Honorable Mentions

One of the perfect video games from early within the yr was Hazelight’s Break up Fiction, the endlessly creative co-op motion platformer that simply narrowly missed out on a top-five spot. Additionally simply lacking out are a pair of 2025’s breakout indie hits, Blue Prince and Ball X Pit. These two couldn’t be extra completely different from one another, although, with the previous brain-bending mansion full of puzzles a a lot calmer affair than the brick-breaking chaos of the latter. After which there’s two huge shooters that got here alongside on the finish of the yr. Battlefield 6’s multiplayer has seen it return to the fantastic, huge-scale carnage that followers needed, and Arc Raiders has confirmed an enormous success because of its “only one extra extraction” nature. Rounding out on honourable mentions are a pair of video games that love to do issues a bit in another way in the case of narrative: Atomfall and Silent Hill f. Each create uneasy worlds in their very own methods, and we admire them for his or her freeform and steadily revealing approaches to storytelling, respectively.

Runner-Up – Hole Knight: Silksong

It lastly occurred. 2025 was the yr that Hole Knight: Silksong noticed the sunshine of day, and what a aid that we not solely acquired to play it, nevertheless it was additionally extraordinarily good. Staff Cherry’s much-anticipated sequel could also be an entire lot extra punishing than the unique, however it’s nonetheless residence to that very same magic, which may be discovered throughout its sprawling, bug-sized world full of secret nooks and crannies. The platforming pathways to get to these locations are tight and difficult, with new lead, Hornet, displaying off a contemporary batch of expertise stemming from her essentially game-changing diagonal dart. However it’s in fight the place she actually comes into her personal, selling a extra aggressive type of play which helps you to take the battle to Silksong’s bestiary of bosses. These robust creatures of all sizes and shapes with nasty tips up their sleeves might have introduced some of 2025’s greatest roadblocks, however persevere, and the glory ready behind them results in one of this yr’s best video games.

Runner-Up – Dispatch

Superhero drama Dispatch manages to recapture the magic of these Telltale-esque episodic visible novels that all of us fell in love with a decade or so in the past. Following the story of Robert Robertson, a hero who’s nothing with out his now-destroyed mech swimsuit, it is a heartwarming story of redemption that isn’t with out its justifiable share of chunk, too. Managing your many relationships, each private {and professional}, as they intertangle at Robbie’s place of work, the Superhero Dispatch Community, is vital, as is ensuring your group of down-and-out supervillains efficiently strive their hand at crime-stopping.

This half of the sport provides a real-time sim administration wrinkle to every chapter, as you increase the abilities of your squad and ship them out on missions that match their skillset. From the hot-head Flambae, to the web’s new favorite demon Mommy, Malevola, you’re in command of a vibrant and various bunch that every supply a enjoyable dynamic to every scene they’re in. However it’s outdoors of the SDN workplace monitor that Dispatch actually involves life, as Robertson’s life crumbles round him, and your greatest makes an attempt at rebuilding it are hidden behind dialogue selections. What comes of its forged of characters, headlined by Breaking Unhealthy’s Aaron Paul as Robbie, and with Laura Bailey’s Invisagal stealing most scenes, is as much as you. One factor that’s assured, although, is a good time.

Runner-Up – Demise Stranding 2: On the Seashore

In some ways, Demise Stranding 2: On the Seashore lastly fulfilled the promise of its flawed predecessor. Creator Hideo Kojima’s second slice of post-apocalypse supply adventures dialled up the motion, echoing his previous Metallic Gear Stable successes, while nonetheless sustaining that singular, lonely imaginative and prescient of a disconnected world. Taking Sam Porter Bridges to Australia, On the Seashore fingers you a a lot expanded vary of fight choices, from silenced sniper rifles to homing missile mechanical canine, and allows you to go about finishing its many, many postal orders nonetheless you’d like. This freedom isn’t just a fight characteristic, however is mirrored in the way you go about navigating every of these treacherous supply routes, too, with new methods to journey over stormy deserts and raging rivers, together with large, looming monorail programs and bonkers coffin hoverboards.

However the weirdness is only one side of Demise Stranding — and there’s no scarcity of it this time round, because of Troy Baker’s glorious return as villain Higgs — as its themes of love and loss finally dominate, irrespective of how massive the spectacle on display screen. Lea Seydoux is subtly sensible as Fragile, and drives the story from begin to end because the connections between herself, Sam, and child Lou are steadily revealed. It’s a incredible instance of a imaginative and prescient come to life, and simply one of the perfect PlayStation video games to have come out in 2025.

Runner-Up – Ghost of Yotei

Following up on 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima was all the time going to be a problem, however developer Sucker Punch rose to it impressively nicely with Ghost of Yotei. This sword-slashing epic borrows every thing that we beloved from its predecessor, however improves on virtually all of it in a mess of enjoyable little methods. The pulsating fight opens up additional, with new weapons and expertise launched to deepen its acquainted dodge, block, parry, and swing system. Amongst these additions is the extremely satisfying disarming mechanic that has your protagonist, Atsu, ship her enemies’ blades flying from their grasp. However it’s this wandering ronin’s story that drives Yotei’s momentum, turning a easy story of revenge into one thing rather more stunning as you discover every nook of its historic Japanese map and soak in each the audio and visible majesty on present

Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Shock! Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has received one other award. It truly is that good, although, isn’t it? Sandfall Interactive’s ode to Ultimate Fantasy of years passed by takes that age-old method and thrusts it firmly into 2025 with lashings of type, hovering music, and a battle system that melds basic turn-based RPG mechanics with thrilling real-time components, making every encounter a thrill. All of that type could be nothing with out substance, although, and whereas its fight excites from second to second, it’s Clair Obscur’s poignant story and layered forged of characters that make it stay lengthy within the reminiscence. Jennifer English is pitch-perfect as Maelle on the coronary heart of Expedition 33’s plot, with Ben Starr’s Verso a beautiful foil as its twisted themes of grief and what it’s to like are untangled. All performed out in entrance of a ticking backdrop of the Gommage — a yearly tolling doomsday clock for anybody of a sure age — it’s splendidly cinematic, making it match proper in alongside many of Sony’s first-party blockbuster choices.

Taking inspiration from the unique PlayStation’s library of Japanese RPGs and bringing these concepts into the longer term, because of an all-timer online game story supported by a fight system as satisfying as it’s nuanced, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the clear winner of our award for Best PlayStation Game of 2025.

What was your favorite PS5 sport of 2025? Tell us within the feedback! For extra IGN awards, you’ll be able to test all of them out in a single place right here, together with our picks for the perfect Xbox and Nintendo video games of the yr.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can primarily be discovered skulking round open world video games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing on the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Comply with him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.