Every Game I Played in 2025!

Introduction

At the end of 2024, I made a decision that in 2025 I wanted to start stepping out of my comfort zone.

This meant breaking out of my routine and trying new things; new food, new books, new movies... and most importantly, new games.

Gaming has long been my favorite hobby. I would even go as far as to call it a passion.

Taking time to lose myself in worlds that have been built from the ground up to provide an immersive experience is something sacred to me.

So last year, I made an effort to document and log every single game I played to help reflect on my experiences with them.

While not every game on the list is new to me, I included some old favorites to help remember why I love this hobby so much in the first place, each experience was with a fresh perspective.

From running around as the Phoenix in Marvel Rivals to finding out the secrets of the Paintress in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, here is every game I played in 2025!

Unfinished, Retired, and Paused Games

These are the games that I tried in 2025 but didn't make it to credits on.

Maybe the game didn't catch me, maybe something else came along that I preferred to play, or maybe the game was removed from a service before I could complete it!

Battlefield REDSEC

I played the Battlefield 6 BETA for hours while it was live and loved every minute of it.

However, purchasing the full game just wasn't in the cards. So I was thrilled when they announced REDSEC, a fully free-to-play experience.

The main draw of REDSEC is the Battle Royale mode, which was fun to duo with Connor, but unfortunately the game is dominated by players with significantly higher skill ceilings than myself, so I spent more time queuing and respawning than actually playing which led to a quick retirement.

Black Mesa

Black Mesa is a fan-made remake of the renowned 1998 first-person shooter Half-Life.

The game was originally released as a free mod in September 2012 but it was eventually approved for commercial release by Valve, the developers of Half-Life.

I'd never played Half-Life and have always been interested in it. So when my friend Annika bought this game for me, I set off to give it a shot.

While I've really enjoyed what I've gotten to play so far, the game unfortunately doesn't perform well on the Steam Deck and I constantly encounter graphical issues on my laptop as well.

While these issues could be chalked up to user error since I'm not very skilled at troubleshooting PC games, the hiccups still led to Black Mesa being put on the back burner until I have time to figure out how to get it to work better.

Other than the technical issues, I've genuinely enjoyed my 5+ hours with the game so far!

Figment: Journey Into The Mind

Figment is an action adventure game that takes place in a surreal world with whimsical designs and creatures.

I really loved my time with the game and fell in love with it.

Unfortunately, I started it two days before it was leaving the Xbox Game Pass catalogue and I didn't get the chance to finish it.

Grand Theft Auto V

A game that needs no introduction.

After picking up a copy of Grand Theft Auto V for the Xbox Series X on sale, I started working my way through the story mode entirely in 1st person.

While I made it about 20 hours in, I realized I still had about 30 hours left, and figured I had my fill and shelved the game.

Super Mario Wonder

Super Mario Wonder is a gorgeous game with a fun soundtrack and a cool gimmick that changes the entire level the moment you pick up a wonder flower.

... So why can't I get into it?

Despite numerous attempts, the game simply fails to hold my attention for longer than 30 minutes to an hour each time I boot it up.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster is a beautiful piece of art with an all-time classic game attached to it.

Unfortunately, after diving into a lot of other RPGs this year, the novelty of the title wore off pretty quick and I'm unsure when, or even if, I'll come back to save Cyrodiil once again.

Tony Hawk's Underground

Sometimes, you just gotta' let nostalgia win.

That was exactly the case when I busted out Tony Hawk's Underground for the original Xbox and spent 3 days grinding my skater's way to becoming a pro.

Maybe this year I'll get back to it and make sure that loser Eric gets what's coming to him.

Ongoing Games

These are games that I picked up in 2025 and am continuing to enjoy!

Arc Raiders

As my introduction to the extraction shooter genre, Arc Raiders provided an entirely new and fresh take in the third-person shooter space.

While I grew bored of the loot loop within a few weeks, the PVP and PVE aspects are still a lot of fun, and within a few short months I've managed to make lifelong memories with friends thanks to the natural occurrence of chaotic and epic moments in this game.

This is one I imagine I'll be coming back to multiple times in 2026.

