Tyler Mire (@tylermire.bsky.social)

RPGamer’s Personal Top 3s of 2025 2025 provides another strong set of additions for the RPGverse, with many memorable titles across its numerous sub-genres, ensuring that there was plenty new for players to sink time into. Continuing from previous years as a prelude to our regular awards expected at the end of January, we once again asked our staff volunteers to share their own personal top three games from the year, based on whatever criteria they wished. We hope you enjoy reading about our staff's personal picks from 2025 and invite you to share yours! --- Matt Masem 3. Pokémon Legends: Z-A -- This game was just FUN. I spent a hundred enjoyable hours on the base game and DLC this year and barely noticed that time fly by. I loved the single city concept; the place never felt small, and there were always new alleyways and rooftops to explore. I completed my first living Pokédex ever with this game, as the trading was a breeze and multiple Pokémon were plentiful. The battle system was refreshing and, while at times unresponsive, still enjoyable throughout, even when facing challenging foes. 2. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma -- One of my most favorite series ever had an amazing new entry released this summer. Mixing up the regular Rune Factory formula with the addition of town-building and turning a lot of day-to-day farming over to townspeople allows Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma's exploration and engaging battle system to take the lead. A couple of additional welcome changes involve increased transparency in the relationship system and detailed equipment management of party members. The impact of the little quality-of-life improvements made for this game means I’m excited to see how things continue forward in the next title. 1. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time -- The original 3DS title was my favorite one-off RPG of all time. This game surpassed that game in every way and provided well over a hundred hours of great playtime. The story and gameplay were pretty good, but it was the hundreds of checklist style sidequests and job quests had me enjoyably revisiting places I’d explored over and over to master all the things I needed to do for fourteen different lives. Between crafting, fighting, cooking, collecting, and more, this was a game I had waited more than a decade for, and not one element of it disappointed. Level-5 had been MIA for a while, but this game showed it can still develop something amazing. Now where’s my Dark Cloud 3? --- Ryan Radcliff 3. Hades II -- I loved the first Hades, as hard as it was for me to complete. The second game in the series proved to be just as good as the first, even if also proving to be just as grindy as the first. As someone who loves Greek mythology, this game is littered with references and lore dumps that just make me smile. The gameplay did much the same. It's a constant struggle to learn from your mistakes, to fail, and ultimately triumph after correcting and finding the best combination of weapons and upgrades to reach the end, just to have to do it numerous times, but it’s a fun loop that Supergiant Games created. In me, they found a sucker that loves to replay this game as new paths and dialogues open up each time. 2. Void Stranger -- This one surprised me. Void Stranger starts off simple enough, and while I am not big on puzzle games, this game had a story that had me struggle through completing these puzzles to unlock new story beats. This game does a wonderful job of teaching the player how to traverse the Void, while also leaving slivers of hints of something more that’s hidden in plain sight, mixing numerous genres into a fantastic blend. The music is splendid, and the story keeps you asking questions, while providing small tidbits. Granted, this game is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard, frustrating, and the simplest mistake can ruin your entire run, but it is also emotional, rewarding, and fantastic to experience. Void Stranger is a hidden gem that is worth your time, if you are ready for all kinds of pain! 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 -- I initially avoided this game due to all the hype surrounding it. I had other games to play, but then my partner decided to play it, and I got caught up in her requests for me to play it so we could talk about the game. When I did start playing, I could not stop. This game is everything I love about RPGs. It has a fantastic battle system that grows as you progress through the game. It has beautiful music that serenades you as you make your way through every nook and cranny. The story is emotional, powerful, impactful, and stays with you long after you complete it. Clair Obscur is a truly special game that kept me engaged and enthralled from start to finish. --- Jordan McClain 3. The First Berserker: Khazan -- When I went into The First Berserker: Khazan, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I was aware it was technically tied to the Dungeon & Fighter (DNF) series, and it was often described as a hardcore Soulslike. Both are untrue to various extents, with the ties to the DNF series being fairly irrelevant, and the game feeling more akin to Nioh than anything. What I did get was a truly hardcore experience with some of the most challenging, epic bosses I’ve ever faced in a video game, along with some surprisingly fantastic character designs and a gorgeous cel-shaded presentation. Big ups as well to Ben Starr, who delivers a visceral performance that helps elevate the game’s revenge plot a lot, especially in the closing chapters. 2. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles -- Final Fantasy Tactics is a classic title that I unfortunately missed out on during my teenage years, as it sadly never made its way to the PS Classics lineup in the PlayStation 3 era, so I’m glad I got the chance to finally experience what all of the hype was about. Put simply, this is one of the best stories ever put to an RPG, and it easily and instantly became my favorite Final Fantasy game. For those who find themselves perturbed by many aspects of our modern world, Final Fantasy Tactics and its themes are more relevant now than ever, and it is a great joy that this game is finally readily available to modern audiences with a proper script befitting of its weighty tale. I appreciated Square Enix including the near-direct port of the original PlayStation version with the “Classic Mode,” as well, since despite the absolute treat of the added voice acting in The Ivalice Chronicles, its difficulty reduction options can trivialize much of the heart-pumping stakes that make this game such a masterpiece. 