- I love following the games industry. It's unpredictable, it's cutting-edge, and there's always something new and exciting just around the corner. Gaming has faced a lot of uncertainty and a lot of challenges of late - and there are a lot of big-picture issues that the industry needs to solve for going forward. But still, it makes me smile to think about the best new games I played in 2025, and realize that almost none of them were even on my radar at this time last year. Whole new trends in gaming have emerged in just these last 12 months. New games have become instantly iconic. The joy of discovery, the excitement of the new, exists in gaming in a way that few other types of media can match.
This is why, even though life can easily get in the way of keeping up with videogames, my overall enthusiasm for games has never really wavered. I still get as caught up in new game reveals as ever. I love listening to the Triple Click podcast and keeping up on gaming news and reviews. I still get a rush when I fire up a new game for the first time and start to learn the ropes.
But, with games, I think a lot of us have to sort of accept that there's stuff out there that simply isn't for us. I loved listening to a recent Triple Click episode, for example, that dove into the intricacies of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. But I also knew that there was simply no way I had the time or the patience to get super into it myself. I've also sort of solidly passed on the entire "Souls-like" phenomenon. I've come to realize that I like my games to be at a firmly medium challenge level, and that anything, for the most part (Hollow Knight may be an exception!), that is going to prove more frustrating than fun is probably not for me. (This explains why I couldn't quite get into one of 2025's breakout hits, Blue Prince. I 100% admire the game's originality and ambition ... but personally I found the experience of playing it more frustrating than rewarding. Perhaps I'll give it another go at some point in the future. I also know that, aside from playing fighting games or old-school beat-'em-ups in-person with friends, I'm just not that into multiplayer gaming. If I am going to partake in a long, drawn-out gaming session, I usually prefer that to be a solitary experience where I can truly immerse myself and zone out from any human-to-human interaction.
And that's part of the fun of games! Tastes can vary drastically. Best-of-the-year lists can be vastly different from one another. Gaming contains multitudes.
As always happens, I spent a lot of my gaming time in 2025 continuing to play catch up on favorites from 2024 and earlier. My #1 game of 2024, Astro Bot, got a ton of time from me in 2025 - and playing it all the way through only further cemented it as one of my all-time favorites. Like many this year, I also got caught up in the hype for Hollow Knight: Silksong - the long, long awaited sequel to indie smash Hollow Knight. Problem was, I'd never actually completed the first game, and so I went back and got completely re-absorbed into the original's spellbinding world. I spent so much time making my way through Hollow Knight (inclusive of a lot of dying, and restarting, and dying, and restarting) that I never got around to starting Silksong. I guess that will be a 2026 project.
2025 didn't have the equivalent of an Astro Bot for me - a new game that I absolutely loved wholeheartedly and became semi-obsessed with. Unfortunately, the two big Sony narrative-adventure games this year were Death Stranding 2 and Ghosts of Yotei - sequels to games that I wanted to go back and complete (but didn't have a chance to) in order to better appreciate the new installments. One game I really wanted to play, but as of yet have not, was Donkey Kong Bonanza for the Nintendo Switch 2. I just couldn't quite justify purchasing the Switch 2 in 2025 - given the lack of exclusive games so far. I'm not a Mario Kart guy, so at launch DKB was really the only game that interested me ... and as of now there isn't much on the horizon, that we know of, that truly felt like a system seller. I'm sure my tune will change once a new full-fledged Mario game is announced. But for now, I remain Switch 2-less. And that's fine, because I've got a metric ton of other stuff to catch up on. In any case, I'll be very curious to see how things shape up for Nintendo and the Switch 2 in the year ahead.
So ... what were my favorite new games that I played in 2025? Read on to find out.
1.) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- I know this game has become a bit divisive in some circles. But here's the thing: I grew up as a Final Fantasy obsessive. And given that the mainline Final Fantasy games have sort of shifted away from their JRPG roots, it's been quite a while since I tried out a new, classic-style JRPG that gave me that same sense of Final Fantasy-esque awe and wonder and grandeur. Clair Obscur gave me that old feeling back, and transported me back to a more innocent time when I was swept up in impossibly melodramatic JRPG sagas with memorable heroes, bombastic orchestral scores, and classic turn-based combat. Clair Obscur is a nostalgic experience in that it's got all the classic FF trimmings. But it also feels new and different and unique, in that the aesthetics are decidedly French and the story is not quite like anything I've really seen in a game before. So I get why this may not be for everyone - but if you have nostalgia for playing PS1-PS3 era JRPG's, then you'll be over the moon for Clair Obscur.
