For once, I felt a little more prepared to write this end-of-year list. Thanks to a little side project I did earlier in December, the games in my top five were pretty much set in stone, and despite one last-minute switch, they held their positions. Despite that, as ever, my year was filled mostly with older, pre-2025 games. I cleared some retro titles from my backlog, like Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Burning Ranger, as well as some indie hits like Iconoclasts and Dredge. A girl cannot live on just contemporary releases alone. I will always have a craving for older games, no matter the year.
A small handful of games released in 2025 resonated with me, though. The top two, in particular, really defined my year, took me to some really interesting places, allowed me to meet some amazing friends, and otherwise reminded me just why I love video games so much as a medium for storytelling. Next year, I’m already setting myself up to try and play games that mean something to those closest to me, so I don’t know how many new games I’ll get to play in 2026, but I’m sure it’ll be a great year regardless.
So, enough talk! Here’s my Top 5 Games of 2025:
5 – This game will end in 205 clicks.
Platforms: PC
Release Date: August 5, 2025
This free game by In Stars & Time developer insertdisc5 has stuck with me ever since it was released quietly in August. Mostly because I believe it’s an incredible example of a game that makes the most out of its incredibly short runtime. Yes, this is a game that will only last about half an hour, but those thirty minutes contain a wonderfully executed game that hits upon very real queer experiences. And it’s all wrapped up in a really great-looking, highly expressive art style. There just isn’t a lot else out there, like this game will end in 205 clicks.
I’m a bit of a sucker for these kinds of experiments anyway, games that have a clear, distinctive vision that ends up coming together so masterfully.
4 – The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release Date: April 24, 2025
Someone left Kazutaka Kodaka (the creator of DanganRonpa) and Kotaro Uchikoshi (the creator of Zero Escape) alone in a room together, and this is what happened. This is the consequence. And that isn’t a bad thing by any means; Hundred Line is a game that is bold, obnoxious, and absolutely off the wall, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The fact that it can take 30+ hours to even start unlocking one of the one hundred endings the game has to offer is ludicrous in all the best ways, and I would expect nothing less from two of my favorite creative minds.
And that’s before you even get to the turn-based combat, which, despite being fairly simple, is really fun! With a sort of tower defence focus, you have to really maximise the limited amount of turns you get, while also trying your best to earn more turns by taking down larger, more dangerous enemies. Now, have I actually finished Hundred Line? Not yet. I have about ten or so endings in the bag right now. It’s the kind of game I can see myself playing well into next year, though, and it’ll keep me well entertained with its colourful cast and plethora of storylines.
Check out our review for The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy.
3 – Promise Mascot Agency
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Release Date: April 10, 2025
I was always pretty confident that I would fall in love with Promise Mascot Agency, given it comes from one of my favorite developers, Kaizen Game Works. But what surprised me is that it ended up being one of the cosiest, most wholesome games of the year for me. There’s a kind of calming vibe to driving your kei truck around the roads of a rural, neglected Japanese island town. Not to mention, it just feels great to be rejuvenating that very same town, that community, with your mascot agency. Then you strap wings to your kei truck, boost yourself off a ramp, before soaring through the skies like it’s no big deal.
Promise Mascot Agency is just as full of humor as it is of chill vibes, too. All of the different mascots have fun little gimmicks and side stories, while learning about all of the different citizens of the island is really fun in its own right. I just think exploration is the real secret sauce to Promise Mascot Agency. I love being able to climb up the mountains, poke around all the different avenues, all with such incredible, immaculate retro aesthetics coating it all.
Check out our review for Promise Mascot Agency.
2 – Deltarune (Chapter 3 +4)
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Release Date: June 5, 2025
Honestly, this was my number one for a while, but my new number one blindsided me and was more of a surprise. I’ve always loved Deltarune, so there was never any doubt that when Chapter 3 + 4 launched this year, they would take over my life, and for good reason. The fun and bouncy atmosphere of Chapter 3, aided by the presence of Tenna, leaves a great first impression on you, before events really take a much different tone in Chapter 4.
Deltarune is just an incredible piece of work, a story that plays with ideas of escapism and fiction as a concept. As a writer myself, that kind of core theme really sticks with me and resonates with me, deep in my core. Not only that, but it has incredible music as well, but that’s pretty much Toby Fox’s signature at this point. Add to that some incredible boss battles and wonderful characters, and you have a recipe for an excellent Indie RPG!
1 – of the Devil (Episode 1 + 2)
Platforms: PC
Release Date: December 23, 2025
I’ve talked a lot about just how much I love of the Devil this year, but it really did come out of nowhere for me. It was a recommendation from a friend, but I had no idea just how much it would impress me. I have a lot of love for detective stories, and I especially love the Ace Attorney franchise and of the Devil is essentially “What if Ace Attorney had style for days and had incredible worldbuilding and political commentary?” I was left completely spellbound by Episode 1 at the start of the year, only to then get a second helping just a few weeks ago when Episode 2 launched.
of the Devil is just an immaculately told legal thriller, with a protagonist that is just so gripping to watch. The way she just messes with people, puts on a real show in court, and basically treats each of the cases like a game of chance, playing the odds like the gambler she is. The entire cast is a wonderful extension of her as well, offering plenty of fun and well-written interactions. While Deltarune was always going to hit me hard, of the Devil was a real blindside, a suckerpunch, that left an incredible impression on me.
Now I just have to wait patiently for Episode 3…
