2025 was a rocky year for the games industry. Major publishers and studios continued to shrink or restructure, and layoffs rippled through both small and large development teams.

At the same time, Generative AI has emerged from being a novelty chatbot, and has now become a central talking point pretty much everywhere. This has already reportedly led to layoffs in multiple sectors, with both creative and non-creative roles seemingly being replaced with a glorified guessing machine.

More personally, I had my ups and downs with gaming, starting out strong, but losing focus somewhere along the way. My back issues didn’t help, and I largely abandoned my first playthrough of Metal Gear Solid 2 – something I intend to go back to in the new year.

So with the introduction out of the way, let’s move on to my top games of 2025.

10. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

A late arrival for me (still not as long as Andy leaves some games, so I’ll take it) but still a good one. As a Star Wars fan, I was really glad to finally get around to playing this one, even if it came with a few rough edges. Fallen Order balances souls-lite combat with a mix of Metroidvania progression, which makes both combat and exploration feel great and rewarding. The worlds are dense, well-realised, and unmistakably Star Wars planets.

With all of that said, there’s a reason it’s sitting at 10 on this list. My experience was somewhat dampened by how the game handles pre-rendered cutscenes on an ultrawide monitor. Being yanked out of the proper aspect ratio in unsubtle ways constantly broke immersion in a game that leans heavily on these moments was a large frustration.

A lot is still forgiven for BD-1, an incredibly cute robot companion and sidekick, and if there’s anything more Star Wars than a small cute companion, I don’t know what it is. This is still a solid Star Wars game. A must for fans, and even a good entry point for those who are less familiar with the franchise.

9. South of Midnight

South of Midnight hooked me almost immediately with its tone. The southern gothic setting, folklore-infused world, and moody soundtrack do a lot of heavy-lifting, which gives the game a really strong identity, and sets it apart from a lot of other games I’ve played before.

The aesthetic is excellent, and even when moving through the world, the game has a rhythm which is easy to settle into and enjoy.

Mechanically, things are a bit more uneven. The core combat does its job, however by the 2nd half of the game, this does start to feel a tad repetitive, and doesn’t evolve much in ways that demand much more from the player. With that said, the game doesn’t becone a slog, largely because it wraps up before that point.

There’s something refreshing about a game being tightly scoped, and authoured in a way that it doesn’t try to pad itself out, and ends when feels right. It feels like a throwback in the best way to the Xbox 360 era. A solid 7/10 game that values tone and pacing over “more”, and is better for it.

8. Cryptmaster

Cryptmaster is one of those games that immediately feels different to anything you’ve played before. And once you’ve got used to that, it finds a new way to surprise you. Its core idea – using words as mechanics – never comes across as a gimmick. Instead, it’s tightly woven into how you exlore, fight, and solve problems in the strange world you find yourself in. It strongly reminds of The Typing of the Dead, but blends the typing concept with dungeon crawling and puzzle solving.

The best thing about Cryptmaster is the tone. It’s funny without being over the top, creepy without trying, and always surprising in responding to player input (yes, you can type anything, and yes it knows those words too). Experimentation is encouraged an rewarded, and failure usually feels funny, rather than punishing. It’s definitely different from anything I’ve ever played before, and I really enjoyed my time with this game.

7. New Star GP

New Star GP is upfront about what it is and what it is not. It is not a hardcore F1 simulation (like Codemasters F1, Assetto Corsa, Automobalista). It is however, a great arcade racer, taking the core of F1 and stripping it back to the bare essentials. The legally-distinct tracks and driver line ups are all part of the charm, and the surprisingly entertaining off-track drama adds a whole heap of personality without getting in the way of the racing.

On the track, it’s simple but satisfying. The 2D handling model rewards consistency and flow, rather than technicality, which makes it easy to pick up and improve without being overwhelmed or told to “git gud”. It’s the kind of game you can dip into for a few races and walk away with a smile on your face.

For F1 fans, there’s something for all here, and it’s an easy recommendation for those who don’t want a full-blown sim racer, and just want a bit of fun.

6. Battlefield 6

Battlefield 6 feels like the series getting back to what it does best, even if it isn’t completely perfect. The large-scale chaos that Battlefield is know for – tanks rolling across fields, helicopters screaming down overhead, and buildings collapsing in real-time – is definitely here, and is a genuine thrill when it clicks.

It’s definitely not without some rough areas. There is a definite lack of massive sprawling maps that the series has been known for, but a couple have been added post-launch, and with more maps still to be added, I’m sure Dice will add more of these. But even on the smaller maps, there are still some excellent experiences available.

