According to a report, the average gamer spends more time watching videos about games than actually playing them. It makes sense. New titles usually cost upwards of £60 and take many hours to complete. You need to be really sure before you buy.
Luckily, you’ve clicked on this list – where we’ll help you narrow down your options ahead of any Christmas shopping. From mysterious subterranean platformers to sci-fi multiplayer adventures and chaotic racing simulators to ‘90s skateboarding time capsules, the below crop of must-play button bashers from 2025 are among the finest to have hit shelves this year. Still can’t decide? Well, you’ll just have to get them all.
Alex Flood, Managing Editor (Entertainment + Partnerships)
Words by: Echo Apsey, Mark Beaumont, Alex Flood, Jake Hawkes, Ali Shutler, Surej Singh and George Yang
20. ‘Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii might be a bit of a detour from the mainline Like A Dragon games but it’s just as fun. The swashbuckling adventure adds naval combat to the mobster franchise without stepping on the toes of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
The game follows Goro Majima, shipwrecked on the shores of Hawaii with no clue as to how he got there. After crossing paths with plucky Noah, the pair embark on a twisting treasure hunt that sees them going sword-to-sword with rival swashbucklers and other Yakuza factions. This bonkers Goonies-inspired actioner is very much a side story to the gritty world of Like A Dragon but it still packs an emotional gut-punch or two.
Best bit: Ruling the waves with an iron fist.
For fans of: Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Ys X: Nordics. GY
19. ‘Monster Hunter Wilds’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Monster Hunter Wilds is the big, bold sequel to crossover hit Monster Hunter World. The latest entry in the series pushes things forward once more with careful tweaks to the combat and an ambitious array of beasties to slay. The addition of massive world-altering weather events means that each epic clash is different to what’s come before while smart improvements to weapon handling and move sets, alongside brutal new methods of attack, mean that fighting monsters has never been as rewarding.
Since it launched in February, developers have kept players fed on a steady diet of new challenges and gargantuan battles, making Monster Hunter Wilds a truly next-gen experience. And that’s before we get to those mouthwatering cooking cutscenes.
Best bit: Fighting major antagonist Zoh Shia for the first time.
For fans of: Monster Hunter: World, Horizon Forbidden West. EA
18. ‘Atomfall’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
There are worse places to survive the aftermath of a nuclear disaster than the picturesque Lake District. Atomfall is set in an alternative version of 1950s Britain that’s full of creaking retro-future technology and a bizarre cast of characters – it’s easy to see why the survival puzzler was compared to Fallout ahead of launch.
Like all great sci-fi tales, you wake up in an underground bunker with no knowledge of how you got there. A mortally wounded scientist helps you escape but you’re quickly abandoned to explore the nearby Wyndham Village alone and discover just how dire your situation is. There are weird cult members living in the nearby woods, the local pub is organising a rebellion against the menacing Captain Grant Sims and nobody wants to talk about the heavily guarded nuclear “Interchange”. Your job is to work out what the hell is going on and escape the quarantine zone. Who you align yourself with on this life-or-death mission is entirely up to you.
Best bit: The freedom to simply murder Captain Grant Sims rather than get caught up in his blackmail politics.
For fans of: Fallout: New Vegas, Control. AS
17. ‘Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Part of a wave of Elden Ring-inspired games that pair dark fantasy storytelling with acrobatic melee combat, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers proved much more than opportunistic piggybacking.
Designed in Chengdu and inspired by Chinese mythology, this more linear soulslike contrasts refreshingly with the chaotic open world of Elden Ring but remains addictively fun to play. Your job, as the titular protagonist, is to hack or slash apart as many demons, monsters and giant centipedes as possible in the shortest amount of time. Do well, and you’ll eventually face-off against one of the 24 bosses – including a giant deformed tree, a blood-sucking palace maid and a flying sorcerer who blasts huge orange waves of energy at anyone stupid enough to approach. And if you manage to defeat all of those, Wuchang will regain her memories and be cured of the ‘Feathering Disease’ that causes her impressive blue plumage.
