2025: the year that had the biggest debates on AI in game-making, a good number of delayed big releases, and price hikes worldwide in the illustrious digital hobby. Regardless of the last bit, it was a bountiful year for video gaming.

To say that 2025 was full of top-line game releases is an understatement; we had a slew of triple-A releases, indie titles up the wazoo, and even a new gaming console from Nintendo with a good amount of exclusives. Yes, the aforementioned price hikes do affect the overall worldwide gaming market, but gaming is still affordable if you know where to look. That PC Game Pass increase isn’t such a big deal right now since 2025 titles are flooding that service (and other similar ones) en masse.

Here are our top games of 2025 along with their official award title we put in for fun. In no particular order, here they are:

Frenchiest Final Fantasy Award – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5)

This year’s headliner-grabber deserves all the awards and it’s easy to see why. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful-looking-and-sounding fantasy Japanese role-playing game with a fun combat system filled with endless customization options and playstyles, and a gradually fair challenge level where you need to pay attention to enemy patterns and attack tells (and counter them in return).

It also has a helluva story that begins heavy and ends with you making heartbreaking choices that fit with the entire narrative’s morose tone, daring to ask players what truly is real in their perspective after investing hours into its characters and worldbuilding.

The best part? It lets you decide what you want it to be and doesn’t force an answer down your throat, treating us all like adults who get what they’re doing, especially when you notice story tells & clues the second playthrough around. Clearly a masterclass title of 2025 among this year’s many.

 

Horsing Around Award – Umamusume: Pretty Derby (PC, iOS, Android)

Cygames’ generational money-maker free-to-play game has been released outside of Japan this year, and players are feeling the mobile gaming sweep from this innocuous title. In a universe where horses don’t exist and are replaced by anime horse girls (uma+musume = horse girls), you play as a trainer who gets to pick one of them to train up and race in the Grand Prix of horse racing tournaments.

Each of these umamusumes are based on real-life horses and their historical track record, which are prime fodder for anime storylines. From main protag mainstays like Special Week to lovable losers like Haru Urara, playing through their careers and exploring their backstories in the game’s multiple modes are part of the fun.

Special mention goes to this year’s anime adaptation of Umamusume: Cinderella Grey which turns the story of famous Japanese race horse Oguri Cap into an all-out shonen anime with megaton sakuga energy. It’s also the major reason why some of us ended up playing Umamusume: Pretty Derby on our phones.

 

Earliest Metroidvania Award – Blade Chimera (PC)

Team Ladybird’s early-year effort may have been missed by many, but we gave it the love it clearly deserves. Set in a fun sci-fi setting where demons are running rampant, your main white-haired gun-toting protagonist has to team up with one who bestows him with magic phantom sword powers.

These make for awesome traversal tools in the sprawling 2D world you’re in, not to mention a decked-out arsenal consisting of rifles, shotguns, and even whip swords that pay homage to Castlevania. Short, but oh-so-sweet, especially with the epic boss fights in tow.

 

Late Metroidvania Award – Hollow Knight: Silksong (PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)

Team Cherry took their sweet time in making the Hollow Knight follow-up, but it was certainly worth the 8-year wait. Main character Hornet is a blast to play as: she’s fast, she can change her fight style and loadouts, and is more nimble than the Vessel from the first game. The levels and layout in this sequel is more expansive and colourful, though arguably more treacherous and trap-filled. Its difficulty is brutal, and can come off as unfair at times, but be patient with it and be diligent with your exploring, and you’ll find tools that can help make the boss fights and gauntlets slightly less damning.

Coupled with multiple endings and lore drops while you delve deeper, and you have a stellar entry in Team Cherry’s already-gold standard portfolio.

 

Best Story About A Boy & His Yo-Yo Aunty Award – Pipistrello & The Cursed Yo-Yo (PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)

There aren’t that many indie retro-styled games where your main character -the yo-yo expert Pippit- forced to partner with his aunt, who is clearly not who she seems to be, the more you hang out with her. There also aren’t many games where you have to use your yo-yo to get around and do tricks to traverse through the city you’re in, with said yo-yo being the aunt in question. With all that said, we’re glad developer Pocket Trap ran with this concept for their top-down Zelda-like metroidvania title from start to finish.

There’s a ton of creative uses for your yo-yo when going through the game’s sprawling puzzle-laden map. You also have unique setpieces and action beats like an on-stage battle with a guy cosplaying Link from the Zelda titles, an underground mecha battle, and even three rounds of a football match with different restrictions meant to screw you over. And then there’s one of the best and most-challenging timed platforming gauntlet bit at the end of the game, just before the equally-epic boss fight.

