In a year that most thought would be dominated by Grand Theft Auto 6, independent developers took center stage, even before Rockstar Games shifted its release date. Every year has its fair share of surprises, but what was most surprising about 2025 was how so many of the games we hoped would be fantastic ended up meeting or exceeding our expectations. It was a year of excellent games whose quality was only outmatched by their diversity. Picking just 10 is never easy, but looking back on the year is always a treat.
Game Rant's Top 10 Games of 2024
Game Rant counts down the top 10 games of 2024, highlighting the best interactive experiences the industry offered this year.
Here is Game Rant’s Top 10 Games of 2025.
10 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Read Game Rant's Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Review
It’s rare that game worlds feel alive and populated with “real” people, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has that in spades. Every aspect of Warhorse Studios’ sequel is incredibly complex, backed up by systems that intricately weave together. Its 15th-century setting offers a backdrop for political intrigue intermixed with an unconventional hero’s journey.
Kingdom Come 2 is a game that feels massive to the point it’s dizzying. The amount of fun NPC interactions you can have, the myriad ways you can approach combat and questing, and the stunning level of visual detail all make for an experience that could consume your free time throughout all of 2025. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II takes the baton from the first game and doesn’t just run with it – it sprints.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Released
- February 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
9 Split Fiction
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Josef Fares and developer Hazelight followed up Game Rant’s number one game of 2021, It Takes Two, with another memorable split-screen co-op experience in Split Fiction. The sci-fi/fantasy mash-up is packed with unique mechanics, stunning visuals, and a third act that is simply jaw-dropping. You’re never doing the same thing for too long in Split Fiction, and so many concepts build upon each other in smart and creative ways. Not to mention, the optional side quests that have players controlling farting pigs in one and snowboarding to earn high scores in another.
2026 will see several games released that were inspired by Hazelight, but for right now, few do what they do and do it well. Split Fiction is Hazelight pushing its development chops to the next level.
Split Fiction
- Released
- March 6, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
8 Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silkson g is real...real good. At one point, we thought that Hollow Knight 2 might never release, and then, in a matter of weeks, the game was out. Hollow Knight: Silksong did not take it easy on fans, pushing the skills they had refined in the first game to their limits with Hornet.
Challenging bosses, an intricate Metroidvania map, and those iconic visuals are all back, but taken to new levels. This game takes no prisoners and those who persevere are rewarded with the satisfaction of felling a tough boss or making it through a brutal platforming section. Team Cherry may have pulled the wool over our eyes, saying this would be an easier experience, but they did confirm that the first game was no fluke. Hollow Knight: Silksong took a long time to get to the finish line, but the wait was worth it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
7 Donkey Kong Bananza
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The first year of Nintendo Switch 2 will be synonymous with Donkey Kong Bananza, and for good reason. A joyous 3D platformer that leverages the added power of Nintendo’s new console, Bananza is instantly appealing because of its destruction, but what keeps you going is the steady stream of surprises.
From (literal) new layers to new abilities, Donkey Kong’s adventure with Pauline stands toe to toe with the Nintendo greats, thanks to everything from its iconic music to its whimsical art style. Donkey Kong Bananza is fun in its purest form and can keep you occupied for hours just smashing the world to pieces.
Donkey Kong Bananza
- Released
- July 17, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
6 Blue Prince
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While a majority of the rogue-lites released this year were action-focused, Blue Prince flipped the sub-genre on its head with a puzzle-based approach. For those who the game clicked with, it became an obsessive source of copious note-taking and theorizing. The layers within layers of the shifting house scratched an itch that so few games can, and it consumed many gamers from the very beginning.
In a year when independent games dominated the end-of-year conversations, Blue Prince stood out for being created by a single developer, Tonda Ros. Over the course of eight years, Ros developed an intricate puzzle box that was a joy to slowly solve. Even reaching “the end” leaves the door open for players to further explore, and the fact that most went back for more shows how magical Blue Prince is.
