As we near the end of this current-gen console cycle, studios have been churning out surprising hits. The best games for player in 2025 range from heady story-driven epics to cooperative platformers.
Sandfall Interactive’s debut, Clair Obscure Expedition 33, is a love letter to old-school RPGs and a breath of fresh air with Sekiro-style parries and dodges.
1. Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is a genre-bending paragon of an RPG. It eschews combat as much as possible, reducing it to narrative choices and encouraging you to play your character through an interesting story. ZA/UM’s world is a rich canvas of ideas, politics, and style that you can explore with a sense of adventure rarely seen in video games.
The game centers around a grizzled detective who drank so much booze that he lost his memory and ended up in the decrepit town of Revachol. It’s up to you to reassemble him while exploring an environment that seems to exist outside of time. The town is awash in disco music and record players, but modern technology sometimes crops up as well. The snazzy, sci-fi noir visuals are matched by the game’s idiosyncratic voice work and witty banter.
Unlike other RPGs, your character’s skill level is not determined by a set of stats. Instead, you have a handful of abilities that are divided into talkative “Thought Cabinet” actions. It feels like a heightened version of the top-down isometric role-playing games like Planescape: Torment and Torment: Tides of Numenera, but it’s far more focused on allowing you to create your own personality. The game’s script is a masterful work that jumps from drama and intrigue to funny, grotesque jokes and pointed political commentary.
2. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a sequel that feels completely at home. It doesn’t stray too far from the blueprint that made the original a cult classic, and it refuses to bend to genre conventions for the sake of marketability. Instead, Capcom has stayed true to the vision that made the series an underdog hit, and it’s been rewarded with one of the best RPG experiences in years.
The biggest draw of the Dragon’s Dogma series is its massive world and deep RPG systems, and both have carried over to the second entry. Combat is a highlight, and the new addition of Vocations gives players plenty to choose from as they play. The game isn’t perfect, and it still suffers from some of the same issues that plagued the first release. But it’s an engrossing experience that will challenge the player with its nuanced gameplay, and it looks gorgeous as well.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is incredibly unique in its gameplay and world, but it can sometimes feel like a black hole to get through. Thankfully, there are a few games that can help ease you in. Some of these include Baldur’s Gate 3, Fable, and Divinity: Original Sin 2. If you want a more action-oriented experience, though, there’s always Kingdom Come Deliverance to consider as well. It’s slower than Dragon’s Dogma 2, but it delivers a more focused experience.
3. Helldivers 2
If you’ve ever dreamed of starring in your own version of Paul Verhoeven’s blistering sci-fi satire Starship Troopers, Helldivers 2 is here to fulfil that fantasy. Arrowhead’s sequel to their 2015 topdown co-op shooter packs incredible combined arms action, a pinpoint Starship Troopers pastiche and an entire procedurally generated universe of bugs and robots that are eager to tear you limb from limb with your super hi-tech weaponry. It’s also a refreshing power fantasy where teamwork makes the experience that much more satisfying, allowing players to pulverise alien hordes with the ice-cold logic of a Machiavellian mastermind.
The gameplay in Helldivers 2 feels electric, with each battle played out in third-person or first-person perspectives. A series of directional inputs on the d-pad call down reinforcements, special weapons and even resupplies, which must be rapid-fired as your character and the enemy move across the map. The equipment is well-balanced too, allowing you to tailor your squad’s loadout to suit the specific challenge of each mission.
The game understands the psychological theory of optimal challenge, which states that a player needs to experience a level of difficulty that is just right for their capability in order to feel engaged. This is why it’s able to offer 9 incrementing difficulties, which allow you to progress your character’s progression even if you’ve never cleared a single Helldiver mission.
4. Rocket League
Rocket League is one of the most popular games on the planet and it continues to grow in popularity each year. It’s easy to pick up and play but still offers plenty of depth and replayability for those looking for a challenge. The game also has a huge following in the esports scene where players compete for prizes and global recognition.
The game is a combination of soccer and driving as you control cars that can flip and fly around the arena to get the ball into the opposing team’s goal. The game features a wide variety of cars and customization options that allow you to build your perfect ride. Each match lasts about five minutes and the action is fast-paced and exciting. The game also has charge pads that let you boost your car’s speed to help you score goals.
The game was originally released as Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars in 2008 but was revamped in 2015 by Psyonix and is now free to play on PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Mac. It has since become a massive success due to its simple yet engaging gameplay, customization options, and thrilling esports scene. The latest season of the game is currently running until March 2025 and features a new arena, limited-time events, and rewards.
