For a while now, there's been an overriding feeling among gamers that there are just too many remakes, remasters, and re-releases. We've discussed it here at TheGamer on multiple occasions. Rather than focusing their energy and teams on creating new experiences, studios are often happy to give games a lick of paint (or even less) and resell them to consumers.
Unfortunately, 2025 is a shining example of just that, with almost a third of this year's best-reviewed titles being remasters, remakes, or outright re-releases.
Using data from Metacritic, we looked at the 50 best-reviewed games of 2025 so far. Of those 50, 16 of the games had been released in some way, shape, or form prior to 2025. That's 32 percent of the 50 best games this year that aren't new.
Last year, there were ~10 remakes, remasters, and re-releases in Metacritic's top 50— around 20 percent.
Some of the games, you could argue, deserved to be remade or remastered. Metal Gear Solid 3 definitely needed a spruce up, as did System Shock 2 and Final Fantasy Tactics. Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remakes were also shown a lot of love. Others, though, probably...
