2025 was a stacked year for video games, overflowing with AAA blockbusters, indie bangers, and GOTY contenders boasting sky-high Metacritic scores. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated The Game Awards with nine wins, including Game of the Year, for its turn-based RPG mastery blending real-time parries and emotional storytelling. Top picks: Hades II (95, roguelite sorcery), Hollow Knight: Silksong (92, Metroidvania sequel), Donkey Kong Bananza (91, Switch 2 platformer), Blue Prince (92, roguelike puzzles), Death Stranding 2, Split Fiction (91, co-op adventure), Ghost of Yōtei, and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy. Nintendo Switch 2 launched strong with Mario Kart World; RPGs thrived via Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Avowed; remakes like Metal Gear Solid Delta and Final Fantasy Tactics revived classics. Monster Hunter Wilds, Battlefield 6, Silent Hill: F, and Ninja Gaiden 4 added multiplayer chaos, horror, and action. An embarrassment of riches for endless play.

Long Version

The Best Video Games of 2025: A Phenomenal Year of Embarrassment of Riches

2025 delivered an onslaught of gaming goodness, cementing itself as one of the most stacked years in recent memory. From AAA blockbusters to indie bangers and under-the-radar gems, the release calendar overflowed with high Metacritic scores, TGA winners, and GOTY contenders that made ranking the top 25 games—or even the top 10—a Herculean task. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swept The Game Awards with a record nine wins, including Game of the Year, Best RPG, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Performance, Best Independent Game, and Debut Indie Game, marking the first debut title to claim the top prize. Nominees like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II rounded out a field where every entry boasted universal acclaim.

Metacritic’s aggregates tell a similar story of excellence: Enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 editions of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild topped charts at 95, followed closely by Hades II (94-95), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (92-93), Blue Prince (92), Hollow Knight: Silksong (91-92), Donkey Kong Bananza (91), and Split Fiction (91). Rolling Stone’s top 25 echoed this, crowning Clair Obscur while highlighting Dispatch, Ghost of Yōtei, Blue Prince, and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy as early awards-season locks. Other outlets favored Blue Prince and Hollow Knight: Silksong for their obsessive depth and masterful exploration.

Top 25 Best Games of 2025

Drawing from Metacritic, critic aggregates, and end-of-year lists, here’s a consensus top 25, prioritizing new releases over enhanced ports:

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (92-93 Metacritic) – GOTY contender and turn-based RPG masterpiece from debut studio Sandfall Interactive. Real-time parries, dodges, and counters elevate its Belle Époque-inspired combat, blending JRPG depth with active dimension mechanics for supremely satisfying battles. The harrowing narrative follows Expedition 33 defying the Paintress’s cycle of death, with emotional character arcs, surreal landscapes like the Island of Visages, and recruitable mythical companions. Over 100 hours of content across multiple playstyles via gear, stats, skills, and synergies.
2. Hades II (94-95 Metacritic) – Roguelite action RPG sequel expands the Underworld with dark sorcery, deeper customization, Greek myth witchcraft, and battles against the Titan of Time as Princess Melinoë. Supergiant’s best yet, featuring ever-shifting runs, new locations, upgrade systems, and narrative surprises that unfold through setbacks. Fluid combat, writing, art, and replayability make it a benchmark for the genre.
3. Donkey Kong Bananza (91 Metacritic) – Nintendo exclusive platformer reborn in a fully destructible open world. Switch 2 launch star with banana transformations, co-op chaos for up to four players, chaotic physics-based levels, and collectathon secrets that reward exploration and skill.
4. Hollow Knight: Silksong (91-92 Metacritic) – Long-awaited Metroidvania sequel delivers sharper platforming, haunting exploration in the kingdom of Pharloom, brutal bosses, silk-weaving mechanics, and verticality that doubles the original’s scope. Obsessive secrets and fluid combat reward mastery.
5. Blue Prince (92 Metacritic) – Indie breakout roguelike puzzle where every dawn redraws Mt. Holly’s mansion, blending drafting, deduction, and architecture in an obsessive loop of room-building and mystery-solving. Innovative and endlessly replayable.
6. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima’s strand-type evolution introduces asynchronous multiplayer, surreal traversal across post-apocalyptic beaches, deeper social strand mechanics, and a star-studded narrative exploring connection in isolation.
7. Split Fiction (91 Metacritic) – Hazelight’s co-op adventure masterpiece pushes boundaries with mind-bending worlds, tag-team mechanics, imaginative levels, and polished gameplay that delights in every surprise. An all-time co-op classic.
8. Dispatch – Narrative-driven episodic hit blending playable TV shows with branching stories, moral choices, and rock-style storytelling in a superhero satire that examines fame and power.
9. Ghost of Yōtei – Open-world action sequel set in 1603 Hokkaido, excelling in DualSense haptics, parry-focused samurai combat, expansive exploration, and a poignant tale of vengeance and redemption.
10. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy – JRPG with punk-rock flair, tactical turn-based battles, defensive academy mechanics, and a story blending humor, horror, and high school drama.

