2025 had dozens and dozens of incredible games. There were huge, AAA heaters like Silent Hill f and DOOM: The Dark Ages, mid-tier bangers like Revenge of the Savage Planet and Rematch, and even small hits like Consume Me and Sword of the Sea. The greatness was spread across many types of genres and team sizes, making for a varied year; there aren’t just one or two clear frontrunners like there have been in past years. So even if layoffs and corporate greed continue to hollow out the industry and make everything a little (or a lot) worse, the variety is, in its own special way, at least good to see.
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So while there are many ways to compile a list of the greatest games of the year, here are ComicBook’s top 10 games of 2025.
10) Battlefield 6
Battlefield has never been more back with Battlefield 6. Instead of launching in a rough state and eventually reaching the shores of acceptability months if not years later, Battlefield 6 came out as one of the better multiplayer shooters of recent memory. A suite of hard-hitting and unique-feeling guns coupled with the series’ signature impeccable audio design lay at the bedrock of the “Battlefield Moments” that power the game. It’s a story generator that continually provides clippable moments, be it a one-in-a-million shot while riding on top of a jet or a Looney Tunes-esque scenario where a convenient piece of debris stops a helicopter from turning the player into a fatigues-wearing pancake.
Even with a painfully average story campaign and a slightly lackluster progression system, the power of these small tales is what gives Battlefield its ability to reach such totemic heights. A lot of that can get lost when bugs and poor server performance get in the way, both of which have plagued Battlefield games of the past. But Battlefield 6 has finally brought the series back where it needed to be and made it so these ridiculous stories can be better enjoyed without a cavalcade of caveats.
9) Arc Raiders
It’s easy to dismiss extraction shooters because they are a dime a dozen. One seems to sprout up just as another withers on the vine. Arc Raiders not only managed to break through the cynicism surrounding that genre; it skyrocketed to high acclaim and became one of the surprise hits of the year, irrespective of genre.
Arc Raiders stuck out for many reasons — its retrofuturistic visual design, lack of gear resets, and array of well-constructed robotic opponents — but its community and the way in which it supports said community are its best features. Diving in solo is not as intimidating as it usually is because it’s always possible to bounce back, thanks to the ability to always have access to somewhat decent starting gear.
Players are also often more open to friendly chatter and impromptu cooperation, a shocking aspect in this divided world that has led to some hilarious, viral clips and anecdotes. Proximity chat only makes these moments all the sweeter and, in contrast to most other games, makes taking refuge on a private Discord chat much less appealing. So even though the loop of gathering loot and blasting evil machines feels fantastic and makes going for one more run an alluring proposition, these systems just make for a strong mechanical backbone to such a brilliant, community-driven multiplayer game that doesn’t neglect new solo players or hardcore survivalists.
8) Hollow Knight: Silksong
Even with around seven years of escalating hype, Hollow Knight: Silksong still managed to, for the most part, topple the weighty expectations thrust upon it. Blisteringly hard platforming segments test the player’s skill, as they have to deftly float and air slash on top of hazards in order to reach a tiny ledge of safety. And when paired with scores of enemies that peck away at the insectoid protagonist, Hornet, these gauntlets force players to intimately learn the mechanics and smooth controls in order to progress. Bosses are similarly climactic confrontations that test the player’s mettle and require intimate knowledge and pattern recognition in order to come out victorious, something that’s often paired with a euphoric high.
The difficulty can occasionally bend too far and veer sharply into sadistic territory; long runbacks to bosses and checkpoint benches are arbitrary ways to punish players and pad out the game. It’s a frustrating and often unfortunate byproduct of Silksong’s difficulty, but this high level of challenge is reflected in the carefully thought-out world and narrative that’s filled with religious overtones. The themes of penance and the need to overcome are baked right into the gameplay, so even though some more accessibility options wouldn’t kill the experience, this symbiotic relationship between the difficulty and narrative demonstrates the thorough craft that echoes throughout the entire game.
7) Ghost of Yotei
Sucker Punch Productions delivered a fairly safe sequel with Ghost of Yotei. On the surface, it looks a lot like its predecessor and more or less falls into the mold set by other PlayStation first-party games. And there is a lingering scent of familiarity that wafts over the entire game. But the magic here is how it all fits together.
