2025 has been a fascinating year for games.
For the first time in a while, it felt like the cadence of big “AAA” experiences slowed down somewhat — enough, at least, to allow for many more indie games than usual to shine through. At The Game Awards alone, half of the Game of the Year nominees were indies, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II and Hollow Knight Silksong, with that first title sweeping across pretty much every category.
On the one hand, that’s undeniably a good thing — an opportunity for smaller teams to garner the recognition they sadly often don’t get. But on the other hand, it means that the real gems may very well have gone under the radar for many players. I know that was definitely a big problem for me in 2025; for the first time in ages, I struggled to pin down the year’s standout games. For various reasons, many of the most-buzzed-about releases didn’t resonate with me quite as much as others, pushing me to dig deeper to find those that did.
The end result is probably my most idiosyncratic list on MobileSyrup yet, a decidedly quirky mix of games from across the board. But I think that’s also far more interesting, ultimately. Why would you want every list to be the same? And so, in that spirit, let’s go on a (debatably) wild ride through some of 2025’s best and most original experiences.
10. Keeper
Image credit: Xbox
In many ways, Keeper feels like a proud repudiation of our current era that’s become increasingly defined by bloated, same-y open-world and live service titles and AI slop. The latest game from the ever-inventive Psychonauts 2 creators Double Fine has players taking on the role of a sentient lighthouse and seabird companion as they explore a bizarre landscape inspired by surrealist paintings. It’s an incredibly atmospheric and meditative experience, eschewing any form of combat to fully immerse you in one of gaming’s most arrestingly gorgeous worlds that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S and PC (plus Xbox Game Pass)
9. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Image credit: Don’t Nod
Rather than drawing from any particular bit of pop culture, Canadian developer Don’t Nod Montreal’s Lost Records: Bloom & Rage weaves its nostalgic yarn around the fleeting, yet oh-so-powerful connections that we form during our youth. In the summer of 1995, nerdy introvert Swann strikes up an unexpected friendship with three other teens, only for a traumatic incident to separate them until a mysterious message reunites them 27 years later. (Like Don’t Nod’s Life is Strange games, there’s also a supernatural element here, although it feels more half-baked this time around.) In terms of the emotional coming-of-age impact, it’s sort of reminiscent of the late, great Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, except it’s focused on sisterhood and has the unique adult framing perspective to meaningfully — and poignantly — explore how the girls have changed since their formative years. All in all, it’s an achingly wistful and bittersweet ode to teenage rebellion and the ties that bind us.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
8. Split Fiction
Image credit: EA
After delivering 2021’s Game of the Year-winning It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios returns with an even more audacious two-player co-op experience. After being transported into a sinister digital world by an evil CEO, sci-fi writer Mio and fantasy author Zoe must put aside their differences to find a way out. While the story isn’t anything to write home about, Hazelight uses this premise to deliver some of the most impressively varied and well-designed levels in ages. In one sequence, you might be racing through a Cyberpunk-esque dystopia on futuristic bikes, while in another, you’ll be raising your own dragons to traverse a luscious fantasy world, and in another still, you control hot dogs before they’re cooked on the grill. Across a roughly 15-hour campaign, Split Fiction never ceases to surprise you with new genre-bending mechanics and setpieces, making it some of the most unadulterated fun you and your gaming partner will have all year.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
7. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Image credit: Kepler Interactive
As someone who’s played many Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) in his lifetime, Sandfall Interactive’s unabashedly inspired take on the genre doesn’t really feel like the “revolutionary” experience many have hyperbolically proclaimed it to be. (No, this didn’t invent turn-based battles with reaction commands; even Super Mario RPG was doing this in the ’90s!) But looking past that, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is undeniably an exceptionally well-made game. From the emotionally-charged narrative filled with top-notch performances and a rich examination of grief to magnificent art direction and satisfying combat, Expedition 33 is unquestionably one of the year’s finest games. And really, the fact that something so revered hails from a smaller core team led by ex-Ubisoft developers is exactly the kind of success story we should all want to see in the gaming space.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
6. Despelote
Image credit: Panic
Gaming, at its very best, can use its unique interactivity to put you in the shoes of someone else better than any other art form. Despelote is the quintessential example of this, transporting players into a stunning, well-realized recreation of 2000s Quito, Ecuador. Ingeniously, this semi-autobiographical tale from co-developer Julián Cordero employs a mix of 3D scans of the city placed through a grainy, tinted filter and hand-drawn doodle-esque character models, a powerful evocation of the haziness of childhood memory. Alongside narration from adult Cordero, Despelote follows young Julián as he navigates a time of great change in his home, with his infectious love of soccer providing a source of stability and community throughout the upheaval. Part documentary, part coming-of-age tale, part soccer sim, Despelote is a loving tribute to life and culture that conveys more in a tight two-hour package than most games can achieve in 100 hours.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac
5. Avowed
Image credit: Xbox
Although many went into Avowed under the assumption that it would be another massive Skyrim-esque RPG, Obsidian Entertainment wisely opted for something far more compelling. As the emperor’s envoy, you’re tasked with venturing out to the dangerous Living Lands to uncover the origins of a deadly plague that is wreaking havoc. But unlike Skyrim‘s sprawling Tamriel, the Living Lands are graciously divided into a handful of disconnected explorable “open zone” regions, giving the game a manageable structure in which every area feels refreshingly distinct, rather than a single tediously expansive open-world filled with checklist activities. Indeed, Obsidian ensures that every bit of content in the game feels rewarding, from the surprisingly thoughtful main campaign that offers sharp commentary on authoritarianism, faith, redemption and COVID to the diverse assortment of sidequests. Throw in a clever and robust dual-wield weapon system that mixes all kinds of melee weapons, sorcery and guns, and you get an all-around excellent RPG.