Blue Prince
- Released
- April 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Adventure, Exploration, Strategy
5 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
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There’s no one working in the game development industry quite like Hideo Kojima. Even when his games don’t quite hit the mark, they still feature memorable characters, bonkers storytelling, and gameplay that seeks to push the medium forward. But when Kojima hits his stride, as he did with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the experience is like no other.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach streamlines the concepts introduced in the first game, making things more approachable and, frankly, more fun. Storytelling and character are what make the sequel stand out, though, and DS 2 pulls out all the stops with an even more insane narrative and a cast so eclectic it’s hard to pick a favorite. If Kojima is done with the franchise and moving on to projects like OD with Jordan Peele, then he has gone out on a high note with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
- June 26, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
4 Ghost of Yotei
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Ghost of Tsushima was a certified hit for Sucker Punch and Sony, taking the open-world action game to a new level of depth and visual fidelity. Ghost of Yotei pushes things to a new level with a completely new setting and protagonist. It takes similar concepts from Tsushima, but finds clever ways to evolve and refine them.
The Ghost franchise is lauded for its narrative and performances, and Yotei is no different. Lead by Erika Ishii as Atsu, this revenge tale is exciting and supports its gameplay loop perfectly. Most importantly, it smartly blends the open world elements that oftentimes feel like checklists into engaging detours. Although Sony’s 2025 slate wasn’t packed with exclusives, Ghost of Yotei still stood out amongst a wide variety of open-world games.
Ghost of Yotei
- Released
- October 2, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
3 Dispatch
Dispatch carries on the spirit of the Telltale Games with strong performances and writing, packaged in easy-to-digest episodes. Anchored by Aaron Paul as its lead, Dispatch is filled with memorable characters, brought to life thanks to amazing performances and incredible technical artistry.
Dispatch never talks down to its audience and plays with expectations throughout; it finds a clever way to marry gameplay with its concept of a superhero dispatcher. It’s a joy to dive into the world of Dispatch and learn anything and everything about the various heroes, anti-heroes, and villains that make up its excellent cast. In a year that was packed full of compelling story-driven games, Dispatch stands as one of the best.
Dispatch
- Released
- October 22, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Point-and-click, Adventure
2 Hades 2
Supergiant Games had gamers obsessed with the first Hades, bringing new life to the rogue-lite genre. Hades 2 takes the concepts introduced in the first game and expands them to a level that is bigger and more varied, while still scratching that addictive itch.
With a new protagonist in Melinoe, Hades 2 digs deeper into Greek mythology to bring new fan-favorite characters and deepen our relationships with old standbys. Mechanically, it deepens the gameplay loop and finds smart ways to allow Melione to stand out. The sign of an excellent sequel is its ability to make everything feel fresh but familiar, and Hades 2 does that so well.
Hades 2
- Released
- September 25, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
1 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
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After its record-breaking performance at The Game Awards, it might come as no surprise that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Game Rant’s top game of 2025. Debates about the game’s impact on the turn-based RPG genre aside, Sandfall Interactive delivered an experience that is visually spectacular, narratively poignant, and endlessly engaging. When we first previewed Clair Obscur early this year, it felt like the game would be a strong contender for GOTY and those inklings turned out to be correct.
The list of accolades for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 don’t stop here, as the title is likely to continue to garner regular recognition in any and every category. It’s too early to predict what the game’s impact on gaming will be, but rather than worry about those that come after, Clair Obscur will enjoy its moment in the spotlight and its place as Game Rant’s number one game of 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
- April 24, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
Last year, I concluded our top 10 post by saying that the juggernaut of Grand Theft Auto 6 was looming over 2025 and, at the time, I expected Rockstar Games’ next title to be on everyone’s mind and a strong contender for our list. But, as we know, that didn’t happen, and now GTA 6 is poised to be 2026’s biggest game release. It’s not alone, though; Resident Evil Requiem, The Wolverine, and Phantom Blade Zero are just a few of the games that have a strong case for making next year’s top 10.
Most of next year’s slate has not fully formed – a byproduct of the Grand Theft Auto-sized crater Rockstar has created – but this time last year, few could have predicted Clair Obscur would be garnering so much attention. And we can’t wait to see what unexpected titles make our list in 2026.