Not to be confused with THE Game Awards. Geoff Keighley has nothing to do with this incredibly prestigious accolade.
For context, this list is composed entirely of new releases which launched in 2025. Ordinarily, I just rank the best games I played that year, regardless of release date, but I played such a slew of excellent 2025 releases this year that I have decided to split my usual list into two distinct elements. The first is what you have clicked on – a list of my top 10 titles from this year. The second will be a “Backlog Review” type write-up of all the non-2025 releases I played this year.
I look forward to hearing about how wrong I am about each of the below games.
New Releases I Played in 2025
HOLE, Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World, Switch 2 Welcome Tour, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Hyper Light Breaker, Tempest Rising, Fast Fusion, Hell Is Us, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Mario Kart World, Metal Eden, Palia, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Hades II, Yooka Replay-lee, Absolum, Metroid Prime 4
My Top 10
10. Metal Eden [PC]
Reikon Games
Metal Eden is the second game from Reikon Games, who developed 2017’s excellent RUINER. It’s not doing anything earth-shatteringly original with its premise or gameplay, heavily drawing from well-established tropes, visuals and themes of dystopian sci-fi, but it’s all very sleek, functional and most importantly, fun. The core gunplay is akin to DOOM 2016 mixed in with the manouverablility of Titanfall, and a little bit of Metroid Prime sprinkled on top. You explore fairly linear levels, fighting through increasingly tense and varied arenas of enemies, switching up your weapons and strategies to keep your health, ammo and shields replenished, all while wall-running, jetpacking and even slowing down time to nimbly avoid a faceful of bullets. It’s challenging without feeling unfair, and the drip feed of new guns and abilities manage to keep gameplay feeling interesting. By the end of the Metal Eden I was slowing down time, bouncing off walls and jetpacking around arenas and feeling like an absolute god against some of the tougher battles. It’s sadly a fairly short experience, but I was thoroughly strapped in and here for this stylish thrill ride from start to finish.
9. Yooka Replay-Lee [PC]
Playtonic Games
As a Kickstarter backer of the original Yooka-Laylee, it’s safe to say that I am heavily invested, and most than likely very biased, when it comes to Playtonic Games and their 90s style mascot platformer series. Whilst I enjoyed the original Yooka-Laylee release, I did feel that it was let down in a few key areas that prevented it from being an instant recommendation to people who weren’t die-hard Banjo-Kazooie fans. With Replaylee, however, things have changed. Playtonic have managed to elevate the game to something really special, making enormous improvements to every aspect of the original. It’s prettier, more responsive, better-paced and absolutely packed with new content. In many ways it seems to have taken cues from Super Mario Odyssey, which is no bad thing. Replaylee feels like what the original vision of the kickstarter should have been all those years ago, and it is finally something that I would wholeheartedly recommend to any fans of 3D platformers. It isn’t especially long, but it’s a joyous and colourful adventure that is full of charm and plenty to keep you going if you want to aim for 100% completion.
8. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time [Switch 2]
Level-5 Games
I missed out on the original Fantasy Life on the 3DS, but it was one of those games I always had my eye on. It was something of a cult classic, and momentum was growing for the sequel, even after several delays. It released on the Switch 2 and I decided to dip my toes in, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I played. Fantasy Life i is an interesting blend of action RPG mechanics and life-sim crafting, island-building and socialising. Think Animal Crossing meets modern Zelda, with a sprinkling of Minecraft on top.
The opening hours of the game are a little tedious with a lot of – quite frankly – terrible, dialogue and hand-holding sequences, but once you are let loose, there is an enormous amount of fun to be had from the game’s sheer variety on offer. There is an island which you can customise and curate to your heart’s content. There is a wacky and sprawling story for you to progress through. There are 14 different “lives” (classes, essentially) for you to master, from monster-hunting combat roles, gathering roles and crafting roles. There is a nice synergy between these, too – for example, the ore you mine for can be used as the material you smelt as a blacksmith, which can then become the armour and weapons you wield as a paladin. There are a number of islands and dungeons that you will traverse across in the story, but then there is also a huge open world area aptly named Ginormosia, which is littered with Zelda-inspired shrines and towers. In addition to all of that, there is also a whole procedural generation system for dungeons which can be tackled for rewards and trinkets. There is certainly no shortage of things to do in Fantasy Life i, and the game’s systems are compelling enough and interlinked well enough for you to keep telling yourself “just five more minutes”, only to find that another hour has passed. Sadly, once I’d completed the main story, I found that a lot of the rest of the content involved a little too much grinding and repetition for my liking. The game continues to receive support from the developers, though, with bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements and new content releasing regularly. I can definitely see myself coming back to this in a few months to see what’s new, and to explore some more dungeons.
