Here’s the list of new video game releases in week 52 of 2025; the week starting Monday, December 29, 2025. The most popular video games released this week include: Adventures of a Cat in Space.
Very few new games arriving in this quiet fifth week of December 2025. Once again, all the big releases of the year are out already, so time to work on your gaming backlog and keep an eye out on the end-of-year digital store discounts on Steam, PlayStation, Switch & Xbox eshops. 🙂
Remember, often the new video game releases this week will have a demo / prologue available for you to try before you buy.
The new video game releases this week are:
Monday December 29, 2025 Game Releases
Tuesday December 30, 2025 Game Releases
Adventure Reborn (Switch)
Gifts, Please (PC)
Ultimate Battle Simulator (Switch)
Wednesday December 31, 2025 Game Releases
Adventures of a Cat in Space (Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S)
Bermuda Survivor (Switch)
Cosmotiles (PC, Mac)
Cyndefense Remastered (PC)
Maelslime (PC)
The Doomed Knight (PC)
Adventures of a Cat in Space trailer:
Adventures of a Cat in Space Demo – Xbox Trailer
While looking up this cat game trailer, another Disney space cat gem came up…
The Cat from Outer Space | Unofficial Official Trailer | Disney+
Thursday January 1, 2026 Game Releases
Friday January 2, 2026 Game Releases
Saturday January 3, 2026 Game Releases
Sunday January 4, 2026 Game Releases
Free PC / Mac / Linux / Steam Deck Games in December 2025
Epic Games Store: [29] Viewfinder, [30] Trine 1-3 Classic Collection, [31-3] A new Mystery Game daily, so keep checking the website over the Christmas Holiday!
Amazon Prime Gaming: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dreamscaper, Living Legends: The Crystal Tear – CE, Ashworld, Gunslugs 2, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Lego 2K Drive, GYLT, Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms: The Archives – Collection One / Two / Three, Gunslugs, Big Adventure: Trip to Europe 6 – CE, PlateUp!, Dungeons & Dragons: Krynn Series, Dream Tactics.And last month we got… Fallout 76, Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition, Fort Solis, Gas Station Simulator, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Sun Series, Lovecraft’s Untold Stories, New Tales from the Borderlands, Lost & Found Agency CE, Halloween Stories: Horror Movie CE, You Will Die Here Tonight, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest, Fallout 3: GOTY Edition, Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition.
Good Old Games: The GOG Free Games Collection.
Steam
Apple Arcade (iOS, Mac, Apple TV)
Free Mobile Games in December 2025
Apple Arcade (iOS, Mac, Apple TV): Toca Boca Jr Classics, Piffle+.And last month we got… MySims, MySims Kingdom, Toca Boca Jr Classics, Football Manager 26 Touch, Thomas & Friends: Let’s Roll+, Play-Doh World.
Netflix Games (iOS, Android, Tablets): Red Dead Redemption, Netflix Puzzled.And last month we got… Football Manager 26 Mobile, Barbie Color Creations, Lego Duplo World, Underwatermelon: Fruit Merge, Nailed It! Baking Bash, SpongeBob: Get Cooking, World of Peppa Pig, Hello Kitty and Friends: Happiness Parade, PAW Patrol Academy.
Free Xbox Series X | S / Xbox One Games in December 2025
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: [1st] Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Total Chaos, Young Suns – Game Preview, [2nd] Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, [4th] Routine, [9th] A Game About Digging A Hole, Death Howl, Dome Keeper, [10th] Mortal Kombat 1, [11th] Bratz Rhythm & Style.
Xbox Game Pass Core (formerly Games with Gold): Retro Classics, Batman: Arkham Knight, Cities: Skylines – Xbox One Edition, Control, Control: Ultimate Edition – Xbox Series X/S Edition, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, DayZ, Deep Rock Galactic (Season 5), Goat Simulator, Monster Sanctuary, SnowRunner, Superhot: Mind Control Delete, Tunic, Wreckfest, Chivalry II, Totally Reliable Delivery Service + Among Us, Astroneer, Celeste, Dead Cells, Descenders, Dishonored 2, DOOM Eternal – Standard Edition, Fable Anniversary, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Firewatch, Forza Horizon 4 – Standard Edition, Gang Beasts, Gears 5 – Game of the Year Edition, Golf with your Friends, Grounded, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Human Fall Flat, INSIDE, LIMBO, Ori & the Will of the Wisps, Overcooked! 2, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition, Powerwash Simulator, Psychonauts 2, Slay the Spire, Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition, Stardew Valley, State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition, Superliminal, The Elder Scrolls Online, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Unpacking, Vampire Survivors. [51 games, will be updated 2-3 times a year]
13 BRAND NEW Xbox & Game Pass Games | Any Worth It?! (1st – 5th December)
Free PlayStation 5 / 4 Games in December 2025
PlayStation Plus Essential: LEGO Horizon Adventures (PS5), Killing Floor 3 (PS5), The Outlast Trials (PS4, PS5), Neon White (PS4, PS5), Synduality Echo of Ada (PS5).
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium: Skate Story, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Granblue Fantasy: Relink, Planet Coaster 2, Cat Quest III, Lego Horizon Adventures, Paw Patrol: Grand Prix, Paw Patrol World, Soulcalibur III (Premium-only).