Best bit: If you’re skilled enough to get past Sovereign Zhang Xianzhong – an undead king possessing the corpse of a fearsome tiger – without pulling all of your own hair out first, then we salute you.
For fans of: Black Myth: Wukong, Lies Of P. AF
16. ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
The historically-accurate Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes place in Bohemia at the turn of the 15th century. Following the events of the first game, the land is in the middle of a civil war as Wenceslaus IV and his supporters (AKA the good guys) try to stop the invading Sigismund Of Luxembourg. It’s the sort of bloody medieval politics that inspired Game Of Thrones.
Unlike most action role-playing games, down-on-his-luck soldier Henry isn’t the chosen one, destined to save the land from evil. There are opportunities for heroics but you also have to deal with everyday hurdles like finding somewhere to sleep for the night (the only way you can save your progress) or getting enough money to eat. Will you turn to a life of crime, try to earn a fair wage or exist somewhere in the middle? These delicious moral quandaries shape how the engaging narrative plays out, giving this sprawling, ambitious game a real sense of grit.
Best bit: A visit to everyone’s favourite bar, The Butt Trumpet.
For fans of: Civilization, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. AS
15. ‘The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Released back in 2006, open-world fantasy RPG Oblivion was an absolutely massive game that laid the foundations for megahit Skyrim and influenced everything from Starfield to Fallout. This impressive remaster keeps everything that was so brilliant about the original – the compelling story of an ancient sorcerer’s plot to throw the land of Tamriel into chaos, the charming array of NPCs who help or distract you along the way and the near-total freedom to do whatever you like.
But there are plenty of fixes for what hasn’t aged so well. The whole thing has been given a much-needed upgrade in the looks department and tweaks to the fiddly user interface are subtle but make it even easier to get totally absorbed into the fantastical world of Oblivion. Surprise-released after it was announced and yours for a very reasonable £50, it’s the benchmark for what a remaster should be.
Best bit: Seeing a new generation discovering the sheer majesty of Tamriel.
For fans of: Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Skyrim. AS
14. ‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Black Ops 7 has something for every Call Of Duty player. There’s the oddball ‘Co-op Campaign’ that has you and your mates leading an elite team of super soldiers against a spooky red mist that makes nightmares a reality while the new ‘Endgame’ experience is an enjoyable extraction shooter with enough challenges to keep you busy until next year’s instalment.
The latest chapter of the gory ‘Zombies’ mode builds on the success of the Black Ops 6 formula with a wicked otherworldly story that brings together past and present. As always, ‘Multiplayer’ is where Call Of Duty really shines though. Taking inspiration from the fan-favourite Black Ops 2, the maps are more interesting and open-matchmaking means that each head-to-head clash is an enjoyable challenge.
Best bit: Rediscovering the golden era of Call Of Duty multiplayer.
For fans of: Black Ops 2, Battlefield 6. EA
13. ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 was a faithful remake collection that brought together two of the most influential sports games of all time. Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a far more daring proposition. The game grinds the tricky rail between nostalgia and modernisation but sticks the landing perfectly.
Classic levels have been redesigned, a new generation of skateboarding greats can be chosen alongside the OGs and the soundtrack is another wicked collection of underground punk anthems (alongside a handful of classics). For Pro Skater veterans, it’s another chance to revisit those era-defining titles and catch up on just how much the sport has evolved over the past 20 years – and for newcomers, it’s the perfect introduction to the counter-culture celebration.
Best bit: Riding down the ramp into The Foundry as Motörhead’s timeless ‘Ace Of Spades’ blasts from the speakers – it’s basically a spiritual experience.
For fans of: Skate, Hi-Fi Rush. AS
12. ‘Donkey Kong Bananza’
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Mario is the undisputed king of 3D platformers but that didn’t stop old rival Donkey Kong from attempting to swipe his crown. The foundations of Bananza are the same as the plucky plumber’s greatest hits – a silent hero navigating a series of bold, bizarre levels, defeating a creeping army of enemies and trying to rescue a damsel in distress – but while Mario games are all about jumping over obstacles, Donkey Kong Bananza lets you smash through them. Absolutely everything in Bananza can be turned to rubble thanks to DK’s brutish strength.
