The Best Video Games of 2025: A Look Back at a Legendary Year

Happy New Year, everyone! It is officially January 1, 2026. We made it. The confetti has settled, the champagne headaches are setting in, and we have a whole new calendar ahead of us. But before we dive headfirst into whatever madness this new year brings, we have to take a moment to pour one out for 2025. What a year it was for video games.

Seriously, looking back at the last 12 months, my backlog has never looked so intimidating or so beautiful. We saw massive video game blockbusters that lived up to the hype and indie darlings that stole our hearts completely out of nowhere. If you were worried the video game industry was slowing down, 2025 proved you dead wrong. We aren’t just talking about good graphics or catchy soundtracks here; we are talking about experiences that moved us, challenged us, and kept us glued to the couch until 3 a.m. on a work night.

So, let’s stop stalling and get into the good stuff. Based on the cold, hard numbers (and a lot of emotional investment), here are the highest-rated video games that defined 2025.

The Absolute Peak: 90+ Legends

When we talk about the best video games of the year, these are the heavy hitters that refused to be ignored.

Top of the heap is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, sitting pretty with a staggering 92 rating. If you haven’t played this turn-based RPG yet, what are you doing? It blends that gorgeous Belle Époque aesthetic with real-time mechanics that make every battle feel frantic and strategic all at once. It is rare for a debut title to come out swinging this hard, but Sandfall Interactive delivered a fantasy world that feels both timeless and completely fresh. It is stunning, heartbreaking, and easily one of the best role-playing experiences I have had in a decade.

Then we have Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Split Fiction, both tying with a 90 rating. Hideo Kojima returned to remind us all why he is a genre unto himself. Death Stranding 2 took the “walking simulator” jokes and buried them under layers of emotional storytelling and refined mechanics. It is weird, it is wonderful, and it features some of the best performances of the year. On the flip side, Split Fiction redefined co-op play. Hazelight Studios proved once again that playing together is better, forcing us to communicate and coordinate in a world that shifts between fantasy dragons and neon sci-fi motorcycles. It is chaotic energy in the best way possible.

The 89 Club: Near Perfection

The list of 89-rated video games this year is honestly ridiculous. It is a testament to how high the quality bar was raised in 2025.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 finally arrived and brought medieval Europe to life with an obsession for detail that borders on madness. The immersion here is unmatched. You aren’t just playing a character; you are living in that world, dirt, grime, and all.

Then there is Monster Hunter Wilds. Capcom just does not miss. They took the addictive loop of hunting, crafting, and upgrading, and polished it to a mirror sheen. It is the most approachable the series has ever been, welcoming newcomers without alienating the veterans who have been hunting Rathalos since the PS2 days.

We also saw huge scores for Blue Prince, a roguelike mystery that turns getting lost in a mansion into a strategic puzzle, and Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. The latter is exactly the kind of quirky, mechanical mastery that makes us love indie video games. It is charming, precise, and utterly delightful. And we can’t forget Keep Driving. Sometimes you just need a game that nails a specific vibe, and this one took us on a road trip we didn’t want to end.

The 88s: Strategic Masterpieces

Rounding out the top tier with an 88 rating are StarVaders and Monster Train 2.

Monster Train 2 had big shoes to fill, considering how beloved the original deckbuilder was. But it managed to add enough strategic depth to keep us saying “just one more run” until the sun came up. And StarVaders brought its own flavor to the strategy genre, proving that 2025 was a year where thinking hard was just as fun as twitch reflexes.

Looking at this list, I am exhausted just thinking about how many hours I poured into these video games. But honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. 2025, you were a beast. 2026, you have got some big shoes to fill.