How this game has yet to win any major awards for its indie prowess is honestly criminal; this is clearly Pocket Trap’s finest 2D work that pays loving tribute to the Game Boy Advance era of gaming & metroidvania-ing!

 

Best Malaysian Indie Award – Artis Impact (PC)

While not the toughest and longest game to complete, Artis Impact has loads of charm, lovely animation and aesthetics, and a low-key bright apocalypse storyline to follow. This RPG-lite game has you taking odd jobs for money, doing battles with what could be the most automated system in the indie JRPG scene, and just mellowing out as the protagonist and her bot compatriot banter back and forth while dealing with the monster-of-the-week style apocalypse-filled episode.

Most importantly, Artis Impact just feels like it’s made genuinely out of love for other existing titles like the Nier series and Undertale to an extent; a loving homage. It’s impressive that a single developer can make all of this while coming up like a bed of fresh roses.

 

Best Indonesian Indie Award – 1998: The Toll Keeper Story (PC)

At Kakuchopurei, you don’t need to be a deep action or puzzle game to get top honours; sometimes a great story and narrative can do the heavy lifting for serviceable game mechanics. Such is the case with Indonesian studio GameChanger (a cocksure name) which puts you in the shoes of a pregnant government worker in charge of a tollbooth. During the late 90s of Indonesia when the history-changing riots happened.

It’s as subtle as a sledgehammer, but it tells its plot with pathos and emotion, making you want to keep your main character and her family safe even if it means keeping some anti-government students in a bus off the other side while doling out propaganda pamphlets to the right passengers & drivers.

 

Best Beats By Indie Award – Rift of the Necrodancer (PC, Nintendo Switch)

Rift of the Necrodancer is catchy and addictive to play in short spurts, with its challenging lane system that has its notes move in different beats and cadences. And it’s really done up great in this fashion, taking Crypt of the Necrodancer’s hooks & characters, and then turning it to a lane-based title with some single-player rhythm minigames onto it. And the post-content stuff is to die for; they’re worth spending money on if you want more official offerings.

This spin-off goes to show that we are a slave to rhythm games -even without a plastic instrument to use it for- when they’re presented in the best light possible. And Rift of the Necrodancer’s presentation and minigames do elevate this one above other indie rhythm game fares.

 

Best Beats By Indie Award Part 2 – Rhythm Doctor (PC)

The 8 to 10 hours we poured into this Malaysian-made rhythm game had us frustrated, laughing, and in tears to tell various stories that tie in to the titular Rhythm Doctor’s clinic. The game’s “seventh beat” gameplay is simple yet challenging due to hurdles like polyrhythms and irregular time signatures thrown in as curveballs. It’s difficult, but it’s worth replaying just to get that high grade to progress (or for bragging rights).

In short, this Malaysian indie ditty scratches that Rhythm Heaven itch that’s been missing for a long, long while.

 

Best Synasthesia Award – Lumines Arise (PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4)

We have seen loads of 2000s-esque titles making comebacks (like Katamari Damacy), but having Tetsuya “Rez” Mizuguchi and his “new” team make another Lumines game is a helluva surprise. Even better, it adopts the Tetris Effect style of presentation and makes it work in the context of Lumines’ 2x2xmore block-clearing gameplay.

Synasthesia is in full effect here, as everything you do pulses and harmonises to the beat of the song. This all culminates in a pulse-pounding experience that mesmerises and captivates. You can even experience it in VR mode if you want to take the experience further,

 

Best Streets Of Rage 4 Replacement – Absolum (PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch)

What’s better than a modern day 2D side-scrolling brawler? A 2D fantasy brawler with co-op and a roguelite structure where you get insane power-ups and juggle potential the better you do. That’s Absolum in its entirety.

Even if you fail your run in this 2D left-to-right multi-branch beat-em-up, you can power up your permanent skills and spells so you can attempt it again and again, better than ever. What’s more, the lovely art and music help accentuate the experience further, complementing the simple-yet-flexible controls and attack/defense mechanics to make up one cornucopia of dopamine-inducing combo-frenzy delight. Yes, your dreams of playing as a magician frog with Proton Cannon supers and cloning tech can be realized.

 

Looter Shooter Galore Award – Borderlands 4 (PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2)

We voluntarily spent 70+ hours since launch on this first-person shooter looter game; we had to put it in here somehow, right?

