Top 10 Games of 2025
2025 has been an interesting year for me for gaming. On one hand, I barely played anything for the first half of the year because I was incredibly focused on getting designs right for Cthulhu Junior and on the other hand, we had a combination of new Nintendo hardware and what may be the most contentious top 2 games of the year vying for the number one spot that I’ve personally had in a long time.
But let’s get some housekeeping out of the way before we get to ranking anything. This list comprises only of things I’ve played and there are a few stand outs that would likely have made it had I gotten around to playing them and I want to be sure to call them out. Hades 2 and Ball x Pit are both in this pile because I didn’t have the heart to start another run-based game at the moment but both of them seem very much up my alley. Sektori gets lumped into that same category and unfortunately didn’t hit my radar until the last couple of weeks but looks to be one of the best exercise bike games of all time. Silent Hill F and MK Kollection are both games I’m really looking forward too but I’m waiting for a bit of a deal before I bite. Lastly, I don’t know what to think about 2XKO yet. It seems neat, but I’m not sure that it’s for me in the same way that I think I’m unfortunately going to feel about Marvel Tokon. I think the simple inputs work for some people, but I prefer how Granblue at least gave you the option to use more traditional, direction-based inputs. Also…maybe Metroid 4 over winter break?
Without further ado…
10. Midnight Walk – While I know this did well in the VR category at The Game Awards, I played it off of my docked Steam Deck on a television. I really dug the tone, the environment, and all of the characters. The way everything is made out of clay really stuck out to me and I think it’s easily one of the most interesting games to look at this year. Unique style will get you extra points with me all day.
9. Blade Chimera – This cyberpunk meets yokai inspired Metroidvania hit early this year and just the right time for me to enjoy it. I feel like it is rare to see a futuristic setting in this style of game and the balance between melee, guns, and the sword specials really worked for me. That said, the game is pretty breezy, I don’t think I even died until the true last boss and that’s when I remembered there were consumables. This is definitely worth your time if you are into the genre and see a deal.
8. Monster Hunter Wilds – I’m honestly surprised this is as low on my list as it is, but there’s just been a lot of fun experiences out there this year. When the game hit, I was all in. I love the way a lot of the weapons play, I’ve dug the events, and the loop is as good as ever. There are definitely PC hangups though, and its requirements being too much for a Steam Deck meant that I was chained to desk to play it, whereas Rise was primarily my bike/couch game of choice. I think if I knew more people playing it I would dig in a bit more, but by the time the Final Fantasy content came out I had done about as much Akuma cosplay as I needed to for the moment.
7. Marvel Cosmic Invasion – This game is extremely me coded. If you’ve ever been with me at an arcade that has an X-men machine you’ve been forced to play at least a couple of levels. The game boasts a very weird and fun selection of a surprising 15 characters and I really enjoyed how differently everyone played. The Marvel vs Capcom style assists were well put together and the level challenges were just enough to push you to get them without being overly complicated. The game isn’t difficult, but the Arcade unlocks will definitely be a big hit for my setup when friends come over. Here’s hoping for an X-men DLC so I can hear Colossus’ super move in all of its remastered glory.
6. Little Nightmares 3 – This one got its own special day in the house where it was the only thing on the menu. We planned snacks and scheduled the day around ensuring that we started AND finished the game in one extended session. I’m not sure I understand a lot of the mixed reviews on this game, other than people feeling like a developer change was worthy of complaining about. The game plays well, and while Little Nightmares 2 is still the peak of the series, 3 has some great and emotional moments as well. The biggest knock I can give it is that it feels short. While the game clock time may be close to the previous games, you jump from area to area instead of feeling like you are in a living world which inevitably left me wanting to spend more time in some of the more interesting settings (particularly the carnival). Regardless, this was still a fun little gateway horror romp and I’m equally excited to see how both its DLC and its previous harbingers new game, Reanimal, does next year.
