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Despite the many ups and downs of the gaming industry, we can all agree that there are many titles that still manage to be a cut above the rest. While we thought 2024 was one of the best years in gaming, 2025 has proven to be even better, and the fun part is that we’re only halfway through the year. As usual, we’ve come together to create a list of what we think are the best games of 2025, at least at the moment, and some clear contenders to become GOTY in order of release.
10. Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Square, Square, Square.
Square, Triangle, Square, Square.
Square, Square, Triangle, Square.
Square, Square, Square, Triangle.
Let the meter build—Hit Circle to annihilate 1,000 soldiers in one shot.
David Rodriguez, Editor: Now, most people and critics have used these terms to essentially mock and make fun of Dynasty Warriors and the type of gameplay it features. But not us. This is peak gaming, and Dynasty Warriors: Origins evolves the franchise beyond its initially conceived “simple” style, making it more complex, without compromising the core videogame feel the series is known for. It’s easily the best action game so far this year, so don’t let your preconceived notion of the series keep you from diving in and experiencing the thrill of one versus a thousand gameplay.
9. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Julio La Pine, Staff Writer: Out of all the RPGs we have on the market, which are quite a lot, one of the few that stands out for its difficulty, realism, and reactivity is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. This sequel brought more than just the next and probably last adventure of Henry of Skalitz. It provided us with the most immersive video game world we’ve seen in recent years. Additionally, it revamped many of the systems its predecessor had, making them significantly more accessible to players. However, the real standout is its narrative, which finally features choices that genuinely have an impact on the overarching story and aren’t merely there for added flair. While it may not be in line with the more modern RPG stereotypes we’ve seen recently, it’s definitely one of the best games of the genre, and if it truly is the last time we’ll see Henry, then it goes out with a medieval bang.
8. Split Fiction
Julio La Pine, Staff Writer: I’ve said it countless times, but we really need more co-op games on the market, and I’m glad Hazelight Studios is still working hard to bring us unforgettable and over-the-top cooperative adventures. Split Fiction takes a shot at an AI-riddled future and places two unlikely allies into a world made of the stories they’ve written. In terms of narrative, it’s perfect, and it starts with a couple of friends who go as well as oil and water, and turn into one of the most kickass duos of the year. However, the real highlight is the gameplay, which is an ode to everything we’ve seen in gaming. From platformers to shooters and even racing tracks, Split Fiction pays homage to almost every genre out there. If you have someone who doesn’t mind spending around 20 hours in a game with you, this is a must-play and the best co-op game of 2025.
7. Avowed
Dylan Chaundy, Editor: Obsidian Entertainment and RPGs go together like peanut butter and jelly, and Avowed — a brand new IP set in the universe of Pillars of Eternity — is a sight for sore eyes, especially for fantasy nuts like yours truly. You assume the role of the Envoy who has been tasked with investigating a mysterious plague known as the Dream Scourge, which is laying waste to The Living Lands. Along your epic journey, you enlist the help of four helpful companions — although your first party member, Kai, is a standout amongst the solid cast. Not only is he voiced by Brandon Keener, who portrayed the loveable Garrus in the Mass Effect series, but he’s also just a standup guy who is equally herculean as he is a big ol’ softie. Likable companions and slightly overly convoluted narrative aside, however, and you have one of the most dynamic combat systems in a first-person fantasy RPG, well… ever. Thanks to effortless customisation, where you can opt between wielding a wand, sword, grimoire, shield, or even a blunderbuss in either hand, along with a multitude of active special abilities and powerful spells that can be unleashed on the fly, Avowed boasts one of the coolest combat systems in any modern fantasy RPG. Seriously, after playing Avowed, it’s genuinely hard to go back to something like Skyrim. There, I said it! Don’t sleep on this one.
