Best Games of 2025

2025 was a big year for video games. It was the year when the gap between the indie games and big-budget AAA games got a lot smaller. Big studios spent a lot of money on pushing the limits of technology and improving the way movies tell stories. At the same time, independent developers used their creativity and willingness to take risks to change how games feel and work.

The parallel evolution led to a year full of bold, memorable, and important releases. In this article, we talk about Bazinameh’s ten standout games of 2025. These games not only show the biggest successes of the year, but they also show how the industry is changing its priorities, making new creative breakthroughs, and getting more ambitious than ever before.

10. Donkey Kong Bananza

The fans have been waiting for quite some time for Donkey Kong Bananza to come back. Nintendo has leveraged the capabilities of the Switch 2 hardware to produce a world that feels bigger and more alive than ever. It is one of the best games of the year because the platforming is spot on, the levels are well thought out, and you feel free to do what you want.

It transforms how we think of Donkey Kong today by focusing on destroying the environment, interacting with the world in new ways, and high-energy music. Nintendo is still recognized for developing fantastic platformers, and this game makes a solid case for that. In 2025, Bananza will be on every “best of” list. People love it and give it high reviews.

9. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Some games aren’t just for playing; they have to be lived. Death Stranding 2 is just that kind of game. Your heart and mind will be much more involved in the journey than your hands. Hideo Kojima once again turns loneliness, connection, fear, and hope from abstract ideas into real feelings that you carry with you on the road, just like Sam’s cargo.

This time, the direction feels more grown-up and polished. It seems like Kojima wants to get to know you as much as he wants to surprise you. Kojima is one of the few video game creators who cares as much about character development and the depth of human emotion as he does. Every look, pause, and interaction feels planned and very human.

The story is more interesting and exciting than before, and it keeps you hooked from start to finish. It’s not just about connecting people anymore; it’s also about how much it costs to stay connected.

The gameplay builds on the first game in a natural way, making all the right changes. You have more options for how to handle each situation, whether you like to move quickly and take action or move slowly and carefully. The world reacts to you in a more real and meaningful way. It’s not just to give you quick thrills; it’s to make a lasting, human experience.

You can’t just finish Death Stranding 2. A part of it stays with you when it’s over, quietly reminding you of your humanity and the kind of person you want to be.

8. Battlefield 6

2025 finally brought storytelling back to the front lines after a long time without a proper narrative-driven Battlefield game. Battlefield 6 is the series’ long-awaited return to taking its single-player campaign seriously. This gives it new life, but as expected, this mode is really just a warm-up for the game’s truly outstanding multiplayer.

Like all Battlefield games, this one blows you away with its graphics and, more importantly, its physics. Destruction is still the franchise’s most important feature, and this installment has the best and most polished version of it so far. The campaign doesn’t have much of a story, but the multiplayer mode is a true work of art that exceeds all expectations.

Battlefield 6 is so good that even its weaker story mode beats that of Call of Duty, its long-time rival. This makes it the clear winner on the battlefield this year. Battlefield 6 is the best shooter of the year because it has a huge range of weapons, new ways to fight, amazing destruction and physics, and a wide range of vehicles.

7. Ghost of Yotei

For me, Ghost of Yōtei isn’t just a game or a simple story of revenge. It is a story about a journey in which a person has to deal with the loss of family over and over again. Atsu constantly reminds himself that he doesn’t have one anymore, not to make himself numb, but to keep going, to survive, and to move on.

The story starts with a desire for revenge, but as it goes on, it becomes clear that this is not just about getting back at someone. It is about dealing with a past whose effects are still felt and that no one can really forget.

The game is a series of hard choices that you have to make. One of the most powerful scenes is when Atsu decides to forgive Ayami, a woman who, directly or indirectly, helped destroy his family when he was a child. She isn’t just a bad person; she’s someone who has had to deal with the results of what she did. That makes forgiveness one of the hardest and most painful choices in the story. Later, when Atsu finally talks to his brother, he is once again faced with a problem that has no easy solution and where every choice has a price.

To me, Yōtei is the very definition of revenge: cold, quiet, and always there. But as he travels, Atsu slowly finds a new kind of family. These people don’t replace what was lost; instead, they help you move on and show you that life can go in a different direction. This ghost is no longer bound by the rules of the samurai; he is free. He is free because he takes responsibility for his choices and sticks to them.

Atsu gets to the end of his path and gets his revenge. But things don’t always change in the way he thought they would. The pain doesn’t go away completely, and the past isn’t erased. This is the difference: he no longer has to see himself as someone who doesn’t have a family. He can finally step into a new life and really live it.

6. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is one of the most ambitious historical role-playing games of the year. People who played and reviewed the game liked how realistic the story was and how it didn’t give up on realism. The sequel builds on what worked in the first game by adding more detail and making player choice the main focus of the story.

