# A Year of Games in Review - 2025 **URL:** \ **Category:** Video Games\ **Created:** [December 23, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993 "2025-12-23T15:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BMO](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/bmo/32/16491_2.png) [@BMO](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/BMO)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/1 "2025-12-23T15:07:40Z")
I’m not going to assume it was a weird year for everyone, and hopefully it was an interesting one full of mirth and merriment, but either way another year has passed and it’s time yet again to for our year-end lists. There is a bit of December left, but I think this is the latest date in the year that 've published this list, so I think I’ve given people (aka me) enough time to try to wrap up a few last games. As with last year I’ll keep updating my personal list right up until the 31st. In keeping with previous years, the list is largely in reverse chronological order to the best of my knowledge. There are occasions where I forget to record my end date for some games, so I do my very best to insert those games in what I think is the right spot. - _Blippo+_ (PC Edition) - _Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs_ - _Sorry We’re Closed_ - _Silent Hill f_ - _Baby Steps_ - _Hollow Knight: Silksong_ - _Klonoa: Phansasy Reverie Series_ - _Final Fantasy XIV_ - _Blibbo+_ (PlayDate edition) - _Donkey Kong Bananza_ - _The Alters_ - _Hyper Light Breaker_ - _Children of Morta_ - _A Space for the Unbound_ - _Clair Obscur: Expedition 33_ - _Assassin’s Creed Shadows_ - _South of Midnight_ - _Monster Hunter Wilds_ - _Eternal Strands_ - _Mega Man X Dive_ - _Slitterhead_ - _Monument Valley III_ - Lok Digital\* ---
**Author:** ![BMO](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/bmo/32/16491_2.png) [@BMO](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/BMO)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/2 "2025-12-23T15:59:29Z")
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**Author:** ![HolyField](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/holyfield/32/16305_2.png) [@HolyField](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/HolyField)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/3 "2025-12-23T16:49:25Z")
Best thread of the year, year after year. I love having to put pen to paper to actually document my thoughts in more than one place, both after having beaten a game with a review or some sort, but also a bit more collectively after having sat on it, but not like… years later. I keep a list of every game I’ve played (since getting on Grouvee) in a rated order and man, without those notes or some context your brain begins to drift and remember some games as having been better than they were. Also, I know there’s a top games thread, but I don’t tend to play new releases and I like to keep my thoughts in one place so I’m dropping them all here, in no particular order: - At the end of last year, I’d just finished reading all of Umineko, I continued to be engaged with catching up on theories and community memes, etc. Great series, hampered by having either a very rough intro OR only having a good intro, based on some neysayer’s perspectives. I’m an apologist and completely forgive it its sins, its going to be a part of me forever, even if I can never convince anyone to read all 1600 pages or so of it. - 2025 was the year of friendslop, noteably stuff like REPO, you’ll never have more fun than playing a game at midnight on a friday with a bunch of goof off friends after a hard week. The entire genre has come under criticism, but I see them as basically toys, which, like something like the sims, have a place in our lives. - A friend forced Tunic on me and, while I didn’t love the game, I was definitely happy to have experienced it. It’s hard to describe without spoiling it, it’s one of those games everyone should try while having read nothing about, but I’ll just say that really whacky concept games have the unique privilege of feeling like you’re having a conversation with the creator, which I really love - Cassette Beasts - Pokemon-a-like-open-world-ossauraus. Not my thing, but I can imagine it being a millenial love letter item that’ll continue to have zealous fans for years and, while the post game and online elements don’t add much for me, it’s nice that people will continue to have numerous ways to interface with the game and will likely have a good time keeping the experience fresh, you can definitely feel Stardew Valley’s public influence on games like this. - Chants of Sennar - Heavy storytelling mixed with elaborate logic puzzles and just enough puzzle-infused-backtracking to make the game feel like a world and not a string of levels, but without falling into the open-world pit. Play it like I did, as a follow up to Tunic - Minit - wonderful zelda-flavored puzzler completable in 3 hours, real good time! Unfortunately, its extra content sort of overstays its welcome by expecting you to replay a lot of material to get any fun out of it, effectively meaning it has no extra content, really, all in all the PH evens out, try it out - Guilty As Sock! Friendslop roleplaying game, surprisingly fun with online weirdos, cursed for me to enjoy it more than anyone else I know. It’s sort of a half step to those online phoenix wright sims and has given me a taste for going back for those - I dove headfirst into Project Zomboid, a phase that I’m sure plenty of people have lived through, but like Guilty as Sock, you’re doomed if you enjoy it more than your friends - Kingdom Two Crowns - Lovely game, the multiplayer fundamentally fixes the original version, it truly feels like the 1.0 to the previous ‘games’ .3 or .6 versions if you catch my drift, very fun, but a bit monotonous to complete - Roller Coaster Tycoon Deluxe - Great fun for 2 hours, but has that Minecraft element where your soul sort of drifts out over time as what you’re striving for progressively feels like nothing, even the missions don’t really help and, as an adult, the difficulty in building coasters personally from the group up sort of dulls the edge more quickly than I’d like - Vampire: Coteries of New York - Cute visual novel, definitely captures a broader set of interactions if all you’ve played is the original Bloodlines, but it doesn’t really do anything transformative and (similar to Minit’s sins above) it physicaly doesn’t let you complete even half of the plot threads in one play through, which is really, really annoying - Peak - Amazing friendslop experience, I had tons of fun and I love the approach to the community the creators have taken - Marvel Rivals - A wonderful game held back by the fact that it’s the year 2025. I really, really would just prefer shooting games go back to arena free for alls or TF2-style 16x16 game modes with !rtd enabled, people these days are really missing how fun a game can be if the company operating it doesn’t have a stranglehold. Nonetheless, it is in the year 2025 and so am I, I’m glad a game this fun can come up, I just hope patch-complexity and visual clarity doesn’t nosedive the game’s fun long enough for me to get back to it. Release Cyclops or we riot. - Unfair Flips - Fun for 5 minutes, boring for 10 minutes, fun for twenty minutes, boring for eternity. The meme has eaten its own tail. - Logic Bombs - Play Logic Bombs. Its hard, it’s up its own ass, that’s fine. The real juice is getting so deep into the spiney, spindley hellhole of the later puzzles that you start to experience that ‘conversation with the creator in your mind’ element that I reference above, great stuff Matthew - Smash Ultimate - I can’t reiterate my whole review here. I relent that the gameplay is basically as good as melee, but they just make playing the rest of the game feel like kneeling on rice. - Quest 