2025 Ranked: Games

 Welcome to my 2025 Ranked list for Video Games!

Rules for my rankings are simple, the page contains my ranking from worst to best of all the video games I've experienced over the course of the past year. 

Replays of games I've already experienced prior won't be considered in the official ranking but will be ranked within their own Honorable Mentions sections. 

Please be aware these rankings are purely subjective and are based on my own personal opinion.

Honorable Mentions

14. Grand Theft Auto III: Definitive Edition

While it's open world design still feels solid to this day and there's a lot to appreciate about how much Grand Theft Auto III arguably shifted the landscape of the industry; it's hard not to notice more of the games glaring flaws. My biggest gripe with the game is it's underwhelming story which has no desire to feel cohesive or engaging, hindered largely due to it's mute protagonist.  Even with a few modern touch ups in the Definitive Edition, it's not enough to stop me from looking at this game with a little less favorability this time around.

13. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

As far as movie tie-in games go, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is one of the better ones.  The Collective and Lucasarts worked together to craft a video game which does it's very best to put an action-orientated focus on the events of the third film.  While it's presentation is solid and it levels fun and varied, the biggest hurdle I faced revisiting the game was the thing I remembered the most from playing as a kid and that is it's difficulty.  I don't take any issue with the combat mechanics in themselves, but it's easy to note how the game isn't balanced in terms of it's fairness as later levels of the game will really punish you with unfair encounters.

12. Sly Racoon and the Thievius Raccoonus

Sly Cooper's name is synonymous with PlayStation and there's a clear reason for that which can be traced to his very first game; Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. The original blueprint touts a visually distinct cell-shaded style that helps realize it's anthropomorphic characters and world wonderfully.  It's gameplay is solid if somewhat limited with the way it's level design is at odds with it's difficulty. Even with it's flaws, the game still holds genuine value that can be appreciated all these years later since it's initial release.

11. James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

As an avid and unapologetic fan of the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond, Everything or Northing is a definitive 007 video game experience for me. Despite being well over 20 years old at this point, this game still holds up very well.  It's varied mission design and cinematic production showcase a video game keen to emulate all the key elements behind what made Brosnan's era of James Bond so iconic.  That's not to say it's perfect however, as even I struggled with the clunky movement and combat when replaying it this time around.

10. The Walking Dead: Season 2

Season 2 of Telltale's The Walking Dead game does a smart job in pivoting the central focus onto Clementine as it's main player character. Her physical limitations and innocent outlook helps give the season a distinct flavor to appreciate. It's just a shame that that unique approach is somewhat lessened in the wake of the games more prevalent issues. It's clear as day that the games core writing quality is not nearly as consistent as it was in the prior season. What also drags the game's overall appeal down somewhat is it's lack of meaningful choices that impact the course of the narrative. It's still a emotional experience all things considered, but it doesn't do a good enough job living up to it's predecessors reputation.

9. The Simpsons Hit and Run

Despite being limited in the scope of it's environmental variety, Radical Entertainment made up for it by delivering on every other elements of The Simpsons Hit and Run's overall design.  By utilizing some of the shows original writers for it's narrative, the game is able to deliver an iconic Simpsons story which feels timeless in it's comedy.  Alongside it's humorous writing, the game also delivers with fun and varied vehicle gameplay which feels tight and responsive.

8. Grand Theft Auto Vice City: Definitive Edition

Vice City feels like a second home to me.  Ever since I was a kid, I learned to navigate the bright neon-soaked streets as Tommy Vercetti on his journey to take over the city's criminal network.  All these years later, the video game still holds up primarily based on it's thematic core and overall presentation.  While it's inconsistent mission design hasn't shown any improvement with time, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying cruising along the streets once again in a seedy, yet glamourous homage to the 1980's.

7. Portal 2

Portal 2 is a showcase in how Valve is capable of taking an already amazing concept and finding new ways to tap into it's potential. It's single player offerings are reinforced by a sharply comedic set of performances along with a plethora of engaging levels to play around it.  Accompanying it is a secondary co-operative element which plays around with the gameplay even further with 2x's the portals and an even more extensive selection of levels to work together to solve.

6. Sly 2: Band of Thieves

Sly 2: Band of Thieves is a game ingrained within my childhood and whether you can argue that clouds my objective judgement of the game, I can honestly say I don't care.  Even revisiting the game this year has only reinforced what I already knew for the majority of these years and that is that this game is one of the GOAT's. With a fun and varied selection of levels, embedded within a tightly woven narrative, this game does everything possible to leave a strong standing impression from start to finish.  Sucker Punch took the initial blueprint of this franchise and expanded on it in some pretty fundamental ways and as a result we have a product which stands strong against the test of time to this very day.

