The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaps forward on what was offered in 2017’s Breath of the Wild, filling out the world’s sandbox with innovative new tools and abilities, letting you approach challenges in inventive new ways.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was already on the Mount Rushmore of video games. That said, if you weren't able to click with the original due to the performance, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition completely revolutionizes the game. Having spent over 70 hours exploring the vast region of Hyrule in glorious HDR, I can't recommend this game enough; it's truly one of the best gaming experiences you can buy in 2025.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is quite anomalous among modern-day downloadable content. Some jaw-droppingly gorgeous areas, a huge variety of fun new weapon types, and, of course, loads of teeth-gratingly difficult boss fights make for FromSoftware’s biggest and arguably best DLC expansion to date. It’s more Elden Ring, but that is what you’ve signed up for, right?

Rarely does a sequel so perfectly develop upon its predecessor's excellence as Hades 2 does while still retaining everything that made the original so great. While adding meaningful features, building upon the world, and mixing up the gameplay, it manages to remain balanced and free from bloat.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is already a classic, thanks to its incredible systemic open-world design that truly allows you to run wild and do whatever you’d like. It gives players the tools to experiment, do silly things constantly and make their adventure their own. And if you want to play it straight it’s a wonderful adventure game in its own right. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is simply the game as you know it, but better thanks to its improvements to framerate and resolution.

Astro Bot combines engrossing platforming mechanics across masterfully designed levels that are filled with fun obstacles and collectibles. It stands up to gaming’s biggest giants like Mario and Sonic as a result and is a joyous Game of the Year contender.

Whether you’re familiar with Atlus’s flavor of turn-based RPGs or not, Metaphor: ReFantazio is an essential play. The developer has built on its legendary ‘press turn’ combat with the innovative Archetype system, allowing for an unprecedented amount of customization and party composition when compared to its other popular series. Throw in a constantly gripping, politically-charged narrative and a diverse cast of wonderful characters and you have what is absolutely the best RPG of the year and a certified modern classic.

Channeling true JRPG excellence while putting its own western twist on the genre and turn-based combat, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an absolutely belting game. It has exquisite writing and story craft, wonderfully stylish and multifaceted combat, and is a blisteringly beautiful assault on all the senses from top-notch voice acting and audio to some of the most beautiful environments I’ve seen in years. It has the scope and execution of a game built by hundreds of developers, not a few dozen, and is easily an early game of the year contender.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a loving recreation of the original’s second act, elevated by an impressive level of commitment and confidence and only held back by the occasional wobble.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a triumphant evolution of 2D Mario, with a non-stop flow of creative ideas wrapped up in a visually delightful package, bursting with character.

Blue Prince’s fantastic puzzle design, roguelike room-laying mechanics, and intriguing mysteries create an experience that’s utterly captivating. You’re encouraged to ponder every clue and remember every detail, all while striving to find the next big discovery.

It took a while for Street Fighter 6 to arrive, and for good reason. The final product is slickly polished, packed with modes and headlined by its feature-rich online Battle Hub and ambitious single player World Tour. It’s a fighting game for everyone, with multiple control styles and vast accessibility options.

Forza Horizon 6 is the win that Xbox desperately needed. Playground Games has clearly looked at the shortcomings of the previous entry — an uninteresting map, samey events, and a general feeling of the series spinning its wheels — and set about improving on almost all of them. Japan is wondrous to explore and race around, and new features like aftermarket cars help inject the series with newfound energy and heightened player expression. It’s not without faults, but it spells an end to the dark patch the racing series has been through over the last half-decade.

Against the Storm is an excellent strategy game, selling its mysterious dark fantasy setting and challenging city-building with confidence. Though a significant learning curve and the occasionally outdated presentation hold the title back from perfection, Eremite’s PC debut is a strong addition to the genre.

