The 2025 Year In Review

When you look at 2025’s list of best games, one word comes to mind: surprise. None of these games truly came out of nowhere – some even had trailers at major awards shows – but all of them were unexpected in some way.

For example, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut role-playing game from French studio Sandfall Interactive. It’s a fresh take on turn-based combat, and its aesthetic is one-of-a-kind, with abstract monsters in a dark fantasy version of France. While we at Game Informer were anticipating its release, no one could have predicted how successful it would be. Hollow Knight: Silksong made a huge mark as well, releasing after years of delays and anticipation. When its new release date was finally revealed (with only two weeks’ notice), it caused a wave of delays from developers rightfully afraid to compete with its impending domination of the cultural zeitgeist.

Many of the year’s biggest indie games came out of the blue as well. Blue Prince, a puzzle/roguelike hybrid, surprised gaming culture around its release, rewarding obsessed, note-taking players, and cementing itself as one of the best games of the year. Peak, a co-op mountain climbing game co-developed by indie devs Aggro Crab and Landfall Games, was a viral success. Even Hades II, a game that had been in early access for over a year, hit 1.0 with very short notice, scoring perfect 10s from many major outlets (including the one you’re reading now).