When you’re in a match with friends, piling into a Vengabus, capturing objectives, and turning the tide of a match at the last minute, there’s no better feeling. The moments of organised chaos are why people keep returning to Battlefied, and for the first time in a couple of installments, Battlefield 6 delivers that core experience.

5. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is probably my favourite Indiana Jones game to date (and as we discussed in the movie tie-ins episode, there are a lot of Indiana Jones games!). This game truly feels like it understands the appeal of Indiana Jones as an adventure game first, and action game second.

The game follows the typical movie arc of a globe-trotting adventure featuring environmental puzzles, but also slower moments of exploration that do a great job of capturing the calssic “IJ” feeling. When the game lets you poke around the ancient spaces and soak in the atomosphere, it’s where it’s at its strongest.

That said, I found myself wishing it trusted those elements a touch more. For me, I spent a bit too much time shooting Nazis (if there is such a thing as too much shooting Nazis?), as it felt like Machine Games fell back to their normal ways of filling out games with overly long combat scenes.

Overall, when Great Circle pulls back on the action and lets you feel like Indiana Jones the archaeologies, rather than a gunman, it delivers a true “in the movie” feel which is exactly what I’d been hoping for, and why it’s in my top 5.

4. The Rootrees are Dead

The first of 3 “mystery” games in my top 5! The Rootrees are Dead is perhaps best if I don’t explain too much about it, and simply explain the concept. The game drops you into its world, gives you the simple tools you need, and largely leaves you to it. The central mystery unfolds through observation and deduction, rooting through old newspaper articles, books, and photos, to piece together the story of the Rootree family.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about realisitng the progress you’ve made, and the game is very focused on the core experience it delivers, without adding too much extra fluff or distractions. The tone is slightly unsettling (think Gone Home-esque), without being too overbearing, and the slow build up of understanding you get from putting the pieces together is an incredible feeling.

The Rootrees are Dead may not be the flashiest game on this list, but if you enjoy a good puzzle game, akin to Her Story and Return of the Obra Dinn, it’s sure to be a favourite.

3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an ambitious debut game from a relatively small studio, which stuck with me long after I’d played it. Undoubtedly the greatest strength is the plot, writing, and the performances of the incredible cast, which really sell the world.

While this game will feature heavily in most publications’ Game of the Year acolades as number 1, for me it didn’t quite do enough mechnically to justify a higher place. While I loved the story, characters and lore, the turn-based parrying gameplay didn’t really evolve as much as I’d hoped past Act 1, leading the battle mechanics to get stale and stagnant for me.

I don’t mean to downplay what a fantastic experience this game was, and I truly hope as many people experience the story and acting in some way, but the gameplay was a bit of a let-down, meaning it only makes it onto the podium of my 2025, and doesn’t quite hit the top spot.

2. The Seance of Blake Manor

The Seance of Blake Manor is the kind of game that lives on in your head for a while after you’ve put the controller down. Its strength lies in the atmosphere the game creates; creaking floorboards, shifting shadows, and otherworldly sightings all add up to an experience that is greater than most detective mystery games could even dream of.

Set in Ireland in 1897, The Seance of Blake Manor simply asks you to solve the disappearance of a guest at a hotel, but as soon as you start asking questions, more and more mysteries start appearing that need to be solved. The game is well paced and never feels too overwhelming, as stories and conclusions are spread out well for the game’s length.

The greatest strength in Blake Manor is its time mechanic, with limited time available, and each action costing a minute, you are required to be intentional about who and what you persue, while also trying to solve as much as possible. The game gives you enough free will to sold some, most, or all of the mysteries in a single playthrough, meaning there’s a lot of replayability here as well.

Overall, Seance of Blake Manor for me is a “must play” game for any fans of slow horror, mystery, or detective games, and is perhaps one of my favourite surprises of the year.

1. Blue Prince

Blue Prince easily takes the top spot for me in 2025. From the first moments of the game, it was clear to me this was an incredibly special game, and as the hours went on and I started uncovering hidden layers within the game, this sense only got greater and greater for me.

Mechanically, it’s rewarding, and the world communicates the story and systems with hardly any spoken dialogue. The sense of curiosity and experimentation it encourages makes every run feel fresh and most importantly, a new opportunity.

I mentioned previously that Seance of Blake Manor stays with you after you put the controller down, but Blue Prince amps this up to a completely different level. I have pages and pages of scrawlings, hundreds of screenshots, and I’ve lost more time than I’d like to admit to thinking about different puzzles and meanings in Blue Prince this year.

Blue Prince is undoubtedly a masterpiece, and I’m sure will have a long cult following, with redditors still uncovering hidden secrets and meanings even to this day. For me, Blue Prince is an almost perfect game, and that’s why it makes the top spot in my 2025 Games of the Year.