Despite some audio issues and janky animations, Tales of Xillia Remastered proves the classic game was worthy of being brought back in 2025. The smooth graphics and fluid gameplay make for a very enjoyable experience, even for fans of the original. For newcomers, the stellar cast of characters, intense plot, and excellent customization are worth the price of admission.

Battlefield REDSEC is a pretty uninteresting and derivative take on the battle royale genre, one that makes me wonder whether there's much life left in this particular style of game. There's no doubting how well Battlefield fits into a Battle Royale, however, with awesome class-integration, impressive destructibility, and a streamlined launch offering that harkens back to better times.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is the latest edition of the two-decades-old (yes, really) 3D fighting game, and one that finally makes it available for modern consoles. It plays as well as it ever has, with a steep but mega satisfying learning curve, and an incredibly diverse roster of characters. World Stage mode is a fun little single player addition, but lackluster customization and long matchmaking times remain as the game’s weak points.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a huge improvement over Age of Calamity. It offers more characters with interesting move sets, decent performance, and a story that doesn’t relegate itself to being a meaningless ‘what if’ scenario. Said story here does miss some open goals here and there, and the inevitable Musou repetition can set in during longer sessions. But overall, Age of Imprisonment delivers an incredibly satisfying Warriors experience with delectable Zelda flavor.

Despite small nitpicks such as recycled events and an at-times rough user interface, Europa Universalis 5 is a fantastic grand strategy game. Extremely complex but well worth the effort it takes to learn, this game feels like developer Paradox has learned the lessons of the last 15 years of its games.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is an absolute triumph. It brings a gorgeous visual overhaul, addictive turn-based combat, and top-tier quality of life updates to the table. I was wowed by its orchestral score, and by the high-reward exploration throughout. Voice acting is brilliant too – I just wish there was more of it. Overall, this is a shining example of what a remake should be, and playing through this duology has been a real highlight of my year in gaming.

All of the groundwork is there for this Hobbit life simulator to be a delightful jaunt through the rolling hills of Tolkien’s imagination, but the execution is lacking on almost every front. From bugs and poor optimization to uninspired dialogue and ill-paced progression, Tales of the Shire takes what should be a reflection on the lessons we might learn from Middle-earth’s most humble of races and mangles it into a bleak reminder that the “simple life” is no fun at all.

The Outer Worlds 2’s collection of medium-sized immersive sim-like sandboxes are brimming with detail and avenues for creative exploration. There are some minor missteps, however, namely in moments where the pacing slows down to a trudge, making for uneven momentum in how the adventure plays out. Like Obsidian’s finest games, its latest offering teems with brilliant, witty dialog, strong anti-capitalist themes, and a plot where your decision-making can lead you down truly unpredictable paths.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a behemoth park management sim. It offers an engaging campaign, the opportunity to revive, breed, and genetically upgrade dinosaurs, and the ability to build your own scenery from scratch. But I’d still like more scope to flex my creative muscles, and certain mechanics like managing dinosaurs’ comfort become a bit of a chore. A satisfying evolution, but it’ll require some tweaks to become truly great.

Just Dance 2026 Edition is a confident and innovative entry in the long-running party series. With beautiful music videos, strong choreography, a varied track list, and fantastic new camera controls, this instalment is the best yet.

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.