Baldur's Gate 3

I don't want to spoil my thoughts on Baldur's Gate 3 here as I plan to write a full review when I finish my playthrough of the game.

What I will say is that I am about 95 hours into this game and it consumed the entire final months of my 2025... and the start of my 2026!

Elden Ring Nightreign

I've never enjoyed soulslike games.

I'm not good at them. I suck at parrying and my patience is minimal.

Yet, if you add two friends and turn the loop into a roguelite, it suddenly works for me.

I am still not good at this game and I struggle to remember what button does what, often chugging a potion in the middle of a fight on accident, but when a run is working, it's hard to find something more fun.

I hope to continue checking bosses off of my hitlist in 2026!

Fortnite

The day Fortnite released its Battle Royale mode, I remember joining the Xbox party to tell my friends about it and referring to it as "poor man's PUBG".

I hope I'll never have such an astronomically wrong take again...

But in the meantime, I'll keep jumping back in to Fortnite to check out the new experiences they offer.

2025 saw a Daft Punk concert and The Simpsons take over the game.

It is the Super Smash Bros. of pop culture, and I love it.

Helldivers 2

Originally purchased and enjoyed on the PlayStation 5 for about a month before being shelved, the Xbox launch of Helldivers 2 is when the game really took off for me as more people in the Panic Nation community were able to come together and play.

This game is the perfect co-op experience that lets an hour melt away in what feels like minutes.

This is another game I expect to come back to repeatedly in 2026.

Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals has been a staple for me since its release.

Blending the hero shooter genre with a diverse cast of Marvel characters is an easy way to catch my attention and keep it.

In 2025, Netease released Phoenix as a playable character, and her precision damage immediately brought me back to the headhunting days of Halo 3.

I plan to keep working towards having Phoenix hit lord in 2026... unless they release Cyclops, in which case, he's all I'll play.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Collection

Mortal Kombat is one of my top 3 favorite franchises in all of gaming after being exposed to Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 on the Super Nintendo back in the 90s.

My affection and love for the series made getting the Legacy Kollection an easy decision thanks to its incredible documentary covering the history of the games and the teams that made them.

This will be in my rotation for quite some time.

PEAK

I am terrible at this game. I think I've made it to the first camp one time and I die every other time.

But that doesn't stop it from being a hilarious and fun time with friends.

I'm hoping we get more rounds in this year.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is part of a very small club by being a survival game that I actually enjoy.

I've completed most quests in the game with the exception of beating the final Dragon.

Unfortunately, my laptop is almost 10 years old at this point, and the game in its early access state isn't very playable on Steam Deck, so it's mostly on the backburner now until Jagex makes it a bit more hardware friendly, or I manage to get a better system to play the game on.

Side Pocket

Probably the most surprising addition to this list, Side Pocket is a game Sam decided to boot up randomly while browsing the Super Nintendo app on Nintendo Switch Online.

The classic pool title caught my attention initially because of the killer soundtrack but as I watched her play, I became intrigued with how solid the physics were on a Super Nintendo title.

What followed was several weekends of Sam and I booting up Side Pocket to challenge each other in multiplayer matches and it's something I hope continues in 2026!

Smite 2

Smite is one of my most played games of all-time, if not the most played game of all-time.

The transition to Smite 2 was difficult.

Early impressions showed that the sequel was still extremely early in development. Combining this with the fact that I was leaving behind almost a decade of skins and cosmetics on the first game, along with the layoffs and struggles Hi-Rez themselves were facing and it was a pretty tough pill to swallow that the game I adore might be dead for good.

However, late in the year, a handful of community members and myself decided to return to the battleground of the gods and see how things were progressing.

We were pleasantly surprised.

Smite 2 still has some work to do but it is in a significantly better place that it was before and includes excellent quality of life changes that make it both fun and easy to play.

They also added a "classic skin" chest that you can buy using legacy gems from Smite 1, allowing veteran players to slowly rebuild some of their lost collection which makes the sting of losing so much on the old title a bit more tolerable.

Smite 2 has managed to find itself back in the weekly rotation of events for the community and I'm excited for the future.

