Top 10 Games of the Year 2025

2025 has been a strange year for games, in a good way. Not because it lacked quality - far from it - but because the standouts feel less like obvious consensus picks and more like deeply personal obsessions. There's no single juggernaut dominating every conversation, no clear winner that everyone's rallying behind. Instead, we have seen a year where games carved out their own spaces, attracted their own devoted followings, and proved that "best" is rarely a universal truth.

That's exactly the spirit we wanted to capture here. Rather than assembling some imaginary, objective ranking, we asked two of our Gaming Editors to simply share what moved them this year - the games they couldn't stop thinking about, or in some cases, the ones they are still playing now. Ammara and Mufaddal each picked their top five, and what emerged says as much about how we experience games differently as it does about the games themselves.

So without delay, here are the ten games across two very different sensibilities, all worth your time for entirely different reasons.

Ammara's Games of the Year

Hades II

I spent around 200 hours with Hades II in Early Access, and then somehow doubled that once 1.0 rolled out. What kept me coming back was how much better the game feels to play, with more expressive builds, more interesting runs, and a stronger sense of experimentation rather than pure optimisation.

Playing as Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld, offers a stark contrast to her brother Zagreus. Her deliberate and focused nature is reflected in both the narrative and her combat style, which is deeply rooted in witchcraft and ancient Greek mythology. Her journey to confront the Titan of Time, Chronos, is a slow-burn epic that unfolds across countless runs, each one revealing new layers of character and motivation.

Her journey to confront the Titan of Time, Chronos, is a slow-burn epic that unfolds across countless runs, each one revealing new layers of character and motivation. The expanded cast integrates seamlessly into the world, and Supergiant’s signature mechanic of delivering story mid-run remains as innovative as ever.

The original Hades taught players to embrace failure; Hades II teaches them to wield it as a weapon, making it a frontrunner for any Game of the Year discussion.

Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong almost broke my wrists, my patience, and my pride. I am not good at this kind of game, and I died a lot, sometimes 20-plus attempts on a single boss, but I never wanted to quit.

The world is too beautiful, the lore too intriguing, and Hornet is too fun to play. She moves differently from the Knight, faster, sharper, more deliberate, and the game builds around that with new tools and systems that help you mitigate the increased difficulty if you are willing to learn them.

This is an unapologetically difficult game, with boss encounters that will test your patience and skill. Yet, it never feels unfair. The game design is meticulously balanced; while the challenge is greater, Hornet's expanded toolkit of abilities and craftable items provides players with more ways to adapt and overcome.

Every painful victory felt earned, and every setback made me want to understand the game more, not less.

Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Blue Prince

I genuinely do not know if Blue Prince consumed me or if I consumed it. The way it implements roguelite structure into a puzzle game feels quietly radical, and no two playthroughs are ever going to look the same.

Friends and I uncovered layers at wildly different paces, compared notes, argued over theories, and slowly realised how deep the rabbit hole went. I had over 100 pages of notes by the end, which I loved because I am absolutely that nerd and I love abstract puzzles that fight back.

The Mora Jai-style puzzles deserve physical versions immediately. Blue Prince can be frustrating, yes, but never unfair, and it is one of the best games I have played for sitting down with someone else and thinking out loud together.

Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S (and Game Pass)

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

I loved the first Citizen Sleeper, but it leaned heavily on reading and atmosphere. The sequel, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector feels more active, more playable, and more confident as an RPG.

As an escaped android captaining a ramshackle ship, you are responsible not just for your own dice-based survival but for managing a crew and navigating the treacherous Starward Belt. This added layer of resource management and choice turns the game from a poignant narrative into a compelling space-faring RPG.

The systems are clearer and more interconnected, with dice, crew management, and movement across space all demanding more deliberate choices. That added structure makes survival feel tangible rather than symbolic.

The writing is still thoughtful and humane, and the game remains deeply interested in power, labour, and care, but now those themes are reinforced by mechanics that ask more of the player.

It is a sequel that understands what worked before and then pushes forward. Still thoughtful and political, still gentle when it needs to be, but it asks you to engage more actively, and I appreciated that evolution.

Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S (and Game Pass)

The Drifter

The Drifter is one of the most memorable point-and-click adventure games I have played in a long time, not because it reinvents the genre, but because it refuses to slow down.

The story follows Mick, a drifter who returns to his old neighbourhood only to witness a murder and become entangled in a conspiracy involving shadowy corporations and violent gangsters.

What makes The Drifter so memorable is how it seamlessly weaves its puzzles into this fast-paced plot. The pacing is relentless, pulling you through a gritty, gripping story that wastes no time digging its hooks in. The puzzles are logical, sharp, and tightly woven into the narrative, so progress always feels purposeful.

There is a real sense of momentum here, where every interaction pushes you forward rather than stalling the experience. It feels lean, confident, and slightly feral, and it reminded me how exciting adventure games can be when they trust urgency as much as cleverness.

