Grab your mouse and click, because it’s been a great year for gaming, and PC has seen almost all of it come its way. The folks at IGN gathered the best PC games had to offer in 2025 and pitted them against each other in a free-to-play Quake match for the crown… OK, so we basically just nominated our top five and then voted on the winner, though in addition to them, we’ll also shout out a few other standouts that are worth highlighting.
As always, the PC list comes with some fun caveats due to console competition – or more specifically, because it’s not Really trying to fight this eternal war. PCs have long been a publicity stunt for hobby gaming, and in recent years that’s been more true than ever as it seems like almost all “exclusive” (non-Nintendo) games are making their way to Steam at some point. Some of the games on this list may seem a bit more PC-focused than others, but some of the games selected here may look a bit familiar if you’ve been following console awards. This is the nature of our cross-platform hobby.
Honorary distinctions
Two games worth highlighting that didn’t make our PC shortlist are Europa Universalis 5 and Anno 117: Pax Romana – strategy games have a comfortable place here, and while the genre is a bit harder to penetrate than RPGs and action games, there’s no denying that 2025 has been a great year for 4X fans. Similarly, mouse and keyboard enthusiasts have had plenty of opportunities to try out amazing FPS options this year, including Doom: The Dark Ages, Arc Raiders, and Battlefield 6, all of which are nominated in our Best Shooter category. There have also been some great indie roguelike hits like Ball x Pit, Megabonk and Monster Train 2 that might feel right at home on PC. Not to mention another great RPG that was just pushed out of the top five in The Outer Worlds 2, as well as the excellent Split Fiction, both of which earned us Best Xbox Game nominations.
Second place – Hollow Knight: Silksong
The conversation around the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong was almost entirely dominated by difficulties when it first came out. It’s a brutally challenging platformer, often unforgiving but never completely unfair, and one that really tested those who tried to conquer its seemingly endless map. But bring Silksong to Just Discussing difficulties causes harm. Whether that boss return is too long or that phony save bench that drops you into a pit of poisoned water is too mean (it’s not, it’s fun), there is so much Silksong does well, and more often than not, brilliantly, making it overall a truly stunning achievement. The world is detailed and attractive, the characters are charming and cleverly written, the music is consistently fantastic, and the branching paths allow you to explore and grow stronger no matter which direction you go, always giving you a choice if you hit a physical or metaphorical wall. The story it tells is also touching and nuanced, told by a main character who has become unique. Silksong is a game that outperforms almost everything it tries, and a sequel that was absolutely worth the wait.
Runner-up – Blue Prince
It’s uncomplicated to underestimate The Blue Prince. In fact, it’s uncomplicated to get to the end credits, play deep into the endgame, and Still you underestimate how much lies within the changing corridors of a roguelike game. A clever mix of genres that come together to create something completely different to anything we’ve played before, Blue Prince is one of those unique puzzle games that hooks you challenging and then makes you want to wipe your mind and play again when you’re done. The only frustration comes from the randomness, but even that is woven masterfully into a beast that can be tamed with skill, knowledge, and plenty of constant upgrades. Somehow it has the same tone as games like Myst, but with the tantalizing “one more series” of wildly different all-time contenders like Slay The Spire. It’s a challenging route, but Blue Prince treads it with grace.
Second place – Hades 2
Much like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2 had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of an absolute giant. How can you improve something that is already so close to perfection? Well, developer Supergiant’s strategy was to go bigger, bigger, bigger. It doesn’t revolutionize what made the original Hades so amazing, but it offers a distinctly different feel to it, and then fills the refreshed package with so many fresh areas, enemies, systems, and upgrade options that it more than serves as a true and proper sequel. Melinoë’s quest to slay the titan of time is also a fun twist on a familiar formula, with her move sets and weapon options masterfully shaking up the still-excellent action without overcomplicating anything – so while it didn’t win the top spot here, it’s crowned our best action game of 2025. And all of this, of course, is complemented by the same great sense of style and mesmerizing soundtrack that helped the first game leave such an enduring mark.
Second place – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may take center stage on the RPG scene in 2025, but leaving out Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dancing right next to it would be a mistake. You can play this massive medieval adventure for well over 100 hours, with plenty of stories to discover and quests to complete. Most importantly, these tasks involve many choices that will aid you understand the flow of the story, as well as the burden of living with the consequences of your actions. We’ve waited a long time for The Elder Scrolls 6, and it looks like we’ll be waiting a long time, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a phenomenal alternative before that day ever comes – and for now, it’s far from a consolation prize, being an impressive RPG that could well have topped many lists in a year where no French game dominated…
Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I won’t blame you if you’re tempted to roll your eyes at the absolute chaos of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was held as an awards show for both IGN and the gaming industry as a whole, but just being used to winning everything from best hits to costume contests throughout December doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve it. This distinctly (perhaps even aggressively) French RPG doesn’t do much that we haven’t seen elsewhere, an obvious credit to the plethora of Japanese RPGs that so clearly inspired it – but it combines plenty of familiar elements and puts them together in a way that feels fresh and fresh. Exciting and varied action elements of turn-based combat, an intriguing twist to the post-apocalyptic plot, and a powerful cast that drives the heart of it all. Add to all this the fact that it comes from a brand fresh developer who clearly understands how to punch above its weight – not to mention the fact that it came out of the gate on a PC version that didn’t require frantic post-launch updates for optimization – and it’s not challenging to see why Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is our winner for Best PC Game of 2025.
Do you have another choice? Tell us what your favorite PC game was in 2025 in the comments! For more IGN awards, you can check them all out in one place, including our picks for the best games of the year on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo.