5. Pokémon Platinum

Like Emerald, Pokémon Platinum showcases the third, revised entry is often the best in each official release in the mainline Pokémon games. Platinum touts one of the best narratives to ever grace a Pokémon game due to it's strong evil team and legendary mascot Pokémon; Giratina. Alongside it's story is a smart and robust world design teeming with things to do and a plethora of Pokémon to capture and build a team from. There's so much to appreciate in this game and it more than earns the high reputation it's garnered since it released over 17 years ago.

4. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

I cannot count the number of times I've played this game. For such a simple concept, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney delivers on every facet of it's design superbly.  It presents the player with 5 unique cases to solve, with clever and witty writing accompanied with a plethora of memorable characters.  It's gameplay is easy to grasp but enticing to master as you work to solve the conundrums through thorough examination and logical deduction.  I honestly adore this game so much and am not ashamed to rank it as part of my favorite video games of all time.

3. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (Definitive Edition) 

Serving as Rockstar's third and final release on the Generation 8 series of consoles, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas was a clear sign the developer didn't want to end their run quietly.  Benefitting from an extended development cycle this time round, San Andreas touted not one or two but three dedicated cities all interconnected through a massive map.  The narrative behind the game will have you travel all throughout San Andreas in an original tale filled with comedy and tragedy in equal measure.  There's so much depth and content packed into this game that you'll never feel lacking in things to do.  It truly defines itself as a definitive gaming experience and continuously stands the test of time over and over.

2. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a perfectly realized video game experience which delivers on every conceivable level. Even on my 2nd go round, I still felt absolutely mesmerized by every aspect of the game's numerous components.  From a narrative perspective, George R.R. Martin  and Miyazaki penned a world brimming with so much depth and intrigue and on the technical front, the game offers so much to do and see with it's vast open world design.  Everything ultimately meshes together to deliver THE open world experience that will be nigh impossible to top for many, many years to come. 

1. Fallout New Vegas

There's a reason I consider Fallout New Vegas my favourite game of all time. I don't think any game has been able to capture my attention each and every time I play it for the past 16 years.  Obsidian Entertainment developed this game under such intense constraints and were still able to deliver a product miles and leaps ahead of anything Bethesda could push out.  Its world is filled with so much to do and it's tailored to put the player character at the heart of it.  With so much devotion to choice both narratively and mechanically, you'll feel the weight of your actions constantly and be wanting to replay the game continuously just to experience things differently.  It says something I've played this game over and over and am still able to find new and interesting details I never caught prior.  

Official Ranking

20. Dead Space 3

While you can argue the Dead Space 3 holds all the fundamental elements that make it recognizable as an entry in the franchise, I'd argue it lacks any of the drive the prior entries did.  The game does try to innovate mechanically with an extensive customization system for your weapons, but this also contributes to the biggest, glaring issue I had with the game, it's loss of identity.  The games terrible narrative also adds to that flaw as well, as it's filled with so many inconsistencies and boring characters that it had me wishing for the Necromorphs to save us all the bother and kill them all. It's clear why the franchise died soon after this point, because Dead Space 3 is so far beyond the survival-horror experience I and many came to adore initially and in it's place is a generic sci-fi shooter without the  heart or ambition of it's predecessors.

19. Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu

It's hard to give too much praise to Game Freak when it comes to Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu.  As a remake it does a decent job in recreating the original generation one experience by utilizing the Nintendo Switch hardware.  It's biggest strengths aren't really earned though, as they're basically existing elements that stem from the original games.  In actuality, what little this game does try to innovate on actually comes off as it's weakest elements; with a catch mechanic that only exists to draw in more casual fans and a power balance that is way too one-sided now. It is nice to see the original games realized in a 3-D space however, I can't take that point away from the game.

18. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is simply another LEGO game.  It does a great job in adapting the first four films in the series with the traditional mute-style comedy the older games are famous for and there's a fair bit to appreciate with the level design and visuals.  The remainder of the game however just comes off as slightly average and you get a consistent feeling that Traveller's Tales didn't have the heart nor desire to make this title as iconic as some other LEGO games in the franchise.

17. Winter Burrow

While I do find the scope of the games functionality considerably lacking, Winter Burrow does offer enough intrigue in it's visuals and general design to be worth sinking a few hours into.  It's biggest positive for me though is it's devotion to representing the art style of the old children's story books of our youth.  The cozy/crafting subgenre is filled with so much low-effort slop these days so it's worth recognizing when a game like this one comes along and does try to stand out, even if it struggles to realize all of it's ideas in the process.

