2025 has been a great year for games after the constant monotony that was 2024’s release schedule. It has felt like there’s been something new and significant every few weeks; a trend I am hoping to see continue into 2026! December is upon us and thus the end of year games ranking must be decided, so here are my top five favourite games.

Honourable mentions to Death Stranding 2, whose first couple of hours I enjoyed but haven’t had the time to go back to, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I wanted to love the game but keep bouncing off it, most recently as a result of the Renoir fight in act two; I’m definitely going to have to drop to easy mode when I eventually get back to him. I was delighted to see Clair Obscur sweep the game awards, as even from my insubstantial time with it I believe it has earned its flowers, particularly Jennifer English’s mesmerising performance as Maelle.

On to the list proper!

5) Sword of the Sea

From the development team behind Journey and Abzu, the latter of which I loved and played through multiple times, comes their gorgeous new exploration title: Sword of the Sea. I confess I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did their previous games, but still found a lot within its compact run time that warranted it a spot on this list.

I was a big fan of the larger maps that could be quickly traversed when needed, which also offered deep exploration whenever I wanted it. I was less sold on the game ending with the closest thing to a boss fight a game like this is capable of, and felt it soured the overall experience for me. I only played through Sword of the Sea once though I have every intention of circling back to it for a second playthrough once a game release drought kicks in.

4) The Midnight Walk

The only game on this ranking that I didn’t finish, but had an incredible time with, The Midnight Walk feels like a truly unique spooky experience. With an art style strongly reminiscent of Tim Burton’s work, the game is made predominantly in stop-motion animation using clay models. The very first enemy I encountered killed me because I was so captivated drinking in its design that I forgot to flee when it advanced.

The Midnight Walk features quite possibly the only jumpscare in existence that I enjoyed, very early in the game, with such intensely well crafted environment and sound design I saved the clip on my PS5 and show it to anyone when I talk about the game.

I reached a stage around the midpoint where I needed to escape from a monster that chased me through tunnels, but without a clear path to follow, that resulted in a couple of deaths. I didn’t intend that to be the last session when I closed the game, but it has turned out to have been. Like with Sword of the Sea, I will 100% return to The Midnight Walk in the future.

3) Ghost of Yōtei

Throughout Ghost of Yōtei’s first half I felt convinced it would be my game of the year, but unfortunately I found the back half nowhere near as good. All my reasons for believing this discussed at length in my review, so the highest I can put it is third place.

I’ve recently finished new game plus since that was patched in, as frustratingly it wasn’t included with the game at launch. I am still having fun with Ghost of Yōtei, but playing it again has compounded my decision to rank it here. The combat is among the most consistently fun and diverse I have ever experienced in a game, but the characters and story, particularly the ending, are so half-baked and underwhelming that I find it a pity I don’t like this game more.

2) DOOM: The Dark Ages

I remember being quite blunt about my dissatisfaction with DOOM: The Dark Ages when I reviewed it at launch, but since going back and finishing the game I can admit when I’m wrong and confess I was too harsh. This is a rare example of a game that gets progressively better the more you play, all the way up to a satisfying and fun story close, with the game ending right before it begins to outstay its welcome. I played as much of the game as I could before my review deadline, so unfortunately was not aware that the wealth of the game’s quality began in the chapter immediately following where I reached when writing about it.

Since my review was published I have played through the game three times and unlocked the Platinum trophy. I absolutely hated DOOM: Eternal, so changing the Doom Slayer to an overwhelmingly strong tank with a shield, as opposed to Eternal’s acrobatic glass cannon, was everything I needed to get me fully immersed in The Dark Ages. I still stand by my criticism of the game opening not being great, as well as my annoyance at the amount of gore being perplexingly stripped back, but aside from those facts this is a game I can now strongly recommend.

I amend my final score of DOOM: The Dark Ages from a 7 to an 8.

Favourite Game of 2025 – South of Midnight

I wasn’t expecting fireworks when I started playing South of Midnight, but this turned out to be the only game of 2025 that truly blew me away. While the combat feels a lot like a PlayStation 3 era arena hack and slash experience, South of Midnight shines brightest in its deep, beautiful story supported by what I believe to be one of the best original soundtracks I’ve ever witnessed in a game.

Set in a fictionalised Deep South, exploring different folklore tales of the region, you play as Hazel Flood who is searching for her missing mother. She interacts with a charming and eclectic assortment of characters through her story, every single one of whom I enjoyed spending time with. The art style in South of Midnight is full of bright, popping colour to match the optimism of its stories tone at times, but also brings a heavy, dark and oppressive palette when needed. You know a game has made a great world when you can get distracted by the backdrop, and this happens often here.

South of Midnight is currently only available on Xbox consoles and PC, but was recently announced to be coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in the spring. Be in no doubt that I will absolutely purchase it again to play on my console of choice, and with confidence I can name it my favourite game of 2025!

What were your favourite games released this year? Did you enjoy any of the games mentioned on this list? Let me know down in the comments and thanks for reading!

Written and edited by Alexx.

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