6. Atomfall
Dylan Chaundy, Editor: Like a radioactive mutant going through the throes of transformation, Rebellion has evolved its signature shooter gameplay into something bigger, more complex, and ultimately, far more compelling. Set five years after a nuclear disaster in northern England, and loosely based on the real-life Windscale nuclear accident from back in 1957, Atomfall is an alternate history survival FPS that features RPG mechanics, hardcore difficulty, a brutal open world, and enough mutated beasties to make a Geiger counter light up like some kinda nightmarish rainbow. While the gunplay can be a little stiff at times, it does give the overall experience an air of grounded realism as you traverse a deadly post-apocalyptic world that is hellbent on seeing you pushing up the virtual daisies. Throw in a bunch of marauding raiders, mutated flora and fauna, and a handful of different factions to discover, along with a central mystery that keeps you guessing till the final moments, and you have one of the most underrated sleeper hits of 2025 thus far.
5. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Julio La Pine, Staff Writer: We’ve heard many developers and a few big studios claim that the turn-based genre is dead. Leave it to Sandfall Interactive to prove them wrong. Hailed as the Baldur’s Gate 3 of 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the best turn-based RPG of 2025 that revamps one of the oldest systems in gaming to make it accessible and engaging. Instead of just pressing a button and waiting for the action to hit an enemy, you need to time your hits, complete many quick-time events, and even dodge or parry to avoid losing party members. It’s truly one of the most hands-on systems in the genre, and I hope many other developers adopt it. Furthermore, it offers one of the most impressive plots of recent memory, accompanied by an unmatched art style featuring gorgeous color palettes and eerily beautiful settings. Oh, and did I mention the soundtrack is an absolute banger?
4. DOOM: The Dark Ages
David Rodriguez, Editor: Rip and tear, slay and pray, thrill and kill? Whichever high-octane catch phrase you want to come up with, they all fit in DOOM: The Dark Ages. Eschewing the action and high-flying of DOOM: Eternal, and going for a much heavier, tank-style approach with heavy parries, giant mecha sequences, and devastating up-close brutality, it all gives The Dark Ages a completely unique feel. The storytelling is at its best, featuring exquisite cutscenes rather than dull data pad entries that merely bore the player. While the music isn’t quite as memorable without Mick Gordon’s incredible style, the OST still rocks harder than anything out there and helps make it the best FPS of 2025 thus far.
3. The Alters
Julio La Pine, Staff Writer: I never expected a survival game to make it to the list, but that’s because The Alters breaks the mold of everything we’ve seen in the genre. The Alters puts you in the shoes of Jan Dolski and his many alternative versions that you “create” to help you survive on an inhospitable planet. In terms of gameplay, it removes the drag of smashing the same rock 20 times to obtain one iron ore. Instead, it automates everything and adds a few other layers you need to manage, such as your Alters’ mood, needs, and just how to put everything to work on a daily schedule. Still, the best thing about The Alters is how it delivers a mind-bending and introspective plot that asks you, “What if I had chosen a different path in life?” This has been the only game of 2025 that has given me an existential crisis, and one I wouldn’t mind going through again. Oh yes, it has several endings, so there’s also a lot of replayability to boot.
2. Dune: Awakening
David Rodriguez, Editor: While it doesn’t feature a dong slider like Conan Exiles, Funcom’s latest attempt at marrying a classic IP to the survival genre resulted in one of the most polished, successful survival experiences ever made. Dune: Awakening features a hybrid MMO system, combining PVE and PVP activities across a vast open world, which somehow goes against the norm and proves that desert settings can actually be good. It features a deep love of the Dune lore, and whether you like the books or the recent films, Awakening has something for all of the crazy, diehard Dunies out there with extensive lore and questing. Survival games don’t get much better than this, and Funcom is just getting started.
1. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Julio La Pine, Staff Writer: The last one on our list goes to the newest kid on the block, which is Kojima’s latest game and the most Kojima game we’ve ever seen. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach kicks off months after the first game’s ending, and puts Sam into yet another transcontinental delivery. This time, however, going from point A to point B is much more engaging because the delivery process, as well as combat, has undergone a significant overhaul. You get many more gadgets now to complete your orders, and combat feels like the 2.0 version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. On top of that, it manages to deliver an excellent story thanks to the superb acting from all the game’s cast, and it positions itself as one of — if not the greatest — game Kojima has created yet.