PlayStation Plus Premium’s PlayStation Classics: Unannounced.
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games – December 2025
Free Switch Games in December 2025
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack: [N64] Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Tonic Trouble, [GameCube] Wario World.And last month we got… [NES] Battletoads, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, [Game Boy] Bionic Commando, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters.
Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics – December 2025 Game Updates
Wario World – GameCube – Nintendo Classics – December 2025 Game Updates
Note: You need to claim each free weekly / monthly featured game ASAP in order to add it to your game system’s account before it disappears.
What video games will you be playing this week? Any of these?
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The numbers are in
Each week, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shares data that reveals the top 15 titles in the US ranked by total weekly active users across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. The lists come from Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, and to be sure, this tracks weekly active users, not concurrent users.
Which games were the most popular for the week that ended December 12? Fortnite ranked No. 1 on PlayStation and Xbox, while Arc Raiders was the most popular game on Steam. Those are the same results for last week, so nothing changed up top.
One of the big movers week-over-week was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. On Steam, the game returned to the top 15, landing at No. 13 (up from No. 20 last week), while the game ranked No. 39 on Xbox for the past week (up from No. 60) and No. 53 on PS5 (up from No. 68).
– Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 returned to the top 15 on Steam US & CAN. – CO:E33 ranked 39th on US XBX (up from 60th the week prior) and 53rd on US PS5 (up from 68).
Read on to see all the most popular games below for the week that ended December 20, as shared by Piscatella.
GOG is breaking off from CD PROJEKT with 100% of it now owned by one of the original co-founders, Michał Kiciński, who is a co-founder of both GOG and CD PROJEKT.
With this move, GOG will continue operating independently but there’s an agreement that’s been signed between CD PROJEKT and GOG for future cooperation including releasing games on GOG from CD PROJEKT RED. The purchase of GOG came at a cost of PLN 90.7 million and Kiciński continues holding their shares in CD PROJEKT too as co-founder but now owns 100% of the shares in GOG.
From the press release:
“CD PROJEKT and GOG share the same roots and values: freedom, independence, and a genuine sense of ownership. I believe that CD PROJEKT, with its exceptional AAA games, will stand, as always, behind the GOG offering — making GOG the best place on the planet to purchase The Witcher and Cyberpunk games, both existing titles and the new ones we all anticipate so much,” said Michał Kiciński. “As a mature gamer, I often play classic games myself and deeply admire the creativity behind many of them. I truly believe that well-crafted classics can deliver as much joy as new releases. When it comes to pure playability, timeless games often prove to be really the safe choice, especially in a market flooded with gazillions of low-quality smaller games. Beyond preserving classics, GOG has always sought out new games with a retro spirit. I am personally involved in the development of a few games like that and they will certainly make their strong appearance on GOG in 2026,” concluded Kiciński.
“GOG and Michał Kiciński are aligned by a shared belief that games should live forever,” said Maciej Gołębiewski, Managing Director of GOG. “In a market that’s getting more crowded, more locked-in, and forgets classic games at an increasing pace, we’re doubling down on what only GOG does: reviving classics, keeping them playable on modern PCs, and helping great games find their audience over time” he added.
“With our focus now fully on an ambitious development roadmap and expanding our franchises with new high-quality products, we felt this was the right time for this move,” said Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO of CD PROJEKT. “For a long time now, GOG has been operating independently. Now it’s going into very good hands — we are convinced that with the support of Michał Kiciński, one of GOG’s co-founders, its future will be full of great projects and successes. We would like to thank the GOG team for years of fruitful cooperation and wish them all the best. And to the GOG community, I say ‘see you around’, because our upcoming releases will naturally be available on GOG as well”, he added.
You can read the GOG blog post for more including an FAQ.
Chikubi Ninja wasn’t the only decent game to see a release over the weekend, as I’ve also been told to let you all know about Jhonnystorm’s new game for the ZX Spectrum called ‘Pulplife’. An underwater adventure, whereby you play as a little octopus on his journey to find and rescue all his little siblings before they are devoured by the numerous predators in the vast ocean. If this sounds like your sort of game, then as always feel free to check out the gameplay footage and the game linked below.
Here’s the latest from the website. “This game was initially designed for a now-defunct handheld console, specifically the Gamepark GP32. The initial version was programmed in the Fenix language. The game could not be finished during the console’s commercial lifespan and ended up as a shelved project with 90% of the development complete. I am currently working on continuing the project in HTML or using Divgo to reuse the code. The game you are playing is a very, very cut-down version for the ZX Spectrum 128k, since the capabilities of the GP32 console were far superior to those of the Z80. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed designing it. “
It’s nearly the end of 2025 and with the competition still ongoing, we’ve been informed that Imanok has entered a rather decent action platformer for the MSX 2 called ‘Chikubi Jinja’. A game that the MSXDev page says “it comes with a groovy PSG soundtrack, where sharp reflexes and quick decisions are key to defeating every opponent.” In light of this news if you have an MSX 2 or an MSX2+/turboR, then make sure to check out the footage and the download linked below.
