In the video game industry, 2025 saw large-scale layoffs occurring since 2022, contracting from the large growth that had happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other hardware, Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch 2 console, though along with Sony Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft, had to adjust the pricing on their hardware within the United States and Canada as a result of tariffs placed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Additional costs to hardware came about from the growth of the AI bubble, with memory chips being directed to commercial data center growth over consumer sales.
2025 also saw smaller companies and individual developers achieve outsize success compared to larger AAA studios with games developed by smaller teams such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II achieving critical acclaim and commercial success while Schedule I early access release generated $60–125 million in gross revenue within just months of release, and Hollow Knight: Silksong sold over 7 million copies.
Major developers faced financial difficulties and continued layoffs, leading to Ubisoft striking a deal with Tencent and Electronic Arts being bought out by a group of private equity firms led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 negative reception saw Activision announce a change to its release schedule for upcoming Call of Duty games.
Top-rated games Critically acclaimed games The following table lists the top-rated games released in 2025 based on Metacritic, which generally considers expansions as separate entities. The original versions of these games were released in 2025.
+2025 releases scoring 90/100 or higher on Metacritic Title Developer(s) Publisher(s) Release Platform(s) Average scoreHades IISupergiant Games WIN, NS, NS295 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sandfall Interactive Kepler Interactive WIN, PS5, XSX/S 92 Blue Prince Dogubomb Raw Fury WIN, PS5, XSX/S 92 Split Fiction Hazelight Studios Electronic Arts WIN, PS5, XSX/S, NS2 91 Donkey Kong Bananza Nintendo EPD Nintendo NS2 91 Hollow Knight: Silksong Team Cherry WIN, PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX/S, NS, NS2 90
Major awards Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became the second game (after 2023's Baldur's Gate 3 to sweep the Game of the Year categories at the five major awards ceremonies: the British Academy Games Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and Golden Joystick Awards.
Category 43rd Golden Joystick Awards The Game Awards 2025 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards 26th Game Developers Choice Awards 22nd British Academy Games Awards Game of the Year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Independent / Debut Indie Blue Prince,Hollow Knight: Silksong Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Blue Prince Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Debut Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Mobile rowspan="2" Umamusume: Pretty Derby Persona 5: The Phantom X colspan="2" rowspan="2" VR / AR The Midnight Walk Ghost Town Artistic Achievement Animation Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 South of Midnight Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dispatch Art Direction Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Audio Music Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Ghost of Yōtei Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Ghost of Yōtei Sound Design Ghost of Yōtei Battlefield 6 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Dispatch Character or Performance Leading Role Jennifer English as Maelle Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Jennifer English as Maelle Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 AtsuGhost of Yōtei rowspan="2" colspan="1" Jennifer English as Maelle Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Supporting Role Ben Starr as Verso Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Jeffrey Wright as Chase Dispatch Game Designor Direction Game Design rowspan="2" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Blue Prince Blue Prince Game Direction Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Narrative Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Technical Achievement colspan="2" Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Ghost of Yōtei Multiplayer / Online Peak ARC Raiders colspan="1" ARC Raiders Action rowspan="11" Hades II colspan="2" rowspan="2" Adventure Hollow Knight: Silksong Ghost of Yōtei Family Donkey Kong Bananza Lego Party colspan="1" Lego Party Fighting Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection colspan="2" rowspan="5" Role-Playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sports / Racing Sports Mario Kart World Rematch Racing Mario Kart World Strategy / Simulation Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles Social Impact South of Midnight Consume Me Despelote Special Award Game Changer Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Fellowship Girls Make Games Evan Wells Don Daglow Ilkka Paananen
Major events
Month Day(s) Event January 7–10 New gaming accessories and handheld consoles were revealed during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 showcase held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada. February 11–13 The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosted the 2025 D.I.C.E. Summit and the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 25 Warner Bros. Games closed Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB Games San Diego. March 12 Scopely acquired the games division and related intellectual property of Niantic, Inc. for $3.5 billion, which included Niantic's Pokémon Go and Monster Hunter Now. 17–21 The 2025 Game Developers Conference, including the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Independent Game Festival, were held in San Francisco, California. 19 The first industry-wide video game union, the United Videogame Workers-Communication Workers of America, covering both the United States and Canada, was announced. 25 Game Informer announced that it had been acquired by Gunzilla Games and re-established themselves as an independent video game news outlet, additionally mentioning a revival of their print magazine and return of all laid off staff members. 