Focusing more on weapon variety makes combat more intuitive when compared to Ghost of Tsushima’s hard-to-remember styles and yields more depth and flair. Each has its strengths and drawbacks to learn — the kusarigama’s Scorpion-like “Get Over Here!” pull never gets old — but they, more importantly, sit atop of solid fundamentals. Hitting that perfect parry, blasting the last guy in a standoff with a tiny pistol, and chucking a sword at a nearby Saito goon all feels fantastic thanks to the responsive controls and effects that sell the whole thing; something that’s even more prevalent on its excellent and highly customizable Lethal difficulty. Combat is often an afterthought in games like this, however, it is a central pillar here and makes the game’s many battles worth seeking out.
The world, though, is the true star of Ghost of Yotei. This absolutely stunning rendition of the Ezo territory is immediately striking because of its beauty, but the layout is more impressive. It is littered with all sorts of structures that are meant to catch the player’s eye, like a burning building or a bar decorated in various masks. They’re often noticeable from afar, too, and get players to curiously poke around and find a new side quest chain or just a sick hat. This natural exploration and drip feed of small events makes the world feel alive and is a key element most other open-world games miss. The story of Atsu and her journey of revenge is often inconsistent, but its world hardly ever is.
6) Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 can be a tough nut to crack. For example, it’s the kind of game that can punish the player for being too stinky or wearing the wrong clothes. But those silly little traits are evidence of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s broader success as an immersive role-playing game. Taking care of the main character, Henry, means players will need to sharpen their weapons, rest, eat, and clean up lest they clash with any of the interlocking systems that make the game’s world feel alive. There are some immersion-breaking instances where it doesn’t react to what the player has done, but these tiny cracks in the armor don’t override the many ways in which it gives players the freedom to truly roleplay.
It makes good on the implied promise of older Bethesda Softworks games where players are given chances to think and react to the game’s web of systems. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s many side quests (which are often surprisingly deep, sophisticated, and written well) give players ample opportunities to do just that and are why it feels so immersive. So even though it’s a massive and beautiful game with a decent parry-heavy combat system, it’s the moments where it invites players to get lost in its world and rewards them for it that make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 such a genre classic.
5) Blue Prince
There have been action roguelikes, shooting roguelikes, and card-based roguelikes and now, thanks to Blue Prince, there are exploration, room-building roguelikes. This bizarre and unexpected mix makes Blue Prince one of the most innovative games of the year.
The first layer of this elaborate onion is about understanding how to link together rooms in order to get as far as possible. This takes a bit of planning, deductive reasoning, and a pinch of luck and figuring out how each room works — all of which have different perks and layouts — is a slow process that players can begin to master.
But it goes so much deeper. Noticing small details and piecing together the surprisingly well-spun lore become their own puzzles, as the game regularly forces players to pay attention in order to progress and pick up on the subtle details. Sometimes it can be frustrating to fall on the bad side of Lady Luck, but almost every run is a rewarding learning experience and ensures Blue Prince will go down as a bona fide genre classic.
4) Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Kojima Productions did the unpredictable by doing the predictable: It made a relatively safe follow-up to its divisive 2019 hit, Death Stranding. Hideo Kojima and his team are known for completely blowing up the idea of a sequel by shifting time periods, protagonists, or mechanics, but Death Stranding 2: On the Beach doesn’t rock the boat too much and places players once again in the dirt-covered boots of Sam Porter Bridges.
Even with the lack of surprise, this journey is still a rather special one, benefitting from the illustrious studio’s trademark panache. Delivering various packages across the dilapidated Australian or Mexican landscape becomes a tactical endeavor as players have to piece together how exactly they want to get from point A to point B. Does it include a string of floating carriers or a tricked-out truck? Will nonlethal rounds be enough or should Sam whip out the big guns? There’s only so much space, so, even though this second title isn’t quite as punishing as the first, choices have to be made.
This post-apocalyptic UberEats voyage is mechanically sound, yet given more meaning through its narrative. In typical Kojima fashion, it is overly dense, often melodramatic, corny, and filled without enough jargon to fill a small dictionary. But there’s an earnestness to it that makes up for its handful of shortcomings and is presented with a cinematic flair that most games still can’t keep up with. It’s steeped in metaphor, and the sheer spectacle of these wild ideas is a sight to behold.
3) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went from being that RPG with the hard-to-remember name to one of 2025’s most defining video games. It was also one of the few feel-good stories of the year, because it starred a fresh new team that broke away from the monotonous AAA grind in order to create something special. In an industry filled with sequels and samey ideas — as well as new teams that often struggle to find their footing — Clair Obscur’s success stuck out.
But the cheery nature of the story around the game only contrasts nicely with the glib story within it. Clair Obscur is a dark game with a twisty plot that delves into grief and loss with the maturity such subjects deserve. It’s a depressing poignant game that’s all too relevant to modern struggles, albeit filtered through its surrealist French lens. In a genre brimming with memorable tales, Clair Obscur still makes its mark.
But gameplay mechanics this strong means it doesn’t have to just lean on its narrative. Aping from action games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Devil May Cry ends up being one of its biggest strengths because it gives the turn-based fights a skill-based edge the genre doesn’t always have. Players have to be on point with their parries, which is a thrilling feeling that gels nicely that comes with the tactical decisions of picking attacks, synergies, and gear. It’s an amalgamation of tried ideas presented with enough flair and tactical depth to make it one of the best-feeling games of the year. And with such strong combat mechanics juxtaposed against a killer narrative and unique art style, it’s easy to see why Clair Obscur is such a well-rounded treat.
2) Hades 2
Supergiant Games made its first sequel in 16-year history with Hades 2 and makes a great argument for the team to make more follow-ups in the future. Hades 2, though, has many of the trademark features of its predecessor. Its diverse cast of exquisitely drawn characters bring the game’s world to life and espouse tasty bits of lore through Supergiant’s signature poetic prose and the cast’s thoroughly fantastic performances. Runs never feel too similar, thanks to the varied weapon selection, ever-changing bosses, array of game-changing Boons, deep wealth of dialogue, and selection of perks that make for an uncountable amount of possible builds. Slick controls mean death is never the game’s fault and only make the urge to go for one more run hard to ignore.
It’s undoubtedly familiar, yet this doesn’t damn Hades 2, even if it sometimes lives in the first game’s shadow. New heroine Melinoë is more nuanced on the battlefield than her brother Zagreus since she’s more about positioning and casting. The Arcana Cards that mirror the Mirror of Night from the original are more complex here and are a smart way to build on that alluring meta progression that makes Hades a bit more forgiving. Familiars are also deeper than the Legendary Keepsakes from the first Hades and demonstrate another way this sequel fulfills the fantasy of being a sorceress while also carving its own path. The story fumbles at the very end and is noticeable because of how well its forebear concluded, but that doesn’t sully Hades 2’s overall staggering quality and demonstrates why this series is still at or near the apex of the entire roguelike genre.
1) Dispatch
Telltale Games was damned by its own success and, while still producing some excellent work, couldn’t quite push the adventure game genre forward. Repetition killed the studio, and the lack of true innovation meant spiritual successors like Star Trek: Resurgence and The Expanse: A Telltale Series weren’t able to pick up the torch. However, AdHoc Studio’s Dispatch changed all that.
This superhero-focused workplace comedy breathed life back into this genre in ways it has desperately needed. For one, it actually made good on the episodic release schedule by having regular drops only a week apart, giving players time to marinate on its story and guess what was next. Dispatch also honed in on its characters and prioritized character growth, all of which was further highlighted by its often killer comedic timing and constant gags. While not every joke hits, it’s a surprisingly funny game that benefits from having slick writing and detailed animation to sell each bit. The crude animation that defined Telltale has been thankfully traded for a style that looks like any regular animated television show; its bright and colorful art direction only makes it even prettier to look at it.
Dispatch also pushes forward by introducing gameplay mechanics that are more engaging than bland pixel hunts and out-of-place, pace-killing puzzles. Sending heroes out on assignment and deducing who would fit what role is a fulfilling exercise that rewards careful planning and thoughtfulness. Sadly, not everything is perfectly explained and the dispatch sections (for the most part) don’t affect the story, but it’s great to see a narrative-focused adventure game like this strive to create compelling mechanics that aren’t just quick-time events.
Dispatch is the superpowered shot in the arm the genre has been begging for for years. A sassy and loveable cast of misfits, flurry of hilarious jokes, better-than-expected dispatch missions, and eye-catching presentation makes it a multifaceted threat and one of the handful of surprise hits of the year. Hopefully, it’s a sign of what’s to come for both AdHoc Studio and the genre as a whole.
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