It’s not easy for me to look back on an entire year of game releases and choose only five I enjoyed over others. In many ways, I suffer from an imposter syndrom where I’ve tripped into this role as a game critic because I don’t have the ability to actually develop games. In that same breath, the entire concept of words generating images on the screen to this day blows my mind, so who am I to judge these talented people?
This sense of admiration for the games industry, alongside the doubt that I actually belong in it, has been with me since I first started covering games in 2013. My first visit to E3 would follow soon after, but I wouldn’t fully realize my personal contribution to the industry until I launched Noisy Pixel in 2018. Before that, I had a great team of mentors from my time writing for DualShockers when it was independent and from my brief time at a PR agency, which helped me understand how the industry worked from different angles.
Still, even after all these years, I didn’t genuinely find confidence in my ability to convey feedback to developers and run a business until 2025. Before that, I constantly second-guessed myself, waiting for the pin to drop, as if everyone, all at once, would discover me for the fraud that I am. Because, face it, Noisy Pixel is run by three people: Bailey, our Editor-in-Chief, and Mark, our co-owner and video producer. In reality, we’re just three people who love to create but lack the skills to actually develop games. It was that line of thinking that led me to better understand my place in this industry, where I could help developers make better games and raise awareness of projects that might otherwise be overlooked. And as a minimum, maybe we’ll help a gamer with a purchasing decision.
What I’m trying to say is that I know Noisy Pixel is nothing special or particularly groundbreaking in this space, but for some reason or another, we’ve grown this community without the need for clickbait or ragebait-style content, and we do it without any real front-and-center personalities. The industry would tell you, our coverage is not profitable, but the community that has found us says otherwise. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that within myself, but I promise to show up even more in 2026
My top list of games from 2025 is personal to me and highlights a few games that I keep playing, even though I’m not working on content for them. Trust me, as a reviewer, it’s hard to keep playing a game after the review, which limits exposure to post-launch content and updates, but there just isn’t enough time to continue coverage of the game, given that you’ve likely moved on to reviewing other games. So, these are the games that I keep making time for. They bring a strange sense of comfort to my chaotic schedule and push me to slow down and be mindful.
5. Old School Rally
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Switch, PC
Release Date: December 3, 2025
For those who grew up in the era of renting games, you may be aware of just the sheer amount of racing games on the shelves. While I typically enjoyed single-player adventures, whenever a friend would spend the night, I’d always rent a random Rally Cross or Racing game for us to play. Interestingly, no matter which game I chose, we always had a decent time. These games lent themselves well to the weekend pick-up-and-play experience, allowing even the worst drivers to have some fun as they navigate the tracks. In that same breath, the more you play them, the easier it is to see which of them go the extra mile with things like weather effects, physics, crowds, and track complexity, among other things.
I’d hate to give the wrong idea; I’m no car guy or expert in this genre, but the nostalgia the Old School Rally brought me last year was unexpected. After a period in Early Access, the game was released in full in early December, and I haven’t stopped playing it since. The game retains the pick-and-play ideas from early PS1 rally games that inspired it, but it raises its skill ceiling by requiring players to master its tracks across a campaign that unlocks new cars and tracks as the campaign progresses. This constant sense of progression is mirrored by the sheer amount of content available, as you’re teased with future unlockables, providing a nice goal.
One interesting thing about my time playing Old School Rally is how much time I spent in photo mode. Maybe I just enjoy PS1-style polygons, but I really enjoyed setting up some cool scenes, and I wouldn’t mind more options, such as editing in wind lines or adding a tailpipe spark. After learning that this was a solo-developed project, my appreciation for it only grew. The old-school weather effects also had me drooling a little, but paired with the soundtrack and the general vibe of this game, I found comfort in simply racing with the windows down and not a care in the world. Who says these old PS1 graphics aren’t immersive?
4. Ninja Gaiden 4
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series, PC
Release Date: October 21, 2025
As you can see, I’m a freak for nostalgia, and I’m sure the rest of this list will only make that more true. Ninja Gaiden receiving a new entry was unexpected. Developed by PlatinumGames, this would be the first numbered entry in over 10 years, and I’ll admit, I was nervous if they could pull it off. The Ninja Gaiden series seems to be fighting three wars at once: one is retaining the high, punishing difficulty established by its NES roots, the next is translating that difficulty into a modern action game accessible to new players, and the last is featuring skin-tight ab suits and jiggle physics. How to bring all that together is not for me work out, but I found the balance that Ninja Gaiden 4 brought to be almost a palate cleanser for what we may see in future entries.