Here’s the story. “Play as the last Chikubi Ninja, who returns to their village to find it destroyed by the rival clan when they were out… running an errand. Armed with rage, they decide to retaliate. Of course, rage is not your only weapon, you have 2 actual real weapons: a Katana that you can use as much as you want, and shurikens, which obviously get spend when you throw them. Armed with those weapons, you will face all the shinobi from the Karakuro clan, (not to be confused with Karakiro village, that is a different franchise) Go as the last of your clan to find revenge, even if violence only leads to more violence, and revenge will leave you hollow at the end, the crime against your village won’t go down unpunished.”
2025 has been a truly remarkable year for video games, delivering landmark titles across every conceivable genre.
Yet, as we look back on the last twelve months, a compelling narrative emerges. Whilst the Xbox ecosystem certainly had its share of hits, some of the year’s most talked-about, critically-acclaimed, and culturally significant experiences shared one common trait: they weren’t available on an Xbox console, at least not until the ROG Ally X popped up to combine our gaming libraries like never before.
What are the best games of the 2025 – NOT available on Xbox?
From the staggering cinematic achievements on the PlayStation 5 to the masterful new adventures that christened Nintendo’s new hardware, and the unmissable, slightly weird, little indies that are dominating the PC (seriously, have you seen the sheer number of games that are released on Steam?), 2025 was a year that powerfully rewarded those playing elsewhere.
This is our celebration of those essential titles – the games that defined the year, all without ever gracing the Xbox platform.
Of course, if you are one of those who only plays on Xbox, you’d do well to check out our ‘Elite Eleven: Our Xbox Games of the Year 2025’ article.
Roulette Hero
Roulette Hero
(PC)
Mixing the addictive loop of Luck Be A Landlord with the tactical depth of Slay the Spire, Roulette Hero is a strategic roguelike deckbuilder that replaces cards with animals.
Your task is to assemble a dream team of companions on a roulette wheel to take down massive mechanical beasts. With 13 animal types and over 100 power-up cartridges, the synergies are endless; and that means a game that will draw away the hours.
Every pull of the lever feels like a high-stakes gamble; one spin could trigger a devastating chain reaction that wipes the board, while the next might leave you desperately scrambling for a comeback.
With various difficulty levels to conquer, Roulette Hero is a “just one more spin” experience that remains a painful omission from the Xbox library.
Birdigo
Birdigo
(PC)
Created by John August and Corey Martin, Birdigo is a gorgeous mashup of Wordle and Balatro.
This deckbuilder tasks you with guiding a flock of adorable birds on a global migration. You aren’t just spelling words; you’re building a deck of letters to generate ‘flaps’ – the energy required to reach the next destination.
Longer words naturally score higher, but the real magic lies in using enchanted feathers and mysterious songs to trigger massive combos that turn simple three-letter words into powerhouses.
As the distance increases each round, the roguelike pressure builds, making every letter played a vital step toward safety. It’s a smart, stylish, and incredibly polished word game.
We would love to play Birdigo on Xbox.
Word Play
Word Play
(PC)
We nearly skipped Word Play because it shares a branch with the excellent Birdigo, but this brain-busting spelling game earned its spot through sheer variety – and the fact we wasted hours on it over the summer months.
It’s a roguelike where you get to change the rules of the language as you go. By clearing rounds, you unlock over perks; modifiers that add more tile spaces and more, all as you look to skyrocket your score.
You have to manage your total number of “Plays” carefully, as running out means starting your run from scratch. With custom dictionary support and a Marathon mode for the truly dedicated, it provides a deeper, more mechanical take on the genre that keeps us glued to our monitors.
And Word Play is from Game Maker’s Toolkit, they behind Mind Over Magnet – and that means they know exactly what the Xbox audience is after.
The King is Watching
The King is Watching
(PC)
In The King is Watching, your literal gaze is the most valuable resource in the kingdom.
This roguelite builder operates on a unique premise: your peasants, miners, and knights only work when you are looking at them. Turn your back, and they’ll immediately start slacking.
This forces a frantic, strategic balancing act as you decide whether to focus on the fields for food, the mines for silver, or the barracks for defense. Every run offers new trials, from cursed cemeteries to infernal depths, and permanent upgrades ensure you evolve with every defeat.
It’s a clever, humorous twist on the strategy genre that makes being an all-seeing ruler feel both powerful and delightfully stressful.
Cast n Chill
Cast n chill
(PC)
Cast n Chill is the ultimate “second monitor” game, a cozy fishing experience that balances active play with idle progression.
You explore 16 serene spots, from lazy lakes to salty oceans, accompanied by a loyal four-legged friend who helps you spot the big ones. Whether you’re manually reeling in one of the various species or letting the game run in Passive Mode while you handle other tasks, the loop is incredibly relaxing.
Catching one of the 16 legendary fish – the kind they tell stories about at ol’ Rusty’s bait shop – is a genuine thrill.
It’s a laid-back, beautiful title that we love on PC via Steam, even if we’re still debating whether its idle nature would translate to a traditional console setup. We’d certainly be up for giving it a go. You never know, it may have enough about it to find a spot in our best fishing games article.
Hades II
Hades II
(PC)
Supergiant Games’ first-ever sequel builds on a masterpiece, and somehow, Hades II is even better.
In Hades II you must master dark sorcery to take on the Titan of Time. When we reviewed the original Hades on Xbox, we gave it a 5/5, calling it a “thrilling achievement” that we would return to for years.