5. Donkey Kong Bananza – The time to smash on this game is incredible. The fact that they give you 3 buttons on your controller as directional smash buttons is all you need to know about what Nintendo wants from you here. At any given point you could be punching holes in a mountain and covering yourself in gold and bananas. Just wait until you get the golden elephant power-up and everything you vacuum up turns to gold as well. This is one of the most “number goes up” type of games that is actually compelling to me and I had a blast with it. While not as polished as Mario Odyssey, the fact that the entire environment is as destructible as it is and the game still works is something that should have been a driving point for the Switch 2 as a system seller.
4. Mario Kart World – It’s more Mario Kart. That said, more Mario Kart is still good enough to get pretty high on the list. This one was a great family game and I’m looking forward to seeing more tracks and characters in the future. The game isn’t without its faults though. While it’s cool to go from area to area in a race, some levels don’t seem like you are racing on them enough. While I think the theater track is extremely cool and driving on film was a major WOW moment for me, I truly don’t think I was on the track all that much. The other big issue is that the little driving around adventure mode is weirdly obstructed and for some awful reason only single player. If it would have been even 2 player split screen, I think it would have been a blast to get into.
3. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – I kind of feel bad about this one because I bumped off Fatal Fury from my #10 slot recently and here, I am putting a collection at #3. However, Capcom vs SNK 2 is probably my favorite fighting game of all time and this made it where I didn’t have to emulate or keep my (admittedly not the best version) PS2 hooked up to play it. As a plus it also inspired more tournaments and content creators to get into the game, which is great for me to have on an extra screen when I’m working. It also has Star Gladiator which I hadn’t honestly played before (even though I don’t think I would spend much time with it going forward). More people should play CVS2 and everything else in the collection is just a bonus.
And now for the real trouble. I went back and forth on this for a good while. I didn’t even play Clair Obscur until after Silksong. I didn’t even expect to love Silksong because I was so cold on Hollow Knight for so long. But here we are…
2. Hollow Knight: Silksong – This is going down as an all timer in the Metroidvania genre. I know people love the first game, but this one clicked with me immediately and I was completely consumed by it. It somehow has some of the best platforming (Mount Fay) and some of the best action (Lace) of any game I have played in a very long time. The art is fantastic. The characters are fantastic (Shakra, Sherma, Green Prince). I spent around 70 hours devouring the game and knocked out every achievement that wasn’t “do it fast or without dying” because neither of those ideas were things I wanted to taint the game with. The game can be wildly frustrating (primarily Bilewater) but a lot of those frustrations are (if your brain allows for such things) optional. But with that friction comes a level of reward that is rare. I’m excited for more and excited to be “in the know” as more comes out this time.
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – This is the best RPG/JRPG that has come out in years. I’ve been thinking about it for the last few months and recently read an interview with one of it’s creatives calling out it’s Lost Odyssey vibes and I could not agree more, because I truly feel that is the last time I cared as much as I do about these characters, this world, and this kind of game. Every character’s story is worth exploring. Every seen moves the plot. How Long To Beat has the games main story clocking in at under 30 hours and a full completionist play through is 66.5 (my personal all achievements playthrough was 63.8). Last years’ Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth clocks in at 48.5 for main story and a whopping 166 hours for completionist runs in comparison. The team at Sandfall Interactive gave us an experience with no filler and its impact and extremely positive criticism across the board is the result. I finished the game and immediately started listening to the soundtrack as background music. I pre-ordered the vinyl. I’m mentally prepared for doing another run using a different team in the next year or two because I felt like I got too locked into my love for Lune and her cool French sunglasses. The story is just incredible and the fact that there’s conversation around the ending gives it reason enough for both choices to exist. I loved the picto system and the developers allowing its players to really just break the game’s mechanics wide open in so many ways was incredibly refreshing. I truly hope we get another of these games from this studio and I cannot wait to see what that could even look like, especially if they use some of the guild lore they reference. Even if you don’t like these types of games, find a sale that meets you in the middle and do yourself a favor by playing one of the best works of art in the medium to date.