2025 has been one banger of a year for video games. Even though the industry at large has had more than a few dishonourable moments over the past 12 months, from cancelled games to massive layoffs caused by greedy executives, who also insist on bringing AI-generated slop into this medium we all love, there were still some beautiful, authentic, and riveting titles that released through the unsettling miasma.

It’s these titles that I want to highlight today, as we edge closer to the setting sun of 2025—a year that’s been quite eventful for me, personally. 2025 will go down as the year in which I set out to do something I’ve always wanted to since high school: start a YouTube channel about video games (well, technically it was supposed to be about video games, movies, and basketball, but YouTube doesn’t really like it when your channel goes into such disparate niches. If you want to check out my film and basketball content, you can do so right here on pixel-swish.com and on my TikTok, @pixelswishofficial). 

I’m proud of the videos and articles I’ve been able to publish over this past year; talking and writing passionately about the things I’m passionate about was always a dream. So thanks to each one of you for watching and reading, whether you’ve been here since the beginning or are finding me just now; it means a lot, and I hope to continue giving you my best in 2026. Now, with all of that out of the way, here are my top five games of 2025. And no, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not on the list. It’s not…I swear.

5. The Alters

Developed and published by Polish developer 11 Bit Studios, The Alters is a sci-fi, resource management survival game that puts you in the multiple shoes of Jan Dolski. I say multiple because the game’s story unfolds as such that you must play as alternate versions of Jan, each with completely different personality traits and abilities. I write a lot about how much I enjoy it when developers embed narrative within their gameplay, making it a part of the playing experience rather than it being a separate entity that exists just to further the plot.

What’s brilliant about The Alters is seeing exactly how each Jan Dolski came to be. You see, Jan isn’t just creating clones of himself, but rather creating the alternate versions of himself from different choices made at critical points in his life. You, as the player, get to pick and choose which of these versions you want to create to serve whichever needs you have in the moment. Need someone to take care of your injured or ailing alters after a gruelling day of mining? Well, maybe you should awaken Doctor Jan—a Jan who, at age 15, instead of turning a blind eye to a girl being robbed, chased after the thieves, creating a butterfly effect that led him to meet a doctor who would later set him on the path to medicine.

The Alters is a game unlike any I’ve played before, and is a marvel when it comes to ludonarrative design. So it’s a no-brainer that I needed to have it on my list. 

4. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

The original Citizen Sleeper is one of my favourite video games of all time. It’s a game that made me understand the importance of enduring life; to enjoy the quieter moments, the hello’s and goodbyes of the characters in my everyday life. It does this in a captivating sci-fi setting filled with impeccably written and memorable characters. Gareth Damian Martin writes their pros with a sullen beauty, all the while making a game that’s genuinely engaging to play, cleverly taking inspiration from classic table-top RPGs. All of this is taken to a new height in Starward Vector. The story is bigger with more characters, the world is larger in scope, and the gameplay is more robust and complex. 

All of these evolutions are done very well. However, what’s lost in the grander scale is that special intimacy that the original carried. Though I was still very moved as the credits rolled with Starward Vector, I can’t say my time with the game was nearly as memorable as the original. Nevertheless, it’s still a terrifically written and executed game that’s well worth your time and more than deserves its place on this list. 

3. South of Midnight

It’s not often that we get a game that so wonderfully captures the mythos of the Deep American South and the Black culture that influences it. South of Midnight is a special, special video game. It may not have the most tactile combat system; it may not have the most robust skill tree; it may not have a perfectly woven story; what it does have is some of the best audiovisuals I’ve seen in a video game in a long time. What it has is a vibrant world with characters that ooze charm, wit, and history. What it has is a narrative whose themes are rich and harrowing. And what it has is an absolute banger of a soundtrack.

This is a game that I’ll likely play many more times as the years progress. Sure, it may have its flaws, which is why I gave it an 8/10 on the official Pixel Swish review. But this is an example of how review scores don’t matter. Because, yes, an 8/10 is the “correct” score for the game I played and the scale I’m using, but South of Midnight is so much more than just a numbered score. Compulsion Games has done a remarkable job of bringing this mythos to life, and I pray that they get the opportunity to continue exploring Hazel’s story.

2. Hell is Us

Okay, I’ll be honest, I might be jumping the gun here at putting this game at such a high spot on this list. Because, well, I haven’t finished it yet. But, from everything that I’ve played over the past week, I am pretty much certain that Hell is Us is the second-best video game I’ve played in 2025.

There’s something that happens when a developer strips everything away, drops you into their world, and tells you to just go. No objective markers, no mini-map, simply your character and the ominous environment that surrounds you. I was captivated when Thatgamecompany did exactly this with Journey back in 2012. I was captivated when Nintendo did the same with Breath of the Wild in 2017. And I’m captivated now as developer Rogue Factor took that idea and made the entire playing experience of Hell is Us just that. 

Hell is Us tells the story of Remi, a peacekeeper who ventures into the war-torn country of Hadea to find his parents. In terms of combat, Hell is Us offers a fairly bog-standard Souls-like experience with some sci-fi twists. It’s not the most refined experience, but it’s not a bad one, either. But combat isn’t where this game shines. It shines in its non-linear exploration and narrative discovery. Conversations with NPCs are well-written, impeccably voice-acted, and layered. These conversations lead to hints to quest items, places of interest, and a deeper understanding of the world and lore that Rogue Factor have created—a world and lore that unabashedly tackles themes of war, religious persecution, and xenophobia in ways that don’t sugarcoat or pull any punches. 

Furthermore, the maps in this game deserve some kind of an award. Not necessarily in terms of their actual, Metroidvania-esque design, but rather how the game and narrative guide you through them. Thus far, I haven’t once gotten lost or found it difficult to create a mental image of the area that I’m traversing. Much of this is because Rogue Factor do a fantastic job of putting subtle signposts that act as guides, or ensure an NPC gives a little hint when talking about an area for you to jot down in a notebook to remember later—and yes, a notebook you most certainly do need while playing this game, which, in a way made me even more invested in the playing experience.

This is a game that deserves its own feature video/article, so I’ll cut it here and get back to playing. 

1. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (?)

And finally, at number one, my favourite video game of 2025: Kingdom Come: Deliver—

Uhm, what’s that sound?

…Oh no.

No, not now!

(sighs)

Well, I guess I have to be called a liar now. Yes, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is indeed my favourite video game of 2025—because of course it is. It’s Final Fantasy-Persona-Dark Souls with one of the greatest soundtracks in all of gaming and tells a story that touches upon themes of grief and how art can help soothe, but also possibly prolong that grief if not properly dealt with—how the f*ck can it not be my favourite video game of 2025?! 

I won’t spend too much time telling you about the tremendous work of art Sandfall Interactive has created; I wrote and filmed a 3,000-word review, which you can go watch or read. But, simply put, Expedition 33 is a game the industry needed. It’s a showcase of what this medium can achieve with the right vision and talent, without the need for the bloated budgets of triple-A development. I love this game to bits, and it deserves all the love it’s getting. Also, Esquie and Monaco are the f*cking bros.

And, there you have it. Shaz’s top five games of 2025. Comment below to let me know your top five games of the year and what you think of my list, but only if you like it. If you don’t, take that negativity somewhere else.

Thank you for reading, happy holidays, and I’ll see you in 2026!