At Game Informer, writing game reviews is one of our primary functions. As such, we cover hundreds of titles each and every year, hoping to turn you on to your next favorite game. However, within that field, a select few rise to the top as the games we most highly recommend. While you’re always welcome to peruse our reviews page for the latest and greatest (and sometimes worst) games on the market, we’ve gathered our highest-scoring reviews of 2025 right here.
When Game Informer was re-launched in March of this year, we made it a point to review many of the games we missed, but we couldn’t cover them all. As such, some critically acclaimed games, such as Split Fiction, aren’t on this list, as we were unable to review them while playing catch-up. However, we have reviews for most of the biggest games of 2025, and you can see the ones we think are the most worthwhile below.
Be sure to bookmark this page and check back frequently, as we’ll continue to update it as more titles earn review scores on the top end of our review scale.
10
Hades II
Hades II is the pinnacle of the roguelike genre, a position I previously granted its predecessor, but one that its sequel has handily earned. Read review
Platforms: Switch 2, Switch, PC
Release Date:
September 25, 2025
9.5
Blue Prince
Blue Prince harnesses the innate, burning curiosity one feels when seeing a closed door at the end of a hallway and crafts it into an unforgettable experience. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac
Release Date:
April 10, 2025 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), September 29, 2025 (Mac)
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Buoyed by the excellent returning dice gameplay, incredible sci-fi writing, and a fantastic score, Citizen Sleeper 2 is a worthy sequel, even if its UI and finale didn’t quite match the heights of the rest of the package. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Release Date:
January 31, 2025
Doom: The Dark Ages
With the Shield Saw and other great additions, id Software gives us something we didn’t know we wanted, proving once again that this legendary series can still evolve in ways we haven’t even dreamed of. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
May 15, 2025
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
KCD2 is challenging, demanding, and often unforgiving. But, like the sharp blades I smithed in-game, through fire, it forges an exciting, surprising, and unforgettable fable. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
February 4, 2025
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Across its 12-hour runtime, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound seamlessly blends gorgeous pixel art, inventive level design, and sublime gameplay to create one of the best retro throwbacks I’ve ever played. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
July 31, 2025
9.25
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy Tactics is back to prove the grandfather of so many tactics titles hasn’t lost a single step. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
September 30, 2025
Ghost of Yōtei
Ghost of Yōtei impresses. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Release Date:
October 2, 2025
Is This Seat Taken?
Is This Seat Taken takes a beautifully simple premise – sitting people in chairs – and iterates on it in consistently creative and exciting ways. Read review
Platforms: Switch, PC, iOS, Android
Release Date:
August 7, 2025
Monster Train 2
The realm of indie roguelikes is competitive and crowded, but despite years of tough competition, Monster Train 2 has strongly reasserted its series as one of the leaders of the pack. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Release Date:
May 21, 2025
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance should serve as a blueprint for delivering a retro-facing experience of an absentee franchise while still leveraging modern technology and game design conventions. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
August 29, 2025
The Roottrees Are Dead
Find every blood relative in a mysterious family tree in this engrossing puzzle game. Read review
Platforms: PC
Release Date:
January 15, 2025
9
Absolum
Combining classic fantasy brawler mechanics, top-notch art and music, and a roguelite progression loop add up to an incredibly fun cooperative adventure. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC
Release Date:
October 9, 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I was eager to see the expedition’s conclusion, but I did not want it to end. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
April 24, 2025
Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong and Pauline’s adventure is a showpiece for Nintendo’s new console, and it meets the incredibly high standard the developer has been setting for itself since the ’80s. Read review
Platforms: Switch 2
Release Date:
July 17, 2025
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong is beautiful, nuanced, and deeply rewarding, but it’s also tuned to be grueling in ways that aren’t always fun in the traditional sense. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
September 4, 2025
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The Great Circle reminds me of why I fell in love with Indy in the first place and should be a template for how to craft new interactive stories in this legendary series. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date:
December 8, 2024 (Xbox Series X/S, PC), April 17, 2025 (PlayStation 5), 2026 (Switch 2)
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3 didn’t necessarily need a remake, but now that it’s here, I’m not sure I will ever be able to go back to the original versions. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
August 28, 2025
Peak
A brilliant climbing adventure that stands out as a delight in a year of self-serious major game releases. Read review
Platforms: PC
Release Date:
June 16, 2025
8.75
