In 2025, gaming feels like it's entering into a shift. There were years where the wait to play the best games were far and few between, however 2025 was not that. This year had a slew of game releases that quietly proved how wide the world of games has become within a strange storm of uncertainty of where the industry is heading.
Despite the acquisition of EA, rising costs of consoles, $80 releases, less access to RAM, gaming has been in a great place this year.
Players have been given a variety of games that were absolute heavy hitters, whether they were big or small. There were games released within close windows of each other, where players for the first time in a while had to pick and choose where they were going to spend their hard earned $70 (or $80 for Switch 2 games) on. There were new entries within notable franchises such as Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and Monster Hunter Wilds, and even having surprising breakout like Arc Raiders and Blue Prince, gamers have been given an array of worlds for them to immerse in.
However, 2025 has been a year where gamers are stepping away from the familiar. Call of Duty, a franchise for years now that has been a top seller, is starting to dwindle from its throne, as players have grown tired of its repetition. While its FPS competitor Battlefield 6 has been given praise for being a refreshing return to form to what made the game initially great and distinctive. If anything, this nudged people outward, where their curiosity was at once hesitant but now slowly piquing their interest.
This year alone speaks to it all, with indie releases standing at the forefront of conversation such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Silksong. Nonetheless, 2025 has been a treat for all gamers, and Cxmmunity Media has rounded up the top games of the year.
The Top Games of 2025
9. Dispatch
It’s been awhile since we had a solid Tell-Tales game. While there have been several attempts, none have delivered the sheer charm with an emotionally engaging story as Dispatch. Developed by Adhoc, Dispatch doesn’t try to be innovative and profound. It’s clear the mission was to captivate players with an engaging story about the thought of building relationships and second chances. With its exuberant animation, and quirky, complex superhero characters, Dispatch does an effortless job of capturing hearts from beginning to end.
By the way, real ones would have chosen Coupe to stay over Sonar.
8. Ghost of Yotei
There needs to be a serious conversation about Sunker Punch’s gaming engine. I thought Ghost Tsushima had awe-striking visuals but its sequel Ghost of Yotei, supersedes it, truly making a statement of what a next-gen game should be. I find myself just having the protagonist Atsu staring off in the distance, because I, myself, have to admire the land of Ezo. A true gift to the eyes, with its picturesque graphics.
While it may be a simple revenge story of Atsu avenging her slaughtered family by hunting down the Yotei Six, it still carries that PlayStation exclusive cinematic sauce that exudes in every detail of this game. Erika Ishii, who voices Atsu, is astounding. Combat is tight, and ever-so satisfying, giving you more variety of weapons to choose at your disposal. With Atsu as a mercenary she’s not bound to the rigidness of the ways of the samurai like her predecessor Jin Sakai (not that he was at a disadvantage per se), which makes her more diverse in the land of Ezo.
7. Silent Hill F
When the Silent Hill 2 remake released in 2024, it exceeded its expectations by keeping its original story intact but amping up its ominous visuals and tightening combat mechanics. It brought back the luster of the Silent Hill series that was once lost, but to keep that momentum going Konami came with Silent Hill F.
Unlike its predecessors, Silent Hill F takes a risk by diverting from the american contemporary settings, and middle-age characters to 1960s Japan in a fictional rural town called Ebisugaoka. You play as a teenage girl named Shimizu Hinako who is shaken by an argument with her parents. As she steps out her house she’s met with the notorious fog that Silent Hill is known for. Like other Silent Hill games it’s an indicator that Shimizu will also be enduring tormented psychological and body horrors that are yet to come. Forced to face her familial trauma, Shimizu has a gut-wrenching backstory, that’s harrowing. While its combat system is a bit divisive, its a refreshing take within the Silent Hill franchise.
6. Arc Raiders
For the past few years, there’s always been at least one game that pops out of nowhere and takes the internet by storm, and that's Arc Raiders. While extraction shooters aren't anything new, and surely enough they come and go, Embark Studios somehow came up with a recipe where both casual and hardcore players would feast over. Seamlessly blending PVP and PVE elements in this post-apocalyptic world, Arc Raiders offers a unique experience where players engulf themselves in this desolate land that’s overrun by robotic enemies. But, what sets this game apart from its peers is its community where the term, “survival” is emphasized.
You have a choice of playing solo or part of a 3-man squad, where both offer distinct differences, but still give that tension and intensity of always staying on your p’s and q’s. Although the goal is to find the best loot, scavenge what you can— this is a game of survival, where the real goal is to just make it out alive. Not only are you fighting against hostile robotic machines, but you’re also cautious of other players as well. It’s the risks and unpredictability that makes the game addicting and exhilarating. However, lets just hope Embark studios will have a plan to sustain its luster, and continue to be refreshing for a long period of time.