The story is very deep and mature, and it never gives players easy answers. Instead, it always makes them deal with the consequences of their choices. The political tension, social hierarchies, and daily life in the Middle Ages make the world feel real and alive. This dedication to being real gives the game more than just a show; it makes each quest and character interaction feel like real-life drama.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is one of the best RPGs of this generation, and almost everyone agrees with that. It does so much more than other games. It got a lot of excellent reviews and was one of the best role-playing games of the year. This showed that it was not only a successful sequel but also one of the best games of 2025. The most important thing it shows is that big games with deep stories and options that matter to players continue to have a strong voice in the gaming world today.

5. Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong showed that a long wait can be worth it. Instead of just copying what made Hollow Knight a modern classic, Team Cherry took a bold step forward and reimagined the game with a stronger focus on mobility, speed, and fluid combat. The end result is a sequel that feels familiar at its core but is clearly new in how it is done.

The kingdom of Pharloom is one of the most beautiful and interesting places to visit this year. Its layered settings, subtle visual storytelling, and sense of mystery make you want to keep exploring, which makes the world feel alive and important. Environmental storytelling is once again a big part of the game, giving players who are interested in it quiet moments of discovery that last long after they put down the controller.

Fighting in Silksong is faster, harder, and more expressive than it has ever been. Boss fights are some of the best examples of encounter design in recent years. They are hard, memorable, and carefully designed to test both skill and adaptability. Every win feels deserved, and every loss makes the player want to learn how to use the game’s elegant systems.

4. Blue Prince

Blue Prince is built specifically for players who have patience, focus, and a genuine love for exploration. This is the kind of game that forces you to slow down, stop rushing, and actually think. To the point where I couldn’t believe I spent a full ten minutes standing in one spot, doing nothing but asking myself: “What’s the right move here?”

Blue Prince is absolutely ruthless when it comes to challenging your brain — so much so that it genuinely burns neurons. The level of mental engagement is so high that, honestly, the game probably should’ve warned players about it even in the tutorial. Bad decisions, sheer bad luck, or poor resource management can push you right to the edge of quitting. But here’s the magic trick: the moment you put the controller down, your mind starts spinning new theories. A few minutes later, you’re back in the game, eager to test that fresh idea.

After years, Blue Prince reignited that pure joy of discovery and puzzle-solving for me to the point where I even started documenting my playthrough on my PC. This isn’t a game for everyone, but it’s absolutely made for players who crave deep, thoughtful, and long-lasting experiences.

3. Split Fiction

You won’t find the magic of co-op games in single-player games or in regular multiplayer games. It’s a special kind of magic that not everyone can do well. But Josef Fares, who wowed us with It Takes Two, shows us once more with Split Fiction that he knows how to use it.

Fares’ newest game isn’t quite as good as It Takes Two, but it’s still one of the best co-op games out there. It feels like you’re playing a bunch of different games at once because of how many different ways you can play it and how often new mechanics are added. There is a lot of creativity at work, which keeps the experience new from start to finish.

Split Fiction has a strong and interesting story, and it also has fun and memorable moments that you don’t see in many other games. That being said, Fares’ past work casts a long shadow over Split Fiction. It Takes Two was so good that it was hard for Split Fiction to stand on its own. Still, by any standard, it is one of the best games of 2025 and will always be on any list of the best co-op games ever.

2. Hades II

Hades II is the best game of the year for me because it doesn’t just copy what made the first one great; it builds on it with confidence and heart. The game has a clear goal from the very first run. The fighting is sharper and more expressive, which gives us more options for playing aggressively, strategically, or creatively. It feels like the game wants me to try out different weapon and boon combinations instead of getting used to the same ones.

But the atmosphere is what really makes it for me. The art direction is outstanding, but the writing and music really bring the world to life. Melinoë is a strong main character, and her journey is full of emotion without ever slowing down. The dialogue changes all the time based on how I’m doing, so every run feels important and recognized, even when I fail. Ultimately, you can feel the core of Greek Mythology at its BEST.

Hades II respects my time more than anything else. I learn something from every death, every try feels like progress, and the game never punishes me for being curious. It’s hard to find a game that so easily balances challenge, story, and style. I don’t just have fun when I play it; I really get into it. That’s why it stands out to me this year.

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the most unique and ambitious games of 2025. It combines classic turn-based role-playing with modern systems to create a completely new experience. The world is shaped by a strange atmosphere that is heavily influenced by European art and architecture. This gives the setting a unique and memorable look.

The game’s dark, emotional story is great, but the real star is its turn-based combat system, which requires quick decisions, real-time reactions, and good timing. Expedition 33 is much more than a regular RPG because of its amazing art direction, powerful and moving music, and characters that slowly show their depth. It is a powerful example of the bravery of the new generation of game developers and proof that creativity is still the most powerful tool in the gaming industry.