My top 10 games of 2025 | Part 1
A look back at the best games I've played this year
It’s finally December, and we are being bombarded with year-in-review stuff from big companies and applications: Spotify Wrapped, Steam Replay, and even Substack Recapped.
I’m not gonna lie, I love it. I really enjoy seeing those numbers for some reason - maybe because it is easy to forget what you were doing at the beginning of a year, and these recaps remind you. I had totally forgotten just how much I had played Persona 5 Royal at the beginning of the year.
So, while it’s not really a recap, I wanted to make a list of the best games I’ve played in 2025. I had already written about some of them, which I’ll link to if you are interested in knowing more about them.
The only criterion is that it must be a game I played this year - not strictly a game that came out in 2025. So you might see some older games here, too.
I’m also calling for anyone reading this to make their own list. It was really fun to write!
#10 - 1000xResist
The only reason why 1000xResist is so low in this list is because of its lack of gameplay. It works incredibly well as a visual novel/walking simulator type of game, though. Phenomenal writing and incredible storytelling. Definitely had me at the edge of my seat at times.
#9 - Ori and the Blind Forest
And the only reason why Ori and the Blind Forest is so low is that I have yet to finish it as of writing this. We are playing it as part of the Good Game Lobby Gaming Club’s December game.
I don’t play metrodivanias. I don’t play platformers. That’s for a very specific reason: I suck at them. I’m usually proud of my hand-eye coordination, but for some reason, I do very poorly at these games. Maybe I just lack the patience.
Ori proved to be an exception. Not only is it fun, but it is also a gorgeous game. From its amazing visuals to the incredible soundtrack, it has been a wonderful experience so far. It has its moments where I get frustrated and have to take a break, but it is way less than I expected.
And some of the story parts broke my heart, which I wasn’t expecting from this game.
If only I weren’t so bad at it.
#8 - Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a game that I didn’t expect to have so much fun with. I was reluctant to buy it, but I caved in at the insistence of my co-op squad.
I am so glad I did.
This game is a blast. Just pure, unadulterated fun. No thoughts, just go and drill there, or fight against a swarm. I’ve been looking forward to playing this game every Sunday.
#7 - Stardew Valley
It would be amiss of me not to list Stardew Valley here after playing it for around 80 hours with the squad. Though I did find it frustrating to play it on my own, it is super fun to play with other people.
In our playthrough, we all got married, and our spouses moved in with us and helped us with the farm. The spouse who watered the garden was celebrated, and the spouse who did nothing at all was shamed. Unfortunately, Elliot was the one who spent most mornings inside, and as his spouse, I was left to defend his lazy butt against my perfectionist friends.
#6 - Dredge
It is a bit shocking that I didn’t write about Dredge before, considering that I absolutely loved playing it. I was sure that I had included it in one of my roundup posts, but apparently not.
Dredge is a Lovecraftian horror game that is strangely cozy. Setting sail to the sea, catching fish and various other unholy creatures, uncovering the mysterious story… It also features a fantastic soundtrack. Just writing about it makes me want to replay it.
I did play in Passive mode, which is basically the easy difficulty. When you turn it on, the monsters do not attack you. I had tried playing it with it off, but… I am a scaredy-cat. I don’t do well with high-tension games (or any other media, for that matter). Dredge thankfully does not feature anything gross or actually scary - it’s just that the vibes are a bit sinister and spooky. But it is also a very cozy game. The fact that they managed to hit that balance is impressive.
…I really should replay it.
Honorary mention: Split Fiction.
I wrote about my impressions of Split Fiction in my November post. We finished it recently, and it was an incredible experience. I will never forget the amount of detail and effort that obviously went into those final levels. “How did they do that??” was the main question we kept asking ourselves as we played the levels - it really is an impressive game, especially on a technical level.
Dredge is one of those games that, you can jump into for a semi-relaxing fishing experience, put it away for a while and come back to it later. I can foresee it becoming one of those games I come back to every so often over the years!
Great list!!
I hear you on Ori and the Blind Forest. I also played that for the first time this year, I also found it to be really engaging yet challenging - it certainly pushed my platforming skills a lot.