Completed Games

Avowed

Avowed was one of my first RPG experiences in 2025 and while I enjoyed the games story, characters, and world - the combat unfortunately fell short.

This is most likely due to building a ranger character that was meant to be focused on ranged gameplay with a bow... but I never really found a bow in the game and had to rely on guns... which have way less animations and variations to playstyle compared to melee and magic combat.

The game is receiving a patch in February that adds New Game +, more playable races, and some other QOL improvements that may draw me back in to finally complete my evil playthrough.

I am very hopeful for Avowed 2!

Chrono Trigger

My biggest surprise of the year.

When I decided to finally play Chrono Trigger for the first time, I never would have expected it to become tied with Halo: Combat Evolved as my all-time favorite video game.

This game, originally released in 1995, was so far ahead of its time that it still manages to impress over 30 years later.

Rumors of a remake or remaster continue to swirl and I would do anything for it to be true.

If the rumors are true, and it releases this year, both of my all-time favorite games will have remasters in 2026, leading to a very happy Tyler!

I hope to write a full review for Chrono Trigger once I replay it.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Continuing the trend of incredible RPGs filling my 2025, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a game that seemed too good to be true.

Made by a small team with an original idea set to pay homage to classic JRPGs of the past, Expedition 33 managed to do just that while also introducing fun new elements that help significantly shake up the gameplay.

With a beautiful world, exceptional cast of characters, and a soundtrack that is as close to perfect as you can get, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ends up being an experience I won't soon forget.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

DOOM: The Dark Ages was a fun enough game.

However, I don't remember much about it and the soundtrack was a significant disappointment. While still being in the genre of metal, the songs themselves were mostly bland and boring and this was amplified by bad mixing which made it nearly inaudible from just noise.

The game had a lot of great difficulty settings to help tailor the experience but it never came close to the highs of DOOM 2016.

I don't see myself coming back to this one.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth was a fun game with a really solid foundation, great characters, fun humor, and a decent gameplay loop.

It unfortunately had some downsides as well.

I won't go into my full thoughts on the game since you can read my full thoughts in my review here, but I will say that getting back to the sequel Hacker's Memory is on my list for this year!

Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights ended up being a lot more fun that I expected.

The game scratched that familiar Arkham itch while presenting itself in a world that feels similar to titles like Destiny where you can scout the open city to fight crime, complete repeatable quests, and earn better gear.

Easily a 7/10 game, but one that I loved like a 9/10.

I still want to do the boss rush with friends!

Hades

Roguelike, Roguelite, Rogueanything. I want it.

An extremely addictive genre that takes the "one more run" impulse from the arcade days and fuses it with player agency to choose power-ups and make creative builds to help progress a little further each time.

The only downside to Hades is that fact that the game is so good, it's managed to set the bar for other roguelikes a bit higher.

An incredible story with an incredible cast told across hours and hours of fun and innovative gameplay and paired with a soundtrack that I hummed for weeks after rolling credits.

Hades is a must-play and I look forward to playing the sequel in 2026!

Halls of Torment

The first game I purchased on Steam after receiving my Steam Deck, Halls of Torment proved to be a worthwhile investment as it provided hours and hours of entertainment.

Basically Vampire Survivors but in a classic Diablo skin, Halls of Torment brings the bullet-heaven experience to roguelites in a satisfying way with plenty of dopamine hits as you listen to the intoxicating ping of collected XP climb higher and higher in octaves until you finally get the hit for leveling up.

I managed to clear all bosses in the game and even though I still play it from time to time, I'm comfortable calling it complete!

Halo 2

One of the greatest games of all-time was revisited in 2025 as Connor and I challenged ourselves to clear the notoriously difficult campaign on Legendary together.

There were plenty of cheap deaths from jackal snipers, as well as laughs and frustrations between the two of us.

The two of us planning an entire day to just sit and play through this game makes it one of my favorite experiences of last year.

Keeper

Keeper is something I would call more an experience than a game.

There are gameplay elements and you do solve some puzzles along the way, but the meat of the game is truly just getting lost in the experience.

A psychedelic experience that helps define what gaming is and can be.

Check out my full review of Keeper here!