27 Ubisoft announced the formation of Vantage Studios, a four billion euro subsidiary, with a 25% ownership by Tencent, to manage its top franchises, including Assassin's Creed and Far Cry. April 2–13 The 2025 London Games Festival, which comprises New Game Plus, the BAFTA Games Awards, Games Finance Market, Screen Play, Now Play This, The Trafalgar Square Games Festival, Side Events and The London Video Game Orchestra were held in London, England. 29 Electronic Arts laid off between 300 and 400 employees, including at Respawn Entertainment and Codemasters. May 2 Rockstar Games issued a statement announcing a delay for Grand Theft Auto VI, pushing its release date to May 26, 2026. 9–11 Evo Japan 2025 was held at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo. 22 Super Nintendo World opened to the public alongside Universal Epic Universe in Florida.The Pac-Man franchise celebrated its 45th anniversary in Japan. June 6–9 Several streamed presentations were shown as part of Summer Game Fest 2025, including a live show on June 6 at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. July 2 Microsoft laid off about 4% of its workforce, leading to the closure of The Initiative, layoffs at several Microsoft Gaming studios, and the cancellation of several games. 9 SAG-AFTRA members voted to ratify a new interactive media contract negotiated with game developers and publishers, ending the year-long strike impacting voice actors. 29 Atari SA announced plans to acquire a controlling interest of Thunderful Group for about 4.5 million euro. August 1–3 The 2025 Evolution Championship Series was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada. 20–24 Gamescom 2025 was held in Cologne, Germany.September13The Super Mario franchise celebrated its 40th anniversary in Japan. 25–28 Tokyo Game Show 2025 was held in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. 29 Electronic Arts announced its intent to be acquired as a private company by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners for $55 billion, to close by June 2026 pending approvals. November 6 Rockstar Games issued a statement announcing a delay for Grand Theft Auto VI, pushing its release date to November 19, 2026. December 5 Netflix announced its intent to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including Warner Bros. Games, in a deal valued at $82.6 billion. 11 The Game Awards 2025 was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. 31 Doug Bowser retired as president and COO of Nintendo of America, with executive vice president of revenue, marketing and consumer experience Devon Pritchard succeeding as president and former president of Nintendo of Europe Satoru Shibata joining as CEO.
Notable deaths January 9 – Alan Emrich, 65, video game writer who coined the term 4X. January 12 – Robert Machray, 79, actor with voice roles in The Dark Eye and Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. January 15 – David Lynch, 78, surrealist filmmaker whose work influenced numerous video games, including the Alan Wake series, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Silent Hill 2, the Persona series, Disco Elysium, and Deadly Premonition. January 24 – Tetsuhisa Seko, 54, president of Nippon Ichi Software. January 30 – Wayne June, voice actor who was announcer for Dota 2 and narrator of Darkest Dungeon. February 3 – Stéphane Picq, 59, composer who scored Dune, MegaRace, Lost Eden, Atlantis: The Lost Tales, and Riverworld. February 10 – Peter Tuiasosopo, 61, actor who played E. Honda in 1994's Street Fighter. February 14 – William Roberts, 80, voice actor who voiced Vesemir in The Witcher series and Dromarch in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. February 16 – Viktor Antonov, 52, art director of Half-Life 2 and Dishonored. February 21 – Peter Jason, 80, actor with voice roles in Fallout 2 and Gears of War. March 11 – Dave Mallow, 76, voice actor who voiced Akuma in the Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom series. March 12 Thomas Lee, 59, former EA employee who worked on games such as Final Fantasy IX, Parasite Eve, and Wing Commander III. Takashi Inagaki, 87, voice actor who voiced Yen Sid in the Kingdom Hearts series, Epic Mickey, and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. March 25 – Abdulaziz "HAX$" Al-Yami, 30, pro Super Smash Bros. Melee player. April 3 – Narayana "River Boy" Johnson, audio director and composer for Cult of the Lamb. April 5 – Bill Petras, art director for Blizzard Entertainment on several games, including StarCraft, World of Warcraft and Overwatch. May 30 – Renée Victor, 86, actress who voiced female Argonians in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. June 2 – Tim LeTourneau, developer with Maxis including producer on The Sims. June 9 – Pik-Sen Lim, 80, Chinese-born actress, including the voice of the narrator in the Dark Souls series. July 3 – Michael Madsen, 67, film actor with various voice roles in video games including Grand Theft Auto III, Driver 3, Narc and Dishonored. July 8 – James Carter Cathcart, 71, voice actor who portrayed Gary Oak, James, Meowth and Professor Oak in Pokémon, and other appearances in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Sonic X, and Shadow the Hedgehog. July 22 – Julian LeFay, 59, programmer from Bethesda Softworks considered the "father of the Elder Scrolls" for his work on The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. July 24 – Hulk Hogan, 71, pro wrestler who appeared in several WWE, WCW, and TNA video games including serving as the cover athlete of MicroLeague Wrestling, WWF WrestleMania, among other titles. August 17 – Terence Stamp, 87, actor who appeared in The Getaway: Black Monday, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Halo 3 and Wanted: Weapons of Fate. September 26 – Andrew Dice, co-founder of Carpe Fulgur. October 2 – Kazuki Motoyama, 69, artist and writer of the Mario manga published by Kodansha in Comic BomBom. October 16 – Tomonobu Itagaki, 58, game designer, creator of Dead or Alive series and Ninja Gaiden series. November 17 – Rebecca Heineman, 62, co-founder of Interplay Entertainment and video game developer for several titles.https://x.com/scottapogee/status/1990536909689381210?s=46