64 - Beat it today, not nearly as bad as people make it out to be, it’s basically a slowdown-riddle Dragon Quest, I have a piece of warmth in my heart knowing that I understand its defenders now, if you had an N64 back in the day and wanted an RPG, the presentation here gives off a weird ‘lonesome kid with one toy he loves’ type of vibe, it’s got heart, just not spunk. - Metroid - Worse than you remember, even if you’re already resigned to only playing the remake. The step between this and AM2R is a city-wide chasm. I have nice things to say about it too, but I genuinely don’t understand how the metroid series sprang out of this - Hot Wheels Velocity X - Solid, look at some screenshots and you’ll get the idea, it’s all surface level, but I feel vindicated that it’s a little bit more fun than I even remember, combat balancing is fucked though - VTM Bloodlines - THATS WHY HES THE GOAT. THE GOAT (every weakness shines through, but something greater than its parts still manages to shame… almost every game today, its ireplicability still astonishes me) - RA.ONE The Game - More possible than it seems on first glance, I picked this out as a curiosity and committed to playing it when I saw it had no reviews or ratings here, by the time I did play it, it had one other rating. Who are you, why are you stranger? - Sabrina Zapped/Spooked - I like to routinely reach out and play games that, while not memorable for their capacity or quality, are more reflective of what we’d honestly have played as children. It feels like a middle-of-the-road Neopets game, in the best way (don’t play it) - SMRPG Legend of the Seven Stars - Better and worse than you remember, but surprisingly less memorable than you remember as well? It’s a bit of a mad hatter of a game in that way, even now my memories of it are fading and just the cool as hell styling remains. Worth noting this was a favorite of the early Lets Player scene because it was cool as hell and easy to emulate on zsnes - Smash Melee - Bretty good game, I guess. Gotta buy Pikmen to beat it though, and who wants to do that? 8 ^ ) - Pangya Fantasy Gold - Played it as I remember being mad at sucking at the MMO back in the day. Luckily, I’m great at it, unluckily they basically ported the entire progression of an mmo into a psp title, meaning that while you can be ‘better’ than anything the game can throw at you, the game is just so. damn. long (it’s GOLF) and it expects you to be progressively more perfect that its sort of soured the idea of even trying to beat a golf game in the future. That said… there’s some mechanics here that were worth remembering, but ultimately they weren’t. I’m not sure new generations will be able to replicate the star-shining feeling that free Korean MMO’s instilled in young millenials in the 00’s, a new world is just a banner ad and download away - Inscryption - Great game, also sucks that you can miss content that then requires a really, really indepth replay to get back at. I have it on my ‘abandoned’ list just because someday I want to go back and master the freeplay mode and I just didn’t have the heart after that sappy ending. And… that’s folks. I had a kid so there’s nothing else I could fit in in the… year… oh wait - Blue Prince - Really one of the hardest games to try to describe and a really weird mish mash of other things in the year I happened to play, the plot-detective experience of umineko, the combination of logic puzzles, brainvania elements or whatever they’re trying to call it, ARG elements, and of course the roguelike elements. Look, I still need to mark this beaten as I’ve felt like I’ve been ‘99% of the way done’ for months and been unable to juggle it and a baby, but I can tell you: It does not work. Blue Prince does too much and simply takes too much time, all in pursuit of being different, but it fails in its genuine achievement of grasping onto that difference with all its might, every bit of pain it causes you, it does on purpose. I will never be able to replicate the fun of going through this game alongside a friend, but fundamentally… just cheat, the essence of its roguelike components and forced, death slog pacing do not serve the puzzle elements that are there, so I’d really suggest that anyone with some dignity just do something to circumvent this stuff, but at the same time, doing so would be like strangling a particularly shrill baby bird in the nest. I love and hate Blue Prince, and that’s because Blue Prince successfully worked its magic on me, turning me into both a victor and its victim. ---
**Author:** ![NIQ\_m2](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/niq_m2/32/15708_2.png) [@NIQ\_m2](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/NIQ_m2)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/5 "2025-12-23T17:35:29Z")
Ooh, I was waiting for this [with bated breath] 1. The Karate Kid: Street Rumble [SWITCH] 2. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics [SWITCH] 3. Final Fight One [GBA] 4. Anthology of the Killer [STEAM] 5. Fight of Gods [STEAM] 6. Nefarious [STEAM] 7. Earthbound [NSO] 8. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom [SWITCH] 9. Castle Crashers [SWITCH] 10. Ra Ra Boom [STEAM] 11. Maiden Cops [STEAM] 12. Karate Survivor [STEAM] 13. The Witch Girls [PC] 14. Vampire Survivors [SWITCH] 15. Costume Quest 2 [STEAM] 16. Dazzeloids [PC] 17. Power Wash Simulator 2 [STEAM] 18. Super Mario Galaxy 2 [SWITCH] 19. Marvel Cosmic Invasion [SWITCH] ---
**Author:** ![Vakil](https://discuss.grouvee.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/2acd7d/32.png) [@Vakil](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/Vakil)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/6 "2025-12-26T00:51:34Z")
[Contribution to come after New Years Day] ---
**Author:** ![liketheaward](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/liketheaward/32/15780_2.png) [@liketheaward](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/liketheaward)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/7 "2025-12-26T20:25:34Z")
Organized by month in which I finished or last played each. Bolded titles were my top 5 of the year. January: - Hogwarts Legacy [PC] (Played with a new house far enough to experience the previously PS-exclusive side quest, then dropped after finishing it) February: - **Outer Wilds [PC]** March: - Final Fantasy IX [Switch] - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] (Finally finished after dropping it, literally right before the final dungeon, years earlier!) April: - ??? did I really not play anything this entire month?? May: - The Talos Principle [Switch] - **Blue Prince [PC]** - The Last Campfire [Switch] - Dredge: The Pale Reach DLC [Switch] June: - Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout [Switch] - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Switch 2] (S2E voice memory content only, on my previously completed save) - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker [GameCube /played on S2] - Neva [PC] July: - Rune Factory 5 [Started on Switch, finished on S2] - Nintendo Switch Online Playtest [Switch 2] August: - **Donkey Kong Bananza [Switch 2]** - **Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin [PC]** - OPUS: The Day We Found Earth [Switch] September: - [unfinished 3rd playthrough] The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom [Switch 2] - Stardew Valley [PC] (made a new farm to experience new content added with 2024’s 1.6 update) - [unfinished replay] Final Fantasy Tactics Advance [GBA /played on Steam Deck] October: - The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna DLC [Switch /played on S2] - Is This Seat Taken? [Switch /played on S2] - **The Talos Principle II [PC]** - What Remains of Edith Finch [PC] - Super Mario Odyssey [Switch /played on S2] - Dimhaven: The Lost Source [PC] (pre-release demo) - Strange Horticulture [PC] November: - Strange Antiquities [PC] - Quern: Undying Thoughts [PC] - Lost Ember [Switch /played on S2] - Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy [Switch /played on S2] - [in progress] It Takes Two [Switch /playing on S2] December: - Chants of Senaar [PC] - Metroid Prime 4: Beyond [Switch 2] - Wanderstop [PC] - Final Fantasy VII: Remake + INTERmission [PC] - [in progress] Final Fantasy Vll: Rebirth [PC] ---
