2025’s 10 Best Video Games So Far, According to Metacritic

2025 has been stacked. Long-promised sequels finally showed up, a couple indies came out of nowhere and punched above their weight, and the hits just did not stop. With a month left on the clock, here are the highest-rated games of the year according to Metacritic. No fluff, just the standouts and why they hit.

1. 10) Death Stranding 2: On the Beach — Metascore: 89

   Developer: Kojima Productions | Release: June 26, 2025

   Kojima gonna Kojima. DS2 sticks with the original loop — Norman Reedus schlepping precious cargo across ruined landscapes — but dials up the urgency and, crucially, the combat. It is stranger, more gripping, and weirdly more approachable this time. Also a visual showpiece on PS5. If the first game was a mood, this one is a whole weather system.

2. 9) The Talos Principle: Reawakened — Metascore: 89

   Developer: Croteam | Release: April 10, 2025

   A full rebuild in Unreal Engine 5 turns one of the smartest puzzle games around into the definitive version of itself. Better visuals, cleaner design, and quality-of-life tweaks make the philosophical head-scratching hit harder. If you bounced off the original, this is the best on-ramp. If you loved it, this is basically the upgrade you wanted.

3. 8) Despelote — Metascore: 89

   Developers: Julian Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena | Release: May 1, 2025

   An autobiographical snapshot of Quito, Ecuador in 2001, filtered through street soccer and childhood. You play as 8-year-old Julian, drifting through a city rendered in a dreamy, painterly style that nails the nostalgia without getting corny. Personal, specific, and quietly joyful — the kind of indie that feels like someone opening a memory box and letting you look inside.

4. 7) The Seance of Blake Manor — Metascore: 90

   Developer: Spooky Doorway (published by Raw Fury) | Release: October 27, 2025

   Private investigator Declan Ward pokes around the disappearance of Evelyn Deane and finds an eerie mash-up of classic whodunit and Irish folklore. It is a first-person narrative puzzler with atmosphere for days — think creaking halls, whispered secrets, and puzzles that reward paying attention. Feels like curling up with a good detective novel on a cold night. There is a demo on Steam if you want a taste first.

5. 6) Donkey Kong: Bananza — Metascore: 91

   Developer: Nintendo EPD | Release: July 17, 2025

   Nintendo drops a bright, destructive 3D DK romp on Switch 2 and it just sings. The platforming is playful, the environments literally come apart under your paws, and the whole loop is tuned for maximum grin. It looks adorable, plays better, and keeps that Donkey Kong charm intact. Nintendo is on a heater.

6. 5) Hollow Knight: Silksong — Metascore: 91

   Developer: Team Cherry | Release: September 4, 2025

   Years of "Silksong isn't real" jokes and somehow the game clears the bar. It is tougher, deeper, and more confident, layering smart new systems on a foundation that already worked. Yes, it was worth the wait. If you are talking GOTY, this one is sitting at the table.

7. 4) Split Fiction — Metascore: 91

   Developer: Hazelight Studios (published by Electronic Arts) | Release: March 6, 2025

   Hazelight continues to be the co-op studio to watch. Two writers — Mio (sci-fi) and Zoe (fantasy) — get trapped inside their own imaginations, and the game runs wild with that premise. Missions twist expectations, split-screen is used like a design toybox, and success absolutely requires communication. It is relentlessly inventive and a blast with the right partner.

8. 3) Blue Prince — Metascore: 92

   Developer: Dogubomb (published by Raw Fury) | Release: April 10, 2025

   You inherit a manor named Mt. Holly and are told to find Room 46. Easy, except the house rearranges itself constantly. The result is a roguelike puzzle crawl that stays fresh because the rules keep shifting under your feet. Smart, moody, and addictive — no surprise it muscled into the GOTY conversation.

9. 2) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — Metascore: 92

   Developer: Sandfall Interactive (published by Kepler Interactive) | Release: April 24, 2025

   A stylish, emotional RPG that welds turn-based strategy to real-time inputs without losing the rhythm of either. Gorgeous art direction, a score that hits, and an excellent voice cast carry a story that actually lands. Frankly, 92 feels conservative. Expect to hear this name a lot during awards season.

10. 1) Hades II — Metascore: 95

    Developer: Supergiant Games | Release: September 25, 2025

    Graduates from early access and immediately sets the curve. More ambitious than the first game and, in a lot of ways, sharper. People have thoughts about the ending — fair — but the loop is so good it barely matters. Killer art, a soundtrack that refuses to leave your head, and combat that makes every run feel new. It is the frontrunner for a reason.

What did I miss? Which 2025 favorite of yours should have cracked this list? Drop it below.