Hades II takes that god-like foundation and expands it with a deeper witchcraft system, stunning hand-painted environments, and an electrifying new score.
Exploring the surface and the deepest reaches of the Underworld feels smoother than ever, and the new cast provides nearly limitless ways to build your abilities.
It’s the benchmark for the genre and the one game any exclusive Xbox player is no doubt eyeing with envy.
MegaBonk
MegaBonk
(PC)
Could we have this list without including MegaBonk?
If you’ve ever wanted to feel absurdly powerful, MegaBonk is the answer.
This roguelike survival game pits you against endless waves of creatures in a fight to see how long you can last. Picking up XP drops allows you to level up and choose random upgrades, each run becoming unique based on the rarity of your loot.
With 20 characters featuring distinct abilities and over 70 items with complex synergies, the build potential is staggering. It’s fast, frantic, and filled with 240 in-game quests that keep the overpowered dopamine hits coming.
It’s a pure arcade-style riot that we desperately wish we could play from the comfort of the sofa. Surely that wish will come true soon?
Skate Story
Skate Story
(PS5, Switch, PC)
A late entry, but Skate Story is a game we’ve fallen for. BIG TIME!
In Skate Story, you are a demon made of glass and pain, and your only hope for freedom is to skate to the Moon and swallow it. Simple, huh!?
This stylish adventure takes you through the layers of the Underworld, where you must destroy vicious demons by performing perfect kickflips and grinds. With over 70 tricks to master and a psychedelic soundtrack by Blood Cultures, the game is a hypnotic, sensory feast.
It’s easily one of the most visually striking games of the year, making it a massive win for PlayStation, Switch and PC players. And a loss for us on Xbox.
Ghost of Yōtei
Ghost of Yotei
(PS5)
Set 300 years after the events of the beloved Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is a breathtaking standalone epic.
You play as Atsu, a lone mercenary in the 1600s hunting a gang of six outlaws across the rugged, snowy ridges and wildflower fields of northern Japan.
The power of the PS5 shines here, with lightning-fast loads and stunning 3D spatial audio that immerses you in the Ezo wilderness. Combat feels visceral thanks to the DualSense’s haptic feedback, making every katana strike and arrow release feel tactile.
It’s a bold new story of revenge and redemption that proves Sucker Punch are the masters of the modern open-world samurai (and shinobi) adventure.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding 2
(PS5)
Hideo Kojima returns to his unique world of “connection” with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Set eleven months after the first game, Sam Porter Bridges embarks on a new mission to save humanity from extinction in an unknown wilderness.
When we reviewed the Director’s Cut of the original Death Stranding on Xbox, we gave it a 4.5/5, noting that while it isn’t for everyone, it is a “truly unique treat.”
The sequel evolves the action with more flexible traversal and actions that ripple into other players’ worlds. It’s a haunting, cinematic journey that asks a difficult question: Should we have connected?
It’s exactly the kind of off-the-walls storytelling that only Kojima can deliver.
Baby Steps
Baby Steps
(PS5, PC)
We had to be talked into including Baby Steps, for – personally – we’re not totally sold. But other members of the TXH team are.
Baby Steps is the world’s first literal walking simulator, and it is as hilarious as it is frustrating.
You play as a hapless “failson” who must learn the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. The game features fully simulated physics-based walking where you control each leg individually, leading to countless wobbly tumbles as you attempt to hike up a mist-shrouded mountain.
Accompanied by a dynamic soundtrack that reacts to your every misstep, it’s a rib-tickling adventure, but a weird, physics-driven delight.
Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots
Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots
(PC, PS5)
We LOVE golf games and the beloved golf series has returned to the fairway with Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots on both PC and PlayStation.
It brings back the classic three-click control system that is simple, intuitive, and dangerously addictive.
Whether you’re climbing the ranks in Challenge Mode or playing a round with friends, the charm is undeniable. It features a host of colourful characters and beautiful courses that look fantastic on modern hardware.
With local multiplayer for up to four players and a robust online mode, it’s the perfect social game. It’s a reminder that sometimes, simple and fun is all you need.
We just wish we could “par-tee” on Xbox as well!
A Year Beyond Xbox
While our Xbox consoles have been working overtime this year, there’s no denying that the broader gaming landscape has been incredibly fertile.
These games represent the diversity and creative spirit of 2025. Whether it’s the cinematic grandeur of Ghost of Yōtei or the quirky, wordy brilliance of Birdigo, these are the essentials that defined the year for us, as we – occasionally – ventured outside Microsoft’s system. And that’s without even mentioning the joys found in the VR space.
Here’s hoping that by this time next year, some of these wishes might just find their way to an Xbox dashboard! We got a few right at the start of the year…
Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Have we missed some must-players from other systems?
It seems like all games these days have unwanted bloat and are way bigger than they need to be. Sometimes you just want to play a linear game with a strong focus on what matters. The action adventure genre is perfect for those looking for an escape from open world games, as there are a lot of great options to pick from that are primarily linear.
A great linear action adventure game does the important things right, such as having an amazing combat system, engaging puzzles, a beautiful world, and a solid story. It doesn’t waste your time with an oversized world map, or pointless bloat to increase the amount of time you spend playing the game. A game that lasts 10 hours that is solid all around is way better than a 60-hour game filled with pointless activities.