7. Mario Kart World [Switch 2]
Nintendo EPD
After over ten years of Mario Kart 8, it truly felt like the Mario Kart formula was overdue a shakeup. Thankfully, World is exactly that. It has been designed around the idea that you are in an interconnected world, and every element of the game feeds into this central idea somehow. Grand Prixes now feel like cross-country rallies that take you across vast stretches of road, and the excellent new Knockout Tour is a frantic, 24-player uninterrupted marathon of increasing intensity that sets you along a tour of six different tracks. There is less of a focus on the tight circuits of yore, to some players dismay, but this doesn’t bother me too much because I am just glad to be playing something that feels new and different in the series. Mario Kart 8, with all of its expansions and the booster course pass, sits at a tidy 96 tracks, and it plays perfectly well on the Switch 2. I didn’t want Mario Kart 8 2 – I wanted something new, and that’s precisely what we got here. In addition to Knockout Tour is the open world itself. All 32 tracks sit inside this one interconnected space, and Nintendo have done an excellent job in somehow managing to make the vast variety of environments all somehow seamlessly blend together. There are almost 400 “P-Switch” challenges to complete, as well as dozens of hidden ? blocks and Peach Medallions to collect, and they are fun to dip into between races as a sort of downtime activity. I do wish that there was something a little more substantial to do in the open world, but it’s great to just cruise through for fun, or to hone your skills.
Speaking of which…mechanically, World feels like there is a higher skill ceiling than with previous titles. You have a new hop ability which can be timed to jump onto grind rails or onto walls, allowing for some pretty insane tricks and shortcuts to be performed if you’re skilled enough. It is the most responsive and pleasing Mario Kart to play mechanically, and I think that the extra expressiveness of the characters, and even the karts themselves, adds to this feeling. Characters and karts react as if they were made from rubber, stretching and bending in response to tight drifts, jumps and tricks, and the colourful expanded cast of characters and costumes feels like a celebration of the series as a whole, with some truly esoteric character choices like the now-infamous Moo Moo Cow, or the Pianta from Sunshine.
Oddly, the absolute highlight to me of the entire game has been its soundtrack. Mario Kart has always had a strong lineup of iconic tunes but Nintendo went to town with this one, with an orchestral score of over 200 tunes recorded for this title, pulling from almost every major entry in Mario’s 40-year history. Everything from Galaxy, Sunshine, Yoshi’s Island, 64 to Donkey Kong Country, Luigi’s Mansion, Wario Land, Mario Paint, and every past Mario Kart title are represented somehow in here. In short, Mario Kart World is a triumphant celebration of the Mario series in its entirety, and playing it always manages to bring a smile to my face. It’s vibrant, joyful, buttery smooth and more frantic than ever. I think I will be happily playing this for some time yet.
6. Tempest Rising [PC]
Slipgate Ironworks & 2B Games
Unshamedly wearing its influences on its sleeves, Tempest Rising is as close as I’ll get to a new Command & Conquer title in 2025. EA have essentially abandoned the franchise, and so several indie and small studios have attempted to replicate the classic RTS formula of C&C, and I think Tempest Rising is the best attempt yet. Its two main factions, the Global Defense Force and Tempest Dynasty feel very much like their GDI & NOD / Allied & Soviets counterparts, with a great variety of unit types that feel distinct and memorable. The game boasts two campaigns, one for each faction, as well as skirmishes and multiplayer. The developers are slowly drip-feeding new maps for these modes, which is much-needed as the game shipped with fewer than ten maps which feels like nothing when I am used to the 200+ I have downloaded for Red Alert 2.
Presentation-wise, the game looks absolutely great, utilising Unreal Engine 5 to bring the game into the modern era, whilst still feeling like a late ’90s PC game. Effects such as lasers, explosions and flame turrets Buildings, units and maps evoke the titles which inspired the game, yet also feel modern. The soundtrack features Frank Klepacki who did the scores for the old C&C titles, and whilst it is less memorable than the most iconic tracks from the likes of Red Alert, it’s serviceable and fits right into the game. The same is true for the corny dialogue lines for units and pre-mission briefings. I only wish that they went with schlocky live-action videos rather than the CGI cut-scenes that we ended up with. Overall, I had a great time with this one, and still boot it up for the odd skirmish match here and there. I can’t help but feel though that it is missing that special something that would knock Red Alert off its throne for me. Here’s hoping that the developers and fan community manage to keep this game alive. I’d kill for a Yuri’s Revenge-esque expansion further down the line.
