The last Game of the Year list I made was five years ago — a lot of things have changed in the world since then. The political and economic state of things aside, it also hasn’t helped that I’ve played less games overall. Maintaining my YouTube presence and becoming a father takes a lot of that free time away, but it’s also been a while since I’ve played enough titles in one year to actually get a decent list together. However, some of games really had a big, unexpected impact on me this year, so I made it a priority to get a list together.
So, here are my top ten games of 2025!
10 – Karate Survivor
While I’ve played a number of different survivor-style games, most of them have been closer to Vampire Survivors as far as weapons and combinations. Karate Survivor stood out to me with it’s focus on melee combat, and how all moves combo with all the other moves in some way, in addition to requiring a shorter play time for each level. Since there is a bit of grinding before the game really takes off and makes players feel like action heroes, it still scratched the itch for me perfectly when I played it.
9 – HeistGeist
Deckbuilders are one of my favorite genres when it comes to mechanics, and HeistGeist really honed in on how cards can combine together to give multiple ways of handling each encounter. This cyberpunk romp doesn’t break any new ground with its story, but it does nail the “reformed crook going on one final job” premise that’s common to many great heist movies. I also enjoyed the hacking side of things that act more like puzzles instead of combat, even if they don’t utilize the card combos that make this game unique for me.
8 – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4
Yes, this is a remake, but I have strong nostalgia for this series. Being able to enjoy it in high definition with some quality-of-life additions that streamline it make it a joy to come back to. I did find it interesting how the people behind it brought THPS 4 specifically back to its smaller base formula, compared to the original release offering more open area to explore. I also liked how the roster of characters has been updated with modern skaters, it was a nice touch made in an effort to bring new people in to this storied franchise.
7 – Lumines Arise
Like I mentioned in my review, I couldn’t get into the original version of this series, but Lumines Arise had a well-thought-out tutorial that completely turned me around on the IP as a whole. It was an assault on the sense with over-the-top visuals and a fantastic soundtrack (one of many notables on this list) but thanks to this game the formula finally clicked and I understood why there was so much love for Lumines as a whole.
6 – No Sleep for Kaname Date
The Somnium Files is a visual novel series focused on a futuristic Tokyo where a secret police group uses technology to solve crimes by digging into dreams of subjects. No Sleep adds to this premise with an alien abduction plotline, rescuing a popstar idol and throwing in escape game concepts. Since the first Somnium Files was over six years ago, No Sleep also smartly adds small excerpts to remind players of previous events when it’s appropriate, so players can engage in No Sleep without having to play the other titles.
5 – South of Midnight
South of Midnight hooked me immediately with stylized graphics and gorgeous stop-motion animation, and it kept me hooked with its take on Southern myths and legends that I wasn’t familiar with. Going through this adventure with a main character named Hazel as she explores areas in the South while she discovers her abilities as a healing Weaver, I was touched by this tale. The combat sections were not great (and the developer added a feature where they can be skipped) but that was a small misstep in an experience that otherwise brought wonderful music and storytelling.
4 – Urban Myth Dissolution Center
I haven’t ever seen a twist like the one I got in Urban Myth Dissolution Center, and I don’t think I will again. The visuals in this point-and-click were also great, offering heavy use of blues and greys, supported by more detailed cutscenes between action moments. It did get a little long in the tooth and there was a bit too much hand-holding, but the payoff was one of the best I’ve seen in a visual novel in a long, long time.
3 – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Topping many GOTY lists this year is Expedition 33, and it ranks high with me too. The aggressively French setting with a fantasy twist was beautiful, and I loved every character. The mechanically-brilliant turn-based RPG combat is icing on the cake. The parrying always felt wonderful every time I hit it, and trying to break the game by knowing all of the ins and outs of the characters’ abilities is a wonderful puzzle to solve. And the soundtrack? I’ve listened to the music almost daily since I finished it. More importantly to me though, in some ways it brought me back to when I first truly got into videogames with Final Fantasy X — an equally beautiful experience with a strong story and lovable cast of characters. So with all of this going for it, why isn’t it ranked higher? 2025 was a rough year for a lot of people, myself included, so aside from some minor gripes about gameplay here and there, the story was just depressing as hell. While I enjoyed Expedition 33 and would recommend it to anyone without hesitation, the story may be too much of a downer for some people.
2 – Keep Driving
I distinctly remember getting my driver’s license some years ago, being out of school, and having a small pocketful of money I could spend how I wanted. That sense of freedom and being able to do anything that struck me is the core of what Keep Driving is — and it nails it. This driving sim offers loads of small touches like having the character “pause” the game in order to set music up the stereo, the writing was great, and its resource management gameplay was excellently crafted. I also really appreciated how quests are very obviously marked so players can make informed choices about when and how they want to end a run. Also, subsequent playthroughs allow players to use the car they ended the previous run with, so it also respects the player’s time by making it easy to explore everything there is to offer.
1 – Dispatch
If Keep Driving gives players freedom at every moment, Dispatch gets top marks for me this year by giving players pure enjoyment at every moment. The episodic nature of the experience slots it perfectly into a spot where a favorite TV show would be, and this is supported by beautiful, TV-quality animation. The dispatching mechanics of sending out heroes to fulfill different requests had a lot of heart, so while it’s certainly a superhero story, Dispatch is still very much a human story, which was very welcome this year. AdHoc studios, I beg you, make more Dispatch — it would be a crime to not see more of this world and characters.
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The post Eugene Sax’s 2025 Games Of The Year appeared first on Gamecritics.com.
It’s great to see a new Game of the Year list after five years! It’s always interesting to see how the gaming landscape evolves over time. Looking forward to your insights on the standout titles of 2025!
It’s definitely exciting to see the evolution of games over the years! With advancements in technology and storytelling, I think it really highlights how creative the gaming industry has become. I’m curious to see which titles made the list and how they reflect current trends!