Related
10 Best Action Adventure Games With High Replay Value
These are the best action adventure games with high replay value.
After thinking over a ton of action adventure games, we have chosen the best of the best for you to check out. If you’re looking for a linear game, we got you covered, as this article has your next adventure waiting for you. Here are the 8 best linear action adventure games for players who are tired of open world bloat.
8
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
An Amazing Adventure With Lara Croft
One of the most popular video game protagonists is, without a doubt, Lara Croft. There have been plenty of Tomb Raider games over the years, starting all the way back in 1996, and while all of them are great in their own way, Shadow of the Tomb Raider stands out as the best. It’s the latest entry in the mainline games, and the third entry into the “Survivor” trilogy. If you haven’t played the first two in the trilogy, I recommend playing those first.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider offers the best of what makes these games so great. The exploration is top-notch, the puzzles are fun to solve, the combat leads to some intense moments, and the graphics are beautiful enough to hold up to today’s standards. The story may not be the best of the Survivor trilogy, but it’s still very good and interesting. All these aspects are what make the action adventure genre so loved, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider nails it throughout.
7
A Plague Tale: Requiem
A Heartfelt Story With Great Stealth Combat
A Plague Tale: Requiem is the sequel to the hidden gem, A Plague Tale: Innocence. While the original did a lot of things right, its gameplay was pretty barebones and grew stale pretty quickly. However, its sequel addressed these issues and improved the gameplay in every way, making the combat and stealth sections much more engaging, as each encounter felt unique and unpredictable. The puzzles are more in-depth and complicated, as well, really pushing the player to use their noggin.
Related
10 Best Semi-Open World Games
For players who want to explore, but not be overwhelmed by a world larger than the story.
A Plague Tale: Requiem also has an emotional story, following siblings on a journey to find a cure for the younger brother’s mysterious disease. Along this journey, heartbreaking moments come to light, twists that are jaw-dropping, and a finale that will stick with you long after you stop playing. There aren’t many video games that can make a grown man cry, but A Plague Tale: Requiem is definitely one of them. It tells one of the saddest stories in recent memory.
6
Stellar Blade
Combat That Is Absolutely “Stellar”
SHIFT UP is a developer that wasn’t really known by the gaming community due to it only releasing mobile games. It wasn’t until Stellar Blade was released in 2024 that people started realizing how talented these developers really are, as Stellar Blade is an incredible action adventure game with a tight combat system, beautiful visuals, and an exciting story. It’s one of the best Soulslikes out there right now and is the perfect choice for players who are tired of open world bloat.
Stellar Blade’s combat focuses on parry and perfect dodges, while executing flashy attacks and devastating skills. The further you progress in the game, the deadlier your arsenal becomes, and eventually, combat becomes over the top in a good way. The level design can be compared to Lies of P, with small areas that contain branching paths, eventually leading to a challenging boss with a moveset that requires patience to fully understand.
5
God of War
This Series Has Never Looked So Good
The reimagining of the God of War franchise was a bold move by Santa Monica Studios, but there’s no doubt that it definitely paid off. God of War 2018 took the fast-paced action of the original trilogy and put it in a third-person, over-the-shoulder camera perspective. The shift from hack-n’-slash action to a more personal, story-driven, adventure was a smart choice as God of War is one of the most successful games produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment. While its sequel, God of War: Ragnarök, is arguably better, it’s not the best choice for players who are tired of open world bloat due to its very large open areas. God of War (2018) is more linear.
While God of War has open-zone areas, it’s primarily a linear experience that follows Kratos and his son, Atreus, on a journey through Norse mythology. Throughout your adventure, you’ll encounter deadly foes to take down with a superb combat system, well-written characters to help on the journey, and a heartfelt story about a bond between a father and son. The biggest standout here is the combat, which features weighty melee attacks with the axe, mixed with a plethora of devastating skills, parries, combos, and environmental finishers. It’s so, so, satisfying.
Related
10 Amazing Linear Games You Need To Play
If you like immersive hallways, this article is for you.
4
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
One of FromSoftware’s Best Titles
FromSoftware is known for its challenging video games, offering some of the hardest bosses in gaming history. Known for Dark Souls at the time, FromSoftware introduced a new IP that looked to be more action-oriented than its other games: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Sekiro took the challenge of Dark Souls, cranked it up to 11, and completely overhauled the combat experience that fans have come to know and love from the Souls games.
The end result is one of the best linear action-adventure games of modern times. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has top-tier combat that is easy to understand but incredibly difficult to master. However, once you master the combat, there is nothing quite like Sekiro on the market. It’s incredibly satisfying, addictive, and just so much fun. Each encounter with an enemy feels like a dance, almost like a rhythm game. This is a game you don’t want to miss out on, but just be prepared to die a ton.
3
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Nathan Drake’s Biggest Adventure
Naughty Dog is known for its amazing storytelling and combat, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is one of the developer’s best work to date. The latest, and most likely final, entry into the Uncharted franchise follows Nathan Drake reentering the dangerous world of treasure hunting at the request of his brother Sam. What begins as a simple concept soon turns into a story filled with twists and turns, keeping players on the edge of their seats.
