Ninja Gaiden 4 is the best game Team Ninja has put out since Nioh 2, and for co-developer PlatinumGames it’s easily its strongest project since 2019’s Astral Chain. A boisterous, blood-drenched character action game, Ninja Gaiden 4 combines the rock-solid difficulty of its predecessors with Platinum’s prowess for satisfying, fast-paced combat. Some levels do drag on with dull platforming sections, but few games this year match the unapologetic thrills of Ninja Gaiden 4’s brutally brilliant combat.

Keeper is a refreshingly creative game out of Xbox-owned studio Double Fine Productions, where you take control of a sentient lighthouse to journey to the top of a mountain with the company of a bird friend. Simple puzzles, tight camera angles, and varied traversal keep the game ticking along, but a lack of extra depth to the world or the story made Keeper feel a little one-note and not as weird as it might think it is.

A cobbled-together walking simulator with a dead world and poorly paced linear narrative that’s unconvincingly pretending to be an action RPG. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a disaster and not the sequel its legendary predecessor needed or deserved.

People often say you can't reinvent the wheel. Pokémon Legends: Z-A proves that sometimes you can improve on perfection, and while some changes need some fine-tuning, the experience it delivers is one I hope I'll see again from this franchise.

Battlefield 6 isn’t the most exciting or innovative entry in the series so far, but it still delivers one of the strongest multiplayer offerings yet. Well-designed maps and the returning class system elevate matches, which especially shine in the new Escalation mode. It’s just a shame that the quality of the online play does not extend to the single-player campaign.

Trials in the Sky 1st Chapter is a fantastic remake and a wonderful introduction into the wider series. Overhauled combat is executed with finesse, while quality of life and visual improvements make the world feel so much more immersive. There are some small localization issues and offbeat, partially voiced segments, but that doesn’t detract all too much from the engaging story and charismatic cast. This is a must-play for JRPG devotees, and one of my personal favorite releases of 2025.

Star Wars: Beyond Victory has all the parts required to be an amazing VR game. It just assembles these components in an unsatisfying way that leads to an experience I can’t recommend, even to a mega fan.

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.

King of Meat delivers heaps of content at a reasonable price. It’s a lot of fun when you’re exploring a great dungeon with friends, but the cumbersome platforming means that others can be a slog. The level making and character customization options are top-notch, too, though you’ll have to put up with no shortage of annoying dialogue as you play.

The definitive way to play two of the best Mario adventures of all time. If you've never experienced either Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Galaxy 2, now is the time to do so: Two magical adventures with addictive level design and an incredible soundtrack. Both games could be on any Mount Rushmore of Nintendo titles.

Ghost of Yotei feels a little like the PS5 exclusive we’ve been waiting for, and a truly great sequel - though not quite a perfect one. Its visceral, bloody combat, wonderful world and map, sense of exploration, and gripping epic tale are true highlights. And while there are a few imperfections, and it really does wear the influence of its predecessor boldly on its sleeve, it's an adventure and landscape to sink hours and hours of enjoyment into.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a faithful, yet expanded remaster of a genre-defining classic that gets it right where it matters most. Upgraded visuals, a fast-forward option, and auto-saving go a long way in making Tactics accessible for returning fans and newcomers alike. The voice acting is, at times, a little underwhelming, the camera can still be a touch awkward, and some difficulty spikes can be crushing. But still, an epic story, great score, and pleasingly deep combat make this a must-play for tactical RPG fanatics.

It may not be set in the titular town, but Silent Hill f undoubtedly encompasses the essence of the series with a dark, twisted, and emotionally weighty tale of psychological horror. It also takes plenty of imaginative and creative risks that are fantastic and flawed in equal measure. It would be an even more special game if only it weren't plagued by an inconsistent atmosphere and some of the most miserable combat I've ever experienced.

EA Sports FC 26 is a veritable smorgasbord of well-refined modes, improved gameplay mechanics, and never-better player likenesses. No single upgrade defines the experience, but offline players will feel particularly grateful for this year's litany of realism-focused changes.