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 -- Clair Obscur is one of those rare games where, when I played it, I immediately knew I was playing something truly generational. The game’s opening brilliantly established the stakes and left me a sobbing mess — something it evoked repeatedly at its numerous climaxes and its heartrending conclusion. It is so gorgeously written across its three acts, and no game I’ve ever played illustrates the impact of grief quite like Clair Obscur. Add in its gorgeous chiaroscuro style visuals, engaging gameplay, the best voice cast of any game ever, a truly masterful soundtrack, and some classic old-school exploration elements, and you have a game that ranks as not just one of my favorites of 2025 but is likely to remain close and dear to my heart for a long, long time. --- Ryan Costa To continue my personal trend for wanting to make sure I highlight some undersung games, and so I don't turn my entry into "The Clair Obscur Award presented by Expedition 33", I'll just state that, yes, I'm one of the many who found this to be their favourite of the year, so this is a top three with that caveat. 3. Rift of the NecroDancer -- 2025 was not an easy year to go through for many of us, myself included, so despite loving surrealist fever dream OFF, that game is a downer and we had enough of those moments in the year. What isn't a downer and just as amazing is Rift of the NecroDancer. It takes a rhythm game and adds health points for enemies, climactic boss fights, and amusing mini-games, giving enough variety to keep each part of the quirky story interesting and fresh. The beats are timed very cleverly, and they ensure players are paying attention to the rhythm of the song, because what might be a simple button press in a normal rhythm game is actually a skeleton that needs to be matched multiple times to clear it. Its tracks are not easy clears, but the feeling of accomplishment mixed with the addiction of the song kept me bobbing along with every button press. The songs are as addictive as a rhythm game's should be, with many becoming instant favourites, and dancing to the beat has never felt so stylish and fun. 2. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter -- In 2025, I was able to revisit my past. Once upon a time, eight years ago now, the only RPG I had played through to the end was Trails of Cold Steel on my PlayStation Vita, which had brought to my attention multiple aspects of RPGs that I love. Between its diabolically deep world-building, dialogue that gives every NPC numerous lines, and a deceptively addictive combat system, I was instantly hooked. I played through its sequel and soon after became a writer for RPGamer, so I owe a lot to the Trails franchise for establishing my love of the genre in a dark time. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a remake of the first title in this long-running interconnected franchise, and it only reaffirmed my love for it all over again. The combat is smoother, with a few action RPG flavoured options to mix into the easy-to-enjoy turn-based meat of things, while its incredible world building gets its start here. It was great I got to absorb all these amazing characters from the beginning, and with the sequel coming in 2026, I will be spoiled with more entries soon to come. 1. Demonschool -- Every person that follows a genre has a game or two that just never seems to release due to multiple delays and additional time needed to finish it. That game for me was Demonschool. With its 90s Sega Saturn art style, gloomy horror vibes, and turn-based tactical combat, this felt like a game made for me. I hopped onto the first opportunity to provide demo coverage for the title in November 2022. Afterthree additional hands-on opportunities with the game, I started to doubt if the game was really going to be that good. Then I got to play the full release, and yes, it is. The story is injected with enough camp and heartwarming characters that I really wanted to see what would come up next, and its combat system, my goodness does it work well. It is a true condensing of strategy in tactical RPGs, as the stats don't really change much, and it's all about reacting to the situations the party are put into. Its movement-based gameplay was addicting, as was figuring out the most optimal combination of movements to take down every foe. The boss fights never duplicated a strategy either, with each of them their own expertly laid out thought puzzle, making for some of the finest gaming experiences I had in 2025. --- Ezra Kinnell 3. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter -- Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, being a complete remake of the very first entry in the long running Trails series, is a triumph. It is, in every sense, the platonic ideal of a remake. It takes the spirit of the original and reinvents it with modern sensibilities while keeping the important elements intact. But personally, the thing that sticks out to me is how well it handles key moments in the story, especially towards the finale. In the original, many of these moments utilize the limited scope and even more limited graphical style to great effect to achieve emotions well beyond the sum of their parts. It was easy, then, as I approached the finale, to feel nervous about how Nihon Falcom handled these moments. After all, sometimes polishing over the rough edges can unintentionally remove some of the bite of important, hard-hitting moments. Thankfully, my worries were unfounded, and every single moment hit just as hard as the original, and it left me wanting more and more, which is a good problem to have with the Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter remake on the horizon. 2. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy -- As someone with next to no visual novel experience, I found myself attracted to The Hundred Line’s demo because of the marketing. After playing the demo, I was intrigued, but what put me over the edge was our own Mohamed Lamine Coulibaly’s review and stellar recommendation of the game. As I played, I was captivated not just by the world and setting, nor the excellent character writing, but by the onslaught of tropes and lampshading. Even without considering my blind spot with visual novels, the amount of narrative tropes that The Hundred Line employs feels very on purpose. Its writers expertly utilize the tropes as a way of masking the realities of the story, and by the end of my time with it, I was left deeply impressed. Couple that with a fun, if exploitable, battle system, and my only real gripe with The Hundred Line is that I didn’t have the time to chew through every single ending. 