**Author:** ![Roach](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/roach/32/15512_2.png) [@Roach](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/Roach)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 12:36am UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/8 "2025-12-27T00:36:39Z")
Every year I have a goal of completing at least 12 games (one for each month) and yet again, I managed to do so. Woohoo! There are so many games I’ve started I haven’t managed to complete yet but at this point, I don’t foresee completing anymore with the horrifically slow progress I’ve been making. There were also several I’ve dropped as well so I won’t be counting those or documenting them here. This year has been quite rough, especially recently, so I’m just happy I managed to beat my default goal and give myself some grace. I’ll be sharing my games in completion order and by month with some small thoughts. If you want longer thoughts, feel free to check out my reviews for them on the main site. :)) **January** - _Citizen Sleeper_ Finished Jan. 20th. This was a fantastic start to the year. I absolutely _love_ this game and I am far from finished with it due to its various routes, choices, and endings. It’s hard to describe how quickly I fell in love with it and how much it still speaks to me now. Its limited visuals didn’t stop the developers from creating a vibrant world to explore. _Starfield_ could never. - _My Bathtub Companion_ Finished Jan. 20th. Technically this isn’t a game but a tech demo for the developer’s next title, _Tropical Monster Girls_, which is now out. Free, silly, and spicy. No ducks were harmed in the making. - _What in Carnation?!_ Finished Jan. 25th. This title is an abandoned work-in-progress so it technically isn’t a fully developed game but I enjoyed that it was a visual novel with unique wordplay minigames and focused on the neurodivergent experience. - _Depression Quest_ Finished Jan. 26th. This game and _Gone Home_ were the triggers for GamerGate. If you want to play a game that upset a ton of misogynistic men, start here! - _Sparkle Unleashed_ Finished Jan. 27th. The match-3 puzzle itch can never truly be scratched yet this game really hit the spot. Being an older title, it also had retro vibes. A double whammy for me. **February** - _Virtual Cottage_ Finished Feb. 21st. After 100 hours of being background music while I telecommuted from home, I am now quite a big fan of lofi and since moved on to listening to Lofi Girl during work hours. The sequel has been announced but hasn’t been released yet. Hopefully it’s good. **March** No games completed this month! **April** - _Google Earth VR_ Finished Apr. 5th. I don’t actually think I finished this game but I must’ve been done with it. It’s not really a game but an experience. I think there’s some tours and badges you can earn that I haven’t yet so I might revisit this one in the future to see if there’s any activities to do. I wish it wasn’t abandoned. There’s so much more than can be done with something like this. Google disappointing me yet again. - _Google Spotlight Stories: Age of Sail_ Finished Apr. 5th. A wonderful cinematic. It really conveyed a sense of adventure. - _Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl_ Finished Apr. 5th. Have a chair ready for this one or you’ll be at the wrong height for the duration of the movie like I was. Oops! - _MiSide_ Finished Apr. 20th. It took me so long to finish this game because I’m such a baby with horror. It was pretty fun and had a cute art style. **May** - _Top Shop_ Finished May 13th. Was not expecting to love this game as much as I did. Very addicting board game. I played alone but playing it with friends seemed like it’d be super fun as well. - _Dance Dance Revolution_ Finished May 17th. The first game in the series. It didn’t have the features I was used to in later entries but it was a delight to experience its humble beginnings. - _Split Fiction_ Finished May 19th. Was pretty disappointed with this one. _It Takes Two_ was one of my favorite gaming experiences with my partner and this one did not live up to its predecessor. **June** - _Alleyway_ Finished Jun. 6th. A simple brick breaker game that was fun to play over the course of a few hours on a Friday night. - _Balloon Fight_ Finished Jun. 7th. Didn’t expect to find this game enjoyable, let alone chaotically hilarious trying not to die. - _Gartic Phone_ Finished Jun. 14th. Not a game you can truly finish because this is a party game to play with friends but I definitely feel done with it unless someone asks for another round. - _Katawa Shoujo_ Finished Jun. 25th. I’m really proud of myself for finally getting around to experiencing this game. It had been living in my bookmarks for years and I managed not only to beat it, but 100% it. - _City Connection_ Finished Jun. 27th. There’s a lot of fun facts about this game and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, even though I was terrible at it. In some ways it reminds me of Splatoon with trying to paint everything a certain color with your car. **July** - _Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons_ Finished Jul. 4th. I love Picross and I grew up loving _Harvest Moon_ / _Story of Seasons_ so this seemed like a match made in heaven except most of the pixel art is atrocious so while it was fun gameplay wise, artistically it mostly looked like ass. Also they could’ve used _way_ more art or music tracks for this game - _Bejeweled Deluxe_ Finished Jul. 5th. My friends were so confused why I even bothered playing this one instead of the much better sequel but I was curious to experience the first entry. It was simple and fun and there’s not much to it. Many years later, its inspirations have given birth to spicy match-3 puzzle games so I have a lot to thank it for. - _Hidden Cats in London_ Finished Jul. 12th. A hidden object game themed around London. It was enjoyable. At this point I’m going to end up playing all the games in the series. - _Hidden Cats in Rome_ Finished Jul. 12th. This one is themed around Rome and the biggest level involved a giant brawl in the Coliseum which was a lot of fun. - _We Were Here Expeditions: the FriendShip_ Finished Jul. 21st. Played this with my partner. I enjoyed the ability to replay puzzles to get the highest score since that determined how decked out your ship got. Why do the endings have to be so morbid though??? **August** - _Dr. Mario_ Finished Aug. 17th. Played through all the levels in solo mode. I love this game and save scumming makes it so much more relaxing! - _Yoshi_ Finished Aug. 30. There isn’t really a way to end this game and I’ve played it many times before but never marked it as complete on Grouvee so I played it on this day and marked it complete hahaha. **September** - _Caravan SandWitch_ Finished Sep. 14th. I loved this game so it was shocking to see so many mixed reviews for it. It seemed like this may have been many AAA gamer’s first trek into an indie experience and were expecting a bit too much. I enjoyed it thoroughly and it brought up memories of my childhood, which I wasn’t expecting. - _Adventures of Lolo_ Finished Sep. 26th. While this game is fun, it took me a long time to finish it because I got bored. - _Mario Kart World_ Finished Sep. 29th. I beat the main campaign but I have many collectibles to unlock yet have little desire to do so currently. **October** - _The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival_ Finished Oct. 17th. Played this with a large group of friends and had a great time. I hope the game keeps receiving annual updates so I have an excuse to return to it each year. - _The Witch Girls_ Finished Oct. 24th. This game was weird and ominous and gross. A truly indie experience. **November** No completed games this month! **December** - _Hidden Cats in Santa’s Realm_ Finished Dec. 22nd. This game was kinda awful. Easily the worst in the series. My poor ears and eyes. The grand total is 31 games! Not too shabby. :)) ---
