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Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
The Best Games of 2025 So Far, According to Critics
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors We're officially past the halfway point of the year, and 2025 has been an incredible year for high-quality video games — though less so for the games industry itself, especially after Microsoft's mass layoffs in Xbox studios. 2025 has brought us a glut of incredible games from teams of all sizes and projects of all budgets — from tiny two-person teams to billion dollar mega blockbusters. With so many incredible games to play, it might be a bit of a struggle to pick out which ones are worth playing, which is why we've put together this list of the best games of 2025 so far. These rankings are decided by Metacritic, where an aggregate of review scores from professional critics is applied to each game, and the Metascore is listed next to the game's name in our list. We've also excluded remasters and re-releases, and picked the highest scoring platform for each game, as scores tend to shift a bit depending on the hardware it's being played on. 1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 93 Maelle slashing at an enemy in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Maelle slashing at an enemy in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Sandfall Interactive Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an incredible turn-based RPG that's well deserving of the top spot on the list. A fantastic story is paired with a top-notch combat system and gorgeous artwork and execution to make a game that has to be seen to be believed. In our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review we called the game a phenomenal piece of art, and it really is. It's going to be hard to top this one. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC 2. Split Fiction – 93 Split Fiction is the latest game from Hazelight Studios, best known for its prior work on award-winning games like It Takes Two and A Way Out. Like those games, Split Fiction is an exclusively co-op affair, filled with a lovely story of overcoming differences, accepting the past, and embracing the future. You can play solo on a single screen in the same room, or use the free friend pass to play over the internet, which is also a huge plus. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC 3. Blue Prince – 92 Indie roguelike puzzle game Blue Prince was a surprise smash hit when it released earlier this year, nearly instantly taking over the free time of anyone who caught wind of it. It's a fascinating game that has players exploring a mansion that changes every day, which can be influenced by drafting certain cards and rooms. Just about everyone who played Blue Prince absolutely fell in love with it, so just be aware that if you pick it up, you may lose weeks of your life to it. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC 4. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach – 90 Hideo Kojima and the team at Kojima Productions have done it again. Death Stranding 2 is a sight to behold, and it's one of the best-looking games on the PS5. It's got a bonkers story, as you'd expect from Kojima, and a whole host of gameplay improvements over the first game, and both make it worth checking out, even if you weren't super keen on the first game. Available on: PS5 5. Monster Hunter Wilds – 90 The Monster Hunter series has been rapidly growing in popularity since the release of Monster Hunter World back in 2018. Monster Hunter Wilds took the lessons learned from World and its follow-up Monster Hunter Rise to create a story-driven, fast-paced game with some of the best combat in the series' history. Some players have been mixed on the game's difficulty – or lack thereof – and PC optimization could certainly be better, but nobody has any complaints about the gameplay itself. It's phenomenal. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC 6. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – 90 Citizen Sleeper was a huge leap forward for the RPG genre, and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector took it even further. It's filled with tension, incredible world-building and character writing, and a whisper of tabletop gaming that made it feel both familiar and fresh. It's best played after its predecessor, and there's no better opportunity to play both games than right now. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC 7. Despelote – 89 Despelote came out of seemingly nowhere to become one of the most fascinating and beautiful games of the year. It's an autobiographical slice-of-life adventure game set in Ecuador in 2002 when the country qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. As a player you'll explore the city through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy, connecting with others and yourself through soccer, video games, and shared national pride. It's got an entirely unique art style that captures the fuzzy memories of a simpler life, and you owe it to yourself to play it. Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC 8. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – 88 As much a medieval life simulator as it is a video game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes a system-heavy, immersive approach to storytelling and gameplay. You'll step back into the shoes of Henry of Skalitz, who'll need to fulfil the role of a soldier, a spy, a blacksmith, or so much more to make his way through medieval Bohemia. It's an incredibly ambitious game that sticks the landing more often than not, and it's been highly praised by press and critics alike. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC 9. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – 88 Pipistrello is a delightful indie game from Brazil that is heavily inspired by some of the best games of yesteryear, including The Legend of Zelda. It's got some gorgeous pixel art, a great mix of puzzling and adventure exploration, and a brilliant soundtrack featuring a guest track from Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura. If you miss adventure games from the GBA era, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is for you. Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC 10. Monster Train 2 – 87 Sometimes you just need a rock-solid deck-building roguelike to get you through the day, and Monster Train 2 does exactly that, building on the incredible foundation that the first Monster Train laid. There's a truckload of new content, some incredible tweaks to the first game's formula, fantastic quality of life additions, in addition to everything people loved about the first game. Some fans are calling it the greatest deck-building roguelike of all time, and it's not hard to see why. Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Should You Play New Game Plus In ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33'? Here's What You'll Find
Expedition 33 Sandfall Given that it's entirely possible that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may have just become one of my favorite games of all time, it took about all of two days before I couldn't resist heading back into it for a New Game+ run. I just finished it up and if you're wondering if it's worth it, I can tell you how it goes. Spoilers follow. The Important Things Carry Over – This means all your weapons, all your Pictos and Lumina Points, your level, your moves, your outfits and you even start with your full team (which makes some of the story points very funny). But make sure to activate them to play in that screen. It's Faster – This is sort of a given as you know how to navigate the major levels and you know which side missions exist, so the only way things may be slower is if this time you want to 100% explore each zone if you didn't last time. One bummer here is that you do not save the ability to smash through those blue spire rocks, so you will have to find four lost Gestrals again. Expedition 33 Sandfall You Will Find New Things – I can almost guarantee this. I really, really hunted for extra zones in the endgame of my first playthrough, and in NG+ I found at least two more major ones. No, they were not added specifically in NG+, but giving the map another pass I am almost sure you missed things unless you were using some elaborate guide in your first run. XP/Chroma – These are increased in NG+. XP is increased dramatically with fights giving you millions pretty early on. Getting past these fights is going to rocket you to 99 pretty quickly, albeit getting Lumina Points is a different story. Chroma is increased as well, but not as crazily. Difficulty – This may be what you want to know, and the answer is: it depends. How strong are you going into NG+? If you simply beat the story at 50-60 and head straight in, you're going to have a tough time. That may be what you want! I was the opposite, where I went in at 99 with a ton of Lumina Points and 98% of the fights were cake, even not using Maelle nukes. It was actually fun relying on other teammates this time. I used Monoco a lot when I barely touched him before (yes, you keep all his feet). Expedition 33 Sandfall Simon – I will make this a separate category given that he is the hardest fight in the game. Even with all my power, he was tough. I do not have a crazy Maelle death bomb nuke build which will still one-shot him. But trying to do it a more normal way, a lesser Maelle Stendhal opener only took him to half, and my teammates were only chipping him with millions of damage per hit. It took a lot of deaths and revives and ultimately, making Verso immortal on my reserve team with a Gradient to beat him. Loot – This is one that sort of disappointed me. With my best builds and best Pictos already set up, I was hoping I could push beyond them. But you will eventually just find 33 weapons and 33 Pictos which…will not fundamentally change your existing strong build if you want to keep that the same as 'best in class.' It frees you up for more experimenting but I hoped it would be more interesting. And I think there are only a few NG+ cosmetics like ending-dependent Gustave gear. Story – There are no new story turns, but there are so, so many instances of foreshadowing that it's amazing to watch it unfold now that you know where this is all going. Cannot say how many times I said 'aha!' when something was hinted at that I totally missed before. Enjoy. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Which ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' Ending Is Better?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sandfall I keep writing about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and people keep reading it, so I wanted to discuss what may be the most intense part of the game. Its ending. Rather, its endings, plural. Spoilers obviously follow and if you have not beaten the entire Epilogue and seen credits, don't read this. The final confrontation of the game's story (outside of endgame things) is the stunning choice that you suddenly have to make between Verso and Maelle, where Verso wants the fraction of the true Verso's soul to finally stop painting and rest, while Maelle doesn't want his final world to collapse. Who to choose? Well, I sat staring at the screen for ten minutes, but I won't tell you until we're done with this. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sandfall Verso Many will view Verso's as the 'happy' ending. With original Verso, the dead Verso's soul fraction, done painting, the 'true' Painter family is allowed to reunite and properly mourn what they've lost. But in the process, by doing this, Verso erases all the painted friends he's made for the entire game. A newly painted Maelle, a version of his sister, and Lune and Sciel, his battle partners, and Monoco and Esquie, his fictional childhood friends he brought to life. Maelle Maelle cannot let go. Of child Verso. Of adult, painted Verso, or all her painted friends, new and old, dead and alive. It's the 'dream' ending. Maelle, now fully realizing her painting powers, has brought people like Sciel's dead husband back to life, or more relevantly, Sophie and Gustave, the most brutal losses of the game. The unsettling bit is when she's now puppeteering Verso to play the piano, something he supposedly enjoys, but he's being kept alive (remember he's immortal) and forced to dance for her against his will. This ends with the most frightening shot of the game, painter Maelle: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sandfall I picked Maelle. No, I did not know at the time that her ending would be this unsettling, but my attachment to her character was greater than Verso's, who had lied to us about a dozen times since we met him, and works toward a resolution for a family we simply do not care about. I think you can make the argument that the lie is better. What is real, after all? Is it fair the Painters can bring infinite worlds to life, creating consciousness and erasing them at will? And use it as a way to cope with grief ahead of some larger war with 'The Writers' we have no information about? My friend who is adamantly pro-Verso ending told me that my view is like caring about the toys in Toy Story who are…toys. But you do care about the toys in Toy Story! That's the point! And from a more meta sense, we are caring about what happens to fictional characters in a fictional video game, and the 'right' answer is to pick one real family out of two not-real sets of characters. But getting out of that mindset, I think just dramatically, the Maelle ending is better, and it fits more with the story. It seems bizarre to me to draw this 'happy' ending and that just involves gommaging the entire cast you played with, it's sad and weird, outside of the 'real' family finally mourning. A darker ending after Maelle realizes her identity feels much more in-keeping with everything we've seen before. Why should she be forced to allow the erasure of this world and return to her cage of burns and masks, if she has the power to live like this? It's her family being selfish for…what? If she returns, it's not bringing Verso back, and there's not even a guarantee it will cure her mother's hysteria. I expect a wide range of takes on this, and the answer is probably 'there is no right ending,' which is sort of the point. Either one you pick, this remains one of my favorite video game stories of all time. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How to open Paint Cages in Flying Waters in Clair Obscur Expedition 33?
