Honorable Mentions

Obsidian had an all-time yr with three launches in 2025, all of which hit in several methods. It gave a jolt to start out the yr with a tightly packed fantasy RPG in Avowed to stave off the urge for food for a brand new Elder Scrolls, then introduced its co-op survival sequel into early entry with Grounded 2, which received off to an excellent begin. Compulsion Video games weaved a singular creative imaginative and prescient right into a love letter to the American South with the action-adventure sport South of Midnight, whereas id Software program introduced us again to Hell with a bit of a melee twist on its shooter roots in Doom: The Darkish Ages. If Avowed wasn’t sufficient, we kicked it prefer it was 2006 in Cyrodiil with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which remindeding us that Bethesda’s long-running fantasy collection had the sauce effectively earlier than Skyrim. We busted out the notepads and corkboards for the roguelike puzzler Blue Prince that hit Game Go on day one, however we additionally champed on the bit for extra fashionable motion after Ninja Gaiden 2 Black whet our urge for food for Ninja Gaiden 4, which Xbox revealed for Staff Ninja. Oh yeah, and there is an Xbox handheld now with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally – effectively, kind of; fairly it is an Xbox-branded PC handheld, that’s arguably one of the most effective ones but. And since every little thing is an Xbox now, it would not actually matter the place you play these hits. The sheer selection of video games that launched underneath the Xbox banner this yr was indicative of how huge and nice the medium will be – and none signify that fairly in addition to our 5 greatest Xbox video games of 2025.

Runner-Up – Hole Knight: Silksong

Evidently yearly has an indie darling that folk rally round loudly, and Hole Knight: Silksong was actually that sport in 2025. The jokes about Silksong by no means popping out have lastly been laid to relaxation, and Staff Cherry’s lengthy improvement journey resulted in a dense, daunting, and satisfying action-adventure – or “metroidvania”, if you’ll. Whereas it hit Game Go on launch, its spectacular gross sales figures and $20 price ticket made it the speak of the city… apart from it being the wildly anticipated comply with as much as Hole Knight, of course.

By itself deserves, Silksong’s darkish and foreboding environment matches the grotesque platforming challenges that make its exploration extra concerned than many of its contemporaries. Hornet’s traversal mechanics are easy and can have you flowing by way of Silksong’s sprawling, web-like map, main you in the direction of some of the hardest-fought battles we have skilled this yr. Being good, nimble, and aggressive towards these powerful and unpredictable bosses is the important thing to victory, however you will need to keep dedicated and locked in, attempt after attempt, even when the runback will be grueling.

However for as punishing as Silksong could also be, it is also regularly lovable, blessed with cute, memorable bug associates like Sherma, who sings his tune and is usually a valuable little man!

Runner-Up – Cut up Fiction

Coming off of It Takes Two, which swooped in to safe Game of the 12 months again at The Game Awards 2021, Cut up Fiction continues developer Hazelight’s catalogue of nice split-screen co-op journey video games. Its premise – two novel writers trapped of their respective fictional worlds made manifest – paves the way in which for imaginative worlds and a mashup of gameplay mechanics and genres which can be constantly thrilling to play alongside a good friend. Coordinating along with your companion in puzzles, platforming, and high-speed motion is a ton of enjoyable as you section out and in of fantasy and sci-fi worlds. Oftentimes it blends the 2 remarkably effectively, and packs in references that mirror the place its two protagonists, Mio and Zoe, are as creatives (and, as any author is aware of, that generally means they’re not very inventive themselves.)

However that is the factor about Cut up Fiction – artwork would not at all times should be good, nevertheless it’s the method by way of which artwork is created that needs to be revered, and that may’t be handled as a commodity to be manufactured. And simply once you suppose you had Cut up Fiction discovered, its finale delivers some of essentially the most memorable sequences in current reminiscence, elevating the expertise to at least one of the most effective video games of this yr. If you have not performed it but, discover a good friend, give them the free co-op move, and see what it is all about.