Dying Light: The Beast went from potential expansion to a fully-fledged sequel, and although its origins are on full display in its narrative and protagonist, it never feels constrained by them. This is a fresh entry into the popular zombie-smashing franchise, taking the action from the city streets to a sleepy Alpine resort, but it's a welcome change of pace that opens up new and exciting ways to kill truckloads of infected Z-heads - it's just a shame that the human enemies still aren't all that interesting to fight.

The visually stunning world of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is compelling and full of heart, staking its claim in the bustling roguelite genre with its unique dual-character mechanic. Its cast of vibrant characters, both in your party and in the hub area, fills the journey with depth, though sometimes a little at the expense of the pacing, but still makes for a thoroughly enjoyable adventure.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds isn’t just the best racing game of the year; it brings a confidence and energy that the genre has rarely seen over the past decade and a half. Especially as arcade-like experiences have largely given way to more straight-faced sim racing affairs. CrossWorlds offers a metric ton of things to do, with loads of tracks, characters, vehicles, and unlockables. The racing itself is also plenty addicting, thrilling, and - most importantly - blazingly fast. Some side modes feel a little underbaked, but this is an incredibly strong package where you absolutely get what you pay for.

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: DK Island & Emerald Rush gives you a neat, though largely empty, rendition of DK Island to explore and a cool side mode to master. It’s a fun little extra that would’ve made for a fantastic free update, but it's certainly not worth the relatively steep asking price.

NHL 26 is the best ice hockey game you can buy, but don't go into the experience expecting a casual pick-up and play experience. With incredible realism and excellent presentation, NHL 26 is the closest thing many of us will experience to playing in the intensity of arenas like the Bell Centre. It's a very good sports game, but sometimes you just want to have fun.

Borderlands 4 surprised me. After not gelling with the series’ prior two entries, the fourth mainline instalment provides some of the most fun I’ve ever had with the quirky looter shooter. Its characters are well-written and not lacking in charm, but most importantly, Gearbox has achieved something I thought impossible: making Claptrap likeable. Some performance issues do need ironing out - especially on PC - and I wish some of the side challenges were a bit more fulfilling. But overall, this is easily the best Borderlands has ever been; yes, even when stacked up to the iconic first sequel.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion clearly takes inspiration from the Xenoblade Chronicles series with huge open maps and deeply customizable mech suits. The game nails the customization and has some cool ideas all its own, like the superb fusion system. Unfortunately, it does very little with its open spaces, and they aren’t particularly visually interesting. With bland interior levels, shallow side missions, and rather listless combat, it’s ultimately a game that feels half-baked.

Sword Of The Sea takes the vivid template drawn in previous titles Journey, Abzû, and The Pathless into boundlessly creative new territory. Across eight levels, you traverse landscapes ablaze with life and reawaken vibrant imagined worlds. It’s a majestic, immersive – and mostly convincing – celebration of extreme sports and a reflection on Earth’s disintegrating environment in an era of climate change.

The NBA series has never been short of things to do for long time fans, but the way NBA 2K26 knits together its vast array of online and offline modes now makes for some of the best on-court action the series has ever seen. I grew to enjoy last year’s game, but I’m enraptured with this one right from the first tip-off.

Lost Soul Aside is a competently made action game filled with phenomenal combat and cinematic battles. It has some compelling visuals and environments, but PC performance is lackluster, resulting in frequent hitches and distractions. The story isn’t the most engaging and has awkward platforming mechanics too.

Much like the game’s creatures that assemble from the bits and bobs of the deceased on their path, Cronos: The New Dawn also amalgamates the prime cuts of Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, The Last of Us, Alan Wake, and more survival horror classics. At least the result isn't a hulking monstrosity that I want to kill with fire. However, despite traces of genuinely inventive ideas, it's a flawed patchwork that just about gets away with competently imitating all of its absorbed parts.

Everybody's Golf Hot Shots is honest-to-goodness, pure golfing fun. Better than any recent Mario Golf title, and with enough depth to satisfy those looking for a richer experience, it's a game suitable for a surprisingly wide audience. There are tons to see, do, and unlock, but the game is certainly hampered by extremely slow per-character progression.

Excellent shooting, fluid parkour, and plenty of variety electrify this brief sci-fi adventure. The visuals are superb, but it’s undermined by rocky performance and awkward dialogue throughout.