Mario Kart World

The launch game that came with my Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World proved to be a fun game to mess around with for about a week.

The open world is pretty to look at and seeing it come alive is always fun but there isn't a whole lot to do inside of it.

After clearing every Grand Prix, I swapped to the online mode for a bit and enjoyed the new Knock Out Tour mode where it's a race to be the last man standing.

However, the format of having races start on an open stretch of road for the first two "laps" and then having the third and final lap be the actual course made the game feel really bland in comparison to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

I boot it up once a month or so to do a race or two but without friends or an update to actually race all 3 laps on a track, I don't see myself spending much more time here.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

It probably isn't fair for me to have such high expectations for Cosmic Invasion but after playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge back in 2022 (which you can read the full review of here!), I couldn't help but expect perfection.

Cosmic Invasion was fun, especially when Julian and Connor played with me.

The tag team elements invoked feelings of Marvel VS Capcom and the diverse roster of playable characters made for a lot of experimentation that often resulted in crazy combos.

But the story wasn't very memorable and what's even more disappointing is the music.

Tee Lopes tracks on Shredder's Revenge were so good that they became permanent rotations in my playlist, especially "King of the Spill". Here, the tracks fit the Marvel universe, but they're often muted and nowhere near as catchy at the tracks on Shredder's Revenge. This was easily my biggest disappointment with Cosmic Invasion.

I imagine I'll still hop on Cosmic Invasion a few times this year to work on picking up some of the remaining achievements but I'm mostly done with this one.

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns DLC

My biggest disappointment of the year.

An absolute waste of time and money.

Check out my full review here, or better yet, do literally anything else because it would undoubtedly be a better use of your time than engaging with Khaos Reigns in any manner.

Mullet Madjack

A fun game pass surprise, Mullet Madjack is a frantic first-person shooter where you have to sprint through the level trying to reach the exit before your timer runs out.

You can add time to your run by getting stylish kills and executions on enemies.

I am absolutely trash at this, so I instead put it on the easiest difficulty where there was no timer, and managed to make it to the credits.

Absolutely no shame here. I had a great time!

Ninja Gaiden (1989)

Coming off the high of playing Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and while waiting patiently for Ninja Gaiden 4 to release later in the year, I decided on a whim to boot up the original Ninja Gaiden for the NES on Nintendo Switch Online.

What I found was a super fun, if not cheap, action platformer that, as it turns out, was the first game to feature cinematic cutscenes to tell its story.

I would've never beat this without abusing the rewind feature and it never got old seeing football players suddenly rush out to tackle you in this ninja game.

An easy clear in just over an hour and a game that has managed to stick with me ever since!

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

I actually didn't realize it until I was writing this article but Ryu is standing out in front of a very similar looking fortress in the screenshots I've uploaded for this game and the one above it!

It's really cool seeing the parallels between two games created decades apart!

The original Ninja Gaiden 2 on Xbox 360 was the first game that really got me into the Ninja Gaiden franchise, so playing the remake was a no-brainer for me.

This updated version contains a lot of QOL improvements and of course is visually stunning.

After clearing the game, I told myself I would continue trying some of the post-game content, but unfortunately I got wrapped up in other titles.

Maybe I'll make some time to hop back in this year!

Ninja Gaiden 4

One of my most anticipated games of 2025 that thankfully lived up to the hype.

Introducing fans to a new protagonist, Yakumo, while still allowing us to play as and against series legend Ryu Hayabusa was an incredible choice that allowed PlatinumGames to continue the legacy of the franchise while leaving their own unique mark on it.

You can find my full review for Ninja Gaiden 4 here!

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

My personal game of the year!

Pokémon Legends: Z-A continues the trend of the legends titles by innovating on the gameplay elements from the core series.

I really enjoyed this game for its story, setting, and even the online multiplayer which works very similar to a MOBA thanks to the reworked battle mechanics!

I only wish the game had voice acting so the characters would be more memorable! Lebanne was my favorite character (shown in the screenshot above with my character!) and I had to google what her name was while writing this because I couldn't remember!

Check out my full review of Pokémon Legends: Z-A here!

Resident Evil 4 Remake

I finally got around to playing this game after catching it on at a good price during a digital sale.