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Death Stranding 2 is a game with faults and annoyances, but it also makes big, expensive swings and is trying to establish its own unique genre, often successfully. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Release Date:
June 26, 2025
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fantastic reminder that the franchise that began on the Super Nintendo in 1994 is a real competitor for Nintendo’s best 2D platforming series, an extremely competitive landscape. Read review
Platforms: Switch
Release Date:
January 16, 2025
Monster Hunter Wilds
The Forbidden Lands are an enticing new playground for the series, and I look forward to spending dozens more hours uncovering Monster Hunter Wilds’ secrets. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
February 28, 2025
Mouthwashing
Mouthwashing is an existential horror show with unique visual effects, brutal dialogue, and surreal consequences that kept my eyes locked to the screen for the entire three-hour playtime. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Release Date:
September 26, 2024 (PC), 2025 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)
8.5
And Roger
While I wouldn’t wish the plight of And Roger’s protagonist on my worst enemy, I would happily recommend this experience as another strong example of video games’ strength as a storytelling medium Read review
Platforms: Switch, PC
Release Date:
July 23, 2025
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, playing as Yasuke and Naoe is as powerful as the Shoguns that ruled during this era of Japan, even if the story doesn’t match the gameplay’s towering heights. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac
Release Date:
March 20, 2025
Battlefield 6
Battlefield 6 hits the ground running with a 64-player multiplayer suite full of dazzling sandboxes just waiting to be leveled, but not every part of the package is as effective. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
October 10, 2025
Borderlands 4
Though many of the series’ core elements remain intact, Gearbox has refined and reconfigured them in such ways that Borderlands 4 rises beyond anything the series has accomplished to this point. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date:
September 12, 2025 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), TBA (Switch 2)
Dying Light: The Beast
Dying Light: The Beast can feel a touch safe at times with a serviceable story, but the high-flying parkour and gorgeous graphics are top-notch. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date:
September 19, 2025
EA Sports College Football 26
Like a standout freshman bursting onto the scene, College Football 25 was a pleasant surprise, but College Football 26 aptly demonstrates it wasn’t just beginner’s luck, delivering an equally impressive sophomore effort. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date:
July 10, 2025
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
An absurd tone with surprising pockets of earnest pathos, fun characters, and bombastic action are all present and accounted for here. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date:
February 21, 2025
Marvel Rivals
With a huge roster of free playable characters , a satisfying gameplay loop, and the fast matchmaking, Marvel Rivals executes a simple concept with skill and finesse. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date:
December 5, 2024 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), September 12, 2025 (PlayStation 4)
MLB The Show 25
MLB The Show 25 delivers perhaps the most well-rounded package of any of the mainstream sports video games, making for a title I first fired up during Spring Training and could very well still be playing when the World Series rolls around. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
Release Date:
March 18, 2025
NBA 2K26
The absolute glut of content is impressive and intimidating all at once, and NBA 2K26’s on-the-court performance is so good that it’s worth the annoyances that come with the franchise. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
September 5, 2025
Revenge of the Savage Planet
The first game was a fun one-off experience, but its sequel is a far more complete and rewarding package that left me hungry for more savage planets to explore. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
May 8, 2025
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Though there’s substantially less content and replayability than its primary contemporary, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is concise and effective in its mission, offering the most well-rounded kart racer of the year. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
September 25, 2025 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), 2025 (Switch 2)
Sonic X Shadow Generations
The potent combination of Sonic and Shadow Generations makes a strong case for being the best package of 3D Sonic content we’ve ever seen. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Release Date:
October 25, 2024 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), June 5, 2025 (Switch 2)
South of Midnight
South of Midnight’s decent combat and platforming are elevated to great heights by stellar visual and musical presentation, resulting in a game I can’t stop smiling about. Read review
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date:
April 8, 2025
Star Wars Outlaws
Moving between planets and wandering Outlaws’ dense cities is where the adventure shines, but shooting your way through your current gig so you can make it to the next is also compelling, if sometimes a little simple. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC
Release Date:
August 30, 2024 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC), September 4, 2025 (Switch 2)
Sword of the Sea
Sword of the Sea moves at the pace of a magical swordsperson speeding across sand dunes on a floating blade at 170 miles per hour, and it never gives you a reason to look away. Read review
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
Release Date:
August 19, 2025
For more of our top reviews from recent years, head to the links below.