Uncharted 4 is much bigger than its predecessors in production value, set pieces, and cinematics. There are sequences in this game that feel straight out of a high-budget movie, such as fast-paced chase sequences with buildings exploding all around, intense climbing sections way above the ground, etc. Also, while the foundation of the gameplay is pretty much the same as older entries, it’s more refined and feels way better overall.
Related
10 Open-World Games That Are Hard to Put Down
These games are addicting and it’s tough to stop playing them.
Everything about Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is created with care, and is the perfect send off to Nathan Drake and his story. Naughty Dog hasn’t mentioned anything about Uncharted 5, but the entire gaming community would be thrilled to see it happen. Here’s hoping that we hear something soon.
2
Control
Take Down the Supernatural
Control is Remedy Entertainment’s newest IP, and follows Jesse on a quest to uncover the secrets of the Federal Bureau of Control, fight a supernatural threat, and find her missing brother. The game follows a metroidvania structure, but is primarily linear with fast-paced gun combat and unique telekinetic skills. The combat is fantastic, but that is not the reason why it’s one of the best action-adventure games around. It’s the world-building and story that really make it an incredible experience.
The entire adventure feels like you’re uncovering a grand conspiracy with surprises around each corner. This game constantly keeps you guessing, and just when you thought you understood it all, it throws another curveball your way. In other words, not everything is as it seems in this game. Control knocks it out of the park and should be experienced by anyone looking for a linear adventure. Also, since its sequel was recently announced at the Game Awards, now is the best time to give it a try.
1
The Last of Us Part 2
A Masterpiece That Is Misunderstood
The original The Last of Us took the world by storm when it was released in 2013 due to its incredible storytelling. It has gone down in history as one of the best PlayStation exclusive titles of all time, and because of that praise, the sequel was highly anticipated and had a lot going for it. The Last of Us Part 2 was released to high critical acclaim, but sparked massive controversy among the gaming community. This conflict stemmed from the game’s bold form of storytelling and killing off one of the most popular gaming protagonists of its time — Joel Miller.
Despite the controversy surrounding The Last of Part 2, it remains as one of the best action-adventure games ever made. The way it decides to tell its story, where you play as Ellie for the first half and then Abby in the second half, was such a brave move by the developers. Naughty Dog forced players to play as Joel’s killer, and by the time you completed her part of the game, you began to genuinely feel for her as you start to understand why she killed him.
The Last of Us Part 2 evokes an emotional response from its story and serves as a representation of what it means to be human, highlighting that everyone makes mistakes and that there are always two sides to a story.
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Most years, assessing the state of the Marvel Cinema Universe involves examining multiple feature films and TV series, as well as an active pipeline poised to deliver more of the same in the coming months and years. By comparison, assessing the state of the DC Universe is, for now, a more straightforward task, involving one (1) feature film and one (1) season of television featuring several characters that were actually introduced in a whole other iteration of DC movies and shows.
This is because DC Studios overseers James Gunn and Peter Safran appear to be flouting a lot of conventional wisdom about how to form a cinematic universe, superheroic or otherwise. In a lot of ways, they’ve been soft-launching the DCU for the better part of a year, even if Superman felt like the true hard launch. But that’s not the only break from tradition the first sorta-year of the DCU represented. Let’s take a quick look at what Gunn and Safran decided not to do, and what it reveals about their unconventional plans for this cinematic universe moving forward.
Photo: Universal Pictures/Marvel Enterprises
Make a clean break
Marvel Studios was in no particular position to continue any other movie versions of Marvel heroes when launching its own cinematic universe (even if Wesley Snipes’ Blade did eventually join the MCU in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine), but it was nonetheless smart to not even give the audience the opportunity to think about the Avengers during Iron Man (until such post-credits time as Nick Fury gave the signal, and even then, Fury doesn’t mention any other particular heroes).
Incredible Hulk waffled ever so slightly; people forget that it picks up with Bruce Banner in a jungle in a way that would be easy enough to interpret as a sequel to the 2003 Hulk, even though that wasn’t exactly the intention. In retrospect, that was unnecessary, and other successful universe-starters, like 2014’s Godzilla, were sure not to rely on any particular previous lore. On the other hand: What if not that? The second season of Peacemaker does playfully bend to fit into the reconfigured DCU, but conventional wisdom would have been to drop it or, at the very least, hastily wrap it up as a previous-DC-universe postscript of sorts.
Instead, Gunn leaned further into the comic-bookiness of it all, because he likes the version of this character that he and John Cena worked out for The Suicide Squad, which now has the unusual distinction of being the lowest-grossing movie from the previous DC movie regime and also the only one with a formal connection to this one. It’s hard to tell whether this creates confusion around the character, in part because Peacemaker is kind of a niche character to begin with. It also effectively delays the “real” beginning of the DCU’s television offerings, with another Gunn favorite, the animated series Creature Commandos, serving as an ultra-soft launch of the universe in 2024. The first DCU series to truly follow Superman will be Lanterns, exploring other members of the Green Lanterns Corps in addition to Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner.
But if Ryan Reynolds ever shows up in the DCU, we’ll know Gunn has truly thrown all conventional wisdom out the window.