Available on: PC

Mufaddal's Games of the Year

I usually lean towards games that tell me a good story, or at least has a narrative that progresses along with its world and mechanics. I have very little interest in games that are purely gameplay-based, unless it's something fun that can be played in short bursts (like PowerWash Simulator), or else they don't capture me as they should. I want to dive deep into different worlds, meet new characters, explore new sights, and if a game does that, I am down for it. My picks of the best games of the year reflects that.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

I was never meant to play Clair Obscur, developed by the ambitious new studio Sandfall Interactive. I am not its target audience. I don’t even like turn-based RPGs, never understood the mechanics, and didn’t care much about the genre. In fact, the only turn-based RPG I had ever played before this was the original Final Fantasy 7, where I cheated with God Mode just to get through.

The even more absurd thing about Clair is that what got its hooks in me were the parry system and dodge mechanics. I don’t even like games that have those mechanics (mostly Soulslikes these days), but Clair was somehow different. And I know why it worked. I don’t have the patience for turn-based anything—I want the dopamine NOW—and the parry/dodge mechanics add an underlying layer of interactivity and urgency to every turn. It makes you do things even when you are not attacking. Couple that with the terrific sound design around the battles, the power-ups, double attacks, and what-have-you, and it lured me right in.

I am glad it did because Clair Obscur is a special experience. It tells a story that is as beautiful, surreal, and touching as it is gut-wrenching and deeply saddening. Enacted with precision by a wonderful set of talented voice actors and mo-cap artists, featuring a gorgeously presented original soundtrack, a set of characters that will have you rooting for them, and visuals that successfully transport you into its world and force you to engage with it—man, this is exactly what games are all about.

Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Split Fiction

There is a dearth of co-op games, and even fewer for couch co-op. So, developer Hazelight Studios’ insistence on creating such experiences is always appreciated. It also helps that every single one of their games is a banger.

Split Fiction comes right off the enormous 23-million-copy-selling It Takes Two, and Hazelight haven’t lost a beat. It is as creative, sharp, witty, ingenious, and mind-bending as ever, extracting new ways of defining co-op play with mechanics that make you question: just how can a group of people be so good at what they do?

My favourite part of the game is the end, not just for the sheer creativity of it all, but for just how in the hell did they pull that off with a game engine? I don't get it. And I don't want to. Let the magic remain intact; everything that Hazelight makes is nothing short of that.

Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2

Cronos: The New Dawn

You won’t usually find Bloober’s Dead Space-esque horror on lists like this, but damn does it deserve to be here. Cronos is definitive proof that Bloober meant it when they said they were done making “shitty” games, because even this seemingly low-budget AA title makes a mark as one of the best horror games of all time. Okay, that’s a bit of hyperbole, maybe? But I walked away from Cronos absolutely enthralled by its sheer ambition.

Wearing its Dead Space influence on its blood-tinged sleeve, Cronos is a deeply dark and positively difficult trudge through a world that is carefully crafted—with terrific audio design and stunning visuals—to keep you terrified while you uncover a shockingly complex and engrossing tale.

If you haven’t played Cronos due to less-than-stellar reviews, I would implore you to ignore them and give the game a shot. You can thank me later.

Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2

Dispatch

A Telltale-style adventure game but with superheroes? I was immediately sold. And a quick look at the voice cast, which includes the likes of Aaron Paul, Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer, and Travis Willingham, was enough to convince me this was going to be something special.

What took me by surprise—because I went in blind after the announcement trailer—were the deep character abilities and slight D&D influences you had to contend with to play through the little mini-game in between the beautifully drawn animations. You actually have to "Football Manager" your superheroes as crimes pop up around the city.

While a little overwhelming and confusing at first—just like how your character feels on his first day at the job—the slow unravelling of the superheroes, their stories, and their different personalities makes things easier to deal with, mirroring how he feels after befriending this ragtag team of unlikable busters. The way the game makes you feel emotions through its gameplay, despite its unreliable narrator, is excellent.

I also appreciated that the game wasn’t trying to be "too much," if that makes sense? There is a restraint in the story that it wants to tell; it doesn’t deviate, it doesn’t bore, and there is no fat. It tells a nice little story that is consistently hilarious and will constantly make you pause at every junction, as every decision could have vastly different outcomes—or, if nothing else, entirely change your relationship with a character.

Available on: PC, PS5 (Nintendo Switch 1 & 2 scheduled for next year)

Death Stranding 2

Death Stranding is easily one of my favourite games of all time. The organised chaos of Kojima’s direction, the bewildering story elements, and what quickly becomes a cosy gameplay experience are simply unmatched.

Death Stranding 2 is just more of the same, but with even more ludicrous character moments that only Kojima can pull off, and a gameplay loop that is as familiar, comfortable, and enjoyable as it can be. Death Stranding 2 is not better than the first one, but being slightly worse than the best is still extremely good.

While its methodical gameplay may not be for everyone, Death Stranding 2 is a confident and singular vision from one of the industry's true auteurs. It may not be better than the original, but being slightly less than a masterpiece still makes it one of the most essential and unforgettable video games of the year, standing alongside titans like Cyberpunk 2077 for its sheer world-building ambition.

Available on: PS5

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