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 -- I was excited for Clair Obscur after the first trailer, and it was definitely my most anticipated game coming into 2025. By the time I got around to it the premise, characters, and marketing had left my brain, mostly because I was already sold on the game and, as it isn’t a part of an ongoing series, I didn’t have much reason to pay close attention to those elements going in. Having zero familiarity with the French language, as well as going in blind, made the opening act of Clair Obscur hit incredibly hard. Discovering the Gommage as it happens is an experience I will never forget. The game only gets better after those opening hours. Taking queues from the Mario RPGs, Sekiro, Persona, and others, Clair Obscur’s combat is excellent. Meanwhile, the world is gorgeous, the characters endear themselves well, and it’s a good time. The story is at once a roller coaster romp that takes cue from NieR and Xenoblade, and a thoughtful study of grief, but somehow it manages to marry those elements into something truly special, and the truly generation-defining soundtrack ties it all together excellently. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is truly something special, not in spite of its inspirations, but because of them. --- Alex Fuller 3. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter -- It was great to return to the Kingdom of Liberl and the more humble beginnings of the Trails series. Estelle Bright remains a standout RPG protagonist, and it was great to see her, her allies, and the locations of Liberl in full HD with Nihon Falcom’s fine-looking new graphics engine. The series’ new blend for action and turn-based gameplay makes exploration a lot more fun. The story moves at a more relaxed pace than many other RPGs, but that’s fine, as it offers a reminder of just how strong and deep Nihon Falcom’s world building goes. 2. Dispatch -- Superhero narrative adventure title Dispatch is the debut title from Adhoc Studios and its founders’ history with the Telltale adventure games is readily apparent. The game uses lessons learned from those titles and a strong collaboration with Critical Role for highly entertaining experience to both play and watch. It combines a strong original cast of characters, great comedy, and engaging action and gameplay to provide an incredibly easy recommendation for anyone looking for a fun narrative adventure. 1. Quartet -- Despite perhaps drawing on nostalgia for initial appeal, Something Classic Games’s Quartet is far more than a simple hearken back to a previous era of RPG. The game brings more than enough on its own to stand out in a strong class of 2025. The game’s story is well-paced and comes with plenty of depth that keeps the narrative flowing throughout its twenty-hour runtime, and is joined by both a great soundtrack and finely executed gameplay to create a delightful overall experience. Quartet is a game that holds great appeal for any RPGamer and is absolutely worth the time. --- Elmon Dean Todd 3. Lunar Remastered Collection -- As a long-time fan of the Lunar series dating back to the Sega CD era, the Lunar Remastered Collection was an easy highlight of 2025 for me, bringing the PlayStation-era “Complete” versions of Lunar 1 and Lunar 2 back to modern platforms with upscaled visuals, improved audio, optional Japanese voices, and much-needed quality-of-life upgrades like a faster battle speed option and a unified inventory. What still makes the games special is their warm, heartfelt storytelling, charming worlds, and Noriyuki Iwadare’s beautiful soundtrack. While some fans may miss the original voice cast, the collection succeeds in making this series easy to enjoy again today, whether you’re revisiting them for nostalgia or discovering them for the first time. 2. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake -- Based on the earliest entries from the NES era, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake takes the idea of a remake far beyond simple visual updates, and it genuinely surprised me with how ambitious it is, especially when compared to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Alongside its gorgeous new presentation and quality-of-life improvements like faster battle options, both games significantly expand their stories and characters. Princess Gwaelin, for example, is no longer just a damsel in distress but a fully realised character who actively contributes to the narrative and even participates in battles to a degree, while the threats posed by the Dragonlord and Hargon feel more urgent and impactful than ever. This remake also expands on the tragedy surrounding Erdrick, adding a layer of emotional depth that was not present in the originals. For players who experience Dragon Quest III as well, the added references and story links across the trilogy give the entire saga a sense of cohesion and weight that simply was not there before. Even as a huge fan of the originals, I found myself enjoying this remake far more than I had anticipated. 1. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II -- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II ended up being my favourite game of 2025 because it delivers the perfect mix of memorable characters, a vibrant world worth exploring, engaging gameplay, and a strong story to tie it all together. The voice acting is phenomenal, especially Tom McKay as Henry and Luke Dale as Hans Capon, whose chemistry makes their friendship and banter feel completely believable. In a market crowded with open-world fantasy, it was refreshing to spend so much time in a setting rooted in historical fiction, and players have a great deal of freedom in how they approach its world, whether acting honourably or through more felonious means. Whether you walk the path of a criminal or a heroic knight, the scale and depth of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II make it one of those rare RPGs that feels truly worth investing in. --- Let us know in the comments below, or on social media, what some of your top 3s of 2025 are. We’d love to see if you agree with any of our selections above! The post RPGamer’s Personal Top 3s of 2025 appeared first on RPGamer. https://rpgamer.com/2026/01/rpgamers-personal-top-3s-of-2025/