It's one of the greatest games of all-time but prettied up with great QOL improvements and some story parts trimmed down to make the game run a bit more cohesively.

There isn't much more to say other than I loved it and watching Leon backflip off a wall rather than just taking two steps back will never get old.

Oh - and the new mercenaries mode rocks!

Road 96

The first game I beat this year!

Road 96 was an impulsive play from browsing the game pass catalogue.

The story of this adventure game is something that changes based on the players' choices and actions as they take the role of multiple teenagers trying to escape their authoritarian nation of Petria in 1996.

It's hard to talk about without spoiling things but I would recommend this game to anyone.

RoboCop: Rogue City

RoboCop: Rogue City is a fun game... for a little while.

The absurd power fantasy of playing as RoboCop is realized with brutal efficiency but it ultimately loses its luster in the first several hours leaving a pretty empty experience the rest of the way.

I finished this game almost out of spite for some reason I can't really explain.

I was so over it, but wanted to see credits, that I just started skipping cutscenes and couldn't tell you what happened in the last 10% of the story because I just couldn't care less if I tried.

Sandland

A beautiful game that really brings Akira Toriyama's art to life alongside a good retelling of the original manga series.

It is unfortunately held back by its bland and empty world and repetitive mechanics.

You can check out my full review for Sandland here!

South of Midnight

South of Midnight has such a cool art style. It looks like stop-motion puppets come to life!

The game itself suffers from having very basic combat and repetitive encounters. The structure follows the same formula of story beat, combat phase, run from giant thing, repeat.

Thankfully, the accessibility options actually include the options to skip entire combat encounters and chase scenes.

I shamelessly used these options to make my way through the game so I could just enjoy the art, music, and story.

I don't remember much about the story sadly but I do remember it ending fairly abruptly.

South of Midnight is a game I really wanted more from but I'm still glad it exists.

Spider-Man Remastered

Another Steam Deck play for the year, Spider-Man Remastered allowed me to replay my 2018 Game of the Year on the go!

Sure, the performance and graphics weren't as glorious as the PS4 Pro back in the day, but being able to play this title anywhere is something I could only have dreamed of back in the Game Boy days!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants

A simple port of the 2017 arcade game to consoles.

Sam and I beat this at an arcade in Myrtle Beach one time so I decided to check it out again.

Incredibly basic gameplay that is similar to the original Konami cabinet but nowhere near as good.

A fun time waster for an hour or so at a time!

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

I originally started Tears of the Kingdom during its launch year but ended up getting sidetracked by something else.

I knew I was going to commit to rolling credits in 2025 and I'm happy that I did.

Tears of the Kingdom is a fantastic game that makes a lot of fun and exciting additions to Hyrule after Breath of the Wild.

Some of the areas I didn't enjoy much. The depths in particular were a drag to get through.

But everything else about the game was fun and Hyrule is a world I can escape to for hours and hours at a time.

Just another entry on the list of certified banger RPGs I played in 2025!

Conclusion

Phew!

That's it!

I'm sure I've forgotten a game or two and if so, I'll add them in later, but for now, that's every game I played in 2025!

I'm not sure if I'll play quite as many titles in 2026.

I've found myself diving into bigger games with more meat on the bone and revisiting old multiplayer favorites to help pass the time, but I definitely still have a healthy backlog of games that I'd like to try and new titles catch my attention often.

I found that keeping track of the games I play allowed me to digest them in a more meaningful way as it forced me to reflect on the experience.

Sure, for loads of people, video games are just a way to unwind and kill some time, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But I find myself often wanting to dig a layer deeper, learning more about how games are made, how they performed, and what, if anything, did they innovate on?

2025 was full of innovative ideas and fun new experiences.

In fact, despite the games industry being a hot mess of layoffs, cancellations, and closures, I believe that 2025 proved to be one of the best years we've had in gaming in a decade.

With 2026 being the 25th anniversary of Xbox and the possible release year for massive titles like Grand Theft Auto VI, I'm sure there's going to be way more for me to sink my teeth into.

I hope to have all of you along for the ride!

Thanks for reading!