5. Battlefield 6
EA’s Battlefield 6 is a return to form, going back to its roots to what made the game differentiate itself within the FPS space. In many ways Battlefield 6 feels familiar but it reminds us why it demands to take its spot back within a climate where COD begins to feel dull, repetitive and comical with its annual releases. It brings back a more grounded gameplay, with a focus on coordination and specializing in roles where victories are shaped, rather than caring who tops the leaderboards.
With Battlefield 6’s 64-player online mode, it captures a scale where a few shooters can match if not all. The sheer density of sound and movement, with bullets cracking, piercing through wind, explosions, building crumbling, there’s this sense of pressure within the chaos that only this game can create.
4. Split Fiction
It was a wonder if Hazelight Studios would be able to top their 2021 game of the year winner, It Takes Two, but they did just that with their latest co-op action-adventure “Split Fiction”. The couch co-op has done it again by crafting a moving story where two aspiring authors Mio (Sci-fi writer) and Zoe (fantasy writer) meet at Rader Publishing for a grand opportunity that’ll change their careers. However, of course things don’t go as planned and somehow these 2 polar opposite individuals end up trapped in a digitized simulation where each level is thematically based on their writing. The two must put their differences aside to escape, and on their adventure they learn to work together and form an everlasting friendship.
3. South of Midnight
Over the years there have been a plethora of games with cinematic appeal and emotional attachment, but it’s rare when you’re represented and seen. Unexpectedly, Xbox Game Studios has come out with a few great titles and Compulsion’s “South of Midnight" is what stands out amongst them all. A third-person action-adventure title set in the Deep South, South of Midnight is a gothic fantasy, where its tapestry is woven with the richness of Gullah Geechee culture and folklore.
You play as Hazel who is preparing for an imminent hurricane that will completely wipe out her small town of Prospero, her home, and taking her mother along the way. To pick up the pieces, Hazel goes on a fantastical adventure to save her mother, taking players through a magical world, as they encounter enchanting characters, fantastical monsters like they were created and crafted from the mind of Guillermo del Toro himself. With its stop-motion animation, a soundtrack compiling of blues, gospel and jazz compositions, South of Midnight is a visceral experience that effortlessly immerses you in black culture. It’s narrative storytelling is daring as it doesn’t shy away from tackling cultural and societal issues that many people of the American south face to this day.
In an industry that is steadily prioritizing trends of loot boxes and season passes, South of Midnight stands as a rebellious entity that takes risks in creative storytelling and art direction, where most games desperately need.
2. Silksong
Announced in 2019, “Hollow Knight: Silksong” finally arrives to its fans who love this masochistic game series. A sequel to Team Cherry’s modern metroidvania classic HollowKnight, Silksong on its release day in September caused Xbox, Steam, Playstation and Nintendo to have outages, as players rushed to download the indie game. What they didn’t anticipate especially for newcomers is how unforgivably brutal the game would be. It’s without question that Silksong is not for the weak.
The 2-D side-scroller will not only test players' wits but also their patience, and persistence. Silksong doesn’t entertain any handholding, demanding players to push past their limits, as they travel through this complex traversal land filled with vicious boss battles.
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Who would've known that a couple of ex-Ubisoft developers creating the game they'd always dreamed of would produce one of the best games of the year and sweep the Video Game Awards? Developed by Sandfall interactive, an indie mid-size team from france, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a AA title fusing Eastern and Western Rpg influences to create a unique IP with an ambitious, blockbuster and emotionally charged story, topped with a complex and innovative combat system that pushes the bounds of creativity in RPGs.
Set in a dark fantasy world, Expedition 33 is distinctive with its gloomy panoramas and art direction.You find yourself in a world where the future is bleak as life is controlled by an internally wounded deity called the Paintress, who annually has her own deathly rapture for people who have reached a certain age,by doing this she is reducing the lifespan of mankind. leading humanity to its inevitable doom. To stop this tragedy, there are cycles of expeditioners who set out on a suicide mission to destroy the Paintress.
The game has a gripping story that gets a tight hold on you. Once you’re in it you don't necessarily want to let go, but instead want to dig deeper into this compelling and complex adventure. In its Belle Époque world, you’ll be encountering climatic boss fights, unsettling looking mimes, some friendly Gestrals and so much more imaginative creatures.
Even with its gameplay mechanics it has the familiarity of JRPGs such as the Persona series and Metaphor: Refantazio with its fast-paced turn-based combat and stylish UI but with a twist. What’s different is its rhythmic parry and dodge system that makes each fight more dynamic.
Expedition 33 was born out of creative restraint from major corporations, and it's an example of how vital it is to welcome more projects that are ambitious with creative risks to push the world forward. Although, some may not be akin to this underdog story of these developers, it's a win for indie games. But let’s not forget how much of a banger soundtrack this game possesses.
.png)