As another year comes to an end, it’s once again time to rank video games. Just like every year, my top ten list follows a few simple rules. One, and most obvious, to be eligible, I have to have actually played the game. That means that if you don’t see a really big release on this list anywhere, there’s a good chance I simply didn’t play it. Two, remakes are allowed, but remasters are not. Every year the difference gets a little murkier, but this year, no remakes or remasters actually made the cut, so it doesn’t matter too much. And third, the game needs to be released in 2025, based on its first release in the United States. This one didn’t actually end up being a factor this year either.

And before we get started on all that, here’s a list of honorable mentions that don’t follow any of the rules the rest of the list follows.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby

I’m not going to claim to fully understand Umamusume: Pretty Derby, but I did find it to be a fun way to kill some time. If you’re not aware, the game is about training horses, or “Umamusume”, or anime girls with horse ears and tails, to race. It’s a strange premise, but I enjoyed my time with it.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

This was a game I had decided qualified as a remake, but I wasn’t completely sure. But at the end of the day, it didn’t matter as it didn’t make the top ten list. Metal Gear Solid Delta is a very faithful remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, and includes everything that was great about the original game with some beautiful new visuals and more modern controls. Unfortunately, it also includes the elements that make 3 my least favorite entry in the series, mostly the eating and healing mechanics.

Freedom Wars HD

I never played the original release of Freedom Wars, but I was happy to spend some time with the remaster while waiting for Monster Hunter Wilds to release. And considering Wilds does not appear in this post at all, other than this mention, it’s pretty clear which Monster Hunter style game I think is more worth your time.

Shadowgate PD

All of the games included in Playdate Season 2 are quite good, but Shadowgate PD is the one that stood out to me the most. It’s a fully featured remake of the classic point and click adventure game that I first played on Game Boy Color, although it was on other platforms before that. I always really liked the game, and having it in the tiny handheld that is often in my pocket was great.

Cyberpunk 2077

I really wish I had spent more time with Cyberpunk 2077. I hadn’t played it at all until the Switch 2 launch, but I was immediately impressed with just how good the game looked and ran on Nintendo’s new console. I’m hoping to play more of it in 2026.

Street Fighter 6

I had played a lot of Street Fighter 6 when it first released, but hopped back in with the Switch 2 release. This is a great version of the game, and it’s awesome to have it on the go.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the all time greats, and long time readers of the blog will know that it has a long history on here. The Definitive Edition is even better, and having the game on a platform people actually bought is obviously a plus.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

I’ve gotten further into this new release of Final Fantasy Tactics than I ever managed to in past releases. The new voice acting and difficulty settings make this a must play remake/remaster/whatever this is.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

I just like Tokyo Mirage Sessions.

And now, here is my list of the top ten games of 2025.

10. Carte Blanche

At the end of the day, Carte Blanche is a pretty simple collection of classic card games, but it oozes personality. It features a bird named Blanche who just wants to teach and play card games. There’s a fun series of unlocks that are just random junk that Blanche has found that you acquire from playing a slot machine. Despite it’s simplicity, Carte Blanche became a game that I played almost every night before bed, and I’m glad to have it.

9. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into when I picked up Fantasy Life i. I had it in my head that it was an Animal Crossing-like that also had some RPG elements. Turns out, it’s much more of a very simple, class based RPG. It’s not the deepest, but learning new classes to do more crafting or new types of attacks and completing quests was good, solid fun.

8. Doom: The Dark Ages

Back in 2016, Doom was my game of the year. Doom Eternal was still a very good game, but it went in some directions that made me not like the game as much. Now this year, Doom: The Dark Ages goes a little more back into what I want from the series, but still doesn’t hit the highs from the 2016 release. Super frantic gunplay with some really creative weapons are back in full force, and the additions of giant robot and dragon riding levels are a nice touch.

7. Silent Hill f

I’ve never been the biggest Silent Hill guy, Silent Hill 2 being the only one I really connected with. But I took a chance on Silent Hill f and am really glad I did. The game is far from perfect, with far too many forced combat situations that simply weren’t fun to play, but there’s plenty of good too. The story of a girl struggling with 1960’s Japan’s expectations was powerful and scary in a way that Silent Hill excels at and more than makes up for the rough combat.

6. Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World was the perfect launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. It has great visuals, some cool new modes, and it’s just Mario Kart. The new open world is a lot of fun to poke around in, and I know this is controversial, but I really enjoy the way you now drive through it to connect the different tracks. The new Knockout Tour mode, which is Mario Kart’s take on battle royale, is very fun and addictive. No, the game does not have as much content as Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, but that game took years to get where it is, and what’s in World is really solid.

5. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

After waiting eight years for Metroid Prime 4, and the fact that Metroid Prime is easily one of my all time favorite games, it’s kind of disappointing that this game isn’t higher up on the list. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not an excellent video game. Metroid Prime 4 features some of the best graphics I’ve seen this year and some really fun environments and bosses and all the stuff I like. Unfortunately, it’s a little too straight forward, and the hub in between the different areas is not very interesting. I had a really great time with this game, and I feel like this is the foundation that will lead to an incredible fifth game.

4. Kirby Air Riders

I never played the original GameCube game, but the Switch 2 sequel absolutely blew me away. It’s so fast and frantic. It’s easy to pick up, but also takes practice to really figure everything out. It has so much personality and unlocks and modes and I just can’t get enough of it. When Kirby Air Riders was announced, I never would have expected that I’d be ranking it higher than Mario Kart World, but here we are.

3. Pokemon Legends Z-A

I’m so happy that Pokemon Legends is now a series. The first game, Arceus, is one of the best Pokemon games of all time. This one does a lot of things even better than the first one, although in some ways it’s a little more limiting. Like the first game, you’re running around an open zone, catching Pokemon by actually throwing balls, instead of turn based battles. Unlike the first game, the whole game takes place in a single city. Surprisingly, I never really got tired of the setting, even though most of it looks pretty similar. The big star is the new battle system, which is kind of Xenoblade-esque, where you’re fighting in real time with the different attacks having cooldowns. Legends Z-A is so much fun, and it’s probably what I’m going to go play after I finish writing this post.

2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Every year I struggle with deciding the placement for the number 1 and number 2 games, and this was no different. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a spectacular game. It’s not the first turn-based RPG to include timed button presses in it’s combat, but none has done it as expertly as this one. You can dodge or parry any attack, meaning that if you are good enough at the timing, you can win fights that you absolutely are not properly leveled up for. The gameplay is what puts it over the edge for me, but like all great RPGs, it also has a great story with very likable characters and a pretty heartbreaking twist towards the end. If you have for some reason slept on Expedition 33, you should really correct that.

1. Donkey Kong Bananza

It’s been a long time since Donkey Kong starred in a 3D platformer, and I didn’t even like the last time he did. But, Bananza just gets everything right. It’s clearly building off of the format of the team’s previous game, Super Mario Odyssey, but it also has a lot of it’s own ideas. Most of the game revolves around Donkey Kong’s ability to destroy all of the terrain around him. This leads to really creative solutions to situations, many that I’m sure weren’t intentional. On top of playing great, it also has a lot of personality, especially from your companion character, Pauline. I was always happy to hear what she had to say about whatever was going on. It plays great, looks great, has really fun characters, and has one of the best ending sequences in any game I can think of. Donkey Kong Bananza is my favorite game of the year and is absolutely the reason to pick up a Switch 2 if you haven’t already.

And that’s my top ten games of the year! What do you think? Should I have played Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong even though I bounced off of the original Hades and never played Hollow Knight? Let me know in the comments!