It’s A 5-Way Tie For Game Of The Year

Historians will almost certainly look back on 2025 and shake their heads in perplexed wonder. We certainly live in interesting times. Divisive times, you might say. But one thing that is not at all controversial or divisive – and a bright spot amidst all the doom and gloom that captures every news cycle – is the fact that 2025 has been a genuinely amazing year for video games.

I can’t recall the last year that was this stacked with such a great variety of titles. It’s hard enough to pick just five for this list, but the games in the following list captured my heart and renewed my faith in the video game industry. Before we get to the list, however, it’s worth giving a nod to all the other great titles that came out this year. Well, not all the great titles – I certainly didn’t play everything – but some of the ones that I enjoyed this year.

Video Game Honorable Mentions of 2025

The sprawling Medieval RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, immerses you in a rich world with colorful characters, court intrigue and adventure. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon was a pleasant surprise, reminiscent of older Bethesda RPGs like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (which re-released in a remastered form this year as well). Elden Ring fans were treated to the daunting multiplayer co-op roguelite / boss-run spinoff, Nightreign.

Many will place Hollow Knight: Silksong on their “Best Of” lists, and with good reason. It’s a gorgeous, challenging, atmospheric adventure through a strange, dark world absolutely glimmering with wonder. I simply haven’t played it nearly enough to include it in this list.

I also enjoyed Mafia: The Old Country, which took the long-running crime series back to Sicily in the early 1900s. And Silent Hill f felt like a return to that horror franchise’s roots, dripping with atmospheric dread and cryptic mystery.

Battlefield 6 and its free-to-play counterpart, RedSec, have been a blast, and largely restored faith in that ailing shooter franchise. I haven’t enjoyed a Battlefield game this much since Battlefield 1. Even the controversial Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 – in spite of its genuinely awful single-player campaign – has been a ton of fun to play, with terrific near-future multiplayer gunplay and a much-improved Zombies mode. And we can’t forget the heart-pounding, hellish shooter DOOM: The Dark Ages, which I enjoyed immensely.

On the Nintendo front, the Switch 2 treated us to a whole new barrel of monkeys with Donkey Kong: Bonanza, not to mention the gloriously chaotic Mark Kart World. (Nintendo just released Metroid Prime 4: Beyond as well, though I haven’t played it yet).

Top all this off with Ninja Gaiden 4, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and far too many other great video games to list here, and we haven’t even gotten to my Top 5 list yet. So, without further ado, here are my favorite video games of 2025.

The Top 5 Video Games of 2025

The following list is in no particular order. I’m not ranking these. I couldn’t pick a Game Of The Year out of these if I tried – and I have no desire to try. These are all GOTY material, and each wildly different from the next. Better still, not one of these games costs more than $50, with some much cheaper. A lot more affordable than the $70 price-tag of a lot of bigger games.

Dispatch

Developer: AdHoc Studio || Publisher: AdHoc Studio || Platforms: PS5, PC || Current Price: $29.99 on Steam

Dispatch is part video game, part interactive TV show (it was released episodically over the course of a month or so) and simply incredible from start to finish. You play as Robert Robertson (Aaron Paul) who leaves the superhero life only to get dragged back in as a dispatcher for a superhero security company. Robert is put in charge of the “Z Team” which is comprised of former supervillains looking to turn their lives around.

Much of the game plays out in animated scenes with Robert interacting with these various characters, all voiced by members of Critical Role as well as some popular YouTube creators. There’s a romance option between two of the main female characters, Ivisigal (Laura Bailey) and Blonde Blazer (Erin Yvette) that’s handled incredibly well, and makes me want to go back and play the whole thing again and make a different choice. Indeed, you have many choices to make throughout the game, altering how you treat other characters and the tough choices you have to make moment to moment.

But cleverly woven into all these great scenes – which are at times hilarious, at times action-packed, at times surprisingly emotional – is a separate game. As the dispatcher for Z Team, you have to dispatch your misfit band of heroes all over the city to put out (sometimes literal) fires, rescue civilians, fight bad guys and so forth. You have to choose the right hero for the job, and there’s a bit of RNG involved but making good choices and using hero powers does lead to better outcomes. It’s very fun and addictive. And an top of all this, there’s a really well-crafted hacking mini-game that provides a nice added layer of challenge.

