Fun — every hour: Izvestia has selected the best video games of 2025

The most significant, discussed, provocative and original. Here, those 2025 releases that set the industry's agenda, influenced genres, technologies, and user expectations, as well as reflected key trends in the global gaming market. The final list includes both long-awaited sequels of iconic series, as well as new projects that have managed to become industry-wide events. New Year's holidays are a great time to choose from our list what you missed and play it immediately: modern console and computer hits can take days, but they will be remembered for a long time, if not forever. As they say: if you call yourself a joystick, get in.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The French role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become one of the most discussed novelties of 2025. The project attracted attention with its unusual artistic style, philosophical plot, and experimental approach to turn-based combat. I remember the magic of the number 33 separately — that's how many people worked on the game, and 33 days after the release, the total sales amounted to 3.3 million copies.

Screenshot from the game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Photo: Sandfall Interactive

We, like other gamers around the world, were captivated by the mature tone of the narrative and the courage of the authors. And the game itself has become an example of how European studios are increasingly competing with Japanese and American developers in the RPG genre. The French president personally and, by the way, repeatedly praised the work of the developers who left the walls of the cozy Ubisoft company for the opportunity to create a saying project that set a series of world records.

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Dispatch

Dispatch's tactical strategy, hidden in the format of an interactive superhero movie, has become one of the main discoveries of the year. The project offered a non-standard view of crisis management, combining elements of a simulator, narrative drama and classical tactics. Gamers highly appreciated the depth of the scenario, the work with moral choice and a well-thought-out system of consequences, where each decision is reflected in the further development of the story.

Screenshot from the Dispatch game

Photo: AdHoc Studio

Dispatch is often cited as an example of how smart games can be commercially successful without simplifying the content. Special thanks go to Hollywood star Aaron Paul, who gave the main character a voice and thereby became a part of the video game and interactive entertainment industry.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Screenshot from the game Hollow Knight: Silksong

Photo: Team Cherry

One of the most anticipated releases of recent years has met all expectations. Hollow Knight: Silksong has retained the philosophy of the original, but has significantly expanded the scale of the world, the complexity of the combat system and the variability of the passage. The game has once again confirmed the status of the genre of metroidvania as one of the most lively and in-demand in the indie segment, and its high ratings have become a rare case of consensus between critics and players.

Hades 2

Screenshot from the game Hades 2

Photo: Supergiant Games

The sequel to the hit from Supergiant Games did not follow the path of a simple repetition of the formula. Hades 2 significantly deepened the mythological context, redesigned the combat mechanics, and emphasized long-term progress. The project has become an example of how a sequel can be both more complex, more accessible and more intense in terms of narrative. The high metareyting cemented the game's status as one of the main releases of the year.

Absolum

Screenshot from the Absolum game

Photo: DotEmu SAS

The action RPG Absolum stood out from the competition due to its dark visual style and emphasis on exploring the world. The project received high marks for its atmosphere, level design, and thoughtful combat system, focused on tactical thinking rather than reaction speed. Absolum is often referred to as a game for the thoughtful player, which has not prevented it from achieving widespread popularity. In particular, thanks to the stunning soundtrack, which was created by legendary composer Mick Gordon.

Death Stranding 2

Screenshot from the game Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Photo: Kojima Productions

The new project of perhaps the world's most famous game designer, Hideo Kojima, has once again become an event far beyond the gaming industry. Death Stranding 2 develops the ideas of the original, focusing more on social connections, cooperative mechanics and philosophical understanding of the world after the disaster. Despite the polarizing reactions of some of the audience, critics agreed that this is one of the most original and ambitious releases of the year.

Ghost of Yotei

Screenshot from the game Ghost of Yotei

Photo: Sucker Punch Productions

Ghost of Yotei continued the line of high-budget historical action games, offering players a new region, a deeper combat system and an improved staging. The project received high marks for its visual execution, attention to detail and respect for the cultural context. The game has strengthened the position of the cinematic action genre as one of the key market drivers.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

The return of tactical classics in the face of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has become one of the most significant events of the year for fans of the genre. The project not only carefully reinterpreted the original, but also adapted it for a modern audience, preserving the complex political intrigue, the multi-level combat system and the philosophical depth characteristic of the series.

Screenshot from the game Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Photo: Square Enix

According to our editorial staff, the release was a rare example of a remaster that not only updates the visual part, but also returns interest in tactical RPGs as an independent and relevant direction. It's nice to see that the Final Fantasy series remains relevant even 38 years after its debut.

Escape from Tarkov

Escape from Tarkov in 2025 finally secured the status of one of the most influential online projects of the decade. Updates, large-scale redesigns of the systems and a gradual movement towards the final vision of the developers allowed the game to go beyond the niche hardcore shooter. Tarkov continues to set the standards for the genre of action shooters, influencing the design, economics, and approach to risk and reward in many other projects.

Screenshot from the Escape from Tarkov game

Photo: Battlestate Games

The high ratings from relevant publications and the steady interest of the audience confirm that the project has become an important growth point for the entire industry. For Russians, it is also important because the lion's share of developers come from the Russian Federation.

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A year of record ratings

According to analysts, the past year will be remembered not only for individual high-profile releases, but also for the overall level of quality. The number of games with a meta rating above 85 points has become one of the highest in recent decades. This shows the maturity of the industry, the growing demands of the audience, and the ability of developers to combine commercial success with artistic and technological ambitions.

The results of 2025 have clearly shown us all: video games have finally established themselves as one of the leading forms of modern culture, where large budgets, authorial expression and technological innovations are increasingly working together, rather than against each other. I want to believe that the magic will continue in 2026, but the article "Game not over: what popular video games will appear in Russia in 2026" will tell about this.