2025 was a weird year for me, but it’s all part of the journey, right? But thankfully, what it happened to be was an absolutely stellar year for video games, and that is what we are here to talk about! Honestly, I feel like this was one of the better years I can remember for video games, with a ton of games released, tons of genres covered, big industry titles, and huge wins for the Indie sphere. I didn’t even get to play everything I wanted to this year, so there are some glaring holes due to that!
10. Schedule 1
The haha funny drug dealer game somehow managed to take me for a trip, even in its early access status. People love to throw around the term “Friend-slop”, but this was one that was a ton of friends to settle in for the night on a weekend with the homies, and slowly take over a quaint town with a variety of products that has peoples hair lighting on fire, or floating into the air. It’s just a good time!
9. Once Upon A Katamari
You telling me we got a brand new Katamari game in the big 2025? That’s right, one of my favorite freaky little franchises got a brand new entry that I fell in love with during the giant Super RPG Friends Road Trip at the end of the year on my Steam Deck. The series is still as strong as ever, with this being a great entry packed with awesome levels to roll up, and new power ups to make it even more exciting!
8. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the best RPGs to come out of the PS1 glory era of RPGs, and this remaster was as good a reason to revisit a true classic as it could be. Revamped visuals, a new translation, and some excellent voice acting give this game a fresh coat of paint that is great for both new and returning players.
7. Mega Bonk
Among a slew of vampire-survivor likes (What are we calling those? Did Bullet Heavens stick?) that have come out since that game basically invented a genre that blew up, Mega Bonk was the one that I had the most fun with. It is from a third person perspective instead of from up top, and it makes great use of fun little movement tech that synergizes with the level designs each area has. Things get hectic fast, but with some good planning and a little luck, you are fast-tracked to having a blast.
6. Ball X Pit
This game felt like it was tailor made for me. Huge fan of Arkanoid-style games, as well as roguelikes, and this one blends those as well as some town-building/resource management into an absolutely delightful mix. I basically hyperfocused on this game until I beat it, and they just released a big free content update that adds some cool stuff, including the often-requested endless mode! This was one of my indie darlings this year without a doubt.
5. Monster Hunter Wilds
It’s Monster Hunter, man, it may not have been the smoothest performance wise, but I had an absolute blast picking my Switch-Axe back up and getting back to the hunt. There are some great additions, as well as some questionable ones, but I can’t deny the 100+ hours I put into this game were well spent. It’s gotten lots of content since release, and I’m overdue to return to it yet again!
4. Deltarune
This might be a little bit of cheating since it’s not done yet, but Chapters 3 and 4 were released this year, so I’m counting it! Toby Fox’s latest game is almost an alternate universe of Undertale, but from my experience, it eclipses Undertale in every way while introducing tons of new, lovable characters, far better combat, and a cast. I finally played this on my show, Super RPG Friends, this year with some other folk who hadn’t beaten it before, and it has become one of my favorite RPG experiences of the decade. As of writing, we are about to beat Chapter 4 tomorrow night, and I doubt there is anything it could do to make me regret this decision. Don’t wait for the whole thing to come out; hop on as soon as you can to Toby Fox’s wild ride. It’s worth every agonizing second between chapters.
3. Dune: Awakening
DUNE DUNE DUNE DUNE (to the tune of Bill Nye’s BILL BILL BILL BILL)! I love Dune dearly. The universe, the movies, the vibe, the themes, just all of it. I think Dune: Awakening is the most realized entry into the universe a game has done so far, and by a wide margin. Immersing myself in the harsh desert world of Arrakis to run away from giant worms while I try to harvest space drugs was an absolute blast for me, and I even had a great time participating in the endgame Deep Desert with my guild, with whom I became great friends. I think that Funcom is trying their best to support this game post-launch, and while they haven’t nailed every step, they are working to continue releasing content and listening to players. This is a great jumping-off point to get into the rest of the world of Dune, which is worth its weight in Spice Melange as well. This was some serious survival crafting excellence that I did not ever expect to see coming in behind another game in the genre, but this year had MANY surprises.
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I really don’t know what else I can say about this one that hasn’t been said before, but as an RPG guy, this one was a masterclass in the genre that deserves all of the praise it gets. Beautiful visuals, amazing gameplay, lovable characters, a wonderful VA performance, and music that is STILL in my rotation blend together into one of the best RPGs I’ve played in the past 20+ years, I think.
1. Abiotic Factor
I have somehow completely dodged every single thing about this game until shortly after its full release this year, until one of my fellow Monstervine writers, Sean, popped in and mentioned how much they were loving it. That stuck in my head until I saw it pop up on Steam, and I finally took a look at it. This game came completely out of left field for me, and smacked me upside the head so hard that suddenly I had a 200+ hour solo playthrough and was still wanting more. Think if you were just a random scientist who got caught up in the Half Life 1 Black Mesa incident, Gordon Freeman was nowhere to be found, and you were stuck in the lab on your first day in the office. But also, since you are a man of science, you survival craft your way into some pretty insane situations since this facility deals with SCP or Control’s FBC style containment of all manners of supernatural artifacts and creatures, alien or beyond. This game has a wonderful narrative and a great sense of humor, and it ticks every box for me as my favorite game in the genre since Subnautica, maybe even beating it out. Actually, you know what? It does. This is my favorite Survival Crafting game, and everyone should give these Australians money so they can continue making games. Did you know they have new content releasing for free, too? Yeah, they rock.
Ok, that’s a wrap on 2025, which is going to be a hard year to beat in gaming in 2026, but you never know. Oh, it should be on this list somewhere, but I can’t decide where. You should also get some friends together and play R.E.P.O. on Steam; they are a wonderful crew with a great game. Death Stranding 2 would probably be on here if I had found time to play it; the same goes for Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid Delta. Ok, thank you. I love you. Have a great year!
