The Best Xbox Game of 2025

Honorable Mentions

Obsidian had an all-time year with three launches in 2025, all of which hit in different ways. It gave a jolt to start the year with a tightly packed fantasy RPG in Avowed to stave off the appetite for a new Elder Scrolls, then brought its co-op survival sequel into early access with Grounded 2, which got off to a great start. Compulsion Games weaved a unique artistic vision into a love letter to the American South with the action-adventure game South of Midnight, while id Software brought us back to Hell with a bit of a melee twist on its shooter roots in Doom: The Dark Ages. If Avowed wasn’t enough, we kicked it like it was 2006 in Cyrodiil with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which remindeding us that Bethesda’s long-running fantasy series had the sauce well before Skyrim. We busted out the notepads and corkboards for the roguelike puzzler Blue Prince that hit Game Pass on day one, but we also champed at the bit for more stylish action after Ninja Gaiden 2 Black whet our appetite for Ninja Gaiden 4, which Xbox published for Team Ninja. Oh yeah, and there’s an Xbox handheld now with the Asus ROG Xbox Ally – well, sort of; rather it’s an Xbox-branded PC handheld, that is arguably one of the best ones yet. And since everything is an Xbox now, it doesn’t really matter where you play these hits. The sheer variety of games that launched under the Xbox banner this year was indicative of how vast and great the medium can be – and none represent that quite as well as our five best Xbox games of 2025.

Runner-Up – Hollow Knight: Silksong

It seems that every year has an indie darling that folks rally around loudly, and Hollow Knight: Silksong was certainly that game in 2025. The jokes about Silksong never coming out have finally been laid to rest, and Team Cherry’s long development journey resulted in a dense, daunting, and satisfying action-adventure – or “metroidvania”, if you will. While it hit Game Pass on launch, its impressive sales figures and $20 price tag made it the talk of the town… aside from it being the wildly anticipated follow up to Hollow Knight, of course.

On its own merits, Silksong’s dark and foreboding atmosphere matches the gruesome platforming challenges that make its exploration more involved than many of its contemporaries. Hornet’s traversal mechanics are smooth and will have you flowing through Silksong’s sprawling, web-like map, leading you towards some of the hardest-fought battles we’ve experienced this year. Being smart, nimble, and aggressive against these tough and unpredictable bosses is the key to victory, but you must stay committed and locked in, try after try, even if the runback can be grueling.

But for as punishing as Silksong may be, it’s also frequently adorable, blessed with cute, memorable bug friends like Sherma, who sings his song and is generally a precious little guy!

Runner-Up – Split Fiction

Coming off of It Takes Two, which swooped in to secure Game of the Year back at The Game Awards 2021, Split Fiction continues developer Hazelight’s catalogue of great split-screen co-op adventure games. Its premise – two novel writers trapped in their respective fictional worlds made manifest – paves the way for imaginative worlds and a mashup of gameplay mechanics and genres that are consistently exciting to play alongside a friend. Coordinating with your partner in puzzles, platforming, and high-speed action is a ton of fun as you phase in and out of fantasy and sci-fi worlds. Oftentimes it blends the two remarkably well, and packs in references that reflect where its two protagonists, Mio and Zoe, are as creatives (and, as any writer knows, that sometimes means they’re not very creative themselves.)

But that’s the thing about Split Fiction – art doesn’t always have to be good, but it’s the process through which art is created that should be respected, and that can’t be treated as a commodity to be manufactured. And just when you think you had Split Fiction figured out, its finale delivers some of the most memorable sequences in recent memory, elevating the experience to one of the best games of this year. If you haven’t played it yet, find a friend, give them the free co-op pass, and see what it’s all about.

Runner-Up – Keeper

We hadn’t heard from the team at Double Fine in quite some time after Psychonauts 2 headlined many best of lists back in 2021, but this year we got a pleasant surprise in Keeper. Playing as a walking lighthouse may not seem too appealing on paper, but the Double Fine charm and distinct art style brings to life a world that’s about showing rather than telling. Its puzzles have you looking at the environments with intent, and the little interactions you have with characters living in a seemingly abandoned world create tiny stories without having to say a word. Our review described Keeper as “a psychedelic exploration of life packed into a brief runtime” and it’s a prime example of what a studio can do when left to its own creative devices – it’s easygoing and impactful, and one of the standouts for 2025.

Runner-Up – The Outer Worlds 2

Back when we saw The Outer Worlds 2 in action for the first time earlier this year, we could tell it had the makings of a top-tier Obsidian RPG. We liked the original entry well enough, but it was just as much an attempt to create a foundation for a new universe as it was the team trying to separate itself from Fallout and build atop the reputation it earned from New Vegas years ago. With this year’s sequel, it seems as if Obsidian recognized the shortcomings of The Outer Worlds and has addressed almost all of them, creating a sequel that delivers what the studio is known for: dense, story-driven RPGs with a whole load of interconnected systems that let you play exactly how you want.

There’s a concerted effort to improving gunplay and melee combat, which goes a long way in making its violent encounters a lot more fun. But it’s the deeper progression systems, along with intricate level design reminiscent of immersive sims like Deus Ex, that makes the overall RPG experience feel so much more dynamic. The game itself observes how you play, and offers tangible perks at the expense of some unusually creative debuffs as part of its Flaws system, with each one offered based on your actions. Such as system demonstrates in microcosm how The Outer Worlds 2 better accounts for your playstyle and shows you the consequences of how you interact with its world. And with a universe still rooted in dystopian satire, but with a good crew of companions and a tighter story told across much bigger worlds, The Outer Worlds 2 is Obsidian firing on all cylinders.

Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Perhaps to the surprise of absolutely no one, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is IGN’s choice for the best game to hit Xbox this year. And if you’re a Game Pass subscriber, you were treated to one of the best RPGs in recent memory on day one.

In its debut as a development team, Sandfall Interactive has drawn inspiration from classic Japanese RPGs (looking at Final Fantasy 10 and Persona 5 directly) to tell its own harrowing story about grief and the sometimes ugly ways it changes us. But while JRPGs are a clear influence, the studio’s French roots are significantly responsible for making Clair Obscur what it is, from its artistic vision to its storytelling style, right down to the unqiue music that both captures the hype of big boss fights and the atmosphere of its magical, painterly world.

Like any great RPG, Clair Obscur strives to give you an intimate understanding of its characters, drawing you in and making you feel for them in their moments of triumph and despair. It’s a credit to the studio’s strong writing team, and performances from an incredible cast, that Expedition 33 is able to effortlessly pull you in through all the wild twists and turns of its story.

There’s also a top-tier turn-based combat system, bolstered by timing-based inputs for attacking and defending. That active element keeps you locked in during each and every battle with an intensity you wouldn’t feel otherwise. The intricate progression and customization systems for each character make you feel like a genius tactician, creating the best builds for their unique moveset and mechanics. And damn does it look good when it all comes together. Clair Obscur is a wonderful example of executing on a clear creative vision while simultaneously recognizing what made its inspirations so great. And it very easily won the hearts and minds of us here at IGN.

What was your favourite Xbox game of 2025? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to vote in the poll at the top of this page! For more IGN awards, you can check them all out in one place here, including our picks for the best PlayStation and Nintendo games of the year.

Michael is the tech reviews editor at IGN, but regularly contributes to games coverage with reviews, features, and news.