Ultimately, Anno 117: Pax Romana doesn’t try to change the series; instead, it makes it better by putting it in a time period that brings out its best parts. It is a well-thought-out city-building game that knows exactly what it wants to be: calm but challenging, easy to get into but deep, and based on history without being limited by it.
Dispatch wins because it understands that heroism is logistics, leadership is a style choice, and comedy lands best when it’s grounded in work you recognize.
Battlefield RedSec is a smart, confident BR that respects your time and rewards good teamwork. The gunplay is crisp, destruction is a real tactic, and the circle keeps matches decisive.
For fans of old-school beat ’em ups, Absolum is a celebration. For players who grew up with modern roguelikes, it’s a way to get back into a genre that’s older than most of us but still exciting. In any case, it’s one of the best things that happened this year.
Not only has Supergiant Games made another great roguelike, but they have also made one of the best action games of the decade. It’s not often that every part of a story—like the plot, the design, the sound, and the pacing—feels like it had been intended and earned. If the first Hades was a breakout success, Hades II is the moment the studio ascends to Olympus.
When I played the original Death Stranding, I called it a double-edged sword: you’d either fall in love with it or be unable to survive even a minute. Death Stranding 2, however, moves beyond that divisive framework. It’s designed to appeal to a wider audience, yet without abandoning the core of what made the original so distinctive.
In the end, Blue Prince is more than just one of the most creative games of 2025; it’s one of the best puzzle games in recent years. It proves that great gaming experiences don’t always need realistic graphics, massive open worlds, or endless cutscenes.