5. Absolum [Switch]
Guard Crush Games & Supamonks
Beautiful, stylish, slick and fun as hell—Absolum comes from the Streets of Rage co-developers, Guard Crush Games, and it’s clear that their beat ’em up expertise is on full show here. Drenched in a comic-book art style with D&D-like high fantasy theming, Absolum takes classic beat ’em up gameplay but wraps the game around a roguelite loop, ending up with a game which plays like the lovechild of Hades and Castle Crashers. What I especially enjoyed about this, though, was the variety on display. Your overall progress is lost upon death – as is standard for the genre – but multiple branching paths, hidden routes and sidequests open up your options with each run, encouraging you to switch things up and be on the lookout for secrets. There are four playable characters, each with their own unique play style, special moves and unique dialogue, and a huge supporting cast that you can find throughout the world to provide you with support and trinkets between runs. The game has a surprising amount of depth to it, and an addictive loop and stellar core moment-to-moment gameplay. I found myself absolutely hooked on this, and I can’t wait to come back for more to uncover every secret that this game hides. It’s also got local and online co-op, which is definitely something worth celebrating. I think, of everything I played this year, Absolum has the strongest and most beautiful art style and visual identity.
4. Hades II [Switch 2]
Supergiant Games
Hades II was a first for Supergiant, marking their first foray into creating a direct sequel. Thankfully, this has paid off for them enormously, as Hades II is an absolute triumph. It builds on the solid rogue-lite foundations of its predecessor, neatly tieing the “runs” and frequent deaths associated with the genre and making them integral to the overarching story which plays about between each run, and expands it in every way. Hades II is more expansive than the original in every way, gradually revealing itself to the player in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. It’s a game that respects the player’s time, ensuring that each and every session spent with the game will reveal something new, whether that be a new skill, witty character interaction, unlockable weapon or power-up or bizarre RNG wildcard. I’m over 25 hours into Hades II and I am still blown away by the variety on display. I’m not sure exactly how far I’ve got left to go until I “finish” the game, but it feels very much like the kind of game that can essentially be played endlessly if you are keen to max out every trinket and weapon, and hang out with the entire vast cast of Greek Gods, titans and mythological heroes.
It runs at a tasty 120fps on Switch 2, with a beautiful and enthralling art style, accompanied by another infectious score from the excellent Darren Korb. Hades II is all fun, all the time, with no filler – every moment spent playing the game is a blast.
3. Donkey Kong Bananza [Switch 2]
Nintendo EPD
Donkey Kong was long overdue his next chance to share the limelight with the rest of Nintendo’s stars. We hadn’t had a 3D Donkey Kong game since the N64, and Nintendo themselves hadn’t worked on a DK game since Jungle Beat on the GameCube. The bulk of DK titles had been produced by Rare and Retro Studios respectively, so to see one of gaming’s first proper mascots back in the hands of Nintendo was exciting. Not only that, but the EPD team, the division behind the likes of Splatoon, Super Mario Odyssey and Animal Crossing: New Horizons; Nintendo’s A-Team.
Bananza is a well-deserved success for DK, returning him once again to platforming stardom. It’s non-stop fun with great moment-to-moment gameplay that builds on the DNA of Mario Odyssey, but manages to carve out its own identity, leaning into the unique abilities of Donkey Kong to build a game that feels less about precision platforming and more about exploration and destruction. The game’s impressive 16+ levels are almost entirely destructible, and DK’s moveset feels great to smash, turf surf and tunnel your way around. There are a few levels which feel very safe and straight from the “platformer checklist” of biomes, but the deeper you venture into the game’s wacky world, the more creative and wild its environments and gameplay gets. There are some insane (and terrifying) animal transformations that you unlock too, each with their own catchy theme. On that note, Bananza places a great emphasis on music, with sidekick Pauline being an aspiring singer, and with key areas of the game focused around collecting fragments of giant vinyl records. It also pays homage to the history of DK games, with many nods to the Rare and Retro era of games, as well as the classic arcade original. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I will say that the final act of Bananza is an incredibly memorable and bonkers climax that I will remember for a long time to come.
Some were disappointed that a 3D Mario game was absent from the Switch 2’s first year, but Donkey Kong absolutely makes up for that absence with one of the most fun and creative platformers I’ve played in some time. If you’ve got your hands on a Switch 2, don’t miss out on this one.
