5 Unmissable Games of 2025 (Plus 8 Honorable Mentions)
Another year, gone, but at least we got some good games!
To celebrate the end of 2025, which we can’t believe is here again, we at Prima have decided to put together a list of unmissable games that were released this year. Think of it as our very own brand of game awards, but the only winners are we, the gamers.
So, without further ado, here are five games we think you should play during the holidays, in no particular order.
ARC Raiders
Suggested by Enzo, staff writer, ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction shooter that did some pretty great numbers just a month ago. It’s still quite popular, retaining enough players to place it fourth on SteamDB’s most-played list.
What struck us most about ARC is the awesome community. For the most part, you can run around and loot all you want, only having to worry about the ARC enemies – other players rarely attack each other in the overworld. However, this all changes when you play teams, so watch out.
Will this culture last? Only until players get bored and seek out PvP, is my guess, but even so, it’s great fun and definitely worth checking out.
It’s available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S & X.
The Hundred Line: Last Defence Academy
This one comes to us from Hamza, a regular contributor, and it launched back in April of 2025. He gave me a great blurb to use, so I’ll let him take it from here.
“Possibly the most ambitious Visual Novel ever created with legendary VN directors Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi, the minds behind the now iconic Danganronpa and Zero Escape franchises. This behemoth of a Visual Novel contains 100 endings with 22 main routes, and enough words to print 60 paperback novels.
It’s not just around 200 hours of reading, as they mix it up with turn-based tactical SRPG combat, where you control a cast of 15 main characters. The true appeal of the game lies in the potential for each story route to have a completely distinct tone and personality as you jump from horror to action, mystery, comedy, and romance with choices leading to a bit of everything. Some routes are weaker than others, and you’ll be pressing skip a bunch even if you have a lot of patience.
When the story hits, it really hits and only suffers from a lack of compactness due to its premise. The character writing is strong enough to keep most of the cast interesting, as all of them get their time to shine with dedicated routes and arcs. Yes, the combat gets repetitive past the 60-hour mark, and exploration is a bit lacklustre, but the story offers so many fresh and varied avenues that it makes up for it. Most importantly, the developers have expressed a desire to keep adding endings and support the game for the next 10 years, which is absurd and unheard of for this sort of game. It sold well enough, so it might not be impossible. Ultimately, this project is a labor of love, and we(or I) can’t wait to see what the future holds in store for it.“
It’s available on PC and Nintendo Switch.
PEAK
Would the 2025 list be complete without at least one “streamer slop” title? This one’s from Tom, a regular contributor, and he gave us some details as well.
“Peak is an online cooperative game in a genre I like to describe as “four idiots trying to accomplish a task” in the same vein as Deep Rock Galactic, Helldivers 2, and Lethal Company. Whereas those titles either deal with violence or try to hide from it, Peak has a different direction: climb up a mountain.
There are no weapons and very few NPCs to get in your way. Just a mountain and its elements. Climb up and fast without leaving your friends behind, but that teamwork is the real crux of the game.
My group stood around for a minute, looking up and discussing the best route to climb. Literally holding my arm out to pull up a friend who just can’t quite make the ledge. Constant chatter echoing through the cliffside on who needs healing or sighing/laughing when someone fell to the bottom with a full backpack. As Scoutmaster Myres wrote, “Never abandon a friend in need.”
Peak has a lower barrier to entry compared to other multiplayer titles, thanks to its simple gameplay and cost of just under $10. It’s a no-brainer for gaming groups.“
It’s available on PC.
Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs
Ali, staff writer, gave me a whole list of games, which I’ll include below, but he had to choose one in the end. That was Carimara, a game that’ll take you less than an hour to finish. But I’ll let him take it from here.
“A hidden gem from 2025 which you can finish in under an hour. As the mute Carimara, you must solve a murder mystery using cards with glyphs to communicate with all the characters there and free the soul from its eternal anguish. It’s a sweet little game with impeccable presentation and sharp dialogue that’s bound to stay with you for a while.“
It’s available on PC and Mac.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
This one is from me, an Editor. It really was a tough choice, since we were spoiled for games. I originally thought of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but I feel like everyone who wanted to will have played that by now. Ball X Pit was another shout, being a really cool little indie title.
In the end, I had to choose, and KCD 2 is my choice. It’s a fantastic game, even if it does force stealth missions on us. The story, the voice acting, the combat… this would be my game of the year, if it wasn’t for Expedition 33.
You play Henry, that same lovable blacksmith’s son from the first game. Only this time, you start as a powerful knight… until you fall off a cliff and lose all your skills. From here, you need to build back up from scratch once again, making your way through the gorgeous world filled with interesting NPCs, gripping random events, and so many quests.
The game also has a hidden morality system, so multiple playthroughs to get different endings are warranted here. And it certainly is a replayable title.
That’s our top five, and we hope you find something in there to keep you entertained this holiday season.
From all of us at Prima, thank you for your support this year, and a very happy holidays to you all.
Sincerely, the Prima Games team.
Honourable Mentions
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – A fantastic RPG that all fans of the genre need to play.
- Powerwash Simulator 2 – A return to washing dirt off surfaces, in the most satisfying way possible.
- Ball X Pit – A phenomenal brick-breaker indie game that’ll easily keep you busy for 20+ hours.
- Demonschool – An RPG adventure featuring unique combat, an interesting story, and a slightly over-the-top protagonist.
- Ninja Gaiden Ragebound – A side-scroller fighting game that feels nostalgic despite launching in 2025, one of Ali’s favorites this year.
- Skate Story – A surprising late entry to the year, this gorgeous game tackles deep themes while keeping things light and funny, superbly written, and offers great gameplay as well.
- The First Berserker: Khazan – A soulslike that’ll keep fans of the genre entertained as they seek revenge on those who wronged them.
- Cronos: The New Dawn – A gruesome horror tale that’ll leave you feeling unsettled, but a great experience for fans of the genre.
