The 16 Best (?) Games of 2025

Click this link https://boot.dev/?promo=DESIGNDOC and use my code DESIGNDOC to get 25% off your first payment for boot.dev. 2025 has been a spectacular year for new games, and your backlog is looking a little short, so let’s fix that. We put together a list of 16 of our favorite games that have come out this calendar year - a lot of high profile games, but a ton of indies and hidden gems, too - and we just wanted to spend some time talking about them. I’m spreading the good word - I bet you’ll find a bunch in here you’ll love. Featuring: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Tiny Bookshop Word Play Once Upon a Katamari Yooka-Replaylee Zexion Baby Steps Peak Absolum Kaizen: A Factory Story Jackbox Party Pack 11 Lumines Arise Donkey Kong Bananza Hollow Knight: Silksong Hades 2 Blue Prince Also featuring Extra footage from: Sword of The Sea Sonic Racing Crossworld Shadow Labyrinth Monster Hunter Wilds Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate Mario Kart World Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy X Lost Odyssey Calculate It We Love Katamari Yooka-Laylee Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible lair Hollow Knight Blasphemous Super Metroid Metroid Prime Remastered Environmental Station Alpha Axiom Verge QWOP GIRP Getting Over It Punch-Out!! (Wii) Opus Magnum Jackbox Party Pack 10 Jackbox Naughty Pack Tetris Effect Puzzle Bobble Everybubble Suika Game Panel De Pon Donkey Kong Country Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Dark Souls Remastered Hades Professor Layton and the Curious Village The Witness Pipistrello and The Cursed Yo-Yo Blippo+ 🎧 Patrons get ad-free episodes early, plus access to our behind-the-scenes podcast. 📢 Support Design Doc on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/designdoc 👕 Check out our merch store! https://crowdmade.com/collections/design-doc Design Doc on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/designdoc.bsky.social #gameoftheyear #hades #silksong