Mario Kart World is the latest and potentially greatest in the long-running arcade racer franchise, brought to the next level with the Nintendo Switch 2's hardware and an expansive roster of racers, tracks, and endless fun to be had.

Elden Ring: Nightreign offers FromSoftware's trademark challenging combat, all in seamless co-op, combined with the roguelike elements of games like Hades, with some of the urgency of battle royale games sprinkled in.

A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage. Doom: The Dark Ages is a brutally dark and gory game that sets up the rest of the franchise's story in a captivating and meaningful way. It improves on nearly every aspect of previous entries in the series, setting itself up as a strong 2025 GOTY contender.

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash. Revenge of the Savage Planet is a wild, colorful space adventure packed with quirky humor and chaotic exploration. Co-op play enhances the experience, and the addictive build customization keeps you engaged. While combat can be overwhelming at times, the fun, unpredictable nature of the game makes it hard to put down.

The turn-based RPG and debut title from French studio Sandfall Interactive delivers on all of its promises in refreshing the decades-old genre, taking inspiration from games of the past and the Belle Époque era of French history to craft a beautiful, tragic, and memorable experience that should be considered one of the best games of 2025 and a tremendous first entry for a very talented studio.

Blue Prince is a unique and refreshing puzzle game that breaks away from the conventional, featuring complex challenges and solutions that constantly evolve.

South of Midnight stands as one of the best story-driven games I’ve experienced in a long time, one that invites deep exploration of its lore and reflection on each character’s journey. Beyond its compelling narrative, the game is simply a joy to play, thanks to its versatile combat and traversal mechanics. For those seeking an immersive story, South of Midnight is the perfect remedy. And with Xbox Game Pass, it’s readily available at your fingertips upon release.

There's a lot to do in Kaiserpunk, but dealing with it won't always be pleasant.

WWE 2K25 is one of the biggest leaps in the series so far. While the Island is disappointing, the sheer amount of content in this game is unmatched. You have over 300 wrestlers with more DLC on the way, plenty of fun modes like the highly improved MyGM and the story-focused MyRise, and gameplay that still feels satisfying to pull off, even if the animations can be weird at points. It’s just the microtransactions that really pull this game down.

Instead of going the easy route, Monolith Soft went the extra mile and added meaningful new content and quality-of-life features that actually improved on what was already a masterpiece experience. The Definitive Edition treatment makes Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition one of the best JRPGs on the Switch, and a must-play for fans of the genre.

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.

Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

Split Fiction feels like the culmination of what Josef Fares and Hazelight Studios’ team have learned since making Brothers and A Way Out. Both were solid games, and It Takes Two’s success was our first glimpse at what the studio was truly capable of. Split Fiction is everything I could ever ask from a cooperative game and more, easily making it another solid game of the year contender. I wish I could go on about each level and its intricacies since I could easily ramble on numerous incredible moments for a while. This is one of those games that thrives on surprising you at every corner, and hearing my friend’s reactions was just as fulfilling as experiencing my own.

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun. Omega 6 Traingle Stars is a retro RPG that feels very much indebted to the early 90s that will please a specific niche of players, but will be hard to engage most RPG players.

Whether you’re eager to dive into the Monster Hunter universe for the first time or you’re a long-time fan seeking a new adventure, Monster Hunter Wilds offers everything you need for an unforgettable experience. Capcom has truly outdone itself with yet another exceptional game that you won’t want to miss. I enjoyed every minute of my playthrough from start to finish, and there’s even more stuff to discover with its fun-filled end-game content.

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.

Avowed is one of the best RPGs I've played in 2025, and I'm not even much of a role-playing genre fanatic.

Everything that makes Dynasty Warriors great has been built on and amplified in Dynasty Warriors: Origins. The fast-paced combat is more fluid and satisfying than ever, and I think the decision to allow players to build up their own character is the right move for the franchise moving forward. I wasn’t sure how Omega Force could take a series coming up on three decades old and make it appealing to newcomers while appeasing long-time fans, but they found a way. For me, this is the best Dynasty Warriors yet, and I’m excited to see what’s next.

The year just started so it's too early to be talking about GOTY, but for me, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is already at the very least a contender.

Regardless of my minor gripes with the game, Civilization 7 is a ton of fun. The Ages system is a major game-changer and really enhances the genre in a big way. Firaxis probably could have gotten away with a safer approach with this installment, opting for just better graphics. Instead, it boldly revamped a lot of the core systems to make the entire game more streamlined for both newcomers and veterans alike. I’m glad Firaxis is still finding ways to improve a genre it has mastered over the years, and as a result, Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 has the series in its best shape yet.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a wonderful game that distinguishes itself from the crowd and stands tall as a densely packed, enjoyable experience. Although it can use improvements in some areas, the Switch version of Hello Kitty Island Adventure is absolutely worth picking up if you’ve been looking for an Animal Crossing-like game to try out and either don’t have an iPhone or are on the fence about getting an Apple Arcade subscription and prefer one-time payments. It plays well with no major performance issues — at most, I found a slightly long loading screen. Considering the game’s size, though, I can easily forgive this.

And that’s kind of the bottom line: RoboDunk works quite well on a functional level. Its dunk-centric basketball is a quick, enjoyable snack. Its toy-like aesthetic and minimalistic stop-motion animation is effective. However, the framework just doesn’t support it quite right. Barring my (possible superficial) thoughts about robo-dunkers, the roguelite setup doesn’t provide a compelling experience. It’s a decent game to pick up and play, but it’s not the slam dunk it should be.

Mike Monroe and Belief Engine really know how to get a lot of mileage out of a simple idea. It would, perhaps, be accurate to say that Dead Letter Dept is better than the sum of its parts, but, truly, I think that fails to illustrate just how great its parts are. The simple joy of data entry is wrapped in a soft tortilla of a well-communicated atmosphere and a well-executed aesthetic. Through its medium, it finds the horror in mundanity and uncertainty. It’s a message worth receiving.

It's maybe not what I'll reach for the next time I'm in the mood for a metroidvania, but it's a symphony in its own right.

Everything a remaster should be.

While DKCR HD doesn't revolutionize the game, it still manages to become the definitive version of the title.

The story is intriguing and engaging.

Tedious dialouge, bland visuals and confusing combat make Xuan-Yuan Sword: The Gae of Firmament a joyless experience.