Dec 29, 2025
3 min read
The combination of expected sequels and unexpected indie gems made 2025 a joyful year.
When we rounded up our top 20 games from last year, we specifically named Civilization 7, Avowed, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Grand Theft Auto 6 as the biggest franchise games we're already looking forward to in 2025. While one of those games has been pushed back to 2026, the other three games made our list of favorite games of the year as expected. They join some of the most anticipated sequels on the sidelines.The "anticipated" of this year's list, from big-budget blockbusters to long-running indies.
But the games that really stood out to me in 2025 were the ones that seemed to come out of nowhere.These games range from hard-to-categorize puzzlers like Gonzo, punishing mountain-hiking simulators, and the best Geometry Wars clone in years, a poignant look at the struggles of adolescence through the surprisingly effective lens of minigames.
As we look to 2026, there are plenty of other big-budget projects the industry is gearing up for (among them the delayed Grand Theft Auto VI boss).However, if next year is anything like this one, we can expect many more games that no one thought would be new classics.
Shadows of Assassin's Creed
Ubisoft Quebec;Windows, MacOS, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, iPad
When I was young, I wanted and really expected every game I played to blow me away with something I'd never seen before.Hitting that streak was easy in the 90s, when both game design and technology were moving at breakneck speed.
Now, as someone who is still playing in their 40s, I'm happy to see it when it happens, but I don't expect it.Now, I'm more and more enjoying games that are a form of comfort food, and I appreciate some games for adaptation as much as I did for the original.
Here's Assassin's Creed Shadow (as he wrote it when it first came out).It follows a well-trodden formula, but it's a beautifully refined version of that formula.Its world is spectacular and escapist, the sound and graphics are stunning, and it accommodates many different play styles and skill levels.
