2025 gave us that perfect end-of-year feeling: you’re finally caught up enough to enjoy the “everyone was talking about this” titles… but you still have a backlog big enough to keep winter nights busy. For this New Year’s roundup, I’m focusing on high-signal picks—titles that showed up repeatedly in critics’ year-end lists, scored strongly, or simply became unavoidable in the conversation. (So it’s not just “what released,” but what defined 2025.)
We hope you enjoy the list!
Games: Top 10 you should prioritize from 2025
1) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
A standout “critics keep mentioning it” RPG-style pick—high concept, strong presentation, and that rare feeling of a new world you actually want to explore. It’s one of the names that kept popping up in 2025 best-of coverage
2) Ghost of Yotei
A big blockbuster pick that shows up repeatedly in year-end game roundups—built for players who love cinematic action, exploration, and “just one more objective” momentum.
3) Hades II
Fast, stylish, addictive—perfect for short sessions that turn into long ones. It’s the type of game you recommend to almost anyone because it feels good to play from minute one.
4) Doom: The Dark Ages
Pure action energy—aggressive pacing, heavy style, and that “turn your brain off (but your reflexes on)” satisfaction. Another 2025 list regular.
5) Assassin’s Creed Shadows
A mainstream open-world pick that stayed relevant all year—big world, stealth/action flexibility, and easy binge-play structure if you like checklists, progression, and exploration loops.
6) Monster Hunter Wilds
A top “systems game” of the year—co-op potential, mastery curve, and endless gear motivation. If you like games where getting better is the content, this is it.
7) Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
A grounded RPG experience with weighty choices and immersive pacing—less “power fantasy,” more “live in this world.” Best for players who enjoy realism and slow, meaningful progression.
8) Blue Prince
A sleeper-hit type title—exactly the sort of game people discover, rave about, and then won’t shut up about (in the best way).
9) Abiotic Factor
A survival-crafting pick with a strong hook and a clear “play with friends” angle—great if your winter gaming is more about shared chaos than solo perfection.
10) World of Warcraft: TBC Classic ( not 2025, but Early 2026 ) 20th Anniversary
Classic Anniversary launches on January 13, 2026, starting with a pre-patch that unlocks the Blood Elf and Draenei races. This version transitions current 20th Anniversary realms into the Outland expansion, offering players a “fresh” progression cycle with modern quality-of-life updates. Key features include flying mounts, a level cap increase to 70, and new modernized systems like Dual Spec and improved UI. Players must choose to advance their existing Anniversary characters to TBC or transfer them for free to a permanent “Classic Era” realm before the launch. Access is included with a standard World of Warcraft subscription, and optional character boosts will be available for those wanting to jump straight into the portal.
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