While it finds its own rhythm, Ninja Gaiden 4 plays it relatively safe in scope and systems. This is a straight action game; from beginning to end, you will be fighting. In that sense, the developers weren’t asked to create a hub world with a large supporting cast where the new lead, Yakumo, can interact with various characters and take on missions that exist only in menus. The scope of this project seemed to boil down to developing a modern action system that works within the Ninja Gaiden world, and this team cooked. Every moment of these experiences is about improving your skills from the previous fight. The player is pushed to use more abilities, and the developers found a clever way to expand the toolkit with the introduction of Bloodraven Form.
The experience is exhilarating, and for the first time in a long time, I played the highest difficulty. This alone told me that Ninja Gaiden 4 would be one of the best games of 2025. Listen, I’m not a masochist. I typically play games on Normal difficulty, expecting that will be the difficulty most people play on, but that thought process was thrown out the window while I was playing Ninja Gaiden 4. Further, I found the decision to introduce a new protagonist to be a smart move for the future of this series. We gotta face it: younger gamers likely don’t know who Ryu Hayabusa is. So while his name carries weight for old-school gamers, the community growing up today is the one expected to adopt these sequels, without knowledge of what came before. It’s a bitter pill to swallow sometimes, as growing up can often feel like franchises you’ve loved are constantly changing and adapting to new ideas and trends, leaving us behind a community of gamers who couldn’t be bothered or pulled away from Roblox or Fortnite, but Ninja Gaiden 4 nails the nostolgic ninja setting with a modern lens that doesn’t take away from what fans love. I hope future continued series adapt this same approach. Now, when can I play as Ayane?
In case you missed it, check out our review of Ninja Gaiden 4.
3. Gigasword
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, PC
Release Date: November 13, 2025
I’m going to be honest, I don’t know if I enjoyed Gigasword when I started this adventure. The opening scenes depict a nobody named Ezra who inherits an enormous sword and is sent to save humanity from a curse that they unleashed on themselves. While subtle, Ezra’s character annoyed me at first. His lack of confidence or willingness to stand up for himself made me roll my eyes at this supposed hero. But Ezra’s thoughts about himself reflected my skills as a gamer in controlling him. You see, the sword is far too heavy, and wielding it has the negative effects of slowing Ezra down and limiting his ability to jump. However, the sword is needed to interact with puzzles, open doors, and attack, so you begin to rely on it as much as you understand how it holds you back. This forces you to make unique decisions in navigation and in how you approach combat.
The more I played, the more I understood Ezra’s motives. That said, together, we grew. I slowly mastered the timing of swings, level navigation, and the various nuances of this game’s systems, which extend into highly ambitious abilities in the late game. The puzzle design is another pillar of this experience that demands genuine thought and an understanding of Ezra’s toolkit. Even though I had other deadlines, I kept returning to Gigasword every night to explore parts of the map I missed or try to take down a boss, and I felt so much comfort in this experience.
I don’t mean for this to be a growing trend on my list, but Gigasword is also a solo-developed game. It’s interesting to me how this game even came to be, given its unconventional and ambitious approach to the action-puzzle genre. Limiting player movement and crafting a character who doens’t exactly fit that hero mold must have been a tough direction, but they somehow knew that it would make this experience stand out. Instead of simply phoning it in with a few unique gameplay abilities thrown into a surface level metroivania dungeon, Gigasword seems to push all expectations with various interconnected dungeons and a trust in the players when it comes to getting through unconventional puzzles that ask you to sometimes leave your sword behind, combat against a growing variety of enemy types and tough bosses, and a normal dude named Ezra who finds a way to accept his place as a hero.
