The amount of dedication and passion that’s gone into Astro Bot is obvious in every pixel of every texture; there’s not a single bug, glitch, or texture issue to be seen. Its controls are easy to understand and incredibly tight, with Astro moving exactly how you need him to. In the 15 hours I’ve spent so far in finishing its campaign and going back to replay levels to pick up missing Bots, I’ve not encountered a single moment of frustration. It’s beautifully designed both in its self-contained levels and those dedicated to much-loved, Sony-exclusive franchises.

That fun sense of progression, coupled with 10-15 minute gameplay runs (that usually end up with you saying, “just one more!”) are enough to make me recommend Ball x Pit to just about anyone. With a $14.99 USD price tag to boot — and access via Xbox Game Pass if you’re not super-angry with Microsoft right now — this one’s not only a no-brainer, but one of the best games of 2025.

Metroid Prime Remastered is a must play masterpiece, regardless of if you were there on the GameCube or if this is your first time exploring Tallon IV. Such is the quality of the original release, the gameplay holds up on its own accord, as some of the best in the genre, two decades later. It’s brought to a modern audience with completely overhauled high-definition textures across the entire game. It looks great and is so faithfully recreated, Metroid Prime Remastered is presented exactly how your nostalgic mind remembers it, for those who have been here before. Delivered with a modern control scheme that works very well, and excellent performance perfectly tailored to the ageing Nintendo Switch, Metroid Prime is one of the greatest games of all-time – now it’s also one of the best remasters ever made.

Play Control for its lore, its sense of exploration or its combat, but the bottom line this: you simply need to play it.

Metaphor ReFantazio sets out to blend the best of its predecessors’ gameplay with an all-new setting, and the result is far greater than the sum of its parts.

This one’s a no-brainer; The Artful Escape is on Xbox Game Pass and you absolutely, positively have no reason to miss it if you’re a subscriber. If you’re not and you enjoy warm fuzzies, either get on board or buy it outright as you won’t be disappointed.

Alan Wake 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece, and a game that you absolutely need to play. Kudos, Remedy.

Rockstar Games continues to prove that when it comes to creating games, it’s the master at pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved.

Breath of the Wild is The Legend of Zelda game I didn’t know I always wanted until I starting playing. It’s a disservice to simply label it spectacular, and “must buy” as a Switch launch title is merely a formality. Nintendo promised a lot and left us hanging delay after delay, culminating in a cross-gen switch, but it’s delivered in every sense of the word. Breath of the Wild is the best in a series that’s almost never disappointed.

Overall, this is a Forza Horizon game in every sense of the word, and shows off the best of what Horizon can be. It’s fun, only structured if you want it to be, and seems to exist purely to make sure you have a good time. What more could you want?

Mixtape is a warm hug; a nostalgic look at what us oldies would now define as “simpler times”. Set in a sleepy American town, it can work as a parallel for most western childhoods (though Rockford’s Rage shirt certainly reminds this is an Aussie tale, born and bred). It’s grunge and punk, hopeful and foolish, ultra cool and super nerdy, confident and insecure in equal measure. Simply put, this is one you need to experience for yourself.

Overall, this is a Forza Horizon game in every sense of the word, and shows off the best of what Horizon can be. It’s fun, only structured if you want it to be, and seems to exist purely to make sure you have a good time. What more could you want?

Unique, poignant, and one that will stick with you, The Alters also will win hearts with a $52 AUD price tag or availability through Xbox Game Pass. As a result, it's highly recommended and needs to be played to be properly understood and enjoyed.

That’s the real beauty here: stories don’t have to be full of doom, gloom, betrayal and murder to be effective or impactful. Queers don’t have to be dragged through the mud because of who they are. While Tell Me Why may draw people in because of a transgender character, it offers far more than just that. It presents a complex, psychological narrative that doesn’t use minorities as mere tools to shortcut emotional responses from its players. Take note.

Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most creative, satisfying and rewarding games we've ever played, all within a familiar Hyrule.

The traditions of survival horror have been modernised, resulting in something that’s all-too-familiar yet always manages to keep you on your toes. The Raccoon City that you’ve always envisaged by filling in the blanks and making up for the failings of 32-bit graphics is now real.

With Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo proves the 3D sandbox platformer is not only alive and well, but that it can continue to be evolved and surprise us, consume us and astonish us in clever and elegant ways.

Simply put, this is $10 USD well spent.

Overall, Elden Ring is slightly held back by some lacking information in the UI, the uneven nature of the difficulty towards the endgame, and the inconsistent performance on the PC platform. Despite this, it's an incredible experience and will be one of the best games you’ll play this year.

Tetris Forever is the most joyful and wondrous experience I’ve had with a video game all year and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Its only crime is that it does such an intensely good job of getting you keen to consume every weird version of Tetris that’s out there that it can’t help but bring a twang of disappointment at its inability to deliver most of them as playable builds within itself. The folks at Digital Eclipse are doing remarkable and important work with these collections and I hope we continue to see many more of them.

This is a kind of story that hasn’t been seen in modern RPGs, with a level and distinctiveness in visual presentation that leaves many franchises right now in the dust. All this plus a star-studded voice cast makes Clair Obscur Expedition 33 an amazing first outing from the studio, and a powerful statement that the RPG genre is still growing and evolving to this day. JRPGs have had their time in the sun, sure – but I say, bring on the FRPGs!

If you’ve played Super Mario Maker, you already know this Switch sequel is a must-buy. If you’re a Switch owner, Super Mario Maker 2 needs to be part of your collection. Easy as that.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is the perfect encore to one of the greatest games of all time. It knows it’s already delivered an astonishing performance, and after leaving us hanging, returns asking if we want more. That’s exactly what we wanted, and it’s more of the same in all the right ways. There are no big surprises, and that’s only a good thing, as everything in the Shadow Realm would feel at home in the base game. It promised more Elden Ring, and as someone who rarely finds the time to revisit an old game for new DLC, I’m utterly addicted to this expansion.

Whether you're a hardcore fan, or loved Fallen Order before it, Star Wars Jedi Survivor is The Empire Strikes Back to Fallen Order’s A New Hope.

The core game remains excellent in almost every way; if you’re solely a PS4 owner, now is your time to experience the next chapter in Lara’s epic tail.

Silent Hill f balances threat and reality in a way that kept me playing longer and longer per session.

The outlook is good though, and the past 15 months have shown the commitment the Diablo developers have towards making this the best game they can. Here’s to another year of Diablo 4.

Battlestar Galactica Scattered Hopes is a wonderfully engaging work in its own right on top of being one of the most holistically smart video game adaptations in history. I am tremendously impressed by it and cannot recommend it to fans of the series enough.