Hidden gems: the overlooked video games of 2025

From experimental romps to quiet indies, 2025 delivered a wide range of games that flew under many players’ radars. This round-up highlights notable releases across consoles and PC, from narrative oddities and puzzle hybrids to emotional and horror-driven experiences.

Standouts include Date Everything!, a fully voiced sandbox about romancing household objects, and Sorry We’re Closed, a queer, neon survival-horror set in a dingy London neighbourhood. Blippo+ offers a channel-surfing simulator of surreal live-action sketches, while Stray Children and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles revisit RPG and tactical traditions with nostalgic designs and modern polish.

Action and physics experiments crop up in STBALL x PIT’s frenetic ricochet chaos, To a T’s T-pose body-comedy, and Wheel World’s minimalist cycling. The Drifter and South of Midnight combine tense atmospheres with evocative settings, while Skin Deep leans into slapstick stealth and absurdity.

Smaller, thoughtful titles also impress: photography-led Sim, the five-a-side feel of Rematch, the absurd limb-control of Baby Steps, and the patient vignettes of While Waiting. Emotional and unsettling entries — Deltarune, Luto and And Roger — round out a year where risk-taking in indie games paid off.

Key Topics

Tech, Culture, Video Games, Indie, Pc, Console, Rpg