Enshrouded
Enshrouded is a beautiful combination of Minecraft, Skyrim and resource gathering that makes it at least three games in one. My daughter told me I would love it and I ignored her for too long. I’ve tackled Elden Ring, but much prefer the often gentler combat of Enshrouded. It sometimes makes me feel like an elite fighter, then other times kicks my arse in precisely the right measures.
Its real joy is the flexibility to spend your time doing whatever tickles your fancy. I’ll spend a few hours growing crops to make a cake or smelting metals for better armour, then knock off a few quests to unlock new materials and weapons. But mainly my goal is to complete the ludicrously large plans I have for a castle or village perched on top of a mountain. Most of all, though, the visuals are glorious. From the deep forests, to the deserts to snow-capped mountains, just a feast for the eyes. When the sun sets and the light hits the shroud just right it’s one of the most stunning things I’ve seen in gaming. Paul, Southend
Stalker 2
There are no other games like the Stalker series. Stalker 2 is utterly immersive, a survival epic with a riveting backdrop loosely based on the Stalker film (another riveting experience) and the Chornobyl incident. This is a complete rebuild in a modern game engine of the first Stalker game, with updated graphics and interactivity, but the same familiar places. There’s a new story too. Not only does it have the same feel as the original Stalker, it also has many familiar bugs. I’ve been playing computer games since Labyrinth in 1978 and Stalker is the most charismatic of them all. Purchasing it also gives a small boost to the Ukrainian game studio. James, Spain
Stories from Sol: The Gun Dog
This is my highlight from 2025 so far. I love the art style and music. But it is the three-dimensional characters who make it my favourite. They pull you into the story; I really felt an emotional connection to them, although you get to spend more time with some than others. They left me wanting to know more. I can’t wait to see what Space Colony Studios does next. Miranda, Cardiff
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Stray comes a close second, and Atomfall was a lot of fun, but Indiana Jones was about as close to perfect as I could ask for. Not too long – with two kids and a busy job, I don’t have time for sprawling open-world RPGs any more, but there was enough of an open-world flavour to keep me satisfied. The missions were fun, and very Indiana Jones in terms of style and problem solving. Having the boulder scene from Raiders as the prologue was a touch of genius. And let’s be honest, with the excellent sound effects, you could never tire of punching Nazis. Rob, Edinburgh
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
I have been enjoying Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. It is a great mix of open-world exploration, with so much to do and often the game encourages you to explore different lives to get better equipment for exploration. Coupled with a charming art style and a great multiplayer community, I can see myself only further extending my 80 hours in the game. Jonathan, Edenbridge, Kent
I loved the remastered Oblivion, it’s rare that a less-than-beautiful game from your childhood gets re-released as a beautiful remaster. The gameplay holds up, and all of the quirks that made me love the original game remain. During these quite difficult political times it’s nice to escape into a Lord of the Rings-esque world full of dungeons and lighthearted characters. Even the sequel to Oblivion, Skyrim, feels slightly too serious for these serious times. The biggest reason it was my favourite wasn’t because of the gameplay or even the gorgeous new graphics. I got my partner Emily into gaming a few years back – watching her discover the world of Oblivion brought me back to when I first played it, and I enjoyed watching her discover the fantasy world more than I enjoyed it myself. Jack, Bath
Avowed
I loved Avowed. It came out of nowhere for me, I hadn’t seen any of the publicity leading up to it, but it was just so brilliant to play a mid-sized RPG. Much as I love the enormous sandbox genre, it feels like so many games now want to be the next Skyrim. Avowed took the opposite route, it set you on rails and it focused on the systems it wanted to do really well rather than trying to do everything. The combat, the exploration and the writing were all top-notch. Isobel, London
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
This one is easy for me. It’s all about story, story, story. I have a rule about buying games these days: I wait one month before I consider the purchase. I let everyone else play test the game then make a decision. With all its quirks, KCD2’s story overrides any small bugs or oddities you may experience. I didn’t experience any issues, I was immersed in the story of my Henry and being lost in a world where all my emotional buttons were being pushed. With all that going on, moving through the story was exciting and more so when the big quests finished or act changes occurred. It’s a game that kept revealing itself right up to the last point where you are on a hill talking to your departed parents. It is here that you now realise that you were truly playing and guiding the story of Henry. The choices you made mattered. It’s not until after playing that you can ultimately decide if it was all worth it, good or bad. One of the best RPG video games I have ever played. Andrew, Australia
