Game Rant Editor in Chief Anthony Taormina’s Top 10 Games of 2025
Every year, I have the privilege to create Game Rant’s Top 10 Games of the Year list, and as part of that, I create my own personal list. It’s something I look forward to every year, because there is something innately appealing about looking back on the year that was and deciding which experiences I valued more than others. In some ways, it is completely arbitrary, but in others, it feels like the perfect way to put a nice bow on my gaming timeline for that year.
For me, this year was a big one for rogue-lites and experiences that I could have on the go. I did a lot of traveling this year, from visiting Paris to play Pokemon Legends Z-A to celebrating the grand opening of Epic Universe, and having the Switch 2 and Xbox ROG Ally X along helped keep me entertained, but also shot a few games higher up my personal list than they might have otherwise.
My tastes can be eclectic from year to year, but there are typically some throughlines. I love a good story or a good hook to keep me regularly playing, for example. I try to play as many games as I can, which helps the games that click with me stand out even more. But most importantly, I look for a game to leave me thinking about it even when I’m not playing. These 10 games consumed me in one way or another this year.
10
The Rootrees are Dead
Playing The Roottrees are Dead with my wife is one of my favorite gaming experiences of this year. I heard the initial gushing about the game and knew I had to give it a try. I didn’t expect to become so invested in the Roottree lineage to the point where we were actively empathizing with some of them and lambasting others.
If you’ve ever wanted a game that feels like the Charlie Day meme with the yarn connecting photos, The Rootrees are Dead is it. It makes you feel like a real sleuth, in that way that you might try to uncover clues behind a keyboard and not via caffeine-fueled stakeouts. And the best part is there is a lot of meat to the game. Way more than you might expect at first.
9
Donkey Kong Bananza
Anyone who asks me what game is a must-play for the Nintendo Switch 2 gets the Donkey Kong Bananza pitch. Nintendo has a knack for taking a concept or character that I think will be good but not great and proving me wrong time and time again. I didn’t think the smashing would be this fun, and I didn’t think the drive to hear “Oh Banana” would push me to destroy every inch of every layer. And yet, here we are.
The music is catchy as heck, and the Bananza powers are so incredibly fun, I regularly played Donkey Kong with a big smile on my face. If you need a reason to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza is every bit the system selling platformer that you want, even if you were expecting Mario would take the job first.
8
Dispatch
I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of the actual “game” part of Dispatch. Sending heroes on missions made me agonize over every choice and be concerned that I was going to get a lesser narrative experience. It’s because the story in Dispatch is so good – and, my goodness, those performances are stellar across the board – that I cared so much about how well each member of Z-Team did. It’s a personal hang-up, I know, but I suspect I’m not alone in that feeling.
Putting all of that aside, Dispatch could have just been a movie or a TV show, and I would have been just as enthralled. It’s mature, genuinely funny, and there is not a weak link among this fabulous cast. I love the Telltale Games and this is the next evolution of that concept, done bigger and better.
7
Absolum
This was a big year for rogue-lites and me, and Absolum is the first to appear on this list. The idea of a run-based beat-em-up felt novel, but it was the branching paths and the side quests that kept me going early on. Then, once I started to lock in with the combat, I was regularly flying through runs, seeking out new upgrades and abilities.
Oftentimes, rogue-lite runs live and die by the first few abilities/upgrades you earn, but Absolum showed me how all kinds of different combinations could turn my chosen character into a wrecking ball. I particularly love how this game has a clear goal with a final boss at the end of the journey. It gave me a purpose for each run, and the way you constantly unlock new upgrades even as you fail is what helped Absolum steal dozens of hours of my time.
6
Avowed
I was never a big Skyrim or Elder Scrolls guy, but Avowed hit all the right notes for me. It has a world that feels somewhat expansive but never overwhelming; characters that I enjoyed getting to know, and whose opinions of me I was careful to preserve; and a combat system that didn’t feel too rigid or restrictive. Avowed was the type of fantasy “open world” adventure that I relish.