**Author:** ![Lockne](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/lockne/32/16463_2.png) [@Lockne](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/Lockne)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 8:26am UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/9 "2025-12-27T08:26:23Z")
I completed 17 games this year and played 68 total. A lot of them were multiplayer games and demos for upcoming titles. In November, I polished off a couple games that I had started earlier in the year while I was riding the high of finishing other titles. I placed an orange heart next to my favorites from this year. **January** - _S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - Heart of Chornobyl_(2025-01-12) - _Mouthwashing_(2025-01-16) 🧡 **April** - _The Last of Us Part 2_(2025-04-09) - _Final Fantasy X_(2025-04-18) 🧡 **May** - _Split Fiction_(2025-05-19) - _Revenge of the Savage Planet_(2025-05-25) **June** - _Spilled_(2025-06-29) **July** - _We Were Here Expeditions: The Friendship_(2025-07-21) - _Butt Knight_(2025-07-23) - _Peak_(2025-07-31) **October** - _Borderlands 4_(2025-10-06) **November** - _The Outer Worlds 2_(2025-11-15) 🧡 - _Dispatch_(2025-11-18) 🧡 - _Dragon Age: The Veilguard_(2025-11-18) - _Industria_(2025-11-20) - _Sheepy_(2025-11-20) **December** - _Eclipsium_(2025-12-07) 🧡 ---
**Author:** ![NIQ\_m2](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/niq_m2/32/15708_2.png) [@NIQ\_m2](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/NIQ_m2)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 1:36pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/10 "2025-12-29T13:36:41Z")
Came here yesterday to add Marvel: Cosmic Invasion, then forgot what I was doing That was pretty cool; it’s like Shredder’s Revenge. The boss was a little anticlimactic, and not anyone I recognized I like the Scott Pilgrim model because there’s more of a concrete incentive to play the whole game as every character ---
**Author:** ![Vakil](https://discuss.grouvee.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/v/2acd7d/32.png) [@Vakil](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/Vakil)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 11:42pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/11 "2025-12-30T23:42:24Z")
Every game I launched this year, ranked by the amount of pleasure the game gave me. 1. Wheel World (Refreshing game for a cyclist) 2. Drova - Forsaken Kin (Good indie RPG) 3. The Banished Vault (Most interesting and most atmospheric puzzle game I’ve played) 4. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (Glad I tried this game that I would likely have overlooked were it not for Grouvee Game Club) 5. Cyberpunk 2077 (Finally got around to playing this game and it was worth it. CDPR with another hit) 6. Solasta: Crown of the Magister (True competition for BG3 if tactical D&D is what you’re looking for) 7. Out of the Park Baseball 25 8. The Quarry (Horror visual novel that had some great characters and a good b-horror plot) 9. Grand Soul Story (Classic western JRPG reminiscent of my youth) 10. Tactical Breach Wizards 11. Super Mega Baseball 4 12. Streets of Rage 4 (This game gave me a chance to play couch co-op with my son and that was really special) 13. Red Dead Redemption 14. UnMetal 15. Legend Bowl 16. Kathy Rain 17. Misericorde Volume Two: White Wool & Snow 18. Pup Champs 19. Kingdom of Night 20. Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders 21. Nightmare Frames 22. Lamplight City 23. Jenny LeClue: Detectivu 24. Midnight Scenes The Nanny 25. Oxenfree 26. The Sundew 27. The Beekeeper’s Picnic - A Sherlockian Adventure 28. Hogwarts Legacy 29. The Shivah 30. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (Very frustrating and I worry I’m stuck but it was still a lot of fun to replay this) 31. Fallout 4 (My go-to ‘I have nothing to play’ game but it doesn’t excite me much) 32. MLB The Show 22 33. Boeckham’s Football Manager 34. Zenge 35. Venba 36. Beat Saber 37. Tape to Tape 38. Football Manager 2020 39. Yesterday 40. Amaze! 41. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Would be much higher but I started to get bored of it towards the end) 42. The Cyclist: Tactics 43. Super Slam Dunk Touchdown 44. Gloomhaven 45. Misericorde Volume One (Would be higher but I replayed/reread it before playing the sequel) 46. Franchise Hockey Manager 11 47. American Truck Simulator 48. Fast Break Pro Basketball 3 49. Fast Break College Basketball 50. XIII 51. Vampires Dawn: Reign of Blood (Lost my save 1/3 of the way through. Might go back to it eventually) 52. The Elder Scrolls: Blades 53. Ikenfell 54. Skate Story (Will definitely be higher next year but I only just started it today) 55. Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk 56. Tennis Elbow Manager 2 57. VirtuaVerse 58. Pocket Mini Golf 59. The Last Case of John Morley 60. Laura Bow: Colonel’s Bequest 61. The Witch Girls 62. Deponia 63. Cricket Captain 2022 64. Magnytour 65. Super Blood Hockey 66. Murder Is Game Over 67. Diceball 68. Asgard’s Wrath 2 69. Dragon Sinker: Descendants of Legend 70. Electrician Simulator 71. FIFA 22 72. NBA 2K23 73. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms ---
**Author:** ![anarchistica](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/anarchistica/32/16504_2.png) [@anarchistica](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/anarchistica)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 4:38am UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/12 "2026-01-01T04:38:20Z")
The 100 games i played this year, sorted by rating. - The links go to my review (if available). - Next to the rating is the number of games with that rating. - The \* indicates games i had already played before (and a remaster). - The ten games released in **(2025)** are marked. I’ve sorted the 3+ star games by average Grouvee rating (except games on hold). I’ve put the most popular 1/2 star games at the top too. ★★★★★ (8) - [Hitman 3](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3283025/)\* - Dishonored 2 (review pending) - Monster Train 2 (started yesterday) **(2025)** - [The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3871393/) **(2025)**\* - [Endless Space 2](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/1971069/)\* - [Terraforming Mars](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3035427/)\* - [Sniper Elite 5](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3620058/)\* - [Sniper Elite Resistance](https://www.grouvee.com/games/101568-sniper-elite-resistance/) **(2025)** ★★★★ (12) - Fields of Mistria\* (early access) - [Defender’s Quest 2: Mists of Ruin](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3816694/) **(2025)** - Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands\* (on hold) - Battlefield 6 (no review) **(2025)** - The Sims 4\* (no review) - Palia\* (early access) - [Aces & Adventures](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3904883/) - [Warhammer 40,000: Darktide](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3809112/) - The Elder Scrolls Online\* (ongoing) - [Watch Dogs: Legion](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3210643/) [3,5 stars]\* - Where Winds Meet (just started) **(2025)** - The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game (almost finished i think) ★★★ (14) - [Vampire Survivors](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3800733/) - [Coral Island](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3828701/) - [Invincible Presents: Atom Eve](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3858326/) - [RoboCop: Rogue City](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3812303/) - [Severed Steel](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3859568/) - [Jurassic World Evolution 2](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3853783/) - [Turmoil](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3804500/) - [Tangledeep](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952739/) - [The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952833/) - [Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3808389/) - Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap (no review) **(2025)** - [Ratropolis](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3864306/) - Cassette Beasts (on hold) - Yakuza 0 (on hold) ★★ (44) - [Dredge](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3803906/) - [Stray](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3834943/) - [Islets](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3858554/) - [Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3956125/) - [Cat Quest II: The Lupus Empire](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3803847/) - [Against the Storm](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3802962/) - [Town to City](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3949651/) **(2025)** - [Grimshire](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3947695/) **(2025)** - [Salt and Sanctuary](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3866944/) - [Merchant of the Skies](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952652/) - [Brotato](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3805449/) - [R.E.P.O.](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3894412/) **(2025)** - Zombie Army Trilogy (no review) - [Soulblight](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3956064/) - [Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3956125/) - [Abalone](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952738/) - [Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952126/) - [112 Operator](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3951094/) - [Bombshell](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952138/) - [Desolate](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3964730/) - [Diplomacy is Not an Option](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3858083/) - [1001 Spikes](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3870672/) - [Industria](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3864053/) - [Among the Sleep](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3964719/) - [Rebel Galaxy Outlaw](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3863395/) - [The Big Con](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3860747/) - [Model Builder](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3860181/) - [The Captain](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3859654/) - [Kill Knight](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3859531/) - [Ultimate Zombie Defense](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3844801/) - [Sail Forth](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3825991/) - [Astro Duel 2](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3825985/) - [Sniper Elite](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3803858/) - [Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3808162/) - [The Last Stand: Aftermath](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3805465/) - [The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3803672/) - [Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3805460/) - [Bus Simulator 21](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3804404/) - [Kardboard Kings](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3834404/) - [Legion TD 2](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3913448/) - [Saints Row (2022)](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3451255/)\* - [Star Wars: Dark Forces](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/131863/)\* - [From Space](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952363/) [1,5 stars] - Persona 4 Golden (on hold) ★ (22) - [Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3904512/) - [Loddlenaut](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3951956/) - [Arcade Paradise](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3806062/) - [Luck be a Landlord](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3863412/) - [Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3870623/) - [Summer in Mara](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3951277/) - [Savage Lands](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3952111/) - [ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3860127/) - [Them’s Fightin’ Herds](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3859465/) - [Daemon X Machina](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3859155/) - [Cygni: All Guns Blazing](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3858550/) - [Firestone Idle RPG](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3818543/) - [Idle Hero TD - Tower Defense](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3818526/) - [NGU Idle](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3819845/) - [Farm RPG](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3815644/) - [Super Crazy Rhythm Castle](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3805451/) - [Lost Castle](https://www.grouvee.com/games/49883-lost-castle/) - [Storm Over The Pacific](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/1200853/)\* [half a star] - [Metrocide](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3953309/) - [Playing History: Vikings](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3956071/) - [AdVenture Capitalist](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/3818522/) - [Playing History 2: Slave Trade](https://www.grouvee.com/user/anarchistica/reviews/594367/)\* ---
**Author:** ![summer.azure](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/summer.azure/32/16527_2.png) [@summer.azure](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/summer.azure)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/13 "2026-01-01T13:19:21Z")
The games in order how much i liked them. [Vampire Survivors](https://www.grouvee.com/games/90450-vampire-survivors/) - it’s a drug, an evil drug. [RiME](https://www.grouvee.com/games/40176-rime/) - I loved it. It’s beautiful and melancholic. The story is told without words, mostly by environment and it still manages to be very emotional. [Into the Breach](https://www.grouvee.com/games/56184-into-the-breach/) - FTL is one of my favourite games of all time and ITB lived to my hype. It is a mech-strategy with multiple squads that are not just skins but totally change the way you play. Because it’s procedurally generated you want to do one more run. Very addicting. [Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime](https://www.grouvee.com/games/37840-lovers-in-a-dangerous-spacetime/) - because couch co-op with my brother during Christmas time is the best [Night in the Woods](https://www.grouvee.com/games/41532-night-in-the-woods/) - it’s very good depiction of problems with mental health. Mae has a problem with managing her anger and her depression caused her to drop out of college. The theme of a young person’s helplessness is interwoven with a Lovecraftian existential dread. [What Remains of Edith Finch](https://www.grouvee.com/games/44852-what-remains-of-edith-finch/) - another one about mental illness, generational