The year is coming to a close, and we’re looking back at the best games that came out in 2025. This year, the staff at CNET came together with our sibling sites PCMag, ZDNET, Lifehacker and Mashable to vote and discuss our favorites. No matter what your taste, there were a ton of games, big and small, making headlines and filling up backlogs. You may not have heard of them all, but I’m sure there’s a gem in here waiting to be your new favorite.
Here are our collective top 10 games, unranked except for a clear, overall Game of the Year winner. We’ve also included a single honorable mention for a game that was released under unique circumstances. We’ll start there…
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Honorable mention
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond
