June is coming to a close which means that we’re officially halfway through 2025. Where did all that time go? Outside of all the hours lost to anxiety spirals as the world deteriorates, much of the past six months has gone to video games. We’ve killed demons as a medieval Doom Slayer, walked around Japan in an iconic samurai’s shoes, and lost countless lives to Nightlords. That has left us with a long list of memorable games that are already on our year-end shortlist.
While the back half of 2025 still has plenty of big releases in store (Ghost of Yotei, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and The Outer Worlds 2 just to name a few), these 10 games we’ve picked out the 10 games that have stuck with us most so far this year. Some will come as no surprise, but we’re sure that a few may catch you off guard. That fact speaks to how wide and diverse world of video games is, where no two game of the year lists will ever look the same.
Blue Prince
For most gamers, I imagine that Blue Prince came out of nowhere when it launched in April to critical praise. I wasn’t shocked, but that’s only because I was fortunate enough to demo it one year earlier at GDC, checking it out on a sheer whim. I knew it would be special from the moment I laid down my first room, getting instantly sucked into the mysterious roguelike manor-builder. That’s the kind of game Blue Prince is. It sucks players in instantly with a tactile puzzle hook, but keeps them coming back with layer upon layer of secrets. After 100 hours, I still feel like I’ve seen next to nothing. That’s the way I like it, because it means I’ll always have an excuse to jump back in for another run.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
There are few success stories in gaming quite like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Getting a totally original series off the ground is one challenge, but doing it as a brand new studio is a different beast entirely. It’s easy to see why the French RPG has broken the mold, though. Emotional storytelling, an active turn-based battle system, and memorable characters make for an inventive exploration of grief that never goes exactly where you’re expecting. It can be messy at times, especially its divisive third act, but Sandfall Interactive created a special debut here that deserves the buzz its receiving (even if we could stand to see the breathless hype dialed down just a notch).
Avowed
Avowed feels destined to become an underrated classic in a few year’s time. The RPG was met with some mixed reactions at the time, as players seemed a little disappointed that it wasn’t as giant as a new Elder Scrolls game. Accept Avowed for what it actually is, though, and you’ll find one of Obsidian’s best games to date. Aside from some pleasantly streamlined systems that cut out a lot of unnecessary cruft, Avowed excels at telling a nuanced story about all the ways that a crisis can become politicized. It’s a work of art clearly birthed from the Covid-19 pandemic and may just be the best commentary about the pandemic released to date. If you bounced off it initially because it didn’t live up to a certain scope, I recommend jumping back in and meeting it where it is instead.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
If you do desire an all-encompassing mega-RPG that gives you the freedom to do anything you want, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will likely be more your speed. The medieval sequel is a staggering accomplishment, with loads of detail put into every interaction. Even something as simple as getting a new sword becomes an involved blacksmithing minigame that you could turn into a whole digital career. With excellent quest design propelling its main story forward, this is the kind of game that you could get lost in for a full year. Even if it’s not your bag, it’s hard not to respect its commitment.
Despelote
Only one game released this year has received a rare five star review from Digital Trends. It’s not Split Fiction or Monster Hunter Wilds, but rather an Ecuadorian coming of age story that’s no longer than two hours. Despelote is a remarkable game that draws a parallel between a child’s growth to Ecuador’s World Cup run in 2002. That’s delivered in an experimental narrative adventure that has players casually exploring a city and eavesdropping on loose conversations while kicking a soccer ball around with friends. Few games capture the memory of childhood quite like this, and even fewer so sharply tie it into the broader culture that shapes those experiences. If nothing else, Despelote will help you understand why soccer is more than a sport for so many people around the world.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
When the first Death Stranding released in 2019, we weren’t quite sure what to make of it. We praised its social innovations, but weren’t entirely sold on its oddball walking hook. We came around on it just in time for its strong sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. While its not as subversive as you may expect from a Hideo Kojima game, Death Stranding 2 refines just about everything about its predecessor while delivering a meaty story about the long-term danger of mass connection. It’s a self-reflexive adventure that tries to weigh its utopic vision of a united world with the knowledge that those with power can manipulate that positivity in the name of expansionism. It’s a thought-provoking sequel that begs to be dissected once the end credits roll even more than played.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
No game this year has a pitch quite as eye-popping as The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy. The latest game from the creators of Danganronpa and the Zero Escape series created a sprawling visual novel with 100 endings. I’m not talking joke endings either; I really mean 100 full-fledged endings. It’s daunting, but Last Defense Academy earns the time it takes to see it through thanks to an engrossing story full of cliffhangers, twists, and some challenging, turn-based tactics in between. It plays out like multiple seasons of a TV show, constantly ratcheting up the tension and revealing more layers to its dystopian universe. You may not have the time to see it all, but I’d at least recommend clearing out enough to see its two mainline endings through.
Mario Kart World
Nintendo’s best Switch 2 exclusives are likely still to come later this year, but Mario Kart World is one heck of a way to kick off a new console’s life. The latest installment of Nintendo’s storied racing series builds on Mario Kart 8‘s success with a careful balance of casual chaos and traversal tools that open the door for high-skill play. I’ve been playing it much more than I expected to after finishing up my initial review, zoning out in its open-world and enjoying some thrilling rounds of Knockout Tour online. It already feels like an essential multiplayer game for a console that will no doubt have its fair share of them in a few years time.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
I imagine that it might be a little surprising to see Lost Records: Bloom and Rage on this list when so many other heavy hitters are absent. Call us a sucker for 90s nostalgia, but Don’t Nod’s spiritual follow-up to Life is Strange is a tender narrative adventure about the transformative power of punk rock. It follows a group of budding riot grrrls as they come of age during a crucial summer, one that takes a dark twist. While its supernatural twist is its initial draw, Lost Records‘ true strength lies in its grounded story that explores just how many things shape us into what we are, from tragedy to music.
Rematch
Unlike just about everything on this list, there’s nothing too flashy about Rematch. It’s an arcade sports game that boils soccer down to its essence. It has only a few modes, a simple battle pass structure, and no fancy cross-promotions yet. So how in the world has it made our list? Because it just feels flat out fantastic. The act of kicking a ball or blocking a goal has never felt this satisfying. Developer Sloclap really honed in on its fundamentals here to create an elegant multiplayer game that carries the torch for long dormant genre legends like NFL Blitz. Even with some kinks to work out long-term, it’s a terrific game that has been eating up just as much of my casual playtime as Mario Kart World.
Honorable mentions: The Alters, Battle Train, Bionic Bay, Blade Chimera, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, Expelled!, The Midnight Walk, Monster Hunter Wilds, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, Promise Mascot Agency, Rift of the NecroDancer, The Roottrees are Dead, South of Midnight, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, While Waiting