Split Fiction is the third co-op game from Hazelight Studios and arguably its largest and most imaginative to date. It packs an array of captivating mini-games into a linear, yet highly rewarding platformer, laced with Hazelight’s trademark storytelling to keep you on your moral toes. Players will have fun recognizing the vast pop culture references that have been peppered throughout Split Fiction, which deliver a unique twist whilst nostalgically returning us to the early days of gaming.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is so much more than I expected from a sequel, deftly avoiding the pitfalls that come with following up from one of the best indie games. Team Cherry’s second masterpiece is not for everyone, but it’s absolutely proven to be worth the wait. It rewards patience in its combat, platforming, and exploration, before daring the player to take big risks during boss fights. Frustrating map design decisions and a tendency to punish the player early on dampen the experience from time to time, but make no mistake, Silksong is every bit as great as its predecessor.

Donkey Kong Bananza is the greatest Nintendo Switch 2 title to date, delivering an incredible destruction system that showcases the power of the new system. It’s visually impressive and, while the story isn’t anything to write home about, benefits from charming and expressive voice acting and animations. Throw in a seemingly endless stream of collectibles and secrets, and you have a meaty adventure that’s a delight to explore.

Balatro is easily one of the freshest roguelites to come out in some time. By loosely applying the rules of poker to a deckbuilding format, developer LocalThunk has managed to forge something special.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers a satisfying Spidey-saga that gives fans everything they could want from a Venom arc and also includes several surprises. It's a single-player open-world game that prioritizes fun above all else, with a host of accessibility features to let everyone join in.

Resident Evil Requiem shines in its incredible first half, which masterfully blends pulse-pounding horror with intense action. Unfortunately, that winning formula isn’t maintained throughout the latter sections, which devolve into fan-service moments strung together by an increasingly sloppy plot. Still enjoyable, but ironic that an instalment about moving on from the past would be so weighed down by it.

Tekken 8 had some pretty big expectations to meet, but it exceeds every single one. It’s a concrete addition to a well-established series and manages to add complexity to an already solid combat system. Every battle feels as though your life is on the line, the mark of a fantastic fighting game.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Switch 2 is the second-best way to play the best way to play FFVII. It's wonderful to be able to take this game on the go, but the graphical downgrades might not appeal to folks with access to more powerful hardware.

Pokémon Pokopia was always bound to be up there among my most-played games of 2026, but even I underestimated how well Nintendo would tackle its latest town-building / cozy life sim. It’s story-driven, offering a great gameplay loop, inventive mechanics, and very few friction points; Nintendo clearly learned from some of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ quality-of-life hiccups. My only wish would be for a little more individuality in Poké-personalities, but it’s still plenty charming as it is.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a great example of a sequel that expands on the original without losing sight of it. The traversal is still the star of the show, while the action has been significantly improved without taking over the experience. While a conventional plot takes the back seat for a more character-driven story, the new cast of characters and a phenomenal final third act stick the landing with prime Hideo Kojima bombast.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth represents something of a culmination of the franchise so far, telling a gripping tale that can be as hilarious as it is heart-wrenching.

Split Fiction, on paper, is the perfect companion for the Switch 2. In some ways, it is, with its Friend's Pass allowing for online crossplay and the GameChat feature letting you see and hear your online friends as you play. But there's no getting around the fact that this is a serious downgrade from the versions on other platforms. And, while the Switch 2's versatility means you can technically play on the go, the experience is less than optimal. That's not to say this fun-filled co-op game looks or performs badly, but the drop in quality is disappointing. If you don't care about performance or visuals, however, and simply want a thrilling co-adventure to jump into with a friend, you can't go wrong with Split Fiction.

Alan Wake 2 stands out as a champion among modern survival horror games. Its beautifully woven story encompasses everything you could want from a blockbuster horror title. Expertly crafted cutscenes meld together reality and video games while thrilling combat and frightening chases keep things interesting as you dig into a gripping narrative.

Monster Hunter Wilds is a bold and bustling continuation of its predecessor’s approach to streamlining the once-niche series. By stripping away some of the more frustrating elements of the past, and focusing on getting players into hunts as quickly as possible, Monster Hunter Wilds has the potential to launch the series to new heights. Aside from some head-scratching omissions, Monster Hunter Wilds is a collection of the greatest hits from past games, one that finally delivers on the promise of a truly vibrant and living open world.