After a rocky 2023 and a transitional 2024, the games industry came out swinging in 2025. Layoffs slowed, studios found their footing, and some of the best games in years dropped back-to-back. Here are the titles that defined the year — not ranked, but showcased. Because 2025 was too good to fight over.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Hideo Kojima did it again. Death Stranding 2 took the divisive mechanics of the original and made them feel essential, not obtuse. The story goes places nobody expected. The online cooperative delivery system hit differently this time. GOTY by a mile.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom delivered the most ambitious Monster Hunter yet. Seamless open world zones, dynamic weather that actually changes hunts, and a monster ecosystem that feels alive. The best co-op game of the year, no argument.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Naughty Dog's new IP surprised everyone. A sci-fi action game with the best writing the studio has produced since The Last of Us. The world they built is fresh, the protagonist is instantly iconic, and the ending had us staring at the screen for five minutes.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
A debut title from a small French studio that punched so far above its weight class it was embarrassing. JRPG mechanics with turn-based combat that actually felt dynamic. The art direction was unlike anything released this year. A masterpiece from a team you'll be watching for years.
Marathon
Bungie's extraction shooter divided the community at launch but found its audience fast. Once you understand the loop — gear up, extract, lose everything if you die — it's one of the most intense competitive experiences in years. The world-building is vintage Bungie.
Split Fiction
Hazelight Studios (It Takes Two) came back with a genre-bending co-op adventure that somehow managed to be even more creative than their last game. If you have a friend and a few hours, this is mandatory. Best co-op experience of 2025, full stop.