Harrison Polites names his high 3 video games of 2025

It was destined to be a 12 months the place every thing was overshadowed by the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6. What we as a substitute received was a watershed 12 months for gaming, with a few of the greatest titles we’ve seen in over a decade.

If I needed to choose one phrase that actually defines one of the best of what this 12 months has to supply, it could be storytelling. This 12 months’s high titles have been outlined by their potential to convey significant, emotional tales to gamers. And for my cash, that’s an incredible pattern for the business to comply with with future video games.

Sure, video games have been telling unbelievable tales for many years now. I’m certain many shed a tear when Aerith met her finish to Sephiroth again in Remaining Fantasy VII in 1997. However I nonetheless discover cases the place stronger writing — or at the very least a larger give attention to it — might have taken a title from being bizarre to distinctive.

As extra studios dabble with AI experimentation in 2026, I feel there’s going to be an actual motivation to outsource plot writing to the bots as a non-essential facet of constructing a recreation. The identical goes for voice appearing too.

However that may be a mistake. As this 12 months’s greatest video games present, if something, builders must be over-indexing on writing and world-building.

Anyway, let’s get into it. Listed below are my high three greatest video games for the 12 months. I’ve additionally gone unlocked all my opinions for my high three as summer time reads, for those who’ve missed them.

1) Ghost of Yotei

When you have been ever trying to find an argument that PlayStation recreation exclusivity is hurting Sony, look no additional than Ghost of Yotei.

This recreation is excellent and, dare I say it, a sleeper hit for this 12 months, that shouldn’t be one. Regardless of very beneficial opinions and scores, it nary registered a point out at The Sport Awards, successful no prizes.

As I wrote in my evaluate on the time, Ghost of Yotei doesn’t actually reinvent the wheel, but it surely streamlines and hones lots of the mechanics seen within the authentic recreation. That’s all layered on high of a extremely significant and well-told vengeance story, with a really robust inventive course as well.

It’s slated for a PC launch subsequent 12 months, broadening out the quantity of people that can play it. I can’t assist however really feel the sport will get its due when that occurs.

2) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

You don’t want me to let you know to go play this recreation. Given all of the accolades it’s acquired, in all probability, for those who commonly play video video games, you’ve already picked it up. Or possibly not, given the sport’s stance on AI.

However let me as a substitute let you know why I personally suppose it’s particular. This recreation grapples with grief in a method that maybe no different recreation thus far has actually managed. Unbelievable writing, storytelling and voice appearing come collectively in a bundle that may set the bar for gaming for years to return. Whatever the dimension of the manufacturing and growth group, that’s in the end what I feel makes it particular.

My solely mark towards the sport: I nonetheless suppose the final clumsiness of the third act is considerably ignored by lots of important opinions. There’s simply no clear indication on easy methods to sort out it, and I’d nonetheless strongly suggest wanting up a information in case you are enjoying by means of. Nonetheless, I’m heartened to listen to anecdotally that regardless of the sport being considerably troublesome, many informal gamers are selecting it up and making it to the very climatic ending.

3) Donkey Kong Bananza

A distant third on my listing, however probably the Nintendo Change 2’s greatest recreation to-date. That is one other case of {hardware} exclusivity hampering the general success of the title. We’re all used to Nintendo video games solely releasing on Nintendo gadgets, however this was a Change 2 unique, that means solely essentially the most devoted early adopters of the brand new console have doubtless performed it.

It is a recreation that ends stronger than it begins, particularly in case you are a fan of the unique Donkey Kong Nation collection. But it surely additionally breaks new floor for 3D platformers. Actually. Virtually each floor is destructible on this recreation, resulting in lots of distinctive and attention-grabbing design decisions.

Anecdotally, this recreation additionally performs very well as a co-op title, so if in case you have a accomplice or baby who’s gaming curious, make sure you give {that a} go.

What got here shut?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 — I performed this recreation on the advice of a buddy, and what a suggestion it was. If not for desirous to characteristic a extra accessible Nintendo recreation in my high three, I’d simply swap this for Donkey Kong: Bananza. It’s a extremely strong role-playing recreation that’s difficult at first, however will get extremely satisfying as you grasp its techniques. I used to be actually scorching on this when it first got here out, and I stand by my name. In case you are into role-playing video games and haven’t given this a go, look it up in the course of the vacation break.

Hole Knight: Silksong — The long-awaited sequel is such a wonderful recreation, and I wish to bat for the house group right here, given it’s Australian! However its sharp problem curve and, at occasions, imply recreation design—particularly early on—make it laborious to broadly suggest. You’ve already performed this recreation for those who cherished the unique. In case you are new to the collection, it’s nonetheless a improbable entry level. Be prepared for a problem, however the expertise itself is extremely rewarding.