trauma and neglect. It is a good game to discuss with friends. [DARQ](https://www.grouvee.com/games/77661-darq/) - A must play for fans of gothic aesthetics and Tim Burton, the puzzles are solid. There are 2 free DLC, I especially loved “The Crypt”. The game was made almost entirely by 1 person and you feel that this is an artistic piece, not a company product. [Universe for Sale](https://www.grouvee.com/games/98322-universe-for-sale/) - sf adventure influenced by Lovecraft and cosy games, fresh and weird. [The Last Door](https://www.grouvee.com/games/108217-the-last-door-collectors-edition/) - Lovecraftian mystery with great atmosphere and many memorable moments. [Mutazione](https://www.grouvee.com/games/35624-mutazione/) - very slow point’n’click about gardening in a village somewhere in supernatural Latin America. I loved the fresh setting, and a small every-day drama. [Call of the Sea](https://www.grouvee.com/games/81894-call-of-the-sea/) - it’s Lovecratian, based on lore from “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” but without bleakness. It’s more like The Mummy or Indiana Jones. [Strange Horticulture](https://www.grouvee.com/games/91433-strange-horticulture/) - Lovecraftian gardening game and we have a cat. +100 points for a cat. [The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show](https://www.grouvee.com/games/127515-the-mr-rabbit-magic-show/) - free game for celebration of 10 years of Rusty Lake. [Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery](https://www.grouvee.com/games/88157-behind-the-frame-the-finest-scenery/) - 1 hour long, heart warming game about artists with very well executed plot twist. [Frostpunk](https://www.grouvee.com/games/53604-frostpunk/) - Very dystopian, to survive winter apocalypse I start with enforcing child labour. I always died on my first run of scenario - there is no way to prepare for every possible crisis. [King of Dragon Pass](https://www.grouvee.com/games/16159-king-of-dragon-pass/) - The most complicated text game I ever played (retro gaming from 1999), the RNG elements are a bit annoying but I managed to become a tribe leader after some save scumming 😛 [The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery](https://www.grouvee.com/games/1402-the-beast-within-a-gabriel-knight-mystery/) - hahahaha it was cheesy in a good way. FMV games are “love it or hate it” but everyone should try at least one. [Axiom Verge](https://www.grouvee.com/games/34772-axiom-verge/) - I love HR Giger biomechanical style and it’s mixed here with Sumerian Lore. A bit too much backtracking but it’s normal for metroidivania. [Journey of a Roach](https://www.grouvee.com/games/40840-journey-of-a-roach/) - funny point’n’click about bugs in a postapo world, nonsensical fun [Samorost 3](https://www.grouvee.com/games/175276-samorost-3/) - a must play for its design and music [Pikuniku](https://www.grouvee.com/games/58811-pikuniku/) - another funny one to elevate the mood [Monument Valley II](https://www.grouvee.com/games/57806-monument-valley-ii/) - liked the style but it’s too easy, it feels like a walking sim instead of a puzzler [Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut](https://www.grouvee.com/games/39455-qube-directors-cut/) - very solid puzzles that needed a better plot (cheesy monologues ruin the mood for me) and more bold art choice than boring “sterile lab style”. [Escape Academy](https://www.grouvee.com/games/92733-escape-academy/) - for fans of Escape Rooms [Pineapple on Pizza](https://www.grouvee.com/games/413743-pineapple-on-pizza/) - a free little game (15 min) about a party on an island, the ending made me laugh . [Hue](https://www.grouvee.com/games/50563-hue/) - puzzler about a colour manipulation that could use a better plot (I already don’t remember what was it about). [Miniatures](https://www.grouvee.com/games/161369-miniatures/) - artistic minigames about loss of childhood and other depressing stuff. [Toem](https://www.grouvee.com/games/88193-toem/) - black and white game about the love of photography, very relaxing. [The Operator](https://www.grouvee.com/games/125618-the-operator/) - it was memorable, but they overdid the ending, I get it, nothing I do matters, thank you 😛 [The Bureau: XCOM Declassified](https://www.grouvee.com/games/28231-the-bureau-xcom-declassified/) - At first I couldn’t understand why people hated that game. It was a bit poorer Mass Effect - maybe not fine art but solid craftsmanship. And then I’ve got such bleak ending, out of knowhere, because I’ve chosen to play as a lady, and it cancels the things I did previously? [Yooka-Laylee](https://www.grouvee.com/games/45676-yooka-laylee/) - I liked it at first but dropped it - too much backtracking and the voices of creatures are so bad i had to mute them. [Jotun](https://www.grouvee.com/games/45010-jotun/) - I love Viking mythos but dropped the game after reaching the last boss. The whole game was about learning the patterns of boss attacks and the last one is a pure RNG with unsolvable AoE. [Zoeti](https://www.grouvee.com/games/123392-zoeti/) - cliché fantasy card game, it was OK. [Octahedron](https://www.grouvee.com/games/64882-octahedron/) - precise platformer for hardcore players, too difficult for me, had to drop. [Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge](https://www.grouvee.com/games/98967-kamaeru-a-frog-refuge/) - game about a sanctuary for frogs, we make ponds and buy benches, it was repetitive after a while, but the fun was killed by the game crashes. Sorry for bad grammar, I don’t have the strength to check the spelling. I had good party, hehe. ---
**Author:** ![NIQ\_m2](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/niq_m2/32/15708_2.png) [@NIQ\_m2](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/NIQ_m2)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/14 "2026-01-01T21:21:10Z")
For me, Vampire Survivors was pretty addictive at first ! But eventually I learn how to do it, so my character’s pretty much invincible–which you have to be, considering the screen is full of infinite enemies–so it’s just a game of standing there while enemies run into you and PERISH. One time, I went into the other room to chat with a friend on Discord while playing. He didn’t get the appeal of this kind of game which I thought was understandable Currently working on one called XMas Survivors, starring SANTA himself–I was hoping to finish for this year [list], but the last stage is quite a difficulty spike. I think I’m pretty close, but who knows if it even has an ending [yet?] The first one of these I discovered this year was Karate Survivor, which I found to be a little bit more like a standard game–beat a boss to unlock the next stage ! I preferred this model ---
