The following games are the most I have enjoyed in 2025. The list of games are ones I played in 2025 and not only games that were released in 2025.
1. Stellar Blade - PS5
Caught me by surprise, I was expecting it to be quite a linear Bayonetta sort of experience. It was not an open world game, but there was plenty of side activities to keep the me entertained.
2. Alice: Madness Returns - Xbox 360
3. Terminator Resistance Enhanced (+AL DLC) - PS5
I am majorly surprised just how much I enjoyed Terminator Resistance. After a number of critical negative reviews and a number of YouTube games channels praising the game - this mixed reception grabbed my attention and I decided to try the game to find out what the title was like for myself.
All those negative reviews from critics makes me wonder if they even played the same game as me. It was an amazing game and the only piece of media (released after Terminator 2) I can think of that does the Terminator franchise justice. This was definitely one of the best games I played in 2025 and one of the greatest Terminator games I have ever played.
I am also including the Annihilation Line DLC which also adds to the whole of Terminator Resistance story.
4. Them and Us - PC (GOG)
Them and Us looked like a fun horror title that was inspired by the classic horror games like Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark. The different perspectives that are offered really does add to the replay value to the game.
Play in a fixed camera perspective similar to the early Resident Evil titles, choose a third person perspective that plays more like the RE2 and RE3 Remakes, or attempt the unlockable first person mode in the vein of horror titles such as PT, Resident Evil 7 and Village. It really feels like playing three different versions of the same game.
5. Resident Evil Village (Gold Edition) - PS5
Part of myself did not want to include Village in my favourite games I played in 2025 section, but another part of me did want to include it. The reason for this was because the game felt like it wanted to please all two types of fans from the franchise e.g. pure horror fans and action horror fans. Ultimately, I thought the good outweighed the bad in the game and I decided to include it in this list.
There were some really memorable parts of the game for me, such as the castle and the dollhouse area are stand outs to me. The DLC included in the Gold Edition 'Shadow of Rose' was short, but I really enjoyed it as it felt more like survival horror than the main game did. The DLC was short at three hours, but it also felt like the perfect length.
6. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir - PS4
I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir. I was always interested in playing the game after I played another title (Murasama) by the same developer on the Nintendo Wii a few years ago.
Whilst I was first playing Odin Sphere I felt that I was enjoying my time with the game, but not quite as much as Murasama. By the time I completed Odin Sphere I felt that the game was actually as good as (or maybe even slightly better) than Murasama - hence while it has ended up on my favourite games I have played in 2025 list.
7. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion - PS5
When I started Crisis Core I was enjoying my time but then after a while I started to feel that the game felt a little too byte sized (as if it was designed for a handheld console, which it originally was) and I almost stopped playing the game.
I decided to give the game one more chance and I am glad that I did as I can safely say it is one of my favourite games that I played in 2025. It is definitely a worthy game to go alongside the classic that is Final Fantasy VII.
8. Lost Judgment - PS5
I think I enjoyed Lost Judgment even more than the first Judgment game and I thought that Judgment could not be bettered, but I am happy to say that I was wrong.
Over the top bonkers side quests, a super serious main storyline and fantastic beat em up combat were and all the trademarks of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series were included in this spin off sequel title. The School missions side quest felt like a DLC mini quest in itself - although I am not too fond of the robotics club mini game, but somehow I managed to pass it.
When I was playing the game the season pass was on sale for £8.00 and it included the Kaito Files side story that lets you play as Yagami's second hand man Kaito in his own story. The Kaito Files was £24.99 and was not on sale, so I thought I would buy the season pass mainly to play the Kaito Files.
The Kaito Files was surprisingly substantial feeling despite a shorter experience than the main game - could have been a separate stand alone game in itself.
9. Tomb Raider The Last Revelation: Remastered - PS4
One of my favourite Tomb Raider games in remastered form - was a joy to play. The majority of the game is set in one of my favourite settings when it comes to history - Egypt. The hieroglyphics and the ancient Egyptian art looked absolutely beautiful in remastered form, and as a nice extra it includes the PC only Times Exclusive level that was originally only offered with the Times newspaper.
To me, The Last Revelation was really the last grand feeling Tomb Raider adventure.
10. Terminator 2D: No Fate - PS5
Well, in my favourite games list is not just 1 Terminator game, but 2 Terminator games!
Terminator 2D is a old school style game that can be completed in under an hour, but it has a ton of replay value, different modes and branching paths in the story mode.
While I did not enjoy the game as much as Terminator Resistance, it was a very fun game that I enjoyed the more I played it. The genre of Terminator 2D is run and gun which has never been a favourite genre of mine, but I am still glad I picked the game up.
11. Monument Valley - PC
Monument Valley took me by surprise - what I thought was an interesting puzzle game offered free on Epic store turned out to be a captivating small adventure that kept me entertained throughout. The game along with the included DLC lasts around only 3 - 5 hours, but some games that last hundreds of hours can fail to be as captivating as Monument Valley.