Jonathan Perez's Top 10 Games of 2025
An all timer.
I wholeheartedly believe that when the dust settles from 2025, it will go down as one of the greatest years in gaming history. It had everything a gamer could possibly want: sequels of great games that elevate the property to new heights, New IPs that have unique premises in narrative and gameplay, captivating the hearts and minds of the audience, and Classics updated with a shiny new coat of paint for modern gamers to enjoy. This was one of the most contentious lists I’ve ever had to put together due to how many amazing games there were. The level of execution found in these games, from the performances given, music created, gameplay refined, and narratives delivered, makes 2025 what we like to call in the industry (of being a degenerate) an “All timer.”
Here are my Top 10 Games of 2025
Honorable Mentions
Ok, so I had to cheat this year and mention a couple of games that couldn’t make my list due to the arbitrary rule that we must limit ourselves to 10 games for some reason. With that being said, here are three games I need to talk about:
Hollow Knight: Silksong — If you know me, you might think this is a joke. It’s not. I typically do not like this type of game; however, due to the incredible aesthetic and art, beautiful music, and an unbelievable feeling of relief/accomplishment when you beat a boss, I had to put it here. What helps is that my friends are with me on this journey to laugh at me, support me, and hype me up, which is what life’s all about (or at least that’s what anime teaches me). I have yet to beat it, but how could I fail when I have the power of friendship?
Arc Raiders — For those of you who have been following my gaming journey (not a lot, lol), you know that I was once Captain of a Legendary pirate ship whose name vanished into the fog of history, unrecorded, and unrecoverable (I totally just didn’t forget). That was a lifetime ago, and I have since hung up my Captain’s hat. That is, until the villagers of Speranza asked me to captain a squad once more. How could I refuse? What resulted was a very fun time exploring this post-apocalyptic world, taking every little scrap, and fighting crazy robots as well as other scavengers. Not to brag, but my Top Scout has over 200 hours logged of exploration missions to the surface and has been selected to undergo the expedition project. Yes, I am still the greatest Captain ever.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater — I have never played a Hideo Kojima game in my life, but of course, as a gamer, his reputation precedes itself. The remake of this classic in one of the most legendary series of all time was my perfect opportunity to finally see what all the hype is about. All I can say is my brain is still broken. From the first scene, I didn’t know if this game was a joke or completely genius. The dialogue almost seemed like it was a parody. There are also some scenes that are so wild and out of left field, I am still trying to pick up the pieces of my mind. That being said, once you buy into it, what you will find is an extremely fun stealth game with very specific and unique gameplay mechanics. Also, some of the most interesting and fun boss fights I’ve ever had. Kojima definitely sees the board.
10. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Ok, let's jump into our official top 10 list, and much like the last game mentioned, this was a remake of a long-standing all-time game. I don’t have much experience with Tactic’s games, but people often cite the greatest one of them all as Final Fantasy Tactics. So again, as someone who likes Final Fantasy, this was a perfect way to jump into such a legendary game. It did not disappoint. The first aspect that really drew me in was the narrative and world. For a Final Fantasy game, I thought it was incredibly mature and grounded. It has you navigate the aftermath of a large war, and watching the political intrigue and different factions vying for the throne was very gripping. That being said, the gameplay is what puts this game over the top. This game does not hold your hand, so the mechanics are challenging to get a hold of, but when you do, the freedom is nearly limitless. There are many different jobs to choose from, plus you can get abilities from other jobs you have learned. What this means is the permutations of builds seem infinite. I don’t like grinding, but for some reason, the excitement of getting my army just the way I wanted it made it actually tolerable. Also, I need to shout out the Calculator Job (Arithmetition in this version, I think). It will go down as one of my favorite builds in any video game I have ever played. Let me outline how weird and awesome this class is. I am sitting there at like 2 in the morning, with my calculator app open on my phone and a prime number table occupying my second monitor. The result is one-shotting an entire boss map. Pure ecstasy.