I loved every minute of this game and I’m eager to dive back in and play it a second time. It genuinely combines my love of gaming and movies and TV and the superhero genre in such a brilliant, clever and well-crafted way. The animation and music are gorgeous. It’s just a genuinely wonderful game and I really hope that AdHoc Studios releases a sequel / second season. Frankly, this should be on my Best TV Shows of 2025 list as well.

Blue Prince

Developer: Dogubomb || Publisher: Raw Fury || Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, macOS, Geforce Now || Current Price: $19.79 on Steam

I don’t think I’ve played a puzzle game as brilliant and evocative as Blue Prince (a homophone for blueprints) since I first played the classic puzzler, Myst. I’ve played some great puzzle games. The Witness, from game designer, Charles Blow, is up there. But Blue Prince is something special.

Blue Prince is a mystery and a puzzle game and a roguelite all mixed into one breathtaking experience that will lure you in with its magic, and then keep you trapped within its walls thanks to its particular brand of magic. You’ll have to be clever and lucky and – quite frankly – well-organized to solve its many mysteries. You’ll have to pay close attention.

You play as Simon P. Jones, the inheritor of a mysterious mansion owned by his late great uncle, Herbert S. Sinclair. The only stipulation Sinclair made is that in order for Simon to inherit the mansion, he must find its hidden 46th room.

From here, you enter the mansion and begin to explore. Each day, the rooms change randomly. Opening a door can lead to any number of different rooms; some have doors leading to other rooms, and some of these doors are locked. You’ll find (and can purchase) various items as well, and some are required to find certain clues which you’ll have to interpret, perhaps jotting them down in a handy notebook you keep next you at all times.

Some rooms have puzzles or riddles to solve, and some of the game’s deeper puzzles aren’t at all obvious. Sometimes you’ll permanent unlocks – rooms that remain where they are every time or increased “steps” that give you more time to explore. Figuring out these permanent unlocks is key to solving the deeper mysteries and finding the elusive 46th room. You only have so many “steps” each day, and when you run out – or run out of keys and only have locked doors and so forth – you must rest and return the next day.

All of this is stimulating enough, but the mood is also just so perfect, so atmospheric and whimsical in an almost melancholy way. It’s hard to describe, but it’s quite beautiful and it will draw you in, over and over again.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Developer: Sandfall Interactive || Publisher: Kepler Interactive || Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming || Current Price: $49.99 on Steam

Speaking of beautiful, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an absolutely stunning game. Stunning for its beautiful graphics and score and the unique Belle Époque setting. Stunning for its writing and voice-acting. And stunning because, who knew the best JRPG in years would from a French game studio?

I won’t spoil the story, because you should experience that for yourself and there’s a very big reveal very early on that I think you should experience without foreknowledge. In vague terms, the game takes place in a fantasy setting draped in sadness and loss, where groups of explorers must set out into a dangers unknown to try to find salvation for the people of Lumière from thee horrible fate that awaits them at the hands of the mysterious Paintress.

You play as Gustave (Charlie Cox) and his expedition team members, including Maelle (Jennifer English), Lune (Kirsty Rider) and Sciel (Shala Nyx). On your adventure, you’ll encounter other characters, including aged Renoir (Andy Serkis) and the mysterious Verso (Ben Starr). You’ll also engage in fierce, challenging turn-based battles against terrifying monsters using the powers and items you acquire to defeat them. While it’s turn-based, the combat also relies on precise timing, which makes it quite challenging to master.

Between the excellent combat, beautiful worldbuilding, all the RPG elements and exploration, and the gorgeous presentation, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best roleplaying games I’ve played in years, right up there with Baldur’s Gate 3, Persona 5 and the like. It’s certainly the most unique and innovative.

It’s also the biggest third-party Xbox Game Pass release of all time, so if you’re a Game Pass subscriber you really have no excuse not to give this a shot.

Split Fiction

Developer: Hazelight || Publisher: EA Games || Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Geforce Now || Current Price: $49.99 on Steam

When I played Split Fiction earlier this year with my daughter, I wrote that it was the most fun I’d had playing a video game in years. I can probably say the same for all five video games on this list, but there’s something so special and unique about playing this with another person and experiencing this homage to gaming with someone.

The game follows two aspiring writers – Mio (Kaja Chan) who writes sci-fi and Zoe (Elsie Bennett) who writes fantasy – who arrive at a business called Rader Publishing that turns out to be much more nefarious, and technologically advanced, than they expected. They’re placed into a simulation called “The Machine” where CEO J.D. Rader, unbeknownst to them and the other writers, plans to extract their ideas and use them for his own purposes.

