We’re a few months into 2025 now, and already we’ve played some all-timers. Several major studios pushed their games from 2024 to 2025, for one thing — the long-awaited Assassin’s Creed Shadows captured several of our hearts, as did the surprisingly deep fantasy lore of Avowed (featuring Garrus voice actor Brandon Keener as a beloved party member). There have also been some stellar smaller games in the mix that have made their mark on the year, like the delicious brainteaser factory that is Blue Prince and Cowboy Bebop simulator Citizen Sleeper 2.
We play a lot of games here at Polygon, and we’ve got a range of genre experts here as well, all of whom have convened to tell you about the very best games that have come out so far this year. To help you keep up as the months go by, we’ve collected this list of the very best, and we’ll keep it updated through the end of the year. Games here are listed in reverse chronological order, so you’ll get to see the most recent ones up top. We’ve also included a short section at the bottom for one great game that came out late last year, after our staff voted on the best games of 2024.
How we pick the best new games of the year
Polygon’s staff consistently keeps up with new video games, playing them as they are released and adding to this list with the best of the best across all platforms. We prioritize quality, unique artistic vision, and variety — different genres, different vibes, different approaches to the medium — to make sure every reader finds multiple options that interest them, as well as new games they may not have heard of.