Runner-Up – Keeper

We hadn’t heard from the staff at Double Nice in fairly a while after Psychonauts 2 headlined many greatest of lists again in 2021, however this yr we received a nice shock in Keeper. Taking part in as a strolling lighthouse could not appear too interesting on paper, however the Double Nice attraction and distinct artwork model brings to life a world that is about exhibiting fairly than telling. Its puzzles have you ever trying on the environments with intent, and the little interactions you’ve got with characters residing in a seemingly deserted world create tiny tales with out having to say a phrase. Our evaluate described Keeper as “a psychedelic exploration of life packed into a quick runtime” and it is a prime instance of what a studio can do when left to its personal inventive units – it is easygoing and impactful, and one of the standouts for 2025.

Runner-Up – The Outer Worlds 2

Again after we noticed The Outer Worlds 2 in motion for the primary time earlier this yr, we might inform it had the makings of a top-tier Obsidian RPG. We preferred the unique entry effectively sufficient, nevertheless it was simply as a lot an try to create a basis for a brand new universe because it was the staff attempting to separate itself from Fallout and construct atop the repute it earned from New Vegas years in the past. With this yr’s sequel, it appears as if Obsidian acknowledged the shortcomings of The Outer Worlds and has addressed virtually all of them, making a sequel that delivers what the studio is understood for: dense, story-driven RPGs with an entire load of interconnected methods that allow you to play precisely the way you need.

There is a concerted effort to enhancing gunplay and melee fight, which fits a good distance in making its violent encounters much more enjoyable. But it surely’s the deeper development methods, together with intricate stage design reminiscent of immersive sims like Deus Ex, that makes the general RPG expertise really feel a lot extra dynamic. The sport itself observes the way you play, and gives tangible perks on the expense of some unusually inventive debuffs as half of its Flaws system, with every one supplied based mostly in your actions. Similar to system demonstrates in microcosm how The Outer Worlds 2 higher accounts in your playstyle and reveals you the results of the way you work together with its world. And with a universe nonetheless rooted in dystopian satire, however with a great crew of companions and a tighter story advised throughout a lot larger worlds, The Outer Worlds 2 is Obsidian firing on all cylinders.

Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Maybe to the shock of completely nobody, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is IGN’s alternative for the most effective sport to hit Xbox this yr. And in case you’re a Game Go subscriber, you have been handled to at least one of the most effective RPGs in current reminiscence on day one.

In its debut as a improvement staff, Sandfall Interactive has drawn inspiration from basic Japanese RPGs (taking a look at Last Fantasy 10 and Persona 5 immediately) to inform its personal harrowing story about grief and the generally ugly methods it adjustments us. However whereas JRPGs are a transparent affect, the studio’s French roots are considerably accountable for making Clair Obscur what it’s, from its creative imaginative and prescient to its storytelling model, proper all the way down to the unqiue music that each captures the hype of large boss fights and the environment of its magical, painterly world.

Like every nice RPG, Clair Obscur strives to provide you an intimate understanding of its characters, drawing you in and making you are feeling for them of their moments of triumph and despair. It’s a credit score to the studio’s sturdy writing staff, and performances from an unbelievable solid, that Expedition 33 is ready to effortlessly pull you in by way of all of the wild twists and turns of its story.

There’s additionally a top-tier turn-based fight system, bolstered by timing-based inputs for attacking and defending. That lively component retains you locked in throughout every battle with an depth you wouldn’t really feel in any other case. The intricate development and customization methods for every character make you are feeling like a genius tactician, creating the most effective builds for his or her distinctive moveset and mechanics. And rattling does it look good when all of it comes collectively. Clair Obscur is a superb instance of executing on a transparent inventive imaginative and prescient whereas concurrently recognizing what made its inspirations so nice. And it very simply gained the hearts and minds of us right here at IGN.

What was your favorite Xbox sport of 2025? Tell us within the feedback, and make sure you vote within the ballot on the high of this web page! For extra IGN awards, you may test all of them out in a single place right here, together with our picks for the most effective PlayStation and Nintendo video games of the yr.

Michael is the tech critiques editor at IGN, however repeatedly contributes to video games protection with critiques, options, and information.