The fifth mothership game (we’re counting Pre-Sequel FYI) is less self-referential with its humour, which is a little jarring and doesn’t make it stand out. But over time, you grow to appreciate it taking its time with its plot and making a new canon out of it while retaining fan favourites like Zane, Amara, and Moxxxi. The gameplay and boss fights are gold too, with the latter featuring actual fights you have to pay attention and not rely so much on attrition. Shooting and looting feels better overall, with new mechanics like a grappling hook that also pulls stuff to you and also lift you up higher for better traversal and zooming to places to.

The new gun types and Legendaries are also a joy to play around with; you’re sure to find favourites to make builds around your Vault Hunters. Speaking of which, your new Vault Hunters are arguably the best in the series, with various action skill types within themselves that cater to how you fight. Whether you want to go defensive or go offensive with your ForgeKnight, you have choices and respeccing galore to find out and fudge around with.

 

Best 90s Atlus Throwback – Demonschool (PC)

While it’s great that Atlus is remaking past JRPGs like Persona 3, we do wish the company could go back to their isometric/first-person dungeon-crawling roots with the modern contemporary demon-summoning RPG series. Thankfully we have Necrosoft and Ysbryd Games filling that particular niche with Demonschool.

Part chill-with-friends sim, part strategy role-playing game with intuitive & inventive mechanics, part longform adventure featuring an oncoming demon apocalypse. If you need an RPG that has a retro aesthetic and revels in its absurdity and combat, Demonschool’s in session.

 

Moon Destroyer Award – Skate Story (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series)

Better late than never, right? This December release (among a good number here) title has you playing a glass-made demon trying to eat moons by performing skateboarding tricks and grinds. Absurd? Yes. Beautiful to witness and fun to play? You bet. Low-key hilarious and non-sequitur-filled? Most definitely.

Skate Story has you jumping through different parts and aspects of the underworld as you end up sorting out errands for the Devil, or even getting out of subway hell by way of skateboard. The destination and journey here are mind-bending and just good chillaxing fun to grind through, letting you take your time doing side tricks for more points and cosmetics.

 

Best Arena Shooter – Doom: The Dark Ages (PC, Xbox Series)

While not as good as past Doom entries, Doom: The Dark Ages is a shooter that’s raw, ridiculous, and unnecessarily metal. And we loved every second of it, especially the parts where you get to go hogwild with the game’s shield and go big with a mecha and/or dragon.

 

Best Co-op Argument Award – Split Fiction (PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5)

Split Fiction is exactly what co-op gaming should be—fun, engaging, and just frustrating enough to make you want to throw the controller, but not the relationship, out the window.

It’s not a revolutionary experience, but it’s a damn good one. And in a world where split-screen co-op is becoming rarer than a good Nicolas Cage movie, that’s worth celebrating.

 

Best Konami Redemption Arc Award – Silent Hill f (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series)

While last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake was contentious in its delivery and necessity, you can’t say the same about this year’s horror game entry. Silent Hill f eases you in its third-person survival horror trappings up until the bit where you need to lower a particular cage down a pit of fire. This game gets really dark and nasty, especially in its 1960s timeline where people look at women with very different lenses and have different expectations.

The combat is gritty and can get overbearing (especially with the late-game mandatory wave battles), but it fits the oppressive tone of the series; this entry in particular requires you to play through it multiple times to get full context and new information about main character Hinako’s plight and psyche.

Silent Hill f also wins the award for Best Female Nightmare Allegory Game. Jesus, the hate your main character gets from the excerpts and diary bits you find is just straight up cruel.

 

Best Kojima Award – Death Stranding 2 (PlayStation 5)

Joke all you like, but you wouldn’t remember Death Stranding 2 without its trademark Hideo Kojima editing and storytelling. Narrative tells that telegraph the plot twists way in advance, Muffin Man-style dialogue, Hollywood cameos from Mike Flanagan and his wife to the RRR director and his son, tropes and references to his well-known past works (Metal Gear, LOTS of it), and a one-versus-one melee brawl between the main character and the ever-hounding antagonist. All this is done with such conviction and shamelessness that you can’t help but be impressed at how far Kojima Productions can take it.

Even without the Kojima-isms cranked up to the max, Death Stranding 2 is a superior sequel, with better gameplay, well-thought-out level layout and a plethora of options to tackle problems when delivering goods/fighting BTs, and is just a smoother experience going through its plot and even building literal bridges and whatnot across Australia. You ain’t experienced Death Stranding 2 until you get a full monorail system all across the country up-and-running in your spare time.