I know that some would say this is Diet Bethesda, and that’s why I liked it so much. Avowed didn’t force me into any one play style, and as a result, I spent a lot more time experimenting than I likely would have in a different experience. Obsidian knows how to marry all those crucial elements of an RPG together in a way that the world feels lived-in, but most importantly, they know how to make it fun.
5
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
I loved Death Stranding 1, until I didn’t. It got to the point where my obsession with delivering packages started to wane, and everything felt tedious, but there were still at least a few dozen hours to go. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach streamlined everything that I felt was a chore, made those strand concepts even more engaging, and when I got to the point that I started to lose steam, the ending was in sight.
And what an ending! Death Stranding 2 is Kojima at his most Kojima-est. He delivers an epic set of scenarios as only he can. This is what I love about giving developers another crack at their ambitious projects; they get the opportunity to fix what didn’t work and make what did work even better. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is the perfect example of that.
4
Ball x Pit
Ball x Pit was a game that I couldn’t see the appeal of at first. It’s the type of game that you have to play for yourself before it sinks its hooks in you. But boy, once I started to unlock new characters, and learn how the town-building stuff worked, it became a constant obsession.
It helps that runs are so bite-sized, and Ball x Pit regularly doles out new gameplay concepts to learn and then master. Even characters that you think might be worthless eventually show their utility the further you progress. Don’t dismiss this as just a breakout clone, because Ball x Pit is not even close to that. It is the one game that you can get almost anyone addicted to.
3
Split Fiction
Hazelight makes games that feel tailor-made for me. I have a friend whom I consistently play these Josef Fares-directed games with, and we had a blast with Split Fiction. It Takes Two was my favorite game of 2021, and I think Split Fiction is a more mechanically complex evolution of the concepts introduced in that game. It’s the story that holds this one back, but the last act is enough to jettison Split Fiction so much higher than it might have landed otherwise.
The technical wizardry on display in the last “level” of the game is astonishing, to the point that even non-gamers can be impressed by what Hazelight pulls off. I treasure the experiences that this team delivers every time, and they have yet to disappoint. If Split Fiction is any indication that Hazelight only wants to keep challenging itself, then I can’t wait to see what’s next.
2
Hades 2
I enjoyed the first Hades, but Hades 2 clicked with me on a greater level. I think it’s the way the two different “runs” interplay with each other that makes it so much more addictive for me. Being able to go into the Underworld and learn the new mechanics and weapons, and then to head towards Olympus with confidence was the one-two punch that pushed Supergiant Games’ sequel above all other rogue-lites I enjoyed this year, and there were a lot.
I’ll agree that the story is not as strong, but everything else clicked earlier and deeper for me. Hades 2 strikes that chord where “just one more run” always feels satisfying, and that’s what made it one of my favorites of the year.
1
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I know you’re probably tired of hearing how great Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is, but if you’ll allow me to gush just a little bit longer. When I previewed this game back in March, I had a feeling, but I couldn’t have predicted how much I was going to fall in love with Sandfall Interactive’s RPG. I’m a sucker for a good parry or dodge mechanic, and Clair Obscur has the most satisfying parry I’ve encountered in a long time.
Just that one detail is enough to give it that spark, but the story, the visuals, the music, and the performances push it into the upper echelons for me. Some years it can be difficult to decide what ends up number one on my personal list, but there was no doubt with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In fact, the game had the top spot locked up early in 2025 and never wavered.
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Look, I’m as excited about Grand Theft Auto 6 as much as the next person. But I’m really looking forward to seeing how Resident Evil: Requiem turns out, and if Insomniac can use that Marvel magic to bring Wolverine to the same level as Spider-Man. 2026 is going to be a big one for so many different reasons, and I can’t wait to see how the dust settles on my top 10. See you in 12 months!