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S and PC (plus Xbox Game Pass)
4. Hades 2
Image credit: Supergiant Games
Supergiant’s first Hades game felt revolutionary for being the rare roguelike game that appealed to those who aren’t fans of the genre, myself very much included, and this sequel smartly doubles down on that winning formula. While the core story isn’t quite as intimate as Zagreus’ from the first game, Hades 2‘s grander ambition leads to a sweeping tale about his sister Melinoë’s desperate efforts to conquer the Titan of Time, Chronos and stop a mysterious war in Olympus. This dual-narrative provides an engrossing shake-up of the signature roguelike structure, allowing you to alternate between runs for a refreshing amount of variety, radically different enemies, gimmicks, and boons, and even more exceptionally well-written and acted scenes featuring all kinds of faces from Greek mythology. Hell yeah.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Mac
3. Donkey Kong Bananza
Image credit: Nintendo
Of all the games on this list, Donkey Kong Bananza might have the simplest pitch: you venture into the earth to stop a goofy group of villains by smashing pretty much everything in sight. But that’s exactly what makes Bananza so great; by honing in on that core gameplay mechanic, Nintendo is able to constantly delight players with intricately layered environmental design hiding all kinds of secrets. Adding to that playful sandbox feel is the inclusion of special animal-themed power-ups that turn DK into the likes of a flight-capable ostrich and wicked-fast zebra, all with their own head-bopping, genre-mashing scores. And if that weren’t enough, Bananza rises above its cartoony Nintendo peers with the surprisingly endearing pairing of DK and Pauline, with the latter’s coming-of-age story serving as the game’s affecting beating heart. Come for the destruction, stay for the feels.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
2. Consume Me
Image credit: Hexecutable
Few stories in media tackle eating disorders, and fewer still do so with this much creativity and insight. Partially based on co-developer Jenny Jiao Hsia’s own life experiences, Consume Me follows her fictional namesake as she struggles to manage strict dieting while carrying out regular teenage activities like studying and dating. It’s a conflict that’s brilliantly depicted through RPG life sim mechanics in which you have to balance developing different stats through charming and colourful WarioWare-style minigames and Tetris-esque food management. But as the story progresses and the societal pressures pile on, Hsia dives deeper into Jenny’s mental state to unpack the obsessions that drive her, resulting in a deeply moving coming-of-age tale. So many games are about colossal end-of-the-world battles, but Consume Me so astutely demonstrates that a single day in the life of a teenager can be just as meaningfully high-stakes and, through that, equally rewarding to overcome.
Platforms: PC and Mac
1. Baby Steps
Image credit: Devolver Digital
When I think about the best of what gaming has to offer, it would have to be an experience that provides the perfect marriage between narrative and gameplay. It would be an experience that couldn’t work in any other art form because it tells its story through your moment-to-moment engagement with its mechanics, so thoughtfully designed as they are. Really, it would be an experience like Baby Steps.
Developed by Ape Out‘s Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch and QWOP‘s Bennett Foddy, Baby Steps is a literal walking simulator in which you must manually lift and place your legs in sequence to advance up a mountain. It’s a deliberately complicated and oh-so precise control scheme that will inevitably lead to many slapstick moments of falling on your face, especially if you tumble down several stories. Your patience will almost certainly be further tested by our sad sack of a protagonist, 35-year-old onesie-wearing manchild Nate, whose yelps and moans on his trek are rather pathetic.
But if you stick with the game, you’ll be astounded by how much depth there is underneath the clear gameplay metaphor of “taking life one step at a time.” Where so many games equate “manhood” with bulging pectorals and badass enemy takedowns, Baby Steps offers an astoundingly intelligent and realistic deconstruction of masculinity and societal pressures. Indeed, Nate’s feelings of inadequacy prove deeply relatable, especially with how a mid-game scene recontextualizes his insecurities and makes him someone to root for. In so doing, you’ll feel a more profound sense of accomplishment as you surmount each stretch of the mountain, especially since the open-world graciously allows you to take alternative paths if one is proving too difficult.
Outrageous, inventive and thematically rich, Baby Steps is a remarkable achievement in games, and an easy pick for my top game of the year.
Platforms: PS5 and PC
Honourable mentions: The Séance of Blake Manor, South of Midnight, Sword of the Sea, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Blue Prince
Image credit: Supergiant Games/Devolver Digital/Panic
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