When you've finished playing the big-name video games, try,,, and some of our other favorites from 2025. It's hard to keep track of every game launch. While a handful of titles like,, or are sure to top the year's Best Of lists, many more will go unrecognized for their brilliance, fun, or sheer absurdity. The good news is we've got you covered. Whether you're stuck at home for the holidays and itching for something to play, or you just want to make sure you don't let any hidden gems slip under your radar, here are five games from this year's slate you should not miss.

Happy Monster Hunter Wilds week to all who celebrate: Capcom's thrilling action game has sold 8m units in three days, which means that quite a lot of you are likely to be playing it. I'm a huge fan of this series and am delighted by the latest entry, but after filing the review last week, I've barely had a minute to play it since it came out. Regular readers will know that this is a familiar problem for me: I have two kids, so my gaming time is tight, and the living room TV is very often in use. I anticipated this, so in the run-up to Monster Hunter Wilds' release, I spent 200 on a PlayStation Portal – essentially a screen sandwiched between two halves of a PlayStation 5 controller. I can't decide whether it's one of the most unwieldy things that Sony has ever come out with, or one of the most elegant.

I've been wondering why everyone seems so hyped on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It's the debut game from Sandfall Interactive, an independent French studio with fewer than 30 employees, and it's attracted massive partnerships in video games and film over the past five years. Expedition 33 has a high-profile cast of voice actors, including Andy Serkis, Charlie Cox, Shala Nyx and Jennifer English. It received an Epic MegaGrant in 2022, it was picked up by Pacific Drive publisher Kepler Interactive in 2023, and it was a tentpole of Xbox's first showcase of 2025. Even though the game isn't out until April, Story Kitchen has already signed on to turn it into a live-action film.

For months now I have been in the thrall of Pokémon Trading Card Pocket. It's a devilishly slick blend of card-collecting and pared-down battling that has had me obediently opening the app on my phone at least twice a day since it launched. The virtual cards are beautifully done; the rare art cards especially, with their pastoral scenes of Pokémon in their natural habitats. I have spent many hours on the battles, too, honing decks and chasing win streaks to earn myself victory emblems. I got most of my friends into it, anticipating the day when its makers at DeNa would finally enable trading so I could fill the last couple of holes in my collection.

If you're just discovering PlayStation 5 a few years after its debut, you've arrived at a great time. Sony's in-house studios have produced some of their best work in this generation, exploiting the technical prowess of the console while crafting vast narratives and interesting characters. Meanwhile, both major third-party studios and tiny indie developers have exploited the machine and its innovative controller to astounding effect. Sony's luscious 3D platformer sees the eponymous space robot stranded on a distant planet with his hundreds of adorable companions. All the parts of his mothership are guarded by a colourful array of bosses, and you must put it back together.

With over 60 million PS5s sold, Sony is so far dominating this generation of game consoles. Four years since the PlayStation 5 debuted, the company has rounded out its gaming lineup with the refined PS5 Slim (both with and without a disc drive) and the more powerful (and expensive) PS5 Pro. At possibly the console's midlife, up against the Xbox Series S and X, ever-increasingly powerful gaming PCs, and Nintendo's Switch, it's a good time to reassess what the PS5, in pole position, is doing to hold gamers' attention spans and why the PS5 Slim is probably the right way to dive into Sony's rich gaming selection. Sony's PS5 redesign is a smaller console with slightly more storage and the same incredible selection of hit games. The PS5 Slim looks very similar to the original design but it's noticeably (thankfully!) smaller.

That means it's time to settle in for some serious winter gaming. These Cyber Monday gaming deals can help. Seriously, this is one of the best times of the year to make those hardware upgrades you've been mulling over, whether that's a nicer keyboard, a new monitor, some upgrades to your gaming desktop, or heck, even a new PS5. We've even got a couple of video game deals in here if you've been patiently waiting for a sale. Be sure to check out our live Cyber Monday deals tracker for more. We've spotted a few deals on the PlayStation 5 Slim with a variety of different games and bundles.

Another Black Friday has come and gone, but many of the better gaming deals we saw last week are still kicking. If you're looking to pad out your backlog, pick up a new console or refresh your desktop with new peripherals, we've rounded up a few Cyber Monday gaming deals that are genuinely decent. The selection includes a ton of popular Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox and PC games at their lowest prices to date, 75 off PS5 consoles and several discounts on accessories we've tested and recommended. We've dug through reviews and used price history trackers to ensure each offer below is a genuine deal, and we'll update this post if prices change as the day rolls along. PlayStation 5 (slim) for 424 at Amazon ( 76 off MSRP): This isn't the absolute biggest price drop to date for Sony's console, but larger discounts have been extremely uncommon over the past year. This bundle throws in a few Fortnite skins and V-Bucks; if it runs out of stock, the standalone console is available for the same price. Walmart and Best Buy, meanwhile, have separate bundles that pair the machine with the recent RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard or one of EA's sports games for 450. Also available at Best Buy, Target, GameStop and PlayStation Direct, among others. PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (slim) NBA 2K25 bundle for 374 at GameStop ( 76 off): If you have no interest in buying physical media, you can save an extra 50 upfront by going with the PS5's disc-less model. This bundle comes with the latest NBA 2K game as a freebie.

That means it's time to settle in for some serious winter gaming. These Black Friday gaming deals can help. Seriously, this is one of the best times of the year to make those hardware upgrades you've been mulling over, whether that's a nicer keyboard, a new monitor, some upgrades to your gaming desktop, or heck, even a new PS5. We've even got a couple of video game deals in here if you've been patiently waiting for a sale. Be sure to check out our live Black Friday deals tracker for more. We've spotted a few deals on the PlayStation 5 Slim with a variety of different games and bundles.

That means it's time to settle in for some serious winter gaming. These Black Friday gaming deals can help. Seriously, this is one of the best times of the year to make those hardware upgrades you've been mulling over, whether that's a nicer keyboard, a new monitor, some upgrades to your gaming desktop, or heck, even a new PS5. We've even got a couple of video game deals in here if you've been patiently waiting for a sale. Be sure to check out our live Black Friday deals tracker for more. We've added more deals and corrected prices.