Naughty Dog’s Favorite Games of 2025

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when we ask the Dogs about the games that were their favorites of 2025. From the tragically beautiful RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to the rich mysteries of Blue Prince, the games of 2025 gripped us with moving stories of grief and love, made us question everything as we worked to solve puzzles, and let us smash through entire levels.

We hope you take a moment to check out some of the Kennel’s favorites from 2025, and maybe even feel encouraged to play a few yourself this holiday break. And for even more games, check out our video below. With that, we’re signing off… We’ll see you in 2026! 

ARC RAIDERS, EMBARK STUDIOS

Eric Balistrieri, Senior Gameplay Animator

I've been playing Arc Raiders nightly since release and I love the juxtaposition of fighting computer-controlled Arc enemies and squabbling with other players. The social elements (emotes/proximity chat) create opportunities for teamwork and betrayal, so there's an interesting tension in trying PvE and completing tasks while knowing other players or squads could be alerted to you at any moment. Its strong community continues to find new and interesting ways to utilize both the given tools and the emergent social chaos to create some amazing moment-to-moment gameplay. All these elements combine to make each journey "topside" entirely unique, so it’s easy to go back to over and over... and over.

CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33, SANDFALL INTERACTIVE

Eleanor Wright, QA Tester/Development Support

Only half an hour into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the narrative hook and plight of the characters already held my heart in a vice grip, and I knew this was going to be a game for the ages. The world art direction is original, imaginative, and gorgeous, and the performances by the entire cast are all moving in unique ways that are going to stay with me for a long time. I don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t listened to pieces from the ingenious soundtrack too! The team at Sandfall Interactive’s passion is clear throughout this entire piece of art and I couldn’t be more excited to see what they cook up next.

CONSUME ME, HEXECUTABLE

Josh Reyes, Senior Tester

Do you want to relive the years of being an adolescent, carrying the crushing weight of strict parental expectations, unrealistic academic pressures, and the fraught vulnerability of navigating a young romantic relationship, all while dealing with disordered eating? Wait! What if all that was through mini games, a warm and charming art style, hilarious writing, catchy music, and sound and UI design so juicy it makes you want to take a bite?

What I love about Consume Me is it tells a specific autobiographical story of developer Jenny Jiao Hsia while still touching on universal themes so many of us struggle with well beyond our teenage years. And as I obsessively placed Tetris shaped blocks of food on my plate every day while anxiously making sure not to exceed my daily “bite” limit, Consume Me reminded me of the unique immersive power video games have to create empathy for others’ lived experiences, and to me that’s magical.

DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS

Donnie Souza, Tester

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a masterpiece to me. The story, the characters, and the themes revolving around connection and the family we find are incredibly moving. Rarely has a game managed to tug at my heart strings (all while Troy Baker strums away on a futuristic guitar) in the ways that Death Stranding 2 achieved. Traversal and combat became puzzles to be solved, and I found myself consistently varying my gameplay to suit the task at hand in new and unsuspecting ways. To the team at Kojima Productions, thank you for creating my game of the year, and I cannot wait to see what you do next!

DONKEY KONG BANANZA, NINTENDO

Rochelle Snyder, Director of Communications
I can always be counted on to be a sucker for a good platformer, and Donkey Kong Bananza scratched that itch this year. The new mechanics and colorful biomes mixed with the nostalgia (hello Kranky Kong) and highly stylized and destructible levels formed an incredibly fun and highly addictive experience. 
It’s gotten to the point where I say ‘OH, BANANA’ when presented with sweet treats and surprise snacks (hopefully this will dissipate soon?), which is to say I’ve spent a considerable amount of time traversing and punching my way through layers of earthen core with reckless abandon and a lack of volume control. 
The real magic here is that this game snaps me back into looking at games like a kid; with joy and wonder. It’s a timewarp in the greatest sense.  

ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN, FROMSOFTWARE, INC. 

Sandeep Shekar, Lead Programmer

Elden Ring: Nightreign. As someone that almost never plays games with friends, I couldn't imagine this multiplayer focused game being my favorite game of the year. But the core Elden Ring combat is so good that playing in a group makes for one of the best gameplay experiences  in 2025. The gameplay loop is tight, the new bosses are great, and being able to capitalize on a decade plus of Soulslike experiences rocketed this to the top of my playtime charts.

GHOST OF YOTEI, SUCKER PUNCH PRODUCTIONS

Edward Dang, Digital Asset and Accounts Specialist

Ghost of Yōtei is an absolute distillation of the roleplaying fantasy of a wandering mercenary. We often attribute our fantasies to a hero archetype, like a character sheet or an avatar, but Yōtei makes it clear just how much the world around us sells the validity of our imagination. It is the wonder of the world itself that motivates us to wander the map deep enough that we not only lose our sense of time, but also a bit of our sense of self.

GOODNIGHT UNIVERSE, NICE DREAM 

Brian Sanders, Senior Digital Asset and Accounts Specialist

In Goodnight Universe, you play as an infant with mysterious telekinetic powers. Its genuine warmth resonated deeply with me, as Goodnight Universe plays with strong themes of family and the bonds we build, the future we want to make for ourselves, and at its core: what it means to be human. With simple core mechanics and a strong sense of humor and fun, this experience can easily leave you with a smile for a long time.

GROUNDED 2, OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT

Cale Dunlap, Senior Programmer

Grounded 2 is the most fun I've had playing a game this year. My son and I thoroughly enjoy playing it together, building up our base, crafting gear, riding bugs, fighting other bugs, and uncovering parts of the story throughout.

HADES II, SUPERGIANT GAMES

Megan Mehran, Graphic Designer 

Just when I thought Supergiant had loosened their grip on me as I finally achieved my hard fought platinum with Hades, they dragged me back in with a sequel that gives so much more. At first glance, Hades II may seem like a standard continuation of the original game (and in the best ways, it is), but the progression systems, depth of gameplay, and a staggeringly large world say otherwise. If I were making my perfect game in a lab, Hades II would be damn near close to it: relationship trees, gardening, inventory management, weapon progression, pet friends (!!), all paired with stunning art direction and a sick score, what’s not to love?

When I started this game I originally thought the runs and bosses were much easier than that of its predecessor, but as I peeled away the layers I found that I was just scratching the surface. The story of Melinoë and her journey to literally kill Time to save her long lost family is so intertwined with the story of the first, which leads to some very climactic and memorable moments. As a Greek mythology nerd and lover of video games, Hades scratches a very specific itch that no other game ever has and has solidified itself not only as my GOTY, but one of my favorites of all time.

HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG, TEAM CHERRY 

J Dietrich, QA Tester/Development Support

I waited patiently for seven years for the Hollow Knight Silksong's release, and it did not disappoint. The music is haunting, beautiful, and memorable while feeling distinct from the original Hollow Knight. The gameplay carries over just enough from the original move set to feel familiar, with plenty of additions to make everything feel brand new. Difficult and rewarding with a stunningly well written protagonist and cast, Silksong leaves me absolutely excited to see what Team Cherry has to offer in the future.

SOUTH OF MIDNIGHT, COMPULSION GAMES

Ashleigh Dale, Outsource Artist

South of Midnight is, as a lot of people have described, “a love letter to the south,” but also so much more. Tying in elements of southern folklore with the examination of deeply rooted cultural scars all while exploring a personal journey of becoming and coming of age, this deeply ambitious narrative-driven game is absolutely stunning. Following Hazel's journey to find her mother takes you through so many stories of pain, regret, and (where possible) healing. I was looking forward to South of Midnight for some time, and have to say it is everything I hoped for and more.