Another year has gone by, and it’s been one full of surprises and discoveries when it comes to new video game releases. These are our picks for the best games of 2025 and GOTY after much deliberation.
If we had to quickly describe 2025, we’d say it’s been a year of variety and unexpected wins. As the first-party machine lagged a bit or stayed doing what it always does (which isn’t necessarily bad), independent studios rose to the top. Regardless, we’ve also received new entries in already iconic series that delivered everything we wanted and then some.
By and large, 2025 has been great for video games, but not so much for the people who make them. Uncertainty reigns over the industry in spite of all the money it continues to make, and with new technology challenging how games are created, it feels like a big transitory state is only staring…
The list below (and its final ranking) is the result of votes cast by four regular GameWatcher collaborators. We’re collectively happy with our final selection, but needless to say, we’ve had to leave out some stunning new games too.
Without further ado…
10. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
As the title suggests, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is a visual novel with 100 endings, not to mention the greatest tutorial of all time. Director Kotaro Uchikoshi didn’t expect many people to see all the endings, but they did. A lot of them did. And 250 hours later, I was one of those people.
Surprisingly synergistic strategic battles compliment the difficult narrative-based decisions perfectly, in a way that left me wanting to see just one more story. The storylines run the whole gamut of genres. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most of all, you’ll come away richer.
(by George Young)
9. Battlefield 6
I really wanted to believe Battlefield was back to its best when I heard murmurings from folk who were giddy about Battlefield 6’s beta. But I’d been here before and spent good money for the realisation it would have to be better luck next time.
Yet somehow, the magic really is back this time. A Battlefield game that has the chaotic joy of Bad Company 2 with some of the advancements of Battlefield 3 & 4. Sure, it’s still depressingly bolstered by the modern gubbins of live-service games, but the actual game underneath is a blast that hopefully stays that way as it lives on.
(by Neil Bolt)
8. Donkey Kong Bananza
There’s no doubt in my mind that Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive available right now. It’s innovative, relentless, welcoming, colourful, and rewarding in ways that would’ve been hard to predict by just looking at the trailers. My only negative would be that boss battles are a bit of a joke.
As an evolution of many of the core game design tenets that made Super Mario Odyssey a highlight of the Switch 1’s catalogue, it delivers similar thrills and a joyful adventure for the whole family, but its distinct focus on freeform (but still measured) progression through destruction instantly makes it unique. Going after every collectable and chunk of gold in a level could’ve been a slog. Instead, the catharsis of quick and punchy ‘mining’ makes Bananza’s simple loop one of 2025’s most satisfying.
(by Fran J. Ruiz)
7. Hollow Knight: Silksong
The magic of Hollow Knight: Silksong is everything that is left unsaid. From the moment you face your first Skarrgard, you are wordlessly told to turn back and explore elsewhere. Even the wall of the first act, The Last Judge, can be avoided if you just explore enough.
You are never told to help the residents of Pharloom, and the rewards aren’t that great if you do. But you do it anyway. You do it because the abandoned city and the bugs who live there feel like home. Monumental shifts are felt without a word.
(by George Young)
6. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Iterative sequels run the risk of feeling too safe, but with Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, developer Warhorse Studios successfully captures the magic of the original, infusing it into a bigger, better, and occasionally more explosive follow-up. Still stubbornly keen to forego certain gameplay conveniences for the sake of historical authenticity, it blends enough friction to ground its world in medieval times with a hefty serving of fun that encourages uncovering every bit of its sprawling open world.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II offers a look at the lives of nobles, merchants, peasants, and wanderers of the period while remaining committed to building a living world that’s bound to throw memorable emergent stories at you when you least expect it. Whether heading into the next dramatic main plot point, manually brewing potions and crafting gear, hunting game, engaging in a bit of thievery, or simply watching the sunset while preparing to camp, no other release this year managed to keep me in its world quite as effortlessly.
(by Bogdan Robert Mateș)
5. Cronos: The New Dawn
When I was reviewing Cronos: The New Dawn, I lost 10 hours of progress. A major update dropped with much-needed balance changes, erasing my save. It is still one of my favourite games this year. That’s just how good it is.
Cronos’ setting is what captivated me. We are tasked with collecting the memories of important people from a past version of communist Poland where the government horrifically fumbled an infectious outbreak. An emotional story and petable cats are just the shine on the diving suit.
(by George Young)
4. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Walls of text as the narrative driving force can be a challenge in video game storytelling, but the refreshing RPG Citizen Sleeper showed it can draw you into a game just as easily as more tactile methods.
Citizen Sleeper 2 expands on the stupendous existential sci-fi tale of the original, painting an even greater picture of its world. It’s got a bit more visual detail this time to help that picture painting out, but the words, as ever, do the lion’s share of the work.
(by Neil Bolt)
3. Rematch
I’ve been craving a footy game that gave me anything close to the spark of excitement I once felt for Pro Evolution Soccer. For one blissful summer, Rematch did just that.
Sifu developer Sloclap takes its intimate combat knowledge and applies it to the footballing 1v1 duels that permeate a match. Three-five-a-side online matches with loose rules and plenty of flair give Rematch a playground footy feel that rewards understanding of the beautiful game’s fundamentals.
(by Neil Bolt)
2. Blue Prince
Blue Prince is one of those games shouldn’t work. In fact, I get why many players won’t be sticking with it after a few too many confusing runs largely shaped by RNG. However, if you buy into its daring mix of roguelite systems, layered mysteries, and rewarding puzzles, it’s impossible to deny it’s one of 2025’s greatest creative accomplishments.
The shifting corridors and looping rooms alone give Blue Prince an atmosphere that’s hard to shake off. You’ll go to sleep thinking about those puzzles you haven’t been able to crack and buzzing about your small but significative wins. Step away from the investigation for too long and you’ll lose most of your progress, as you need to carefully piece together the whole thing. That sounds brutal, but I appreciate a game that moves forward because of my mind and not because of all the time I put into it.
(by Fran J. Ruiz)
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
One of those rare underdogs that unexpectedly punches well above its weight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sets impossibly high stakes for its characters early on, resulting in one of the most impactful openings the medium has given us over the last couple of years. More importantly, it also follows through, skilfully dodging cliches while weaving both humour and profoundness into its narrative.
The unique aesthetic of its shattered world – filled with all manners of strange creatures – attaches a spellbinding quality to every chunk you discover, which also bleeds into the plethora of JRPG-inspired turn-based battles the heroes engage in. The addition of more modern elements, like being able to actively parry, dodge, and jump over enemy attacks to gain the upper hand, keep you actively invested in each fight, while a fairly sizeable list of skills to mix and match into multiple builds makes this RPG a must-play for both narrative aficionados and more systems-driven fans of the genre.
(by Bogdan Robert Mateș)
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