Iron Man kicked off the MCU in 2008 with a movie that’s almost unrecognizably grounded compared to most of today’s superhero movies, and spotlights a superhero most people knew little to nothing about. Some of that was pure necessity; Marvel Studios didn’t have the rights to use signature characters like Spider-Man, Wolverine, or the Fantastic Four, but there were still plenty of more familiar characters available. The Robert Downey Jr. version of Iron Man wound up being a perfect way to ease more casual fans into what became a vastly more complicated and fantastical universe.
Gunn’s Superman, meanwhile, features a pocket dimension, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, a flying alien dog, and a Superman who has already been Superman — one of the most famous superheroes in the world — for three years. For that movie, it’s tremendously effective, bypassing an origin story most viewers have heard in some form or another while circling back to deepen that story with new details about Superman’s parents. Gunn lets the more intimate moments come to the movie on his own terms. The question is whether origin stories (which do account for some of the most popular superhero movies ever) will have a place in this universe — and if they’re not used to the same degree, will more in-media-res openings just feel like the same trick repeated?
Image: Warner Bros.
…but have backup
It’s easy to forget that while Iron Man and Iron Man 2 were the one-two punch of massive hits that made the MCU a big deal, Marvel Studios actually had a second movie out a mere six weeks after the first Iron Man in The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton. It didn’t affect subsequent movies that much (at least not until Captain America: Brave New World inexplicably scraped up a bunch of its subplots this year), but Downey popping up at the end of the Hulk movie did assure fans that something more was brewing. Superman had a little of that going on by introducing Supergirl at the end of the film, but no new DCU movies will be arriving until June 2026, almost a year after the first film.
Creatively, this probably isn’t much different from the Iron Man/Incredible Hulk pair. They’re both cases where the companion film is in progress before the first film has been released. The extra lead time for Supergirl, however, does leave plenty of room for Gunn and the filmmakers to psych themselves out. Does Superman being a hit mean that Supergirl should be more like that movie, or distinguish itself further? Are audiences expecting a de facto sequel and will they be pleased or vexed if they don’t get it?
Characters (and producer) share the throne
Supergirl brings up another mystery, namely whether the movie will be as Gunn-esque as it looks from its first trailer. Though Jon Favreau did handle the first two Iron Man movies and accordingly helped set the tone for the MCU, the series made sure to diversify, hiring other directors to make Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and the eventual team-up of The Avengers. That placed the Marvel ensemble in the foreground, with behind-the-scenes peeks increasingly selling Kevin Feige as the producer visionary — not the meddling suit kind, but an avatar for modern fandom. On the other side, the first crack at an interconnected series of DC movies was chided for freaking out and rushing into Justice League before it had fully introduced Aquaman, Cyborg, or The Flash (who semi-hilariously got his maybe-not-that-long-awaited solo movie in theaters well after the announcement of a reboot; not at his trademark speed, in other words).
The DCU seems to be choosing a none-of-the-above approach to the team-ups. From the looks of it, three of the first four DCU movies will be within the Superman family. Gunn has alluded to building some kind of Avengers-like major event, but given the current schedule, including a Superman sequel dated for 2027, it won’t arrive until at least 2028 — and anything even that soon would probably have to stay in the Superman orbit to have any kind of meaningful impact on audiences. (This isn’t even taking into account what might happen if a Warner Bros. sale goes through to new owners who don’t like any of these plans.) Yes, yes, there are rumblings about Batman, Wonder Woman, and other movies. But Gunn’s self-hyped script-first approach means the kind of long-range planning that has become a big part of the Disney machine doesn’t get as much play here. And script-wise, it will not be shocking if what Gunn deems most workable is Superman movies he makes himself, and other movies that appeal directly to his sensibility. The fact is, James Gunn’s take on Superman is going to be the main face of the DCU for the immediate future. It’s almost a throwback; for most intents and purposes, this will look a lot more like a series of Superman movies than a full cinematic universe. Then again, there is one non-Superman exception on the horizon.
Image: Warner Bros. Animation
Whatever you do, don’t make a Clayface movie
The MCU has inarguably never made a Clayface movie. (They haven’t even really ever made a movie with a supervillain lead; no, Avengers: Infinity War does not actually count!) None of the other successful cinematic universes — several of which ironically come from DC parent company Warner Bros. — have made a Clayface movie, either. If only Sony had the rights, they might well have engineered a movie where Clayface teams up with Kraven the Hunter! But no dice. The DCU, however, is getting a Clayface movie. I don’t think anyone in their wildest speculation about what the DCU would be would have landed on, “They will definitely make a movie about the shapeshifting body-horror villain Clayface before an in-universe Batman, Robin, Catwoman, Joker, or Harvey Dent are even cast.” But here we are, awaiting the 2026 release of Clayface, a movie that has already finished shooting. No one can claim Gunn isn’t doing things his own way.
Fizzy Nectar Soda is one of the 2-star Appetizer Meals added with the Wishblossom Ranch expansion. Players can make this meal for themselves to restore energy or gift it to villagers to increase their Friendship Level. However, this recipe is exclusive to the owners of the expansion. In this guide, we will tell you how to cook Fizzy Nectar Soda in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Required Ingredients to Cook Fizzy Nectar Soda in Disney Dreamlight Valley
Players can make a Fizzy Nectar Soda Appetizer meal with the following ingredients.