It gives you a whole new dimension to play in. You can burrow under tricky mobs of baddies or lob sticky lumps of clay together to build bridges to new areas. Need more gold to buy cosmetics or much-needed Banandium Gems? Simply smash up the tropical Forest layer. Throughout the game you can also unlock ‘Bananza’ powers that, thanks to sidekick Pauline’s singing chops, give you safari-based superpowers. Ostrich can fly, Zebra can run fast. How you tackle each subterranean level is entirely up to you but whatever you do, make sure you have the volume cranked up for the kick-ass soundtrack.
Best bit: Pauline’s ridiculously catchy pop anthems that are so good, they somehow turn Donkey Kong into the cast of Madagascar.
For fans of: Minecraft, Super Mario Galaxy. AS
11. ‘Ghost Of Yōtei’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Ghost Of Tsushima was a runaway smash but that hasn’t stopped the developers from shaking things up with Ghost Of Yōtei. Set 300 years after the previous game, Yōtei introduces us to another warrior out to make the land a better place. Atsu is a mercenary who returns to her homeland 16 years after the dastardly Lord Saito killed her entire family. Seeking revenge, she travels throughout Ezo on the tail of Lord Saito and his group of outlaws, the Yōtei Six.
It’s a stellar cinematic experience with plenty of twists while the vast open world looks absolutely stunning. We don’t want to pick favourites but Atsu’s cosmetics vastly outshine Jin’s, and the expanded combat options feel even more snappy. There’s even a free update promising additional content just around the corner.
Best bit: The prologue where Atsu is tied to a burning tree and left for dead is one hell of an introduction.
For fans of: Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ninja Gaiden 4. GY
10. ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Ever since the series was rebooted in 2016, developer Bethesda has tried to give gamers a unique experience in each new Doom game. In Doom (2016), players were encouraged to take a run-and-gun approach, whereas DOOM Eternal supported lightning-quick travel and surprisingly nimble acrobatics.
With The Dark Ages, you once again take on the mantle of the Doom Slayer, a hulking living weapon, in a medieval-inspired prequel. New shield mechanics encourage you to stand and fight, allowing you to rip through waves of snarling demons with a vicious arsenal of over-the-top accessories. You can also catapult yourself across the dystopian wasteland to make stomping hellspawn as efficient as possible. Even with a ferocious lineup of bosses, The Dark Ages is the easiest outing in the trilogy – but that just makes every moment of gory arcade chaos that much more entertaining. It’s a bloody good time.
Best bit: Launching yourself into a wave of demons using your shield, before taking them down with a gun that fires bits of broken skulls.
For fans of: DOOM Eternal, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. SS
9. ‘Ball x Pit’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
You know those Instagram adverts for mobile games that challenge you to defeat waves of hideous but persistent baddies that are slowly marching to destroy you? Ball x Pit takes that violent puzzler concept to brilliant new heights.
The gameplay loop is simple enough – destroy legions of monsters with an ever-growing collection of deadly globes – but you’ll need to flex your strategic smarts as much as your trigger finger to come out on top.
See, a healthy dollop of Stardew Valley-inspired farming allows you to increase your firepower by harvesting crops and recruiting new warriors depending on how you want to use your limited resources. In the middle of the relentless battles, you can also collect and combine different power-ups to unlock an endless arsenal of supercharged balls. The end result is a frantic, furious headscratcher that rewards wild experimentation. Even during your harshest defeats, you’ll have an absolute ball.
Best bit: Throwing together power-ups and accidentally creating sphere-shaped doom for everyone standing in your way – then trying to remember the unique concoction for the next wave.
For fans of: Balatro, Tetris. AS
8. ‘Hades 2’
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
The bigger, better, sexier sequel to 2020’s smash hit roguelite, Hades 2 comes out swinging with new weapons, abilities and Olympian gods not wearing many clothes. Story-wise, freshly-reassembled Titan Of Time Chronos is causing havoc across the realms of Greek myth, leaving princess of the Underworld Melinoë (that’s you!) to throw herself at his forces over and over again – with a little help from her Olympian family, of course.
The real magic to Hades 2 is the interaction between story and gameplay, with developer Supergiant Games managing to make the genre’s constant repetition part of the narrative, ensuring the ever-addictive gameplay loop sinks its hooks even deeper. Having said that, it’s just as much fun to skip the exposition and spend an afternoon smashing five bells out of mournful spirits and giant hermit crabs. Still not convinced? One god is wearing leopardskin pants in this one, which is worth the price of entry alone if you ask us.
Best bit: Completing your first full run and getting to bask in your victory – if only for a little while.
For fans of: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Returnal. JH
7. ‘Silent Hill f’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Goodbye Lynchian ghost town, hello The Ring with a mouldy baseball bat. The first major Silent Hill instalment since 2012 transported the monster-crawling mists away from midtown America to rural Japan, where our schoolgirl hero Hinako has to swing and slash her way through a beautifully decaying town full of cranky scarecrows, undead locals, charging boulder beasts and – oh yes – sentient heaps of boobs.
Meanwhile, in a darker otherworld, a fox-faced guide leads her through a series of cult-like ceremonies as gruesome as anything in gaming. Featuring puzzles with a largely perfect balance of challenge and reward, dynamic combat mechanics, stunningly horrific visuals and a suitably disturbing plot (hang on, are we the monster here?) Silent Hill f gave survival horror fans everything they could ever want.
Best bit: Deciphering the school’s girl-code.
For fans of: Silent Hill 2 Remake, Resident Evil Village. MB
6. ‘Mario Kart World’
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Mario Kart is one of the ultimate party games. Since it first launched in 1992, the beloved series has married intuitive controls with a devastating arsenal of cartoonish weapons meaning that veterans and newcomers alike have their work cut out when it comes to high-octane multiplayer races. Originally released in 2014 and reworked for the Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 was the biggest and best version of the anarchic arcade franchise.
Launched alongside the shiny new Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World kept the series’ chaotic spirit alive but wasn’t afraid of a little reinvention either. The sprawling ‘Open Roam’ mode has hundreds of challenges and easter eggs to uncover across a bustling open world to keep solo players entertained while the new ‘Knockout’ mode is an intense karting battle royale that’s always a frustratingly joyous time. Now if only they’d put the incredible jukebox soundtrack on streaming services…
Best bit: Driving around the gorgeous Mushroom Kingdom listening to remixed Mario bangers.
For fans of: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Forza Horizon 5. AS
5. ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Assassin’s Creed Shadows confidently takes the franchise into a bold new era while bringing the greatest bits from past games with it. The two protagonists, hench bruiser Yasuke and the more nimble Naoe, drive forward a powerful storyline about revenge. Their distinct strengths means each quest can be tackled from different angles depending on your mood. If you’d rather sneak about the place before quietly taking out enemy warriors, Naoe’s your girl but if you’re in the mood for a brawl, you’ll want Yasuke.
The 16th century setting provides an absolute gorgeous backdrop to the mayhem and Shadows avoids the bloated feeling that recent entries in the franchise have suffered by doing away with unnecessary subplots or grand conspiracies about secret organisations. It feels like a much-needed reset for the long-running series.
Best bit: Discovering the shocking truth about Naoe’s mother (no spoilers here!)
For fans of: Ghost Of Tsushima, The Witcher 3. EA
4. ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
This innovative role-playing smash is so beloved that it’s booked to tour 15 European cities next spring off the back of its soundtrack alone. Set to an elegant symphony of stirring strings and cascading piano arpeggios, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 pivots around the adventures of stoic Frenchman Gustave who lives in the peaceful seaside town of Lumière. Once a year, a mysterious deity called The Paintress commands the death of every citizen of a certain age from her watery lair amid the ocean. This time, it’s 33, which includes Gustave’s girlfriend, Sophie. So, our daring hero naturally decides to take action and chart a course across the waves towards his inevitable doom.