16. Doki Doki Literature Club +

While this game may seem like a conventional anime dating simulator, Doki Doki Literature Club proves to be anything but.  At it's heart it is actually quite a compelling psychological horror experience which plays well as subverting expectations with a very metatextual approach to it's major themes and components. Despite an opening segment which goes on slightly too long and a lack of engaging gameplay, the game still stands strong as a memorable experience based on it's tight narrative and overall unique presentation.

15. Avowed

Avowed's offerings are extensive to say the least.  It's world design and setting feels grand but it's accompanying narrative does somewhat struggle to proceed cohesively with the many major plot lines it tries to juggle.  It's helped that the major explorative element of the games world feels rich and rewarding in equal measure.  For every major positive this game touts though, it's hard not to notice some underlying blemishes that do rear their heads to diminish these elements somewhat.  It's still a genuinely good RPG experience despite it's shortfalls however and well worth one playthrough at the very least.

14. Keeper

Keeper is such a fun, surreal experience to dive into.  Developed by the wonderful people at Double Fine Productions, this video game explores a vastly imaginative world through the lens of it's bizarre pair of characters, a bird and a sentient lighthouse. There's so much effort given to delivering a vivid and memorable story which has a lot of surprising heart within this game.  While I did enjoy the game for the most part, it's hard to deny the game definitely runs out of steam with how long it's individual gameplay segments tend to run on for. It's a game with a lot of ambition but it clearly struggles realizing all of it's ideas on a functional level.

13. Dredge

Dredge is a game which has clear ambition to realize the potential of it's unique setup.  While it may seem like a standard fishing game on the surface, much like in the game, there's a dark, Lovecraftian horror which waits beneath the waves. While it's narrative format is weaker than the rest of it's core components, I didn't find it really ruined the overall impact the game left on me.  It's fishing gameplay is really simple to grasp yet there's a nice layer of progression as you collect resources and upgrade your boat and gear. The overall vibe the Lovecraftian element gives also works to give the game a truly distinct atmosphere.  It's probably the only game I've ever played that is capable of relaxing me just as much as it creeps me out.

12. MARVEL Cosmic Invasion

Tribute Games are back at it with their next beat em' up video game, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion. This game showcases the clear understanding the developer has on the genre as they really don't miss a beat (No pun intended!) when it comes to delivering fast-paced combat encounters.  With the MARVEL license the developer were able to expand their character roster to incorporate a greater variety of playable characters. While this does sacrifice some mechanical depth, there's clearly enough effort to make each character feel distinct to play in any case.  With a extended selection of gameplay options too, there's so much to play around with in this game that you'll be satisfied for many, many hours.

11. Super Mario Party Jamboree

Value is a key word I'd use to describe my time playing Super Mario Party Jamboree.  There's so much content layered within this game that it's hard not to appreciate the level of variety on offer.  If you're here primarily for the fun board games, this title has you covered on that front with a range of boards and features within them.  If you're looking for something different though, there's so much side content and game modes to dive into and it just goes to emphasize the sheer value for money on offer within this game. Your engagement may be limited however as besides the boards these side modes can get old very quickly.

10. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Despite having a lot of affection for the original Dead Rising, I couldn't quite commit to loving it based purely on it's clunky controls and poor AI survivors.  That's why when Capcom announced plans to remake the game utilizing the RE engine, I was quite excited to see if I could finally come to experience the first game in the series properly.  Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster nails that core objective by recreating the original game and retaining the majority of it's charm while implementing a plethora of quality of life changes that address my initial issues.  While it's core offerings are great however, I do feel there are a few creative revisions in the game that feel out of place, especially when it comes to the look and design of Frank West himself.

9. Titanfall 2

As someone who never really had a history with the Titanfall series, I was still perceptive enough to note the high praise the 2nd entry in the franchise holds within the community. After finally playing it for myself, I truly understand why this game is well regarded.  Despite being a relatively short experience, the actual quality of the content found in the game's main campaign is leaps and bounds above elements you'd find in any current FPS game out there.  It's core gameplay loop offers players so much tight and responsive controls that make immersing yourself in the combat whether on foot or in your trusty range of Titans so easy. Despite being a confident showcase, the one thing that drags the campaign down for me somewhat is limited number of missions which highlight the games rushed narrative.

8. Elden Ring: Nightreign

FromSoftware seems to have finally caught on how much we all wanted to play their games co-operatively, without any unnecessary limitations. While a lot of it's core foundation is clearly borrowed from the base Elden Ring game, the team behind Elden Ring Nightreign clearly made the effort to justify it as a spin off in the series.  With a tight and addictive formula to it's 3-day rougelike cycles, accompanied with a diverse class system, you'll get easily addicted to hopping in for one more game as you strive to take down the Nightlords with your allies.

