What a year in video games 2025 has been. For all the horrible layoffs and studio closures that have affected this industry, if you’re someone that just enjoys playing video games, I’d argue that 2025 has been a year that stands as one of the very best in a long, long time. While our team is busy voting and deciding on our overall picks for XboxEra’s ‘Game of the Year’, we all have our own personal favourites – me included.
My picks this year are pretty varied, but still lean towards smaller, tighter experiences, as that’s what I personally enjoy. Some have made the list because of the experience of playing them with friends, or because they captured my imagination. Others, because they took over my life for a few weeks, which in my book is always a sign of a great video game.
I genuinely struggled to make a list this year, so I have to give some shout outs to other notable releases like Avowed, which I thoroughly enjoyed, Ninja Gaiden 4 which was wonderfully bloody and great, in addition to games like Borderlands 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows – but a top 10 must be decided!
So, without further ado – here’s my top 10 games of 2025!
Number 10 | Doom The Dark Ages
Kicking things off is id Softwares latest in the long-running DOOM franchise. DOOM: The Dark Ages was a wonderful ride, and despite the less interesting flying dragon segments was a gloriously gore-filled FPS with all the brutality, heavy metal and satisfying game mechanics I expected.
Number 9 | LEGO Voyagers
LEGO Voyagers sneaks in, not because it’s one of the best things I’ve ever played, but more because of the experience I had while playing it. Teaming up with my partner Kat, who is just finding her feet in the world of video games resulted in a lovely (and occasionally patience-testing) time as we laughed, solved puzzles and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Number 8 | Dispatch
Releasing exclusively on PlayStation 5 and PC earlier this year, Dispatch is a smart, gripping and utterly beautiful superhero yarn that I’ve been recording episodes of playthroughs for our patrons, separated out by each in-game chapter. If you’re fan of the classic TellTale Walking Dead games, or narrative adventures in general, this is absolutely one to check out as soon as you can.
Number 7 | Abiotic Factor
I reviewed Abiotic Factor earlier this year, and while I’ve only plugged around 25 hours into the game, its one that I found utterly delightful to play. Teaming up with up to five friends, you’ll play as scientists trapped in a Black Mesa type ‘Half-Life’ facility as trans-dimensional gateways rupture into our universe, causing untold havoc as we science our way to survival. It’s laugh out loud fun, full of imagination, terror and downright bizarre ideas that I can’t help but love.
Number 6 | Sword of the Sea
What a meditative delight Sword of the Sea is. It fuses sublime gameplay, music and art together to form what I feel is developer Giant Squids best work yet. Sword of the Sea might be on the shorter side, but through some fantastic ‘hover-swording’ and wonderful game design, they’ve created an imaginative skatepark to play in for as long as we’d like.
Number 5 | Keeper
Keeper was great, and the team at Double Fine Productions kept surprising me throughout its runtime. What started as a fairly run-of-the-mill experience that involve some light platforming and puzzles kept evolving and changing, leading to an almighty crescendo or colour and sound. It should be played and enjoyed by everyone, as soon as possible.
Number 4 | Split Fiction
Despite being an earlier release in the calendar year, Hazelight’s latest has maintained a high position as one of my favourite games of 2025. Split Fiction is, at its heart, a celebration about how wonderful, imaginative and downright clever videogames can be when they choose to embrace what they are – an art form that thrives on interactivity, creativity, and boundless possibility. Hazelight have proven that once again, when it comes to building distinct experiences that blend storytelling, mechanics, and player agency – they have no equal. Plus that ending sequence – man!
Number 3 | Sektori
In a year full of genuinely incredible games, I’m more than pleased to have found another one that you should immediately look to pick up, and I loved it so much that it soared to being in my top 3 of 2025. I beg you, don’t let Sektori pass you by. This is an utterly mesmerising and innovative twin-stick arcade shooter, packed full of content and modes and with a level of challenge that ticks all the right boxes.
Number 2 | ARC Raiders
ARC Raiders walks a fine balance. It’s an extraction shooter seemingly purpose-built for the hardcore players, yet is surprisingly accessible, whether you’re playing with friends or going out there solo. It’s thematically dystopian, yet utterly beautiful to look at, full of bright splashes of colour and a cohesive overall design. It can be tense, thrilling, and downright terrifying, but it is also filled with surprisingly sweet and endearing moments with the sort of random, social interaction I’ve not enjoyed since the early days of Sea of Thieves. In my book, it’s the best multiplayer game of the year, and one that you should absolutely play.
Now, for my final choice, and anyone that knows me, or follows XboxEra will see this coming from a million miles away. This game took a hold of me in a way that few do, and just didn’t let go, even after 80+ hours of play. It remains unchallenged as my top game of the year, and one of my favourites of all time.
Number 1 | Blue Prince
In the making for over eight years, Blue Prince is an atmospheric, architectural rogue-lite adventure played from a first person perspective that took me completely by surprise. It merges mystery, incredible design, unbelievable depth and satisfying strategy to make something frighteningly addictive.
To say that I was utterly infatuated with Blue Prince would be an understatement. It is an impeccably made work of absolute genius, and the team at Dogubomb and Game Director Tonda Ros have worked magic and created a game that I will remember for the rest of my life. Utterly incredible.
And that’s my list! Agree? Disagree? Think I’m mad for not having Expedition 33 on here? Let us know in the XboxEra Forums or make some noise in the lively XboxEra Community Discord Server. If you’re looking to be a bigger part of an amazing community, then either choice is a good one!
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