 

Best Substenance – Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PS5, Xbox Series, PC)

It’s not Metal Gear without spy-thriller tropes, cringeworthy and campy dialogues, predictable storylines, over-the-top cut-scenes – a staple of Kojima even back then – and plentiful of iconic characters; this game delivered tons of them. Replayability has always been a core strength of Metal Gear games in the past and this one is no different.

We foresee unique and absurd ways of defeating the game which has never been attempted before.Not many remakes can replicate this essence, yet Konami somehow pulls it off with flying colours, albeit in a safe-yet-surefire manner.

 

Best War Game – Battlefield 6 (PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5)

Less surprises and more refinements, EA’s multiplayer modern shooter game retains its love of scale and big battles in this latest entry in the Battlefield series.

While its campaign is lacking, its multiplayer modes and online options are anything but, featuring solid gunplay, familiar-yet-fun classes to delve into and experiment with, and welcome additions like crouch sprinting and the ability to drag downed teammates. Good company all around.

 

Best “Fallout In Space” Award – The Outer Worlds 2 (PC, Xbox Series)

It’s been a while since we’ve played a game where the highest possible Speech gives you the ability to end the game without any bloodshed whatsoever. The Outer Worlds 2 is truly a large-scale Obsidian Entertainment role-playing game fans know and love since Fallout: New Vegas, with many options for solving problems (hacking, lockpicking, sneaking, negotiating, what-have-you) or even going through them by force (melee, ranged, explosives, traps, etc.).

Its setting is humourous yet dystopian, your compatriots have their moments, and the overall story has its twists and turns where you make uneasy alliances and persistent enemies. You’ll not only get hooked for its 25-hour playthrough, but will give a thought about making a second or third save slot for different builds and playstyles.

 

Best League of Legends Spin-Off Award – 2XKO (PC)

Yes, it’s still in early access. And yes, its roster still needs a bigger head count for a tag fighter. But it’s one of the better fighting games out there with its well-made tag system, crisp gameplay, streamlined controls, and flawless net play. It may not be as fast as the de facto Marvel vs Capcom entry, but Riot Games’ first attempt at a 2D fighting game isn’t too shabby and does get some mileage out of both casual players and pros out there.

It’s adamant to its streamlined fighting game controls yet gives more avenue for combo routes and high-level play as you keep playing. We may not see a 1.0 from this title for a long, long while, but its foundation is definitely solid.

 

Better Late Than Never Award – Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5)

At the end of the day, 2025 needs to have a champion fighting game that is complete day one, and what better way than with Capcom and Street Fighter’s big-time rival?

The latest Fatal Fury game, after 20 years of dormancy, takes the 2025 crown for being a perennial fighting game for the ages with its simple-yet-complex fighting gameplay, its lush aesthetics, its plethora of single-player modes, and its handling of the Fatal Fury lore (wrapping it up proper). There’s a lot of nuances in its mechanics -Just Defend, SPG attacks and positioning, Brakes and Feints that let you extend combos and fake opponents out.

There are various playstyles to cater to via its extended roster, from bully characters like Mr. Big to zoner-footsie combo maniacs like Billy Kane. And then we have the game’s RPG mode Episodes of South Town that lets you kill time and unlock a ton of backstory and lore behind the new Fatal Fury, which already has a rich history. All in all, definitely the total fighting game package for SNK fighters who need a break from 3v3 combat.

 

Real Ultimate Power Award Part 1 – Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)

Who would have thought that getting the folks behind the amazing Blasphemous metroidvania games to make your 2D Ninja Gaiden reinvigoration title this year would be a certified platinum hit? That’s what Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is, and it completely understood the assignment given, passing in flying colours.

Flawless controls, lovely 2D pixel art and animation, great levels and layout, escalating challenges and difficulty plus a Hard mode that adds a heckaton more, and amazing music that channels the late 80s/90s classic Ninja Gaiden titles but for this generation. Game Kitchen and Koei Tecmo kept it simple with the “sequel” to the 2D games, added in a few new characters to love and play as, and hit a home run in delivering a sublime 2D action game.

 

Real Ultimate Power Part 2 Award – Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch)

Sega’s ninja game is nothing to scoff at, as it is the perennial 2D ninja game that retains its old-school left-to-right gameplay as you flip out and kill enemies as Joe Musashi.