**Author:** ![scoopings](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/scoopings/32/15861_2.png) [@scoopings](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/scoopings)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/15 "2026-01-03T01:24:09Z")
These are games I gave 3 or higher for the year 2025. Heart means 5 star, Bold means Favorite, X means 1 star. Without streaming and having quit OSRS in June after the new CEO dropped Pride (among other red flags), I would say I definitely spent more time on the chronology project. However, games are getting longer; it is more and more the era I am familiar with so games are taking longer, one gaming even taking almost a whole month; and Melvor Idle helped fill that OSRS niche. Not that it takes nearly as much time as OSRS did, but still. Part of me wants to do all games I played, since I only mark them as Date Started/Date Finished if I properly play them (more than a brief playtest, etc.), but I think this will be the most reasonable. I don’t want to bog down the thread :-p These are in order of me playing them this year. It seems my Favorites all come in blocks together lol 1. Metroid II: Return of Ramus (1991, GB) 2. Wonder Boy in Monster World (1991, Genesis) 3. Super Castlevania IV (1991, SNES) 4. SimAnt (1991, PC) 5. Out of This World (1991, Amiga) 6. Final Fantasy Adventure (1991, GB) 7. Castle of Dr. Brain (1991, PC) 8. Radia Senki: Reimeihen (1991, NES) 9. Heracles no Eikou II: Titan no Metsubou (1989, NES) 10. ❤ LaGrange Point (1991, NES) ❤ 11. **❤ Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (1991, SNES) ❤** 12. ❌ Dick Tracy (1991, GB) ❌ 13. **❤ Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (1991, PC) ❤** 14. Tecmo Super Bowl (1991, NES) 15. Oh No! More Lemmings (1991, Amiga) 16. **❤ Final Fantasy Legend III (1991, GB) ❤** 17. **❤ Hook (1992, PC) ❤** 18. Hook (1992, Arcade) 19. ❌ Sylvan Idyll (1992, Apple II) ❌ 20. Dark Seed (1992, PC) 21. Dune (1992, PC) 22. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Deluxe Edition (1992, PC) 23. The Dark Half (1992, PC) 24. ❌ Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1992, PC) ❌ 25. GayBlade (1992, PC) 26. Oregon Trail Deluxe (1992, PC) 27. Super Fantasy Zone (1992, Genesis) 28. Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihou (1992, NES) 29. Romancing SaGa (1992, SNES) 30. Bucky O’Hare (1992, NES) 31. ❌ Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1992, SNES & NES) ❌ 32. **❤ Soul Blazer (1992, SNES) ❤** 33. **❤ Kirby’s Dream Land (1992, GB) ❤** 34. Duke Nukem (1991, PC) 35. Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (1992, PC) 36. Total Carnage (1992, Arcade) 37. Phantasy Star Adventure (1992, Game Gear) 38. Indiana jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992, PC) 39. Clue (1992, SNES) 40. The Humans (1992, PC) 41. Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992, PC) 42. Dead of the Brain: Shiryou no Sakebi (1992, PC-9800) 43. Wolfenstein 3D (1992, PC) 44. Kid Chameleon (1992, Genesis) 45. Jill of the Jungle (1992, PC) 46. Lunar: The Silver Star (1992, Sega CD) 47. Little Samson (1992, NES) 48. Treasure Mathstorm! (1992, pc) 49. ❤ Mario Paint (1992, SNES) ❤ 50. DinoCity (1992, SNES) 51. Adventure Island III (1992, NES) 52. Legend of Kyrandia (1992, PC) 53. Splatterhouse 2 (1992, Genesis) 54. Mortal Kombat (1992, Arcade) 55. Lethal Enforcers (1992, Arcade) 56. ❤ Super Mario Kart (1992, SNES) ❤ 57. Kaeru no tame ni Kane wa Naru (1992, GB) 58. Great Greed (1992, GB) 59. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (1992, SNES) 60. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992, SNES, Genesis, PC) 61. Alone in the Dark (1992, PC) 62. Home Alone (1992, Genesis) 63. Gekisha Boy (1992, Turbografx) 64. Looney Tunes (1992, GB) 65. ❤ Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (1992, SNES) ❤ 66. Putt Putt Joins the Parade (1992, PC) 67. Vampire: Master of Darkness (1992, Game Gear) 68. Barbie Game Girl (1992, GB) 69. Night Trap (1992, Sega CD) 70. Air Zonk (1992, Turbografx) 71. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992, Genesis) 72. ❌ The Terminator (1992, NES & SNES) ❌ 73. **❤Final Fantasy V (1992, SNES) ❤** 74. Batman Returns (1992, PC) 75. Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose! (1992, SNES) 76. Congo’s Caper (1992, SNES) 77. Streets of Rage 2 (1992, Genesis) 78. E.V.O. Search for Eden (1992, SNES) 79. Ecco the Dolphin (1992, Genesis) 80. The Smurfs (1993, GB) 81. Peter Pan: Story Painting Adventure (1993, PC) 82. Barbie Super Model (1993, PC) 83. ❌ Huckleberry Hound in Hollywood Capers (1993, PC) ❌ 84. Flintstones: King Rock Treasure Island (1993, GB) 85. NBA Jam (1993, Arcade) 86. Fatty Bear’s Birthday Surprise (1993, PC) 87. Kirby’s Adventure (1993, NES) 88. Putt-Putt’s Fun Pack (1993, PC) 89. Pop’n TwinBee (1993, SNES) 90. Tom and Jerry (1993, SNES) 91. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (1993, Arcade) 92. Lost Vikings (1993, SNES) 93. DuckTales 2 (1993, NES) 94. 7th Saga (1993, SNES) 95. 7th Guest (1993, PC) 96. Barney’s Hide and Seek Game (1993, Genesis) 97. Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck (1993, Game Gear) 98. Betrayal at Kondor (1993, PC) 99. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (1993, PC) 100. Mortal Kombat II (1993, Arcade) 101. Goof Troop (1993, SNES) 102. Yoshi’s Safari (1993, SNES) 103. ❤ Super Mario All-Stars (1993, SNES) ❤ 104. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (1993, Genesis) 105. Castlevania Chronicles (1993, Sharp X68000) 106. Secret of Mana (1993, SNES) 107. Gunstar Heroes (1993, Genesis) 108. Torneko no Daibouken: Fushigi no Dungeon (1993, SNES) 109. Sonic CD (1993, Sega CD) 110. Myst (1993, Mac) 111. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993, SNES) 112. Simon the Sorcerer (1993, PC) 113. We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (1993, SNES) 114. Virtua Fighter (1993, Arcade) 115. Popeye 2 (1993, GB) 116. Lawnmower Man (1993, PC & SNES) 117. Inspector Gadget (1993, SNES) 118. Crash n Burn (1993, 3DO) 119. ❤ Putt Putt Goes to the Moon (1993, PC) ❤ 120. Tom and Jerry: Frantic Antics (1993, GB) 121. ❤ Kirby’s Pinball Land (1993, GB) ❤ 122. **❤ Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993, Turbografx) ❤** 123. Lemmings: X-Mas (1991, PC) 124. ❤ Disney’s Aladdin (1993, SNES) ❤ 125. Ys IV: Mask of the Sun (1993, SNES) 126. Illusion of Gaia (1993, SNES) 127. SimCity 2000 (1993, PC) 128. Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993, PC) 129. Holiday Lemmings (1993, PC) 130. **❤ Doom (1993, PC) ❤** 131. Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 (1993, NES) 132. Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu (1993, SNES) 133. **❤ Ys IV: Dawn of Ys (1993, Turbografx) ❤** 134. **❤ Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993, GB) ❤** 135. ❤ Phantasy Star IV: End of Millennium (1993, PC) ❤ 136. ❌ Super Noah’s Ark 3D ❌ 137. Flintstones/Jetsons: Timewarp (1994, CD-i) 138. Jurassic Park (1994, Sega CD) 139. **❤ Bust-A-Move (1994, Arcade) ❤** 140. Yukon Trail (1994, PC) 141. Treasure Galaxy (1994, PC) 142. Shilla (1994, Browser) 143. Civilization (1991, PC) 144. ❌ Christmas Matchup (1994, PC) ❌ 145. Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate (1993, PC) 146. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994, GB) 147. Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics (1994, SNES) 148. Elder Scrolls 2: Arena (1994, PC) 149. ❌ Jurassic Boy (1994, NES) ❌ 150. Castlevania: Bloodlines (1994, Genesis) 151. Super Metroid (1994, SNES) 152. Putt Putt and Fatty Bear’s Activity Pack (1994, PC) 153. Monster World IV (1994, Genesis) 154. Eastern Mind: Lost Souls of Tong Nou (1994, PC) 155. Final Fantasy VI (1994, SNES) 156. Jazz Jackrabbit (1994, PC) 157. Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO (1994, Sega CD) 158. Hocus Pocus (1994, PC) 159. Alien vs Predator (1994, Arcade) 160. Theme Park (1994, PC) 161. Robinson’s Requiem (1994, Amiga) 162. Great 1000 Mile Rally (1994, Arcade) 163. Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie (1994, SNES) 164. Pocky & Rocky 2 (1994, SNES) 165. ❤ Donkey Kong (1994, GB) ❤ 166. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1994, SNES) 167. Magic School Bus Explores Solar System (1994, PC) 168. Magic School Bus Explores Human Body (1994, PC) 169. ❌ Tax in Escape from Mars (1994, Genesis) ❌ 170. ❤ Super Bonk (1994, SNES) ❤ 171. Primal Rage (1994, Arcade) 172. ❌ Hugo (1994, Amiga) ❌ 173. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (1994, Turbografx) 174. Wild Guns (1994, SNES) 175. Earthbound (1994, SNES) 176. ❤ DreamWeb (1994, PC) ❤ 177. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Slayer (1994, 3DO) 178. **❤ Live a Live (1994, SNES) ❤** 179. ❌ Virtual Bart (1994, SNES) ❌ 180. ❌ Akira (1994, Amiga) ❌ 181. Kirby’s Dream Course (1994, SNES) 182. Sink or Swim (1993, PC) 183. Math Blaster Episode 1: In Search of Spot (1993, PC) 184. Nickelodeon GUTS (1994, SNES) 185. Earthworm Jim (1994, Genesis) 186. Putty Squad (1994, SNES) 187. Super Adventure Island II (1994, SNES) 188. Lode Runner: Legend Returns (1994, PC) 189. Road & Track Presents the Need for Speed (1994, 3DO) 190. ❌ Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures (1994, SNES) ❌ 191. Yogi Bear’s Goldrush (1994, GB) 192. Sonic & Knuckles (1994, Genesis) 193. Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994, PC) 194. Crusader of Centy (1994, Genesis) 195. Killer Instinct (1994, Arcade & SNES) 196. Demon’s Crest (1994, SNES) 197. ❌ Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994, SNES) ❌ 198. ❤ Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds (1994, PC) ❤ 199. Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (1994, Game Gear) 200. **❤ Donkey Kong Country (1994, SNES) ❤** 201. Daze Before Christmas (1994, Genesis) 202. Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (1994, PC) 203. Breath of Fire II (1994, SNES) 204. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Jougai Ranto!? Shuyaku Soudatsusen (1994, SNES) 205. Wonder Project J: Kikai no Shounen Pino (1994, SNES) 206. King’s Field (1994, PS) 207. Ganbare Goemon 3: Shishijyuurokubei no Karukuri Manji Katame (1994, SNES) 208. X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994, Arcade) 209. Lunar: Eternal Blue (1994, Sega CD) 210. Umihara Kawase (1994, SNES) 211. Team Innocent: Point of No Return (1994, PC-FX) 212. ❌ Hong Kong 97 (1995, SNES) ❌ 213. ❤ Great Adventures: Castle ❤ 214. Looney Tunes B-Ball (1995, SNES) 215. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S (1995, Game Gear) 216. **❤ Ristar (1996, Genesis) ❤** 217. Immercenary (1995, 3DO) 218. Troggle Trouble Math (1994, PC) 219. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (1995, SNES) 220. Number Munchers (1986, Apple II & PC) OMG. I messed up how I ordered my Favorites shelf for the Top 10 Games of 2025! Final Fantasy V definitely would have made that list! (and maybe FF Legends III). Oh shoot and Link’s Awakening. They were replays so I hadn’t included them. I’ll edit the other post. Either way, this was a pretty solid year now that I look at this and realize there were even more that I had forgotten. FFV, Live A Live, Ristar, Monkey Island 2, so many great games, entering an era I love, and not streaming/not playing OSRS definitely helped with playing more. Wheee! ---
**Author:** ![Kirais](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/kirais/32/12072_2.png) [@Kirais](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/Kirais)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/16 "2026-01-03T19:40:27Z")
Early last year I discovered retro emulation handhelds and since then I have been playing exclusively retro games and it has been an absolute joy. I beat 9 GBA games and 8 DS games which was not a surprise to myself because I grew up with the systems. The following three games are my favorites of the games I played in 2025. - Wario Land 4 (GBA) - Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow (DS) - Katamari Damacy (PS2) You can see the full list of games I have beaten on my RetroAchievement profile: [https://retroachievements.org/user/Kirais/progress?filter[status]=eq-beaten-hardcore&page[number]=1](https://retroachievements.org/user/Kirais/progress?filter%5Bstatus%5D=eq-beaten-hardcore&page%5Bnumber%5D=1) ---
**Author:** ![Jevnation](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/jevnation/32/16486_2.png) [@Jevnation](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/Jevnation)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/17 "2026-01-04T16:05:59Z")
I already posted in the Grouvee website, so apologies for copy-pasting for the sake of this subject. **Passed games in 2025** Count: 36 🌟 = Standout game - Vampire Survivor - Turmoil - Shadow of Rome - Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Incl. all DLC’s) 🌟 - Tales From The Borderlands 🌟 - Borderlands 3 - It Takes Two 🌟 - Dustoff Heli Rescue - The WereCleaner 🌟 - American McGee’s Alice 🌟 - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (incl. DLC’s) 🌟 - Little Big Adventure: Twinsen’s Adventure 🌟 - Hero of the Kingdom: The Lost Tales 3 🌟 - Chuchel 🌟 - I Am Jesus Christ: Prologue - Warcraft I: Remastered - The Sexy Brutale - Untitled Goose Game - Ryse: Son of Rome - Drug Dealer Simulator - Darkarta: A Broken Heart’s Quest Collector’s Edition 🌟 - Happy Game - Monster Hunter World (+ Iceborne) - Train Valley Origins 🌟 - Inspector Waffles Early Days - Three Kingdoms Zhao Yun - River City Saga: Three Kingdoms - Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition 🌟 - Dynasty Warriors: Origins 🌟 - Crime Scene Cleaner 🌟 - Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor - Jump The Track - Hardspace: Shipbreaker 🌟 - Spirit City: Lofi Sessions - Train Sim World 5 - Brütal Legend 🌟 Summary of 2024’s backlog journey: - 36 games cleared off the backlog. Compared to the previous year, which saw 48 games cleared off, it’s the lowest point quantity-wise. - Percentage of cleared games began as 65% and went back down to 64% by the end. Additions of new games bought or picked from the Steam family are the primary causes influencing the percentage. (Previous year had backlog going 64% → 65%) - The larger games took more part of my free time, including the Age of Empires games and those from the Chronolog. Epic dedication at best. - I will give the Chronolog a break and focus more on other games I’ve put in certain groupings. I will crack down on the games that were left installed for a long time henceforth. Made a new approach listing them all up in my whiteboard for fun (excuse those unclear colors): ![enter image description here](https://images.steamusercontent.com/ugc/17237715475859554372/08221EC1D73414A7F4B22223C5BA1EBCE8B564A6/?imw=892&imh=1024&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=true) Also, 2 of them are already checked off by today’s post. With all that said, happy new year and another happy year of gaming! 🎮 ❤ ---
**Author:** ![thebigmack](https://discuss.grouvee.com/user_avatar/discuss.grouvee.com/thebigmack/32/13116_2.png) [@thebigmack](https://discuss.grouvee.com/u/thebigmack)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://discuss.grouvee.com/t/a-year-of-games-in-review-2025/15993/18 "2026-01-07T15:19:02Z")
Late to the game here! Repost of an earlier status update. The games I ran credits on this year: ![2025](https://discuss.grouvee.com/uploads/default/original/2X/0/0e0200d12fbaea5e6cefa11084d1751d07d85425.png) Quick rundown below - **The Alters** : A heartfelt, sci-fi soul search for the midlife crisis - **System Shock** : The 90s called and man was I on the PHONE for it. Gripping and dripping with pixels. - **Baldurs Gate 3** : A life absorbing co-op adventure, completed 2 years after starting. - **Citizen Sleeper** : The writing and tone is an accomplishment. - **Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart** : Refinement of the series but I’m feeling the need to move on. - **Dragon Age The Veilguard** : I miss being in Thedas. - **Luigi’s Mansion 3:** Nintendo charm firing on all cylinders but strangely too long. - **Little Kitty Big City** : The most fun I’ve had being a cat! It gobbled my attention most efficiently, second to System Shock for per hour of play. - **Time Flies** : A great indie art piece. Ironically, short lived. Touché devs. I expected more gameplay and puzzles. - **Cocoon** : Had fun, enjoyed the one-shot playthrough for a platinum trophy. It could have puzzled unrelentingly deeper but thankfully not. Memory of it is fading. - **Star Trek Voyager Elite Force** : Slightly more fun than watching Voyager. - **The Real Ghostbusters** : A real exercise of patience and IP disappointment. - **Omen Exitio: Plague** : Got it out of my system. It irks me not being able to put The Alters & Citizen sleeper beside each other. The colour juxtaposition to match R&C/DA4 feels good in the brain.