By — Azhar Merchant Azhar Merchant By — Jeffrey Brown Jeffrey Brown By — Anne Azzi Davenport Anne Azzi Davenport Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/6-best-video-games-of-2025-according-to-this-expert Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 6 best video games of 2025, according to this expert Arts Dec 11, 2025 4:08 PM EST Find all of our “Best of 2025” lists here. It’s been a big year for video games, from couch co-ops to grand, story-driven blockbusters. PBS News Hour’s Jeffrey Brown sat down with James Mastromarino, NPR’s gaming editor and producer for the show “Here & Now,” to talk about the releases that really stood out. Below, Mastromarino shares his picks. NARRATIVE DRIVEN GAMES “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” “It’s sort of like what you would get if you cross an existentialist novel with a French New Wave film and made it a video game with fantastical characters and this really lovable cast. It really blew me away. It has so many twists and turns and is really trying to tell something that’s very heartfelt and compelling.” “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” “Its designer, Hideo Kojima, has been making these games that really do feel like playable movies. It even stars Hollywood actors like Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux and Elle Fanning. So that’s a rather ambitious, really far-reaching kind of science fiction game.” MULTIPLAYER / CO-OP GAMES “Split Fiction” “A game about two writers that are thrown in this sort of virtual reality space based on their writings, but it’s exclusively playable by two people. You have to have a partner. There’s no way to play it alone. It’s by a studio that specializes in this sort of thing. It blew a lot of people away.” “Mario Kart World” “As always, Mario Kart’s just a great time for families. I can attest to that. I played a ton over the holidays.” PUZZLE / STRATEGY “Blue Prince” “So I’ve really loved a game called ‘Blue Prince.’ That’s like the regal prince, but it’s a pun with the sort of draft plans that you’d have for a house because the way it works is that you explore a mansion, building it room by room and exploring its secrets as you go.” “Strange Antiquities” “And then there’s another one called ‘Strange Antiquities,’ where you run an antiquary shop. And of course there’s some sort of occult malfeasance going on behind the scenes. It’s great. I can’t recommend it enough.” A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Azhar Merchant Azhar Merchant Azhar Merchant is Associate Producer for National Affairs. @AzharMerchant_ By — Jeffrey Brown Jeffrey Brown In his more than 30-year career with the News Hour, Brown has served as co-anchor, studio moderator, and field reporter on a wide range of national and international issues, with work taking him around the country and to many parts of the globe. As arts correspondent he has profiled many of the world's leading writers, musicians, actors and other artists. Among his signature works at the News Hour: a multi-year series, “Culture at Risk,” about threatened cultural heritage in the United States and abroad; the creation of the NewsHour’s online “Art Beat”; and hosting the monthly book club, “Now Read This,” a collaboration with The New York Times. By — Anne Azzi Davenport Anne Azzi Davenport Anne Azzi Davenport is the Senior Producer of CANVAS at PBS News Hour. @Annedavenport
Find all of our “Best of 2025” lists here. It’s been a big year for video games, from couch co-ops to grand, story-driven blockbusters. PBS News Hour’s Jeffrey Brown sat down with James Mastromarino, NPR’s gaming editor and producer for the show “Here & Now,” to talk about the releases that really stood out. Below, Mastromarino shares his picks. NARRATIVE DRIVEN GAMES “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” “It’s sort of like what you would get if you cross an existentialist novel with a French New Wave film and made it a video game with fantastical characters and this really lovable cast. It really blew me away. It has so many twists and turns and is really trying to tell something that’s very heartfelt and compelling.” “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” “Its designer, Hideo Kojima, has been making these games that really do feel like playable movies. It even stars Hollywood actors like Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux and Elle Fanning. So that’s a rather ambitious, really far-reaching kind of science fiction game.” MULTIPLAYER / CO-OP GAMES “Split Fiction” “A game about two writers that are thrown in this sort of virtual reality space based on their writings, but it’s exclusively playable by two people. You have to have a partner. There’s no way to play it alone. It’s by a studio that specializes in this sort of thing. It blew a lot of people away.” “Mario Kart World” “As always, Mario Kart’s just a great time for families. I can attest to that. I played a ton over the holidays.” PUZZLE / STRATEGY “Blue Prince” “So I’ve really loved a game called ‘Blue Prince.’ That’s like the regal prince, but it’s a pun with the sort of draft plans that you’d have for a house because the way it works is that you explore a mansion, building it room by room and exploring its secrets as you go.” “Strange Antiquities” “And then there’s another one called ‘Strange Antiquities,’ where you run an antiquary shop. And of course there’s some sort of occult malfeasance going on behind the scenes. It’s great. I can’t recommend it enough.” A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now