9. Battlefield 6
Now, FPSs, I have a lot of history with. I am lucky enough to have grown up, in my opinion, through the golden age of Call of Duty (4 - BO2) and Battlefield (BC2 - BF4). Now I loved both these series, but Battlefield always spoke to me just a little bit more. I love immersion (This is important later), and Battlefield, with its humungous scale, hectic visuals, destructive vehicles, and ability to be able to take over an entire game through teamwork, made me feel like I was right in the middle of a war zone. Unfortunately, it’s been quite some time since a good Battlefield game was released (The last one I liked was Battlefield 1). I’m sure I was not the only one nervous about the launch of this game, even though everything we were seeing was very positive. I have been fooled before (Starfield… bruh). I can happily report that Battlefield 6 is a return to form and that Battlefield is officially back. While it is certainly not perfect, the experiences I had playing Battlefield 6 this year transported me back to the golden age. I was very fortunate to have such a great squad to play with me. It seemed like we were all in sync, effortlessly shaping the battlefield to our needs. It is so rewarding to mount a huge comeback despite seemingly impossible odds and seeing your squad at the top of the leaderboard, knowing that your team directly won the game. Everything from the visuals, sound design, gunplay, maps, and objectives feels like the classic Battlefield formula. Rejoice because Battlefield is back!
8. Monster Train 2
Another theme of this year that I have yet to talk about is how insane Game Pass was. I am not sure I would have tried this game if it wasn’t on Game Pass, and boy am I so glad it was. Deck Building Rougelites are yet again not a genre in my wheelhouse (I am trying to expand), but nonetheless, I gave it a good ole college try. The result: 2019 LSU (That's a college football joke; they were really good). Something about this game just totally grabbed me. The art style is very cool and unique, especially the demonic monster designs. I’d also like to shout out the metal soundtrack, making me pumped for every run. The beauty of this game, unsurprisingly, is in its gameplay. The way each faction has a clear identity that has flexibility due to having more than 1 faction leader (which changes your gameplay style) and there being 10 factions overall, it keeps the gameplay fresh as there is seemingly always a new team to pick and build to go for. It was also pretty easy for a new player like me to jump right in and understand the basic mechanics, but it also allows for a very high skill ceiling as you start mastering abilities, unlocking new cards, and becoming more creative about overall builds and combos. Monster Train 2 does what Deck builders and Rougelites do best: major theory-crafting and a ‘one more run’ feeling.
7. Blue Prince
Common themes are starting to emerge as I write this. Again, Game Pass was awesome this year and gave me a clear reason to play a (gulp) puzzle game. Also, as the gulp suggests, I don't like puzzle games, but yet again we are trying to be more open-minded. Blue Prince is a difficult game to put into words. What starts off as a Puzzle/Roguelite/sort of deck builder? Ends as a beautiful story about a surprisingly rich world. From the jump, I really enjoyed the room building, which I think is such a clever and well-implemented mechanic. While I still don’t particularly enjoy puzzles (Because I am not good at them), the rewards of unlocking something new, which in some cases completely recontextualizes something you thought earlier, is great motivation to keep pushing you forward. While I can admit this game isn’t perfect, especially since sometimes things come down to the infamous RNG gods, you will get out of this game what you put into it. There is a reason why there is a meme online that pretty much says once you get to room 46, you have completed the prologue. By the way, this game was made by one person, so it once again goes to show the key to making a good game isn’t resources but instead passion, creativity, and execution. I really hope we get to revisit this world in the future because there is so much untapped potential, in my opinion.
