemble that of a far-flung family coming together for a holiday disaster. A cavalcade of action, where the entirety of the underworld can be tamed under a dutiful prayer of “just one more run.” Myth seductive enough, you'll willingly consume the arils. The pedagogy of death.
Like an omniscient deity, Hades 2 watches over the player. The game knows when you died and what it meant. It will make note of what member of the pantheon held you up, and the exact expanse of eternity that it took. Hades 2 will sagely nod when you pick up a scythe over a hammer. It will trust you when you pick this boon power-up over that one. It will notice when you finally make a breakthrough and it will celebrate right alongside you.
Hades also attempted many of these things, but it did not account for the possibility of a Sisyphean player. Hades 2, on the other hand, was built to acknowledge the player even after countless runs. The gestures it makes toward players are never big, but they don’t have to be. Remembrance, in whatever form it takes, is enough to make Hades 2 feel benevolent. Here is a god that bears witness a seemingly insatiable human drive and meets it not with judgment, but with grace and generosity.
For some, the mere idea of Hades 2 seemed like a useless attempt to improve upon perfection for a studio that had previously never attempted a sequel. But let’s be real. The comparisons to Hades would have happened no matter what Supergiant did next. Why not attempt the impossible? Faith, ultimately, is the thrust of a journey where one must defy death — or time itself. —Patricia Hernandez
1. Blue Prince
On March 18, 1993, Herbert S. Sinclair, your great uncle, in his last will and testament, bequeaths to you the Mt. Holly estate and the lands surrounding it, one on condition: You need to find the manor’s 46th room. But there’s a catch: Mt. Holly only has 45 rooms.
There are three rules for this impossible-seeming task:
- No tools or items may be brought onto the estate from the outside.
- Tools and items found on the estate may not be taken off the estate.
- You may not stay overnight.
Of course, rules are rules and are written to be followed (no matter how cruel or illogical they may seem). You start your search on day one. You walk into the luxurious mansion, pick up your 9×5 blueprint, and open one of three doors leading from its foyer. As you crack the door, you assume the dual role of the architect and the builder of Mt. Holly. Behind every door lies your vision of what the house should be — and a room full of clues waiting to be uncovered.
On the second day, you find that the house has been reset and all of your choices have been undone. It’s here where you swiftly realize you’re not playing your average puzzle adventure game. Only a few things carry over each day, with nothing more important than the information you’ve learned (and the endless notes you’ve jotted down). One puzzle after another, you start to think you’ve hit the last conundrum. You couldn’t be further from the truth.
The scope of the mystery, both inside the manor and on its surrounding grounds, defies all logic. After every solution, you’ll get one step closer to discovering the elusive Room 46. After every solution, you’ll stumble upon yet another riddle. You start to wonder if you’ll ever collect the deed or if it’s even real, but every aha moment leads to a refrain worth clinging to: “Just one more day.”
You’re left tossing and turning in your bed restlessly as your mind tries to connect the dots between every puzzle, every clue, and every assumption. The paintings? They must mean something. The clocks? Certainly they’re pointing somewhere. The globes? Well, they’re spinning for a reason! …Right? They’ve gotta be. You get a peek at the red thread on the corkboard, and then? Your alarm clock rings. It’s morning. And you wake with an epiphany: rules are written to be followed, but maybe there’s another way to read them.
Yes, 2025 was stacked with games worth playing (50 on this list alone, with dozens of excellent ones that didn’t make the cut!). The year was defined by rich narratives, captivating worlds, and enthralling gameplay loops, but only one can wear the crown. It fired up our imaginations and taught us there’s always a second way to interpret a rule. It made us rethink the way the world works, and the way a world can work. It devoured our sleep, whether we wanted it to or not. It’s Blue Prince. —Johnny Yu