2. Digimon Story Time Stranger
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series, PC
Release Date: October 3, 2025
I was happy to see the success of the Digimon Story series with the release of Cyber Sleuth in the West. As a fan of the Digimon World series, I saw it as a more accessible way to enjoy Digimon without the deep-raising-and-training sims that may deter potential players. Whether it be the stylistic character designs or ease of entry into the Digital world, I wouldn’t mind this series receiving yearly entries, but I know that’s asking a lot. Regardless, last year saw the release of the long-awaited Time Stranger, and I couldn’t be more excited to see how Bandai Namco plans to bring this series to a new generation, given that Cyber Sleuth ran on the Vita, so I imagine an engine update was needed.
In collaboration with developer Media Vision, who can do no wrong, given they created Wild Arms, I knew pretty much immediately at the reveal that I was going to love this game. Still, the game could have easily been a generic Digimon adventure with a throwaway cast and focus on a small cast of playable Digimon, but that’s not how things went. Instead, this team created a game with over 450 Digimon available and a system that encourages players not only to catch multiple types of the same Digimon but also to make non-linear Digivolving straightforward and fun. Paying attention to Digimon’s personalities and base skills puts them down an evolution tree that can be influenced by the way you play and interact with your team. All this is also meant to have the player open to De-Digivolving their party to take newer, stronger paths.
It’s a game that always manages to reward my time, no matter what I’m doing. The narrative dips into themes of friendship, acceptance, courage, and confidence, which is very anime, but it works as each character plays into their straights making it easy to get a little emotionally invested in this adventure. I’m kind of over the silent protagonist angle, but using the non-chosen character as your partner was a clever decision. I feel like the entire game gives a ton of choices to the player, by giving them a variety of ways to approach the game, before skill-checking you with the choice to take on the bosses. This creates a loop where progress feels earned, and you’ll never be too under-leveled for future encounters, providing a positive experience for all players, even those who are progressing casually. I’m glad to see the love for Digimon reach a new high with this release. I’m hoping this leads to even more Digimon adventures.
In case you missed it, check out our review of Digimon Story Time Stranger.
1. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, PC
Release Date: May 28, 2025
If you told me my favorite game of 2025 would star a bat using a yo-yo to navigate a colorful, Zelda-inspired town built around corporate greed and corruption, I’d probably tell you to shut up. Mostly because that pitch didn’t mention swimsuit DLC. And yet, here we are. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo delivers everything I want from an action-adventure puzzle game. It opens with the introduction of Pippit, a young bat with dreams of becoming a yo-yo master, who also happens to be broke. That leads him to his aunt, the head of the company that effectively runs the town. When rival corporations decide they’ve had enough of the Pipistrello grip on power, they steal it from her, though not before some of it ends up trapped inside Pippit’s yo-yo. The result is an unlikely partnership and an adventure to reclaim what was lost.
Beyond its playful tone, the game leans into themes of consumerism and greed in a way that feels intentionally uncomfortable. You’re often asked to return power to the elite, even when it doesn’t sit right, and that tension quietly lingers throughout the experience. All of this exists within a world that’s bright, quirky, and inviting, which keeps the game from feeling heavy-handed. That balance matters, especially because the design constantly pushes you to think creatively about how you use the yo-yo in combat and puzzle solving. Nearly every screen introduces a new way to test your understanding of its mechanics, and that steady drip of ideas becomes hard to put down.
The decision to structure the adventure in a largely non-linear way feels confident. There are light Metroidvania elements that encourage revisiting earlier areas, but the game accounts for that freedom surprisingly well. It often feels like you’re breaking sequence or getting abilities earlier than expected, yet everything still clicks into place naturally. That sense of flow highlights just how strong the overall design is. There’s never a moment where progress feels unclear or padded out. Your skills are constantly challenged with new puzzle ideas, and each milestone feels earned. It’s the kind of game you don’t want to end, and one that I will continue to champion.
In case you missed it, check out our review of Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo.
Looking back on this list, it’s funny how clearly these games reflect where I was in 2025. Each one gave me a reason to slow down, stick with something longer than required, and find comfort in learning systems at my own pace. They weren’t always the loudest or most talked-about releases, but they were the ones that stayed with me once the deadlines passed. If there’s a common thread here, it’s that these games respected my time and trusted me as a player. That’s something I don’t take lightly, and it’s exactly why they earned a place on this list.