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 [PC]
Sandfall Interactive
This game feels like a game which would never have been approved by a board of investors at a large “Triple A” studio. Its premise and visual design are so unique, fresh and creative that I feel like it just wouldn’t happen in a studio confined by focus groups or following industry trends. It makes sense, then, that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut game from a newly-formed studio, Sandfall Interactive, headed by an ex-Ubisoft employee who reached out and hired a lot of new blood for this project. The result is a game that feels bursting with passion, creativity and emotion from start to finish, with surreal and colourful environments, excellent performances and a stunning soundtrack. The story behind this game’s creation has been documented numerous times by now, but it is a tale as interesting as the game itself – truly a series of miracle encounters which brought an incredibly passionate and talented group of people together and the perfect set of circumstances to develop the title.
Whilst I don’t think Expedition 33 is doing anything world-shatteringly new with its gameplay, its combat is responsive, flashy and engaging. I think the exploration is a little bare-bones, but the environments are so visually interesting that I was still compelled enough to continue. The biggest draw, by far, is Clair Obscur‘s story. It tells a tragic and compelling tale which ties its world, characters and creative flourishes together into a package which feels refreshingly passionate and heartfelt. As the narrative threads all come together towards the end of the game, I regularly found myself with my mouth agape, staring at the screen. It’s one of those stories which sticks with you long after the credits have rolled, and its striking visual style and distinctive soundtrack have left a very lasting impression on me. The game has been absolutely showered in awards and praise this year, and personally I am just really pleased to see a success story like this one — small studios creating passion projects focusing on single player narrative experiences, devoid of microtransactions, greed or corporate meddling.
1. Hell Is Us [PC]
Rogue Factor
This one came completely out of left field for me – it was an impulse buy after watching a couple of reviews, and it completely gripped me from the moment I started playing. Hell is Us is a really unique experience that pulls from a lot of different genres and styles but manages to present them in a way that doesn’t feel mismatched or derivative. It’s the product of a small team of around 50 people, who have openly admitted that this kind of project would simply not have been greenlit under a larger studio. In some ways it is reminiscent of point-and-click games and survival horror titles in its approach to puzzle-solving, requiring the player to collect items and clues from around the world to solve riddles, unlock doors and safes, and slowly piece together what the hell (hah) is actually going on. Its combat feels a lot like a From Software title, with the familiar lock-on, stamina system with a focus on dodge rolls, parrying and so on, and elements of its setting feel akin to Fallout or S.T.A.L.K.E.R., with a distinctly analogue-feeling device with a glowing green screen acting as an inventory menu, and a story which blends bleak war stories and settings with the supernatural and ancient. Its approach to storytelling is fairly hands-off, with cutscenes rarely interrupting the flow, instead requiring the player to speak to characters littered across its beautiful (yet bleak) world, scouring every corner for artifacts, notes, photos and other context clues to piece together the wider narrative. The game is set in the fictional war-torn country of Hadea, and it’s a thrill gradually getting to learn the history of this nation, its people and its traditions. It feels distinctly lived in and tangible, which only makes it more heartbreaking and emotionally resonant when you witness the aftermath of the brutal civil war which is ravaging the nation. Hell is Us doesn’t shy away from some pretty heavy themes, and thanks to the well-crafted game world and excellent performances and writing, it all lands pretty well.
The strongest thing that Hell is Us has going for it, by far, is its immersion. It is a game which deliberately holds back from holding your hand – there are no hints, there are no quest markers, there isn’t even a minimap or live map which you can reference to work out where you are. You’re entirely left to your own devices, given a compass and expected to learn these places yourself. The presentation, the music, and the intrigue of the story all help to pull you in closer as a player, and I found myself wanting to leave no stone unturned as I dug deeper into the dark, gripping and surreal events that were unfolding around me. This is a game well-suited to long play sessions with headphones on and a notebook at your side. It’s compelling, mysterious, head-scratching and rewarding. There were several “aha!” moments in the game that left me feeling like a genius for solving its puzzles, but there were just as many moments where I was left running around in circles and endlessly reviewing every single note and artifact in my possession while I cluelessly stumbled around for a solution. But, I guess that’s just the nature of puzzles that leave you to your own devices.
My only real gripe with Hell is Us is that the combat is pretty lacking. There aren’t a huge amount of enemy types, and although I love the eeriness of their designs, you’ve more or less seen all that the game has to throw at you in terms of combat before you’re even halfway into the game. The combat was not why I was compelled to play this though, and the rest of it was so strong that I didn’t really mind slogging through it, especially once I got a few interesting weapon types, upgrades and abilities. If you’re up for a grim, yet expertly-crafted venture into a dark world of war, history, intrigue and puzzles with a sprinkling of sci-fi dystopia and the supernatural, I’d absolutely recommend giving Hell is Us a go.
So, that’s it for my top 10. Hopefully before the end of the year I will also get my backlog review out too. Thanks for reading – I’d love to know what your favourite games were this year, or what you thought of my list. And if I don’t catch you before – Happy New Year.
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