6. The Alters
The next game continues to check our boxes. Game Pass check, new IP check, great game check. I quickly realized how open-minded I got this year because this game is a resource/survival/management sim, which, for those of you guessing, yup, not really up my alley traditionally. I persevered and gave it a shot since it’s pretty much free on Game Pass (Gamer Math). What a unique premise for a game. It starts with you stuck on a planet far away from Earth (not unique), but you have to clone yourself to create a crew to survive and get back home. The cloning mechanic was one of my favorite parts of the game, and it kinda really makes you think about future technology. Essentially, you enter a quantum computer that can change the memories of your clone and have different outcomes in key life choices that your character made, thus resulting in a different person effectively, but still being a clone. This is how you build your crew out with different specialties, but it also dives heavily into what it means to be alive and what constitutes a person, as a lot of narratives with clones go. The story is great but I also really connected with the gameplay as well. My amazing Podcast co-host told me he struggled quite a bit with the difficulty of the game and while it definitely wasn’t a cakewalk for me I found myself get into a kind of flow state where I was prioritizing resources we needed, managing the team to get the most out of their strengths while covering their weaknesses, and MAJOR conflict resolution (Clones don’t like it when they find out they are clones). This resulted in a very satisfying experience that gave me a great feeling of accomplishment. Lessons from this game: Scientists are OP, people appreciate the truth long term even if it hurts up front, and never ever volunteer for a mission to another planet.
5. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Here are two things I love in life. 1, being part of a fanbase. 2, being part of a longstanding series. I have never even heard of the ‘Trails series,’ but apparently it has been going on for over 20 years now, which is awesome. And wouldn’t you know it, they completely remade the first game in the series in 2025. Now, to be honest, I didn’t even know any of this before I started playing the game. What got me to try it was looking at the mighty guy with his cape flowing in the wind on Open Critic next to the title of this game. The critics did not lie for this one. Surprisingly, what drew me in at first was the gameplay. The combat in this game is incredibly fun and expansive. There is a very cool blend of action elements that transition nicely into turn-based combat. Each character has their own physical abilities that they get as they level up. For magic, it works in a similar way to OG FF7, where you put these “Quartz” on a character, and depending on the type, it determines what spell they can cast, as well as giving them extra stats. That is all a gross oversimplification, as you can really go down the rabbit hole gearing out your team, creating new builds, and strategies. I was in for the gameplay, but the story and characters hooked me. They did such an amazing job of showcasing this world, making it feel so lived in with intricate detail and lore. Like any good JRPG, you also have access to a wide array of great characters, each with their own unique identity, charm, and gameplay. Everything from a traveling bard from another country who wields a magic gun in combat, to a 10-year-old genius girl who designs and creates her own weapons. There is also always something underneath the surface of each character, and getting to know them and learn their secrets is a blast. The story seems at first to be a pretty typical yet competent JRPG story until you reach the end. In the last 10–15 minutes of this game, my jaw was on the ground. I am so pumped for the second chapter coming in fall 2026.
4. Dispatch
This game is something special. Apparently, it was shown at The Game Awards in 2024, but I had no recollection of it. Instead, it was a random YouTube trailer that drew me in. I could tell in seconds from the art style, dialogue, and character designs this game was right up my alley. My experience with the Telltale games (Which, by all indications, this game is in the same vein) was playing The Walking Dead many years ago. I remember how impactful and emotional that game got. This game takes that quality and elevates it to another level. Sometimes there are pieces of media where the art style just speaks to you, and that is Dispatch for me. I just love how the characters look and the animation as a whole. The fight scenes in particular are breathtaking. There are sequences of non-stop action for minutes at a time, and while I have never animated anything in my life, I can only fathom how difficult and expensive that was. The performances in this game, led by Aaron Paul and with the help of pretty much everyone from Critical Role, were a masterclass in how good Voice Acting in Video games has gotten. On top of the great performances and dialogue came a very captivating world. I love it when unrealistic premises (like Superheroes) consider the more mundane aspects of life. Asking the question, if we did have superheroes, how would they be dispatched? Would they be part of a company? Well, we get the answer here, and it delivers with a great premise and gripping story. On top of all that, it has one of my favorite Video game mechanics, dialogue options. There are quite a few incredibly difficult decisions to make throughout the 8-episode run time, and that is a credit to the excellent writing and story mapping in this game. This was a game due to the unique aspect of releasing episodes weekly had me anticipating the next drop like I used to do as a young lad before streaming was a thing. It was kind of nice having a sense of delayed gratification, allowing time to think about what just happened, discuss it with friends, and replay the previous episodes in preparation for the next one. I wish it were longer and really hope that we get a season 2. Z team has a lot more in the tank, and I sincerely hope I can have a front row seat to the shenanigans they get up to next.