11-15: Monster Hunter Wilds (dynamic ecosystems, seamless co-op hunts in vast wilds); Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (ultra-realistic medieval RPG with deeper quests, combat, and historical immersion); Mario Kart World (expansive multiplayer racing with global tracks, customization, and battle modes); Battlefield 6 (multiplayer shooter comeback with elite squad play, massive battles, and destructible environments); Arc Raiders (PvPvE survival shooter blending extraction and base-building).

16-20: Ninja Gaiden 4 (punishing action with precise combos, wall-running, and escalating difficulty); Silent Hill: F (psychological horror revival with fog-shrouded nightmares and adaptive terror); Avowed (Obsidian RPG with reactive world, magic-punk setting, and choice-driven factions); Elden Ring Nightreign (co-op spin-off emphasizing multiplayer raids against night lords); The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Switch 2 Edition (enhanced with 60fps, ray-tracing, and streamlined Ultrahand).

21-25: Remakes/remasters like Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (tactical RPG overhaul with 3D visuals and quality-of-life); Metal Gear Solid Delta (stealth-action faithful remake); Oblivion (open-world RPG refreshed); plus beat ’em ups, South of Midnight, and The Séance of Blake Manor.

AAA Blockbusters Dominate

AAA titles flexed muscle across genres. Monster Hunter Wilds refined multiplayer hunts with living ecosystems, mount chaining, and 100-player events. Battlefield 6 staged a shooter comeback with Marine Raiders, vehicles, and relentless 128-player chaos. Ghost of Yōtei expanded its legacy with feathered arrows, grappling hooks, and narrative depth earning multiple awards.

Indie Bangers and Under-the-Radar Hits

Indies shone brightest. Blue Prince’s roguelike puzzles became an obsession, while Hades II’s roguelite sorcery set replayability benchmarks. Dispatch’s episodic narrative and The Hundred Line’s JRPG flair punched above weight, alongside niche gems like Ball x Pit and Absolum.

Nintendo Switch 2 Ushers in a New Era

The Switch 2 launch sparked a Nintendo era. Donkey Kong Bananza’s platformer innovations and Mario Kart World’s racing multiplayer dominated sales. Enhanced ports like Zelda titles hit peak performance, enabling flawless open-world freedom.

RPG Renaissance, Including French RPGs

RPGs proliferated: Clair Obscur’s turn-based brilliance with real-time twists, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s gritty medieval simulation, Avowed’s narrative reactivity, and French RPG finesse elevating the genre.

Remakes and Remasters Revive Classics

Oblivion’s radiant AI and quests, Metal Gear Solid Delta’s cinematic stealth, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles’ job system breathed new life into icons, often surpassing originals in accessibility and visuals.

Co-op Spin-offs and “Friendslop” Thrive

Split Fiction’s co-op adventure and Elden Ring Nightreign’s multiplayer twist defined “friendslop,” alongside Arc Raiders’ PvPvE survival and Donkey Kong Bananza’s family-friendly mayhem.

Genre Spotlights: Horror, Action, and More

Silent Hill: F terrified with adaptive horrors. Ninja Gaiden 4 tested action purists with rhythmic brutality. Metroidvanias like Silksong, beat ’em ups, and PvPvE shooters rounded out diversity.

2025’s depth across AAA blockbusters, indie games, Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives, RPGs, remakes/remasters, co-op spin-offs, turn-based RPGs, roguelikes, Metroidvanias, and beat ’em ups ensures endless replayability. This embarrassment of riches redefined what a phenomenal year looks like, leaving players with backlogs for years.