The environment is a huge part of what gives a game its personality. Some games create cozy, comfortable worlds for players to explore (and/or decorate), while others offer creepy settings that are still appealing despite the unsettling atmosphere.
We went to the Polygon many incredible games this year from terrifying horror titles To charming bookstore management simulators and everything in between. While many of the games we played were visually stunning, some went beyond beauty, offering an enticing environment that made us dream about playing the game itself and opening a store.
Here's a closer look at all the best gaming environments of 2025 – a collection of spaces so luxuriously designed you'll want to live in them. —Claire Lewis
Crossroads (Hades 2)
The location of the central nodes varies greatly in each Hades game. The House of Hades in the first game resembles a prison, but throughout Hades 2The Crossroads is a mysterious and magical refuge, the only safe place in the mythical apocalypse. A lantern-lit sanctuary that exists outside the normal flow of time, the Crossroads is the only place in the universe that Chronos cannot reach.
In early game flashbacks, protagonist Melinoe's childhood at the Crossroads is depicted as fun, full of games such as hide and seek, despite her entire family having been removed from the very time she was a child. Hecate, the titan goddess of witchcraft, is simply terrifying. However, she raises Melina with great affection and also trains her to be a powerful witch capable of defeating Chronos.
True to the format of these games, designed by developer Supergiant Games, this hub begins with a simple conversation with several NPCs (including the openly hostile Nemesis). As you progress through the game, Melinoe collects resources to craft items that transform the Crossroads into a cozy little home where mundane activities become a restorative respite between the frantic violence of each run. The small garden rewards patience, the bustling tavern is a great place to unwind with a pint of ambrosia, and you can even go fishing with your best friends from time to time. In Crossroads you get a lot of character development over time, and the real highlight is the whole “bonding” that happens in Hot Springs… where the characters strip naked to relax and be free of their worries, if only for a little while. — Corey Plant
Zephyr Town (The Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar)
Who wouldn't want to live in a friendly, walkable community with a thriving weekly market, not to mention a population filled to the brim with adorable singles? This is Zephyr Town's world A Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaara 2025 remake that expanded and improved on the 2008 Nintendo DS version in almost every way. One of the ways players can get around the city, known for its windmills and bracing breezes, is to sail with the wind in a glider, which is one of the most bizarre forms of transportation I can imagine. Zephyr Town embodies the platonic ideal of community: the mayor is as friendly as the little old lady running the cafe, and its lush greenery, filled with nature spirits, generally represents the magic of nature. —Deven McClure
That camper I decorated (Campervan: Do it at home)
One of my dream vacation scenarios involves renting an RV, driving across the country, and staying anywhere I like for as long as I want. Campervan: Do it at home let me make this dream come true a little bit. Of many(many) vans I designed, my first, a cozy little hideaway in natural tones located under a lighthouse on the beach, still a favorite. It's simple, maybe even a little bare. But the idea of ​​lying on a comfortable bed with a blanket, a book and headphones within reach, watching the clouds swirl and fall over the ocean, a faint promise of something new lingering just beyond where the sun meets the horizon? Pure, unfiltered bliss. — Josh Broadwell
Buxtonbury (Tiny bookstore)
Tiny bookstore was such a cozy refuge for me when it launched in the summer. He offered a fascinating insight into a reality I know all too well: the horrors of working in retail. IN Tiny bookstoreI could sell books all day without worrying about leaking toilets or customers getting coffee on my books. Even better? I made so much money; The people of Buxtonbury apparently bought books and only books. It was an ideal world for a bookseller to live in. I also had to adopt a dog that was hanging out outside my tiny bookstore. Immediately 10/10.
It also helped that the town of Buxtonbury was a charming place to live, located along a beach reminiscent of New England. Its people were kind and hospitable, and I looked forward to every end-of-season celebration to interact with many of them. I wouldn't mind retiring someday in the real life version of Buxtonbury. —Austin Manchester
Vatican (Indiana Jones and the Big Circle)
Indiana Jones and the Big Circle ranked number one on Polygon's list of the best games of 2025 for many reasons, including the many luxurious locations it takes you to. Like Anthony Bourdain's role is unknown or Mission: Impossible movies, Indiana Jones and the Big Circle is also an envy-inducing travelogue. A village in the jungle of modern Thailand. A dusty camp in the desert near one of the seven wonders of the world. And best of all, the small city-state is located in the center of Europe's third largest city.
Yes, if I could go anywhere from any game in 2025, I'd take a one-way ticket to the Vatican level. Big circle – not to walk around the Sistine Chapel or anything else, but to take advantage of the opportunity to walk five feet all the way to Rome. We talk every day about Montepulciano in Regola, sunset cocktails on the roof of Trevi, about fun in Trastevere. I went to Jerry Thomas so regularly that they had to name a drink after me. (My desire to follow in Indy's footsteps is simply to… drink a lot? Look, the Eternal City has a lot of great drinking spots. When I'm in Rome!)
Italian cities have appeared in many video games, but few have captured the atmosphere so well. Big circle. It's almost intangible, but the little details—the way the sunlight illuminates the rust-colored bricks, the way everyone moves at a pleasantly glacial speed, the way you can almost smell the espresso and tobacco emanating from the screen—capture its atmosphere in a bottle, giving me an insatiable wanderlust like no other 2025 game. -Ari Notis
Ebisugaoka (Silent Hill f)
Until release in September Silent HillThe game's creators have stated that they want players to “find beauty in horror“, which may seem like a daunting task for a horror game full of disgusting monsters, a huge number body horrorand intense jump scares. But as I explored the foggy, flower-filled streets of Ebisugaoka—the game's fictional setting in 1960s Japan—I began to really connect with the place. Yes, there are terrifying monsters around every corner, but once you clear them out, things won't be so bad. The lack of people on the streets creates a feeling of loneliness, but the bright red flowers covering much of the corrupted city's real estate actually began to grow on me after a few hours.
There was a lot of controversy about what is the letter “f” Silent Hill f means. Some people think it means “woman” (due to the female protagonist and the theme of sexism). Others think it means “five” since the game is (possibly) the fifth main Silent Hill game. Personally, I think it means “flowers”. Silent Hill f this is the first time in the series that the corrupted “otherworld” has taken on a floral aesthetic rather than the rusty, bloody look seen in previous Silent Hill games. Higabana (red spider lilies, often seen as a symbol of death) cover buildings and block paths, and White Claudia (a fictional hallucinogenic flower that appeared frequently in previous games) blooms near waterways and rice fields.
The end result is a distinct visual aesthetic that is both frightening and breathtaking. Some of the game's monsters are even covered in flowers, and this combination of beauty and grotesqueness ultimately made me want to crawl across my monitor. in Samaraand settle into one of Ebisugaoka's many abandoned, flower-covered houses. Sure, this place is as cursed as it gets, but even the city's quirkiest supernatural residents can't deny its impeccable atmosphere. —Claire Lewis
