by Andrew Farrell
I played a hell of a lot of games this year, but I didn’t really love very many at all. While I only covered a few things at SmashPad this year, two of them ended up being some of my absolute favorites. Otherwise, though? There weren’t a lot of things that really caught my eye (Expedition 33 was, of course, fantastic, but that’s going to be on every list, so I’m not including it in mine!) As such, I’m only doing five games because I’d start loading the list with ironic entries just to try and be funny if I did ten. So here are my top five games of 2025 in no particular order.
5. Keeper – PC
I don’t typically care much for short, narrative-focused games. They usually underwhelm and/or bore me, but Keeper felt really special to me. It’s not especially lengthy or complex, but it has some of the most gorgeous visuals I’ve seen in any game in my life. It’s not just technically wondrous, but the art direction is truly stellar. It’s rare to see a game that legitimately looks like pure art come to life, but this one absolutely checks those boxes. Add in lots of variety as the player character continually evolves and a wordless story that still manages to convey plenty of emotion and pathos and we’re left with a pretty stunning game all things considered.
4. Megabonk – PC
That’s right, I’m including a $10 game. I’d been wanting a full-fledged 3D Vampire Survivors-type game with full camera control, and I thought it was weird that nobody was making them. Then I saw the Megabonk demo, tried it, and was instantly on board. I’m clearly not the only one, as the game’s dev is now rich because somehow few other devs realized that this idea would be a huge hit. Megabonk is very clearly Vampire Survivors crossed with Risk of Rain, but it manages to be even more fun to me than either of those. Everything about the game just screams joy for me, from the low-poly visuals to how satisfying making builds is. It’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a rogue-lite, so it’s definitely up there for me for this year.
3. Once Upon a Katamari – PC
A new Katamari game after all these years? A thousand times yes! I’ve been a fan of the series for years at this point and seeing a new game announced after all this time got me massively hyped. I wasn’t sure how it’d turn out, considering that the post We Love Katamari games weren’t very good, but Once Upon a Katamari not only lives up to that game, but even supercedes it in some ways due to having more levels and enhanced replayability thanks to ranks and extra collectibles. The different eras are also great fun to play around in, even if they’re not as well-represented as one might hope. All-in-all, the game gave me a solid 20 hours of enjoyment and did a great job of reviving a beloved series that I wasn’t expecting to see again.
2. Promise Mascot Agency – PC
Paradise Killer was one of my favorite games the year it released, so I wasn’t too surprised that the dev’s follow-up, Promise Mascot Agency was a similar level of good. It’s important to note that I love open-world games, just not the AAA-style ones that are needlessly huge and bloated with boring, pointless fluff. This game has a lovingly-crafted, memorable open world with tons of unique characters and so much personality that it feels almost magical. Add in the terrific writing and rewarding exploration and the result is an open-world game that puts most of the big releases to shame, even if it makes use of an insane premise (you run a mascot agency and back them up at events.) Definitely worth checking out even if it sounds weird.
1. Ninja Gaiden 4 – PC
What a shock that I’d put the new 3D Ninja Gaiden on here. Ninja Gaiden II is what I consider to be the best action game ever made, so getting a new game after all these years meant that it immediately became my most anticipated title of the year. Ninja Gaiden 4 absolutely met my expectations in most ways and even exceeded some (while undershooting others, but nothing’s perfect sadly.) While it isn’t quite as good as the first couple of 3D games, it’s easily the best action game that’s been released in some time, as well as just a damn fine, bloody game in its own right. I got a solid 40 hours out of it, even though the fact that the Master Ninja difficulty just upped the damage instead of actual challenge was very disappointing. But it’s hard to be anything other than satisfied by the wanton carnage and tight mechanics of the game.
Welp, that’s it for my top five games of 2025. What will 2026 have in store? Resident Evil, that’s right.