by Danreb Victorio
2025 has been quite a year not only in gaming but for SmashPad. I think I’m the one in charge of writing our overall Top 10 Games of 2025 article, but I wanted to take another opportunity to thank both the staff and you, reader, for helping make this year be the best year in SmashPad’s history.
While we haven’t had content up daily, it’s been damn near daily, and people have noticed. That’s why you’ve been seeing reviews for games go up right when embargo lifts for a lot of the biggest titles. We still have our work cut out for us when it comes to places like PlayStation and Nintendo, who are really hard to get review codes from, but we’re trying.
Anyway, back to 2025. This year, I had a lot of trouble with the bottom part of my list. I know these are the ones that probably matter the least, but as we keep saying every year, there’s just so many games. I had planned on doing some catch up during the holiday season, but I’m already playing 2026 games I can’t talk about, so anyway — let’s start off with a few honorable mentions.
And so begins my list:
10. Octopath Traveler 0 – Multiplatform
While the layoffs are absolutely annoying, Square Enix definitely does deserve some flowers for what they put out this year, and it was all capped off with Octopath Traveler 0, which ended up being more intriguing than I had anticipated. It’s also thanks to this game that there were several other games I didn’t have time to finish before this list went up, and the good news I had a good time doing it. Octopath Traveler 0 brings back a lot of what makes Octopath special, namely in its storytelling, and man–these villains are easily the biggest assholes I’ve had to deal with in any video game. Kudos to that!
9. Dispatch – PC, PS5
Whenever Telltale or Don’t Nod made a game that impacted me, it found a way on this list, and it’s happened again with AdHoc’s Dispatch. While I may have (one of) the lowest current scores for the game on OpenCritic, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Despite the existence of things like super hero fatigue, and episodic games might be cooked, Dispatch broke through and definitely was a game that helped me feel something. Making it even better was the fact that I played the game with my girlfriend, and she also enjoyed the experience. Hello, Pierre, if you’re reading this!
8. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – Multiplatform
I first got my hands on this game during The Mix at GDC, and before I knew it, there weren’t many people at the party anymore. That’s when I knew I’d probably have to dive into this game. It’s dubbed a “yoyovania,” but there are hardly any Metroidvania aspects to it at all. If anything, the game more closely resembles Game Boy-style Zelda with a hint of Mega Man. The best part is if the game is too hard, there are accessibility settings that pretty much put you in God mode. I know people will make fun of me for that, but I didn’t actually use it and I’m all for letting people play however they wanna play.
7. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance – Multiplatform
I’m a big Shinobi fan, and when I played my first demo of the game during SGF, while I knew there’d be some divisiveness, I also knew that this game was right up my alley. It isn’t entirely a Shinobi game, as those classic games were more reliant on projectile weapons than the melee heavy game it is now, but the blend of old-school and modernized stylish action is here, and I was completely immersed in it. If this is the kind of quality to expect out of Sega’s revival initiative, then I’m all in.
6. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy – PC, Switch
This one was arguably the biggest surprise of the year. When I first played the game alongside its devs at GDC, I was pretty much embarrassed by my lack of preparation because when I poured some real time into it, it hit in just about every positive way it could for me. It’s a great strategy game, its story is dark and twisted, the characters are a wild and crazy bunch, and the game pretty much laughs at you when you think you finished it. Last Defense Academy is definitely more than meets the eye and easily one of the best games of 2025.
5. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)
We’ve come to my Top 5 Games of 2025, and I’m sure this will be the hottest take of my entire list. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a very good game. I liked it a lot despite the fact that, once again, my review of the game was the lowest on OpenCritic. The fact of the matter is I play a lot of JRPGs and I have a lot of issues with it, and it’s score is probably relative to the fact that I had to abandon this game three separate times to focus on other games I was reviewing, but I do believe that it’s a testament to its quality that I came back and finished it. It’s beautiful. The soundtrack is absolutely exquisite. The battle system might be the best in turn-based gaming. I just thought there were stronger games (and JRPGs) than this one, and this is coming from somebody who had the game on my radar ever since it was first announced.
4. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake – PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch
Square hit it out of the park with last year’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake last year, and it can be argued that they did an even better job with Dragon Quest I & II. Not only are the games drop dead gorgeous, but Square managed to take Dragon Quest II, widely regarded as one of the weaker entries in the series, and make it into one of the strongest. It’s an awesome conclusion to the Erdrick trilogy, and while I’m still waiting for Dragon Quest XII, I’m pretty damn happy with all these remakes.
3. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter – PC, PlayStation 5, Switch, Switch 2
I still remember when this was randomly announced in a sizzle reel on a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. After I saw it there, I couldn’t sleep anymore, and once review code came for it — that was it. You already know about my, as well as SmashPad’s, obsession with the Trails series, and to have a remake of the game that started it all? Seriously, shame on The Game Awards jury for not putting this in best JRPG despite all the critical acclaim it got from EVERYONE that reviewed it. Hopefully we fix this problem next year when the best game in the series is remade and released worldwide. If you’ve been looking to start Trails, THIS IS THE ONE.
2. Split Fiction – Multplatform
It’s no secret that Hazelight has more or less become one of my favorite studios after the release of A Way Out. It Takes Two was my Game of the Year in 2021, and for quite a while Split Fiction held that spot too. I’m honestly surprised the game didn’t make more lists, and I’m convinced it’s because the people that played it didn’t finish it. To me, that last level is representative of impossibly perfect game design that rivals the polish of Tears of the Kingdom’s “Ascend” feature which was the reason why it was my Game of the Year in 2023. This game will see constant discounts next year, so I do hope people give it the time it deserves.
1. Donkey Kong Bananza – Switch 2
Just how does Nintendo do it? These guys have been kings of 3D Platforming genre ever since they pretty much created it, and this time they pulled it off with a game that doesn’t even mention Mario. Much like the two Zelda games changed the game with climbing, Donkey Kong Bananza does it with digging, level destruction, and by doubling down on continuity and timelines not mattering with a young Pauline whose presence simply exudes charm. Throw in the a postgame that makes even the Darkest Side of the Moon shiver, and you have your quintessential Nintendo game that’s an immediate highlight for the Switch 2’s first year.
We say this like clockwork, but 2026 is already shaping up quite well. While we have some high-octane titles people are looking forward to like 007 First Light and Grand Theft Auto VI, assuming it even gets here, I’m already 10 hours into a 2026 game I obviously cannot talking about it, and it’s hitting.
I have a lot of goals for both myself and SmashPad this year, so thanks for reading, and I hope you’re looking forward to seeing what our favorite game of 2025 actually is.