The latest 2D Shinobi title is a beauty to look at and play, featuring fun and fast-paced combat with speedy execution mechanics, a good amount of platforming challenges, and fun boss fights to the tune of a Tee Lopes-composed soundtrack. There’s really no need for you to backtrack as new skills you get are acquired by just following the natural progression path, though if you want to revisit levels for extra challenges and power-ups there’s no stopping you.

While technically a Metroidvania, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is purely 2D hack-and-slash straightforward fun that channels the energy and vibe of Joe Musashi’s 90s action romps, just in a slick new aesthetic that is timeless as a sasuga ninja slice-and-dice manga full-spread panel.

 

Best 2-In-1 Game – Hades 2 (PC, Nintendo Switch 2)

We thought the “2” in Hades 2 means just another romp underground in Greek Hell with a new character. Well, we’re half right: it’s essentially 2 Hades roguelite games in one entry. One Underground domain, and the other the Overworld with its own set of levels, enemies, and tough bosses to deal with.

Death is never the end in Hades 2, as retrying and playing through stages open up more of the game’s core narrative and Pantheon predicament our heroine Melinoë/Mel is in. Everything from the first Hades is improved and revved up here, with sprinting, Omega moves, and Hexes from Selene being new tools to power on through Underworld and Overworld threats. Replayability is Hades 2’s key strength here, and having all its avenue of gameplay fun and tight to control makes this GOTY addition a no-brainer.

 

Best Telltale Games Comeback – DISPATCH (PC, PlayStation 5)

While the Telltale Games of adventure game design did oversaturate itself back in the aughts, it is sorely missed. Thankfully, the ex-devs from that company of old team up to form a new studio to make their dream adventure game featuring superheroes and a simple-yet-fun simulation added to it.

Dispatch has you play as main character Robert as he not only goes through the daily life leading a low-tier superhero team made up of ex-villains, but also dispatching them to do heroics and rescue missions (and others) based on their skills and competence. Both elements -the interactive choose-your-adventure portions and the sim game- are fun and work in tandem with each other, making for a helluva experience with various twists and turns that make you can’t wait until the next episode to unfold.

 

Best 100-Ending Story – The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch)

When people bring up a Kodaka game (as in Kazutaka Kodaka, the maker of Danganronpa), it usually comes in a bewildering tone, citing nonsensical-yet-not-out-of-place plot twists and swerves. Such is the case of Kodaka’s new 2025 strategy RPG title The Hundred Line: Defense Academy, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic future of sorts and focuses on a ragtag bunch of students.

Its strategy gameplay is fine and engrossing, but its visual novel approach to storytelling and its passionate voice-acting work seals the deal and will keep you invested, surprised, and hanging to the edge of your seat. Even if you’re not familiar with his work and the esoteric art style, this strategy RPG visual novel combo is still a heartful recommendation, assuming you are able to commit to its 30+ hour minimum runtime and its multiple playthroughs for all of its endings.

You won’t be blueballed for doing so, as they’re all worth pursuing for simply because of how bizarre and insane the revelations take you.

 

Gorilla Warfare Award – Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo Switch 2)

THIS should have been the launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, not the refurbished Mario Kart game that costs US$80.

The team behind Super Mario Odyssey took Nintendo’s great ape and his past games, turn it to a 3D title, and made most of the level destructible for Donkey Kong’s fists to pummel and tear through. With just a small portion of it going to platforming and switching Bananza forms to traverse and destroy barricades with, the rest of the game has you causing property damage and creating your own pathways and makeshift bridges to get to your many, many goals. Your sidekick Pauline is also a joy to have around, being the voice of context and reason for the audience to root for.

To cap it off, Donkey Kong Bananza has the best final stage and final boss fight in any game made in 2025, period. Yes, it’s on-par with Clair Obscur’s finale and even Silent Hill f’s multi-layered endings.

 

Honorable Mentions

Here are the list of games that didn’t quite make the cut, just shy below from the eclectic picks above. Either that, or we didn’t get to spend too much time on them compared to the above. It’s seriously a stacked year for video games.

-Megabonk
-Avowed
-Blue Prince
-Crashlands 2
-Star of Providence
-Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4
-Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles
-Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
-Road To Empress
-Ball x Pit

Top 5 Games Lists From Our Pals

https://youtu.be/36ySa6leaCk

 

https://youtu.be/h1pvUyDZVCU

And that’s it from our side of gaming: the best of the best in 2025. See you mid-January 2026!