Mio freaks out and her and Zoe are thrust into the same simulation pod. From here, the game hops between sci-fi levels and fantasy levels, not only changing the setting from futuristic, robot-filled worlds to dragon-riding fantasy realms, but dabbles with genre, perspective and more.

Split Fiction is pure, unbridled fun and so wildly imaginative that I was constantly exclaiming some version of “Wow, how did they come up with this? How do they keep surprising us like this?” Lots of action, puzzle-solving and a genuinely heart-warming story with top-notch performances.

You’ll make your way through increasingly challenging levels filled with intense boss fights, clever puzzles, daunting platforming sections and constant bursts of creativity (including some really wacky bits). And you’ll do this all with another person. It’s quite charming and just a wonderful game all around.

Arc Raiders

Developer: Embark Studios || Publisher: Embark Studios || Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Geforce Now || Current Price: $39.99 on Steam

Three of the games on this list are single-player experiences. One is co-op (Split Fiction cannot be played solo) and this final entry is multiplayer, though you can go it alone if you choose. Arc Raiders is a PvPvE multiplayer extraction shooter / adventure game set in a world laid low by terrifying machines called Arcs. The surface of the planet is ruled by these hostile bots, and players – raiders, as they’re known – must go to the surface to find resources to bring back to the underground city of Speranza. (Why they kill each other so much is not really explained in the game’s lore).

You load into matches alone, with a partner or in a group of three and go on various missions to gather resources for crafting, fight Arcs and other players, and complete quests. The better loot can be crafted into better items and you’ll need to upgrade your workbenches to craft better items, and upgrade your “stash” in order to hold all the loot you find.

It’s hard to describe exactly why this all works so perfectly. I’ve never really been into the extraction shooter genre, but something about Arc Raiders pulled me in and refuses to let me go. I suppose it’s the drama and suspense, two things this game has in spades. You never really know what you might encounter topside. Maybe you’ll hunt down an especially large machine, only to have another team come and shoot you in the back. Maybe you’ll do the same to other poor, unfortunate souls. But it’s just as likely that you’ll be playing solo and run into another raider who offers to help you. Pretty soon, you’re chatting it up and sharing resources and watching each other’s backs and you’ve made a new friend.

When you’ve gathered your resources, you head to an extraction point, summoning an elevator (or subway train) and waiting for it to arrive, hoping that you aren’t spotted by nearby Arcs or set upon by hostile raiders. Sometimes you escape by the skin of your teeth. Sometimes you die trying. The game is riddled with uncertainty and challenge, but it makes victory sweet. It’s also gorgeous to behold. Maps like Buried City and Space Port look especially lovely at sunset. But you can also go on “night raids” that take you to these places at night, the starry skies sparking off into the distance, or into electromagnetic storms with lightning threatening to zap you at every turn.

It’s just an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop, hitting all the dopamine centers of risk and reward, emergent storytelling, and it’s probably the most fun I’ve had in a multiplayer game in years. Pure cinema.

All 5 of These Video Games Are Game of the Year Material

If I were to score these (something I no longer do for most reviews) I’d give each game a perfect 10 – not because they’re literally perfect – I could write a whole list of the things I want fixed or altered in Arc Raiders alone – but because they’re inspired, genuinely well-crafted games that respect players intelligence. Each knows exactly what it wants to be, never bogged down with superfluous messaging or floundering for an identity or shamelessly chasing a trend with no new ideas. And because they are all original titles, not sequels or built off of established IPs, they offer something genuinely new and unique.

These games are also all radically different from one another. Dispatch is an interactive superhero TV show, basically, in the tradition of TellTale games (where many of the devs once worked). Blue Prince is a point-and-click puzzler with no dialogue, very little animation and zero action whatsoever developed by a solo dev. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG set in a brooding fantasy world. Split Fiction is a co-op game that defies all attempts at categorization. And Arc Raiders is a brutal, exhilarating PvPvE extraction shooter with some of the best enemy AI I’ve ever seen. These games could not be more different from one another and I love them all. You will, too, I’m sure. After all, I have impeccable taste.

What are your favorite video games of 2025? Do we share any? Did I leave any out of the list and/or the honorable mentions up above? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.