If you've made it to Flying Waters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 , you already know this area is more than just a visual masterpiece — it's full of sneaky secrets and high-value loot. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Among them? The mysterious Paint Cages. These organic-looking containers guard essential resources, but they won't open unless you figure out their puzzle-like mechanics. Here's a simple guide to opening the Paint Cages in Flying Waters fast. What Are Paint Cages in Clair Obscur Expedition 33? Paint Cages are strange, living containers you'll spot throughout Expedition 33's watery biomes. They're sealed with energy beams and can't be opened directly. To unlock them, you'll need to locate and shoot specific glowing weak points scattered in the environment around the cage. Paint Cage Achievement & Puzzle Solution in Flying Waters | Clair Obscur Expedition 33 How to Open Flying Waters Paint Cage 1 in Clair Obscur Expedition 33? Once you've splashed into Flying Waters and followed the main path, keep going until you reach a circular area with a huge whale statue at its center. The Paint Cage sits quietly near the right-hand edge of this arena. Now here's how to unlock it: Weak Point 1: Directly to the right of the cage, partly hidden in the reeds. Look for a faint pulsing glow. Directly to the right of the cage, partly hidden in the reeds. Look for a faint pulsing glow. Weak Point 2: Opposite side — up on the cliff wall above some broken stone pillars. Opposite side — up on the cliff wall above some broken stone pillars. Weak Point 3: On the whale statue's fin. Hard to miss once you look up. Shoot all three, and the cage cracks open. Your prize? A Chroma Elixir Shard — a party-wide HP boost item. Definitely worth grabbing. How to Unlock Flying Waters 2nd Paint Cage in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! How to Open Flying Waters Paint Cage 2 in Clair Obscur Expedition 33? This one's trickier. After the emotional reunion with Maelle in the Manor, exit and take the right path. Pass the anchor and the giant Cruler blacksmith, then look for a red-tinged side opening — that's your entrance to Coral Cave. Inside, you'll drop into a hostile arena with three Crulers. The Paint Cage? Right in the middle. Whether you fight or flee, here's how to break it open: Weak Point 1: Behind the cage, up on a cliff ledge. Grapple if needed. Behind the cage, up on a cliff ledge. Grapple if needed. Weak Point 2: On a tight cluster of small stone pillars to the right. On a tight cluster of small stone pillars to the right. Weak Point 3: Suspended on an underwater mine, slightly elevated across from the cage. Take out all three points (quickly, if you're dodging Crulers), and the cage bursts open. Inside, you'll find a Revive Tint Shard that boosts your in-battle revival power. Big win. Quick Tips Before You Dive Back In Use the environment: Many weak points are cleverly hidden behind or above major landmarks. Many weak points are cleverly hidden behind or above major landmarks. Don't always fight: Sometimes grabbing the loot and sprinting is the smarter move. Sometimes grabbing the loot and sprinting is the smarter move. Stay alert: Even after opening the cage, enemies won't pause to celebrate. Paint Cages might seem like a side distraction, but the rewards they hold are awesome especially as the difficulty ramps up. So keep your eyes peeled, your aim steady, and don't leave Flying Waters without cracking them both open.
Forbes
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' Is Nerfing Its Most Game-Breaking Build
Expedition 33 Sandfall You do not often see heavy nerfs in single player, PvE only games, but sometimes things get a little too crazy, and something has to be done. That's currently happening with the beloved GOTY contender Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has announced it will be addressing its problem child, Maelle. Sandfall has revealed that it will be nerfing an aspect of the most popular, strongest Maelle build that involves the high-damage move Stendhal and stacking a zillion buffs to rack up anywhere from 20 million to 3 billion damage in one hit, depending on how it's set up. With the hardest phase of the hardest boss of the game able to be one-shot with 50-60 million in damage, this erases the entire endgame's challenge if you choose to use it. I wrote up the build literally yesterday, but it's being nerfed tomorrow in a new series of hotfixes. I mean, yes, this is justified. We don't even know how strong this nerf is and cutting it down to 95% of what it was still could be overpowered. The goal, Sandfall says, is to make it in line with other big damage, single-hit skills, rather than be 1000% better than everything else. Players are still discovering more and more builds for all characters every day, and even perusing YouTube, you can see millions in damage from other characters from Sciel to Verso. But millions is not 50 million or 3 billion, and it's not clear if anything close to Maelle's nuke can be drafted in the game with other characters at this point. But I've played these games long enough to know that someone is probably going to figure other things out. Expedition 33 Sandfall Again, Maelle is no doubt still going to be strong. Even post-nerf Stendhal may still be overpowered. But you will be surprised how little even a few million damage can move at least some of the health bars really late in the game, and it seems you are going to have to actually…play. Well, I won't because I just beat everything with Maelle. I mean, it was just too tempting, I'm sorry. I'll start New Game+ and do it legally, I promise. So yes, you have one more day of this which may not be enough to fully craft the build depending on where you are, but this is entirely justified so I don't think players can be all that mad about it. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
