Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a thunderous debut from Sandfall Interactive. Its palette is brimming with cleverly engaging turn-based combat, impeccable art direction, and voice performances that rival feature films. The result is an incredible work of video game art. This game is worth more than the asking price, and I highly recommend it.
Promise Mascot Agency is a delightfully bonkers blend of Japanese crime drama, business management sim, card-battler, and open-world collect-a-thon. No aspect of the game goes very deep, but developer Kaizen Game Works has threaded the needle here, creating an engaging "lite" version of several video game subgenres.
Atomfall is a delightful surprise in a year packed with big game releases. I haven't felt this amount of joy from discovery, or this level of player agency in a game in quite some time. Wherever it is on your list of games to play in 2025, move it up.
PGA Tour 2K25 is a golf game for everyone, offering an enjoyable golf simulation for players of any skill level. There are incremental upgrades across the board from 2K23, though I do have concerns about the accessibility of some online modes, as well as the increased prevalence of premium currencies.
Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator largely achieves what it sets out to do. I take issue with its means-and-methods, as it relies heavily on minigames for many of its paramedic tasks, but that doesn't make it a bad game – just a far less immersive one.
Moons of Darsalon is a lovely action puzzle platformer with a slight bug problem. With that said, it is so unique and so confidently designed that I don't think you should skip it.
Warhorse Studios has delivered an excellent RPG and sequel. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a near total package, with great writing, acting, and a level of immersion that will have you running down every single quest in fear of missing out on a special moment. Frankly, I will be shocked if it's not in the awards conversation at the end of the year.
Take the magic of NBA Jam's gameplay, trade NBA players for robots with abilities, toss in some roguelite systems, give it stop-motion-style animation, and BOOMSHAKALAKA – you've got yourself a slam dunk.
Arma Reforger offers some of best military roleplaying around, but the gameplay is complex to a fault at times on PS5. Hardcore might be an understatement, as it's one of those games where your enjoyment is determined by how much effort you put into it. Despite the deep complexity, Arma Reforger can be deeply rewarding as well.
With an atypical amount of polish and a variety of satisfying road work to complete, Road Maintenance Simulator 2 is a surprisingly good simulator. It features an excellent blend of precision versus peacefulness that is sometimes difficult for games in the genre to nail down, which makes it an easy one to recommend.
With an atypical amount of polish and a variety of satisfying road work to complete, Road Maintenance Simulator 2 is a surprisingly good simulator. It features an excellent blend of precision versus peacefulness that is sometimes difficult for games in the genre to nail down, which makes it an easy one to recommend.
Highway Police Simulator is a broken and buggy mess at this moment in time. With that said, and as strange as it sounds, this simulator has potential. Whether it can right the ship will be determined in the weeks and months ahead.
Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop blends simulator-esque puzzle solving with a roguelike framework. The result is an often tedious slog that requires the utmost patience, a laser-focused attention span, and a love for tinkering. Put simply, at the end of a long day at work, this is not the game you want to cozy up with.
Far more than just an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, Empire of the Ants is a brilliant RTS game. Smart, confident gameplay design keeps things simple while challenging your tactical abilities at a near-perfect pace. It's one of the best surprises of 2024.
Call of Duty is so back. A campaign that returns to form, the best multiplayer suite of the current console generation of COD's, and a chaotically fun Zombies mode. Black Ops 6 delivers in every way.
A worthy upgrade that brings it closer to the fidelity of its sequel, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the best version of a great sci-fi RPG. Guerrilla Games and Nixxes Software have turned this remaster skeptic into a true believer.
Wildermyth is one of the best turn-based RPGs I've ever played. Immersive storytelling, brilliant pacing, and simple yet complex gameplay makes this one addictive game. It's so good that not even a save file bug could turn me away from it. Don't miss this one.
Starship Troopers: Extermination on console puts the rough in Roughnecks. Technical issues, poor crossplay implementation, and frustratingly chaotic gameplay design leave much to be desired.
Toy Tactics is a great example of "less is more", brilliantly opening-up the RTS genre to newcomers, while still managing to challenge longtime fans with confident, intuitive gameplay design. An excellent singleplayer suite overshadows a seemingly DOA multiplayer mode, but that shouldn't stop you from playing one of the finest strategy titles in recent memory.
Caravan SandWitch is a gorgeous, cozy exploration game with a story that falls flat. It won't hold a spell over you for long, but a weekend is all it needs.