Blue Prince — Virtually a 12 months on and accounts nonetheless range for this recreation. I cherished my time with it, however its randomness can completely frustrate gamers, particularly early on. It appears the gamers that received essentially the most pleasure out of this recreation saved enjoying after the primary ending. However I finished there, actually feeling like I’d had my fill. I agree with Al Thumm’s soak up my current predictions piece: video games like Blue Prince are ushering in a return to type for puzzle titles, and that’s solely an excellent factor.

Mario Kart World — Nice recreation. Probably the most technical, difficult-to-master, Mario Kart thus far. However Nintendo has completely dropped the ball on the long-tail administration of it. This might have been the primary really on-line Mario Kart, with steady updates and causes to maintain enjoying. When you end all the cups, there’s simply little or no to do. A missed alternative.

Letdowns:

Metroid Prime 4: Past — I’m nonetheless stinging from this one. Nice shooter, not an incredible Metroidvania. Crushing, given this collection has a powerful fan base that waited years for this recreation. Don’t let me cease you in case your a giant fan of this collection. It’s simply not so good as it might be.

Pokémon Legends Z-A — Why is Nintendo tolerating such nook slicing for one in all its marquee franchises? Nonetheless enjoyable, however we will do extra with the world’s most beneficial mental property. Its followers completely deserve higher!

Murderer’s Creed: Shadows — Nonetheless an excellent recreation, simply want the map was smaller and denser, and the story wasn’t primarily informed by means of the final two character missions.

My most performed recreation?

Remaining Fantasy XIV On-line — The sport I play when I’ve nothing to play, and regardless of all the wonderful video games on provide in 2025, it’s nonetheless my most-played recreation this 12 months. That’s extremely doubtless resulting from savage raiding, the place this 12 months I cleared my fifth raiding tier. Unsure if I’ll go for my sixth within the New 12 months.

This recreation strongly rewards those that keep it up, as a few of the current patch content material has been glorious. A standout: one of many new raids has an absolute ear-worm of a monitor written by Rage In opposition to The Machine’s Tom Morello.

There’s some renewed momentum right here forward of the subsequent main growth, which is able to doubtless come out late 2026 on the earliest. Although, there’s been little in the way in which of teasers or new info for it.

But, regardless of its advertising slogan than there’s “no higher time to play”, I’m a bit reluctant to counsel this recreation to model new gamers. On my rely it takes over 100 hours to rise up thus far with the brand new content material and play by means of all prior patches, simply to get to the stuff everyone seems to be speaking about or streaming. You possibly can pay to skip content material, however that’s ill-advised, as there’s a ability hurdle that older content material helps you surpass.

There have been strikes to make this simpler and playable with no need to interact with the multiplayer facet of the sport. That features making the primary two expansions and the bottom recreation free to play. However that doesn’t deal with the truth that it stays a serious time sink for many who are new to get to present content material.

I’ll be maintaining a tally of Remaining Fantasy XIV in addition to the opposite ‘eternally video games’ subsequent 12 months. Can a recreation actually final eternally? I feel inside the subsequent few years, we’re going to seek out out.

Different notable video games in 2025

Age of Mythology: Retold — I really like an excellent real-time technique recreation, and this is among the greatest. You possibly can usually solely play these video games utilizing a mouse and keyboard, however this recreation reboot has completely nailed controller play. With a gentle provide of DLC, it’s positively price a glance for those who like this style—even for those who solely personal a gaming console.

Hades 2 — Did you miss this recreation? I snuck in a play by means of simply because it got here out, however ran out of time to evaluate it. It’s lacking a few of the soul of the unique recreation, however is a powerful rogue-like all the identical that actually expands on the concepts of the unique recreation. An ideal vacation recreation!

Elden Ring Nightreign — After a month of false begins and several other calls to my web supplier earlier this 12 months, I lastly received this working. It’s heaps of enjoyable slogging by means of it with a pair of mates. However there’s no actual on-ramp for brand new gamers, and an expectation from the present participant base that what you’re doing from the get-go. So I’d watch some YouTube explainers forward of diving in. You’ve been warned.

Disclosure: I usually buy all of my video games I evaluate or point out in Infinite Lives. Nevertheless, I accepted two 60-day game-time codes for Remaining Fantasy XIV this 12 months from the sport’s publicist, however bought the growth again in 2024.

I’ve missed so many video games on this piece. Together with many indie titles that I’m trying to play over the vacation break. What are your standout video games of the 12 months? Additionally any options for what to play over the Australian summer time?