As 2025 concludes, gaming journalists and developers have shared their top picks for the year's best video games, highlighting a diverse range of titles from big-budget RPGs to innovative indies. John Walker of Kotaku ranked Avowed as his number one, while developers praised games like Peak and Ghost of Yotei for their creativity and emotional depth. These lists underscore a remarkable year for gaming across scales and genres.
The end of 2025 has prompted reflections on an exceptional year for video games, with lists from critics and developers emphasizing innovation and joy. On December 22, Kotaku published John Walker's top 10, placing Obsidian's Avowed at number one. Walker described it as 'a big, beautiful RPG' with companions like Kai that feel like old friends and a world in the Pillars of Eternity universe that remains accessible to newcomers. He praised its narrative depth, comparing it to classics like Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect.
Walker's list also featured Arc Raiders at number two, an extraction shooter he initially dismissed but grew to love for its tense gameplay and stunning graphics, despite lacking a PvE mode. Other highlights included The Beekeeper’s Picnic, a point-and-click adventure exploring Sherlock Holmes' later years, which Walker called a 'love letter' to Arthur Conan Doyle's canon, and Donkey Kong Bananza, a joyful Nintendo platformer on Switch 2 that restored his enthusiasm for the console.
Lower ranks covered indies like Eclipsium, a walking-sim horror with pixelated art, and Escape from Duckov, a single-player duck-themed extraction shooter that surprised him with its compelling loop. Honorable mentions went to titles such as Doom: The Dark Ages and PowerWash Simulator 2.
Meanwhile, Eurogamer's December 22 article gathered picks from developers behind 2025 releases. Gabe Cuzzillo of Baby Steps favored Peak, a co-op climbing game from Aggro Crab and Landfall, noting its chaotic charm and route-finding feel despite bugs. Lee Petty of Keeper selected Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch's sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, for its immersive landscapes and wind mechanics. Oli Clarke Smith of Promise Mascot Agency hailed The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy as a 'masterpiece' for its trope-breaking narrative.
Other developers chose self-reflective or niche favorites: Pierre Tarno of Rematch picked his own multiplayer football game for its tense highs, while Dave Gilbert of Old Skies opted for 11 Bit Studios' The Alters, praising its emotional exploration of alternate life choices. These selections reveal a year where indies like Type Help and Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo stood alongside blockbusters, with no single title dominating but many evoking surprise and delight.
