With one other stellar yr of gaming squarely within the rearview mirror, the workers right here at PlayStation Way of life determined to make a journey down reminiscence lane, tally up what new video games we performed over the previous 12 months, and see which of them obtained sufficient votes to land a spot on our coveted checklist of greatest video games from 2025.
Apparently, in what could be an all-time document low, solely 5 Sony first-party titles launched this yr (discounting ports and rereleases), so a overwhelming majority of our checklist is comprised of indie and AAA titles from different publishers. Likelihood is, you’ve heard of or performed a lot of the video games that made the lower, however a few our inclusions would possibly take you abruptly.
And with out additional ado… the checklist!
10. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Exhibiting simply how loaded this yr with nice video games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 barely managed to put declare to the quantity 10 spot. Nonetheless, there’s no denying the sheer artistry on show with Sandfall Interactive’s debut title. Most RPG followers value their salt are on the very least aware of Clair Obscure, but when this one handed you by solely, we’d like to know what rock you end up dwelling underneath.
9. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
We wouldn’t blame you when you forgot that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II even got here out in 2025, seeing as the way it launched on the very starting of February. That is the second, and closing, European-developed RPG to make it onto our checklist, however not like Clair Obscur, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II trades within the linear, darkish fantasy Belle Époque setting for a very gorgeous recreation of Fifteenth-century Bohemia. If an unmatched sense of freedom, an unlimited open-world that’s begging to be explored, and the unforgiving, harsh realities of medieval life and warfare pique your curiosity, you shouldn’t cross this one up.
With a handful of Metallic Gear followers on workers, it’s no shock that Metallic Gear Stable Delta: Snake Eater has slithered its method onto our checklist. Though collection creator Hideo Kojima parted methods with Konami a decade in the past and had zero involvement with the event of this remake, the unique PS2 model was (or slightly, nonetheless is) such a exceptional recreation, that its success was all however assured. With a handful of high quality of life enhancements, a modernized management scheme, and a next-gen coat of ray-traced paint, Metallic Gear Stable Delta: Snake Eater seems and performs like a correct remake; anybody claiming that it’s a easy, by-the-numbers money seize is woefully mistaken.
7. Lumines: Come up
Very like the earlier entry on our checklist, Lumines: Come up doesn’t precisely reinvent the wheel on the subject of its moment-to-moment motion. In actual fact, other than the newly-added Burst mechanic, Lumines: Come up’s gameplay is sort of an identical to the unique PSP model that launched over 20 years in the past. After all, if you already know something in regards to the collection, the gameplay is barely part of the magic. From its entrenching, mesmerizing visuals to its stellar soundtrack, Lumines: Come up is a feast for the eyes and ears, and can also be a sight to behold when enjoying in VR.
6. Cut up Fiction
Having laid out the muse with A Manner Out and upping the ante with It Takes Two, it’s hardly a shock that Cut up Fiction was a smash hit proper out of the gates. Developer Hazelight Studios has perfected its craft of making compelling co-operative gaming experiences, and with Cut up Fiction, it has even managed to upend our expectations as soon as once more. Whether or not you’re taking to the skies on the again of a dragon or keeping off cyber-ninjas, there’s loads of enjoyable available right here. If we have been to make one suggestion, when you give this one a go, attempt to discover a co-op buddy who can play on the sofa subsequent to you if that’s in any respect doable.
5. Blue Prince
Like just a few different titles on this checklist, Blue Prince form of took us abruptly when it launched, and as soon as it sank its roguelike hooks into us, we couldn’t get sufficient of it. Granted, a few of its puzzles border on cruelly obscure, and not less than one author on our crew misplaced hours of progress to the dreaded (and fortunately, fastened) save bug, however Blue Prince efficiently wormed its method into the internal recesses of our brains, maintaining us hooked on its addictive loop of drafting new rooms, uncovering extra lore, and peeling again extra layers of its seemingly unending puzzle. It’s an onion lover’s dream! Or, parfaits, when you favor.
4. Battlefield 6
After a string of middling releases and years of dropping floor to its opponents, Battlefield is lastly again, and child, it’s nearly as good because it’s ever been. Certain, there are dozens of different shooters, aggressive and informal alike, which can be continually vying for our consideration, however Battlefield 6’s objective-focused, squad-centric taste of operating and gunning provides an expertise that few different video games come near matching. The environmental destruction and sheer variety of autos and weapons to grasp are simply the icing on the cake.
3. Ghost of Yotei
Though its story is a slightly typical revenge story that doesn’t precisely break the mould, Ghost of Yotei continues to be a top-tier expertise from begin to end. Constructing off the muse specified by Ghost of Tsushima, developer Sucker Punch is firing on all cylinders this time round and pushes the PS5 (and PS5 Professional, for that matter) to its restrict. It’s one of the vital attractive video games we’ve seen thus far, and with a handful of visible filters and audio mixes to select from, it’s virtually begging to be replayed a second (and even third) time.
2. Sword of the Sea
2025 noticed the launch of a handful of various skating video games, however none of them got here near matching the sense of surprise and awe that Sword of the Sea manages to evoke. It strikes an incredible stability between providing up platforming challenges and puzzles, and letting you discover an attractive world that’s chock-full of surprises which can be simply ready to be found and skilled firsthand. If you happen to loved Journey, or both of developer Big Squid’s earlier titles (Abzû, The Pathless), this one’s a no brainer.
1. Loss of life Stranding 2: On The Seashore
Certain, its detractors will probably be fast to label it as a glorified strolling simulator, however Loss of life Stranding 2: On The Seashore is a lot greater than that. It’s a mirrored image on our present society, a world wherein everyone seems to be extra linked than ever, however concurrently, extra remoted and alone. It’s a shocking achievement on a technical degree, serving up a few of the greatest visuals and most lovingly crafted cutscenes we’ve seen thus far. And, for a handful of us staffers and contributors, it’s one other alternative to take a peek into the thoughts of Hideo Kojima, an absolute juggernaut of a recreation developer who’s been reinventing genres and subverting expectations for 4 many years at this level. However, above all, it’s a recreation about sticks. And ropes. Oh, and chiral networks. And don’t overlook Timefall. Plate gates too!