7. Alien Isolation

Creative Assembly's commitment to capturing the authentic essence of the original 1979 movie deserves true recognition.  This developer knew the key element behind this entire franchise is the Xenomorph being the ultimate lifeform and they tailored the game around that idea.  The survival horror gameplay works brilliantly to put stealth and puzzle solving at the forefront while committing to brilliantly realizing the art and design of the original movie's sets. The only flaw the game is guilty of is not knowing when to quit as the narrative does run on slightly too long for my liking.

7. Silent Hill 2 (Remake)

I'd like to happily admit I was wrong to be skeptical of Bloober Team handling the remake of Silent Hill 2. The developer was able to authentically capture the tone and nature of the original game with so much ease.  While I do find it's gameplay components a bit repetitive, these factors cannot put a blemish on everything else that makes this game so damn good.  It's horror is the key element that sticks out to me even now, every aspect of this game is designed to fill you with unease and it does so seamlessly.  It's narrative is also fantastic as it challenges the player to form their own interpretations while smartly layering things out to pick up on. I can truly understand now why the original game has earned the reputation it has for so many years, it really is one of the best examples of horror out there and the remake seems to do a good job representing it.

6. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor

Respawn Entertainment are clearly devoted to the Star Wars Jedi series.  While Jedi Fallen Order was a solid game, it wasn't without it's issues.  Jedi Survivor feels like a direct response to those issues, as this game not only builds on top of all of its strong foundations, it addresses a lot of core issues fans touted from the prior game.  As an end result, Jedi Survivor projects confidence on every swing, with a darker narrative which puts a lot of  focus on character development.  Accompanying it's strong narrative is a more flexible combat system and a richer and well-versed exploration cycle that gives this game a lot of content to respect.

5. Helldivers II

It's fair to say Helldivers II is a rare exception to my often dismissive perspective on live service games. I think what makes this game notably different from all the other ones is it feels like it actually captures the engaging formula with ease.  A satirical theme helps give a distinct vibe to the games grand science-fiction setup and on top of it is an addictive gameplay loop which is tightly constructed and offers players the freedom to make their own fun in a consistent string of back to back missions. I can only hope Arrowhead build and add more enemy factions on top of the game over time though, as it's three enemy races while fun initially do end up reflecting a small sense of repetition.

4. Split Fiction

Split Fiction is just another notch on Josef Fares and Hazelight Studio's incredible record up to this point. It's impossible not to be overwhelmingly impressed by the sheer magnitude of this games creative aspirations.  Every single world and level is teeming so much unique functionality to get lost behind. On top of it's constantly varied co-operative gameplay offerings is a story which feels equal parts funny and emotional and knows exactly when to be one or the other when the moment calls for it. I cannot fathom how these developers are capable to never running out of ideas to imbue there games with and I hope that day never comes!

3. Cuphead

As someone who is always out to find and enjoy unique video game experiences, Cuphead is one such game which delivers on that objective in spades.  Chad and Jared Moldenhauer and their team at Studio MDHR delivered a run and gun experience which perfectly encapsulates the style and tone of the games and cartoons they loved from their youth.  While arguably difficult, it's never to a point that it feels unfair. It's tight and rewarding gameplay is accompanied with a classical visual design which exudes charm as well as a fantastic soundtrack which helps cement it as a truly one of a kind experience.

2. Dark Souls III

As a conclusion to the trilogy, Dark Souls III does everything right in capitalizing on the core concept of the series.  It's narrative tackles the idea of the tragedy and sorrow tied behind the worlds perpetual existence.  It's combat is refined to offer a lot more freedom and choice when it comes to the weapons you wield and the playstyle you wish to run with.  It's world is teeming with visual quality with an added sense of scope which is aching to be explored.  On top of it all is an enemy and boss design which feels relentless in it's difficulty and challenge.  Every single element of this game feels designed to conclude this franchise in the best way possible.

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

I've played video games for many years, I've played a multitude of titles from several different genres and it's easy to say there's nothing I haven't seen or experienced before at some point; bearing all of that in mind however, it's really refreshing to experience something truly new and different. What Sandfall Interactive have done with their debut video game is beyond comprehension.  Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a game which strides confidently at every opportunity, delivering an experience which is as close to perfect as I can fathom. It's thematic narrative is filled to the brim with subtext and emotion and it's accompanied by a technical slice of gameplay which offers a gradual skill curve that feels so satisfying to master. This is more than just another game of the year, this is one of the best games of the modern generation and I feel so privileged to have experienced it.