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2025 turned out to be an absolute monster of a year for gaming
We are talking about the return of industry titans, long-awaited sequels finally hitting shelves, and expansive open worlds that could easily swallow our social lives.
Whether you're hunting massive beasts, exploring a dystopian French landscape, or trekking through feudal Japan, this year has something for you.
Here are the five games from the year you should definitely try:
1. Monster Hunter Wilds
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Capcom is back with the next evolution of its beast-slaying juggernaut. If World brought the series to the mainstream and Rise made it faster, Wilds aims to make it deeper and more dynamic. Players head into the Forbidden Lands, where the weather is as dangerous as the monsters.
The ecosystem feels alive like never before. Herds of monsters interact — and fight — organically, while the environment shifts drastically between lush greenery and brutal famine.
Plus, the introduction of the Seikret — a raptor-like mount that lets you sharpen weapons and use items on the move — is a total game-changer for combat flow.
The newly introduced Focus Mode adds depth to the hunt. It allows for precision targeting of monster wounds and weak points, adding a tactical layer that rewards surgical precision over button-mashing.
Focus Mode, highlighting weak points on the monster.
Image via PCGamesN2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Sandfall Interactive's debut came out swinging and quickly became the RPG darling of 2025.
Set in a stunning fantasy world inspired by Belle Époque France, you follow a group of expeditioners trying to stop "The Paintress", a god-like entity who wakes once a year to paint a number. Everyone of that age instantly turns to smoke and dies. This year, the number is 33.
It is the perfect evolution of the turn-based RPG. It ditches the "stand still and take damage" trope for a reactive system where you have to dodge, parry, and jump over enemy attacks in real time.
Visually, it is a marvel. Unreal Engine 5 makes the fabric textures and surreal landscapes look almost photorealistic. Plus, the voice cast — including Andy Serkis and Charlie Cox — is incredibly stacked.
The game feels like a blend of Persona and Sekiro. Nail a perfect parry, and you can trigger a devastating counter-attack. It keeps you on your toes every single turn.
3. Ghost of Yōtei
Platforms: PS5
Developer Sucker Punch isn't just giving us Ghost of Tsushima 2; they are giving us a fresh start. Set in 1603 — over 300 years after the first game — we travel north to the lands surrounding Mount Yōtei in Ezo (modern-day Hokkaido). There is a new protagonist, Atsu, and a stunning new backdrop of snowy peaks and grasslands.
Ghost of Tsushima was a masterpiece of art direction, and Yōtei looks even better. The move to 1603 allows for new weapons and a setting that feels wilder and less tamed than Tsushima. It is the perfect samurai fantasy for those who prefer wandering ronin vibes over organised warfare.
Dual-wielding makes a debut in the series. Atsu's dual-wielding style offers a faster, more fluid combat style compared to Jin Sakai's disciplined katana work.
4. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Platforms: PS5
Mastermind Hideo Kojima returns with the sequel to the most divisive yet uniquely brilliant game of the last generation. Sam Porter Bridges, played by Norman Reedus, is back, but he has aged, and the world has become even stranger. We are leaving America behind for a new continent, accompanied by a talking puppet and the mysterious Elle Fanning.
Love it or hate it, nothing else plays like Death Stranding. The sequel appears to ramp up the spectacle with dynamic terrain changes, such as floods, rockslides, and a ship called the DHV Magellan that acts as a mobile base.
It is going to be weird, it is going to be cinematic, and it will probably make no sense until the final hour. We wouldn't have it any other way.
The ever-shifting landscape, such as rivers turning into raging torrents and more, means your delivery routes will be far more unpredictable than before.
An actual sandstorm in the game that can reach you if you wait long enough or walk into it.
Image via Synth Potato (X)5. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
It has been a long road since the initial announcement, but Samus Aran is finally returning to the first-person perspective. Retro Studios is back at the helm, promising a cosmic adventure that pits Samus against the mysterious bounty hunter Sylux.
The Metroid Prime trilogy is often cited as one of the best gaming trilogies of all time. Beyond looks to capture that same sense of isolation and discovery, scanning alien flora and solving environmental puzzles, but with modern visuals that push the Switch to its absolute limit. It is the perfect swan song for the console.
That signature feeling of landing on an alien planet, rain hitting your visor, with only your scan visor to guide you. It is a mood that few other shooters ever manage to capture.