3. Hades II
My top 3 games of 2025 were one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make while putting a list together. Each of these games is an easy must-play and could all be at the number one spot. Alas, I had to hike up my pants and order them, so here it is. I gave Supergiant Games the best Developer of the year in our 2025 Couch Company Game of the Year episode. Like Steph Curry in crunch time, Robin Hood in an archery competition, or me betting on the F1 Championships; they just don’t miss. (References in order: 1 Basketball, 2 Legendary heroic outlaw, 3 Even more legendary Gambler who is 100% (1/1) betting on Formula 1). Take everything you love about Hades I - the clean and heart-pumping combat (That can be expanded on greatly by weapon choice and build path), incredible voice acting / dialogue, amazing art style, great narrative and characters; take all of that and make it even better. Hades II is what every sequel strives to be. Everything that made the series great in the first place, expanded upon and made even better. The combat in this game is more crisp, there are loads of more weapons and weapon variants, there are loads of returning characters plus amazing new additions to the cast, the formula is improved by having two different main objectives and paths, the upgrades are expanded, the music branches out to many more styles, I could go on forever but you probably get the idea. There are not many games that get my heart racing like this one, as the music combined with great combat and spectacular boss design just gets you locked in like nothing else. By the way, this might be the best running game of all time. I don’t think I ever dropped a frame under 240 the entire playthrough. Nothing in life is perfect, but man, is it really difficult to find anything wrong with this game.
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Now we get to the game that pretty much everyone in the universe had as their game of the year. At least it felt that way; they took home a staggering 9 awards at the 2025 Game Awards, an all-time record. Honestly, it is difficult to argue that it didn’t deserve every last one. From the first seconds of the game, you can tell you are in for something truly special. This game has such a style to it that it is so easy to immediately fall in love with it. This game is unapologetically itself from its very, very French DNA to the inspiration of classic RPGs. Despite being inspired, it is able to evolve a tried and true formula. The first thing I point to in this regard is the turn-based combat. I love turn-based games, but I acknowledge that they are difficult to make for a modern audience. With that being said, the way Sandfall does it here is so impressive. I know it isn’t the first game to have action elements in the middle of turn-based combat, but it is executed flawlessly. The parry system in this game was one of, if not my favorite, mechanics of 2025. Style oozing out of every second of combat for your team to not only absorb all the damage but slow-motion throw it right back in their face in perfect unison. I don’t nearly do it justice describing it here; you just have to witness it. Also, the way this game uses a combination of visual and audio cues for enemy hit patterns is just genius. Nothing feels better than getting the hang of an enemy combo, parrying the entire string, and throwing a truckload of damage right back at them. So the combat is great, but what about the rest of the game? In my opinion, everything else is even better. Each character has so much depth and personality. From their amazing designs to their emotional back stories, there wasn’t a character I did not like. That is further enhanced by yet another display of top-tier voice acting. There is a reason this game had 3 nominations in the best performance category at The Game Awards. Beyond gameplay and characters, honestly, for me it’s the overall premise, story, and world that takes the cake. From the first trailer I saw at Summer Games Fest 2024, I was hooked on the premise of this game. People dying at a specific age marked by an all-powerful “Paintress” many leagues away, expeditions are formed to travel across the sea, find, confront, and defeat this Godlike figure to save humanity. Dang dude, that’s intense. I can’t really say much more because I don’t want to get into spoilers, but as the game continues, it really never stops blowing your mind with reveals that culminate in an incredibly existential ending that will have you questioning what life is. (Classic French, am I right?). When I make the claim that video games are art, this is a prime example I point to.
1. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
In February of 2025, I moved away for about a month and a half. I moved all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of Europe. Simultaneously, I also traveled back in time to 1403. So there I was in the middle of Bohemia on a simple mission to deliver a message from the Lord I worked for to another Lord who we were at war with in the hopes to seek peace (Man, did that not go according to plan). About 130 hours later, we seemed to have straightened things out. As I stated way earlier, I love immersion in games. For me, some of my favorite games have a way of transporting me out of my current life into another world entirely. The game that immediately comes to mind in this regard is Skyrim. Let me tell you that KCD2 is the evolution of Skyrim. Once you get through the prologue (which is very good, btw), the world completely opens up, and you start your new life in Bohemia. The game is not forgiving and never holds your hand (Just like life), but once you start getting the hang of things, it is one of the most rewarding experiences. It’s also important to note that you can play this game exactly how you want to; the freedom is nearly limitless. For example, I spent the first several hours in the corner of the first tavern playing dice with strangers, trying to build up an economy. (Side note: Dice or Farkle, as it’s apparently actually called, is insanely fun.) So many of the other side activities were just as engaging and immersive, like blacksmithing, literally having to hammer a piece of steel into a sword, or alchemy, having to learn recipes and follow the instructions perfectly to be able to brew potions. More so than that, I’m not entirely kidding when I say it feels like I moved here, so often (Especially in the early game) I would find myself completely overencumbered, restricting my ability to fast travel, and so I had to walk across the land to get back to the Inn. Eventually, I knew almost every location by heart, not having to use my map at all. This game does such an amazing job with the scale of everything. It feels like you are actually in a crowded city, or in a rolling meadow, (or maybe the best biome), the forest. I have never seen forests so realistic and fun to explore in any other game I have ever played. Also, it’s amazing the level of detail some of the mechanics in this game have. For example, making sure you are clean is a key part of this game (also like in real life) but it is so detailed that there was one instance where I was trying to steal something from a bad guy’s house (and yeah it was a couple days since I took a bath but hey soap is expensive!) apparently I smelled so bad I woke the dude up from his sleep and got caught. Like, what game does that? There are all these little memories from the game that I will never forget. Like the time I defeated a huge bandit camp with tons of loot, and I had to haul a massive amount of treasure across the kingdom in the middle of the night. It was pitch black except for the violent strikes of lightning streaking across the sky while rain poured down on top of me. It literally must’ve taken me at least 30 minutes in real time to get to town, and it was worth every second. There was another time when I got caught sneaking into an enemy compound. I tried to run away, but just couldn’t get out of their reach. My only option left was to turn and fight one vs a dozen. It was a time-consuming, exhausting, intense, and very bloody affair, but somehow, some way, I was able to pick them off one by one until I was the only one standing. Speaking of which, the combat in this game is unlike any I have played before. It takes a while to get used to, but once mastered, just like the other areas of the game, it is incredibly rewarding. The combat works by having multiple points you can attack, essentially their limbs. It is a strategic balance of swinging where they are least defended, while also being ready to deflect their incoming attacks. I imagine it is much more similar to actual melee combat than most action games. I’ve already said a lot about this game and haven’t even touched on the narrative and characters. It’s important to note that this game is based on a real period of history and a real war that happened, inspired by real historical figures. I love history, so it was such a treat to learn about these incredible people who lived over 600 years ago. The story was great, full of twists and turns that culminated in an amazing climax. The characters and antics are just as unforgettable from reforming the Devil’s pack to take down King Sigismund, or getting thrown in the stockades with your best friend / noble employer, Sir Hans Capon. So many aspects of this game will live on with me forever, none more than a super impactful scene that comes at the end of the game through a conversation with one of the chief antagonists. To avoid spoilers, that’s all I will say, but if you are curious about my thoughts on that scene, check out the 2025 Couch Company Game of the Year episode. I would also like to add that the music in this game is incredible. The deeply rich orchestral and vocal soundtrack adds yet another layer of immersion in the game. They are able to accomplish this by adding Medieval stylistic elements that give it authenticity. Tyler (my trusty co-host) asked me recently if I would have preferred this game to be set in a fantasy world with magic and the like. Through reminiscing about how much fun I had in this world, I think I’d have to say no. Sometimes something grounded and rooted in real history can be as amazing or life-changing as anything we could possibly dream up. Leaving this amazing world was bittersweet, like any legendary game you poured so much time into. However, I’ll never forget my time there because we’ll always have Bohemia (reference from Casablanca, yeah, I have range).