- It feels like there's been a real resurgence in classic style point-and-click adventure games in recent years. And as someone who grew up with legendary Lucasarts P&C games like Sam & Max and Day of the Tentacle, I'm lovin' it. Doesn't hurt that most of these games are pretty easily playable on even a basic PC. In any case, a huge part of this point-and-click renaissance is WadjetEye, a small studio that's been churning out great games for a while now. Their latest, Old Skies, is traditional but also super ambitious. It's a smart, funny, moving time-travel story that's got some truly inspired science fiction storytelling. This one is a real achievement, and a must-play for anyone who's ever loved point-and-click adventures.
- Speaking of great storytelling in games, Dispatch has some of the best, funniest, and sharpest writing I've ever seen in a videogame. The game is, in fact, one of the best superhero subversions I've experienced (and as a lifelong comic book fan, that's saying something). It doesn't hurt that the voice cast here is second to none, featuring heavy hitters like Aaron Paul and Jeffrey Wright. The gameplay - centered around strategically dispatching heroes where they're most needed - is simple but fun. But the main attraction here is the incredibly well-done interactive narrative.
- Another great 2025 point-and-click adventure! The Drifter features gorgeously-rendered retro-style pixel art, really good voice-acting, and a super compelling narrative that tells a weird, wild, and twisty mystery story. The interface is also super sleek and streamlined, giving the game a sense of speed and efficiency that other P&C games sometimes lack. I'm almost hesitant to say too much. So dive into this one sight unseen, and you're guaranteed a great time.
5.) The Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
- And ... one more superb narrative-based adventure game. This is the latest from DontNod, the original developers of Life Is Strange (which I am on record as being a huge fan of). The Lost Records has very similar vibes to Life Is Strange, which means fans of that series will likely dig this. But narratively, this one has a really interesting hook - presenting a mystery story that plays out across two different time periods - the 90's, and the present day. So there's a lot of 90's-era nostalgia here, and also a sort of Yellowjackets-esque mystery around how events of the past created the circumstances of today. It's a really great game in the style of Life Is Strange, but with a lot that is unique and original.
6.) Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
- 2025 saw a spate of ninja games, which is cool. Who doesn't love ninjas? But the one that really stood out to me was Sega's revival of the classic Shinobi franchise. For one, the game has an incredible 2D, hand-drawn art-style. It's vivid and painterly and amazingly animated. Truly eye-popping visuals. For another, the game is more than just a simple hack-n'-slash side-scroller. While the hacking, slashing, and special moves feel great, the game also presents some Metroidvania-style puzzles and progression rhythms that adds another layer to the gameplay.
7.) Marvel Cosmic Invasion
- For some pure, unadulterated, early '90's style beat-'em-up nostalgia, Marvel Cosmic Invasion 100% hits the sweet spot. It's got awesomely-rendered pixel art, a bevvy of Marvel Comics characters to play as, satisfyingly bone-crunching action, and the ability to team up with friends to go on your very own epic, cosmic quest set in the Marvel universe. It's a total blast.
8.) The Seance of Blake Manor
- This deductive mystery game is all about delivering spooky, contained-mystery vibes - and it does so in a way that I don't think many (if any!) games have done before. The game sees you explore a mysterious manner, interview house guests, and try to solve timed mysteries. It's a lot of fun, and the manor is filled with intriguing characters and interesting surprises. If you've ever dreamed of being Hercule Poirot, this is your game.
- I didn't always love the gameplay of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (I've always been a third-person action guy vs. first-person), but this game won me over due to its truly excellent narrative. Arguably, this is up there with the best Indiana Jones stories ever told - serving as a legit sequel to the original Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ultimately, it really does feel like playing through a great new Indy movie in the best way possible.
10.) Fatal Fury: The City of Wolves
- I always love a great 1-on-1 fighting game, and I was intrigued that 90's-era fighting staple Fatal Fury was back, after a multi-decade absence, with a stylish-looking new entry. As it turns out, Fatal Fury: The City of Wolves is a fun, fast-paced, dynamic game with some great character design, stunning visuals, and extremely solid gameplay. Great fighting games are fewer and farther between these days, so this was a really nice surprise.
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