This emotional storytelling is what made Clair Obscur so compelling. Gustave’s adventure came stuffed with genuinely moving moments and plenty of unexpected plot twists to put the likes of Netflix to shame. The turn-based combat system wasn’t exactly accessible to newbies – but even if you’re too impatient to get to grips with it, you can just listen to the glorious music instead.
Best bit: ‘Une Vie à t’Aimer’ – we didn’t think a French power ballad would be one of our gaming highlights of 2025, but here we are.
For fans of: Persona 3 Reload, Metaphor: ReFantazio. AF
3. ‘Split Fiction’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
What the hell did we just play? A sci-fi ninja adventure? A Dark Souls sorcerers’ quest? A shape-shifting platformer? Erm… yes. Hazelight’s latest split-screen two-hander was all of these and several CeX shops more.
Split Fiction’s inspired premise – two writers, hardened sci-fi scribe Mio and airy-fairy fantasy fan Zoe, get trapped in their own stories – allowed one 15-hour campaign plus its madcap side-missions to be the most successful attempt yet for one title to be all games to all people. The game encompasses (strap in): gravity-warping futurescape action, fantastical puzzling with tree gods, marble droid pinball, monkey congas, pencil-drawn fairytale segments, flying fart-pigs, laser-swathed prison escapes, exploding suns, mole wizardry and dragon catapults. That’s all before you reach a mega-meta final chapter that sets out to entirely reimagine what the split-screen gaming format can do.
Best bit: Tough choice. The invisible laser section of the prison ship escape chapter is a masterstroke of player co-operation but there’s real joy to discovering you can turn your partner into cheese in the magical Moon Market.
For fans of: It Takes Two, Baldur’s Gate 3. MB
2. ‘Death Stranding 2: On The Beach’
Platform: PS5
Death Stranding was a landmark moment in gaming, pushing ageing consoles to their limit with life-like cutscenes, a gripping story and the best bits of creator Hideo Kojima’s unique gameplay mechanics. On The Beach took everything that made Death Stranding a triumph and supercharged it.
Here, you once again play as Sam Bridges, a porter tasked with reconnecting a post-apocalyptic United States with the rest of the world while continuing to explore the cataclysmic Death Stranding event.
First question: yes, On The Beach does still feature a lot of walking, but it throws players into the action – and new traversal mechanics – far sooner than its predecessor did. A quicker-paced storyline that’s packed to the brim with shocking, emotional and spine-chilling moments, standout performances from one of gaming’s most impressive casts and next-gen graphics make Death Stranding 2 not just another Kojima masterpiece, but a one-of-a-kind experience that gamers won’t soon forget.
Best bit: The stunning reveal at the end of chapter nine (again, no spoilers from us).
For fans of: Death Stranding, Cyberpunk 2077. SS
1. ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
Fans waited so long for a follow-up to 2017’s beloved Hollow Knight that they coined a special term for the constant (and mostly untrue) rumours that have appeared the past few years. But in 2025, the silkposting finally came to an end with the release of Silksong. And yes, it was absolutely worth the wait.
Set parallel to Hollow Knight, the sequel follows a Hornet who has been captured and brought to the kingdom of Pharloom. She finds that its inhabitants are under some cultish fervour called ‘The Haunting’ that’s driving them violently insane. In order to uncover the truth behind this madness, she must journey to ‘The Citadel’.
Developers Team Cherry clearly weren’t afraid of maintaining the fiendish difficulty of the original but the fluid gameplay, gorgeous level design and satisfying exploration made even the trickiest of challenges feel enjoyable. It’s a ridiculously confident, compelling game that’s lived up to the sky-high levels of hype that have surrounded its creation. It’s set an nearly-impossible bar for those other legendary delayed games – Grand Theft Auto 6, Half-Life 3, Metroid Prime 4 – to reach.
Best bit: Stumbling into Bellhart and discovering its innocent inhabitants dangling helplessly in the air, showing just how dangerous The Haunting really is.
For fans of: Nine Sols, Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown. GY
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