by Kayla Merritt
This has been an exhausting year, but one so full of games that I didn’t have time to play everything I wanted. This year was the first year I went to Evo, so fighting games stood out for me. Racing games also stood out for me since there was such an abundance of them on the Switch 2. Despite how challenging 2025 has been, gaming still turned out to be one of the best ways I could take care of myself and find community.
10. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact – Switch, PS5, PC
I went to Evo France this year and fell in love with Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact. I’m not familiar with the anime (my love of anime begins and ends with magical girl anime), but I do love great anime fighting games such as this one. It has frantic combat and eye-catching visuals. I feel like a great anime fighter can transcend the trappings of the media it’s based on. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact does, and I really hope it continues to build a scene for itself.
9. Donkey Kong Bananza – Switch 2
I haven’t thought of Nintendo characters as having distinct personalities, struggles, and goals until recently. Zelda finally got some much-needed depth in the last two games, and now Pauline feels like a fleshed-out character in Donkey Kong Bananza. The excellent gameplay allows you to smash everything to your heart’s content. Beyond that, I really loved the friendship between DK and Pauline. It was heartwarming and felt real in a way Nintendo games sometimes don’t feel. I hope we get to see more of this, and hopefully the next 3D Mario game takes notes on how to further develop characters.
8. Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Switch, Switch 2
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a bit more of the same, but it does it well. This is what I’ve wanted from a Pokémon game since I was a kid. I’m also a big fan of the new combat system. I hope that Game Freak continues to develop on what works here, such as the combat and the open-world city, and further pushes the Switch 2 to give us more of what Pokémon can be on a console.
7. Fast Fusion – Switch 2
I miss F-Zero and Wipeout. But I love that Fast Fusion has come around to pick up where these series have left off and deliver fast and action-packed racing on the Switch 2. This is a gorgeous-looking game that really showed off the new console like a great racing game should. It does futuristic racing incredibly well, and in a sea of great racing games, it really stood out.
6. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox
I didn’t really have any interest picking up Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves until I went to Evo France and got to watch it in person. Barring the strange DLC characters, this is a great game to watch and even better to play. It’s one of the tightest fighting games that SNK has ever put out. The REV system has been especially fun to learn. It’s been a long wait for Fatal Fury to make a comeback, but it’s been well worth it, and I hope that it continues to build a following.
5. Mario Kart World – Switch 2
Mario Kart World ended up being my most-played game of the year at nearly 400 hours. It came out at a time when I really needed something to occupy my mind with. The insanity of Knockout Tour and collecting all the new costumes really brought me a lot of joy. Mario Kart World has great gameplay, online features, and tracks. But what I really love most is how all the classic Mario franchise characters felt freshened up with their new costumes. Everyone has a bit more personality now, and I’m here for it.
4. Hades II – Switch 2, PC
Hades II being a great game didn’t really surprise me. What surprised me, though, was how much it reinvigorated my love of roguelikes when I’m a little over the genre. It feels fresh and exciting when the genre is a little played out for me. It had an engaging story, great characters, and really showed off what the Switch 2 was capable of this year.
3. Earthion – Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC
I was a Sega kid growing up until the 32X came out. The games had everything. I loved the gameplay, graphics, and especially the music of Sega Genesis titles. Earthion brings all that back and really does an incredible job taking that aesthetic into the modern era. It reminds me a lot of Sonic Mania, which took the Genesis aesthetic and polished it for modern consoles without sacrificing any of its uniqueness. If you love shmups and Sega, then you need Earthion.
2. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Switch, Switch 2, Xbox, PC, PS4, PS5
I love Sonic. I defend a lot of the poor titles in this series, but I’ve really found it hard to enjoy a lot of the racers in this franchise. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, however, is a stunning achievement in arcade racing. The game really stepped up to compete with the likes of Mario Kart and Kirby. It’s a crazy joyride, and I’ve loved every second of it. Sonic really has the presentation and gameplay of a great racing game worthy of sinking quarters in, and captures that magic for a home console.
1. Kirby Air Riders – Switch 2
Gaming has become extraordinarily expensive this year. Beyond the rising cost of hardware, there’s also the diminishing returns of $70-$80 games that pack in very little value. Kirby Air Riders is going to be a standard I hold future games to — especially those that try to justify new hardware.
Kirby Air Riders is loaded with deep gameplay and so many modes that there’s enough here to really justify the cost. You’ll get so much time-to-dollar value out of it. Yes, this is a challenging game that demands a lot from you, but it also rewards trying a bit of everything and experimenting whenever you can.
Onwards to 2026. I’m not really looking forward to anything just yet besides Marvel Tokon: Fighting Spirits, which captured my heart when I played it at Evo. I’m mostly looking forward to going through my backlog, getting some games finished, and working at building my skills before heading to Evo France next year.