Bonsai Star Fruit is a fruit-type ingredient that grows on the Bonsai Star Fruit Trees in the Glamour Gulch biome. There is one Bonsai Star Fruit tree in every area of Glamour Gulch. Go to any tree and interact with it to harvest the Bonsai Star Fruit. Every harvest will yield 2 Bonsai Star Fruits, and it will take 35 minutes for them to regrow.
Lastly, Slush Ice is the only Ice-type ingredient in the game, and you can unlock it by completing the Level 10 Friendship Quest “The Unknown Flavor” for Remy. Upon completing the quest, it will be available for purchase at Chez Remy Restaurant for 150 Star Coins, along with all other Dairy Ingredients.
How to Cook Fizzy Nectar Soda in Disney Dreamlight Valley
After gathering all the ingredients for the Fizzy Nectar Soda, go to any Cooking Station to begin preparing them. Find any cooking station in the Valley, Eternity Isle, Storybook Vale, or Wishblossom Mountains, and interact with it. Then, add the ingredients to the Cooking Pot one at a time and select the “Start Cooking” option to make the Fizzy Nectar Soda Appetizer Meal. Cooking will consume 1 Coal Ore. When you make the Fizzy Nectar Soda for the first time, you’ll learn the recipe. Afterward, you’ll be able to autofill the ingredients when making Fizzy Nectar Soda again.
Use of Fizzy Nectar Soda
Players can choose to eat the Fizzy Nectar Soda to restore 1,197 Energy. Moreover, they can gift it to another villager to increase their Friendship Level. Lastly, they can sell it to Goofy for 247 Star Coins.
2025 was a year that really showed just how broad and varied the role playing game genre has become. From sweeping historical epics to fantasy worlds, from satirical sci-fi jaunts to anime mascots and beyond, it’s not just the setting that distinguishes the modern RPG, but the gameplay as well. There’s card-based battling, dice rolling decisions, time-based actions and first person shooting.
Let’s be honest, there was only really going to be one winner in this category, the gaming world swept up in the distinctive style and panache, and the underdog story of a small French development studio creating a game that goes toe-to-toe with much larger publishers.
What can be said about Expedition 33 that hasn’t already been said as it sweeps the awards everywhere? It’s beautiful in every way that is applicable – the writing, the music, the world, the voice performances are all remarkable. Even the setup is incredibly endearing – a giant woman, face obscured by a mane of long red hair, called the Paintress erases a number from a monolith, rewriting it as one less, and everyone of that age dies, turned to dust and petals that scatter in the wind. Meanwhile an expedition to defeat her prepares to leave, not the first, but hopefully the last.
Then there’s the monsters, disfigured creations of the Paintress, who apparently has an overactive imagination. They are legion and, more importantly, they’re varied, including everything from giant hulking monstrosities, through balletic floating things, grim soldier looking sword-wielders, and the dreaded mimes. Thankfully you have a turn-based combat system where all your characters play completely differently with one thing in common – they’re incredibly powerful if you engage with their mechanics. That, along with some real time parrying and dodging, makes for combat that is incredibly deep and rewarding.
Mystery leaks out of every pore of Expedition 33, exacerbated by the shattered remains of the world in which it is set, and it keeps you guessing right up until the end. Then it gives you even more to think about. The entire time it’s delivered with emotional performances, incredibly expressive facial expressions, and that sense of humour that the stories that make you emotional the most always maintain, because there are no lows without highs. Clair Obscur is a remarkable game, enough so that it’s difficult to do it justice with just words on a screen.
– Gamoc
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 – Runner-Up
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, in any other year, would have won Best RPG. It’s exactly the kind of thing you expect from the genre – it’s massive, intricately detailed, features an involved and very varied main plot, and is otherwise packed with things to do. It’s more than “just” that though, it’s also set in Medieval Europe, along with an exhaustive amount of real world background information to the setting and to mining, horse riding, anything really. This detailed approach extends throughout the game’s systems as well, from armour that requires underclothes to wear – just like in real life – to an elaborate potion brewing system where you need to actually brew the potion rather than select some options on a menu.
That’s nothing if it isn’t enjoyable, though. Thankfully, KCD2 is as fun as it is serious somehow, what with Henry, the poor protagonist, having to blunder through absurd excuses when he fails speech checks, guards alternately being delighted by, then annoyed by the presence of your dog. On the serious side, it’s a story of knights, lords, and bandits with some real heart to it and a lot of characters you’ll find yourself actually caring about. “Grand in scale whilst being full of fine details” is still the best way to describe it, I think, along with “uncompromising,” which is exactly what you want from what amounts to an immersive sim of Medieval Europe.
– Gamoc
Promise Mascot Agency – Runner Up
Coming right out of left field, Promise Mascot Agency is a simply delightful mixture of a slice of life story, Japanese mascot culture, management and card battling. Taken to the town of Kaso Machi, it’s up to you to rebuild the family mascot agency, starting off with the giant finger mascot, Pinky, and going from there. These aren’t people in costumes, but actual people in their own right, coming with distinctive characters of their own.
It’s an oddball mix, to be sure, but it draws you in with the positive outlook of its story, memorable characters and engaging world to explore.
