The 2025 Rolling Stone Gaming Awards

With a much more powerful GPU than the base model, the PS5 Pro improves the visual fidelity of just about every PS5 game (and many PS4 games) with smoother frame rates and better graphical performance, even in games that necessitated a choice between Quality and Performance mode. Games that previously couldn’t hit 4K resolution can now be upscaled via AI enhancement with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), and the optimized performance allows more games to reach 120Hz on compatible displays via an HDMI 2.1 connection.

The PS5 Pro is the most powerful home console available, serving as a more affordable, one-stop shop alternative to high-end PCs, while also having one of the largest game libraries. PlayStation exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are built to run at their best on the Pro, but even Xbox titles like Forza Horizon 5 perform better in benchmark tests on the PS5 Pro than they do on the Xbox Series X. —Chris Cruz

For years, Nintendo has been behind the competition in terms of horsepower, but its latest device, Switch 2, catches the company up to modern technological standards without sacrificing the hybrid home and handheld design that made its predecessor a smash hit. It features a massive 7.9-inch LCD screen (up from the original’s 6.2) that’s capable of 1080p resolution, HDR10, and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) up to 120Hz — making games run with a dynamic color range and smoothness comparable to home displays. When docked, the resolution can be bumped to a full 4K.

Design-wise, Switch 2 feels exponentially more premium than any Nintendo product before, with a clean matte-black finish, both top and bottom USB-C ports, and a larger, studier build that will please adults who struggle with prolonged use of handhelds. Utilizing GameChat, players can connect via audio or video (using the Nintendo Switch 2 camera peripheral), and even play across multiple Switch devices using a single copy of a game with GameShare. With a huge library of backward-compatible games, it also upgrades many older generation titles to run better than ever without any downloadable updates required. — C.C.

While every modern gaming platform houses a variety of classic throwback titles to download and enjoy on the couch, there’s nothing quite like having a fully immersive arcade experience at home. Arcade1Up’s line of retro game re-creations brings coin-op gaming home with tons of quality-of-life features like WiFi-enabled online leaderboards and multiplayer for select titles.

The cabinets house vibrant flat-screen displays and dual-speaker audio for robust sound, yet easy to assemble — standing at five or more feet, giving a full-bodied arcade façade, unlike most replicas which downsize the casing and screen. With more than a dozen models designed for games like NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat II, and even Time Crisis, each Arcade1Up machine has custom inputs ranging from joystick and buttons to pistols with mechanical slide action. Most also include multiple games loaded into the machine, ready to play. Our personal favorite? The Mortal Kombat II cabinet, which include 14 classic games like the original Mortal Kombat trilogy, Rampage, and Gauntlet, to name a few. — C.C.

The Meta Quest 3S is a mixed-reality headset that doesn’t need a separate computer, laptop, or even gaming console to play the latest and greatest video games. You just need a strong WiFi connection, a Meta account, and an Xbox Wireless Controller with a membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Microsoft’s massive cloud gaming library.

The service features popular titles, such as Starfield, Hi-Fi Rush, Death Loop, Forza Motorsport, South of Midnight, EA Sports FC 25, Madden NFL 25, and more, that could be played on the headset’s immersive “floating” display for sharp, crisp, and clear gaming. Now you can play in your own world. —R.O.

The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are a great all-in-one solution for gaming on the go, and they’re masterfully executed with clear and rich audio that feels immersive and full.

These earbuds come with noise-cancelation settings to block out the world around you, while 360-degree audio makes it feel like you’re in the middle of the action. One of the best things about them is they come with more than 100 presets for a wide range of popular games, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Apex Legends, Fortnite, Minecraft, and more.

Equipped with up to 10 hours per charge — up to 40 hours with their included wireless charging case — these wireless gaming earbuds are a great pair of accessories for your portable gaming console or your smartphone. —R.O.

While the average player may not associate Herman Miller with gaming, the company best known for its luxury office furniture and Eames chairs has been quietly making its mark with its line of products that blend tastefully subdued design with ergonomic support suited for esports marathons. Its flagship, the Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair, is an updated version of the popular Embody model that has been tweaked to accommodate a player’s needs.

With an enhanced seat whose extra layer of foam promotes better, more active posture, and copper-infused cooling foam that reduces heat and sweaty thighs, the Embody Gaming Chair is both sturdy and comfortable for hours-long use in a high-stress environment. But its greatest boon is its elegant design, which comes in multiple color schemes and accents, and looks much less busy than most pro-level gaming chairs. It’s a chair that works great while streaming but also looks more like it belongs in an adult home. Less eyesore, more casual comfort. —C.C.

8BitDo has made a name for itself with its eclectic and colorful array of third-party controllers built for everything from PC and console to mobile phones, but its flagship pro controller, 8Bitdo Ultimate 2, is easily the best one the company’s made yet. With a textured grip and lightweight construction, the Ultimate 2 feels great to hold, easily besting the base controllers for this generation’s consoles, but with multiple added benefits.

Its magnet-based Hall Effect triggers are incredibly precise and can be toggled between full-extension (for things like measuring acceleration while driving) or hair-trigger (for instantaneous snapping in a shooter), but it’s the TMR (Tunneling Magnetoresistance) joysticks that are the star. An upgrade from the already coveted Hall Effect, TMR is the top-tier in analog-stick design, with absolute precision in movement and aiming without the risk of a standard controller’s wear and drift. Pairable via Bluetooth, Wireless 2.4G dongle, or just a USC-C wire, it’s an extremely versatile and must-have controller for PC and Nintendo Switch (or Switch 2). —C.C.

For players looking to relive the glory days of retro gaming, the 8BitDo Pro 2 provides a nostalgic facsimile of old controllers with modern upgrades to comfort. An upgrade from the SNES-inspired SN30 Pro, the Pro 2 features everything that made that gamepad great — classic button layout and Hall Effect joysticks — with more formfitting ergonomic grips that will be a godsend for anyone whose hands easily cramp around blockier controllers. The result is a pad that looks like a blend between the iconic SNES controller and PlayStation’s DualShock.

Being a Pro controller, it also offers fully extendable rear triggers and deep customization options using 8BitDo Ultimate Software, with the ability to swap between different inputs on the fly to accommodate Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, Android, and PC with ease. —C.C.

For fighting game enthusiasts, a reliable fight stick is paramount; too light or chintzy and the rapid inputs and twists will make the pad slide or flop. The Victrix Pro FS Arcade Fight Stick counters this with a solid, sturdy base that feels light in the lap but grips to surfaces, planted firmly in place even when the combat heats up.

Utilizing best-in-class Sanwa Denshi parts for both its joystick gate and buttons, movement is incredibly precise, making special moves and combos effortless with frame-perfect perfection. Its case is made from aircraft-grade aluminum, making slippage from a plastic surface a non-issue, and handles on both sides make gripping and carrying the pad a breeze. For more elite-level players, the FS 12 variant features a leverless design (no joystick at all; buttons only), which has become an increasingly popular way to compete in esports circles. — C.C.

When it comes to singleplayer, narratively driven games, PlayStation remains king with its first-party releases like God of War and The Last of Us. But Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is something else entirely — an immersive fusion of cinematic storytelling, walking simulator, and gonzo political art piece that only visionary developer Hideo Kojima could create.

Set 11 months after the original 2019 game, the sequel once again follows Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) and a supporting cast played by A-listers like Léa Seydoux, Elle Fanning, and the ubiquitous Troy Baker for futuristic cautionary tale about the dangers of technology, ultra-nationalism, and humanity’s ever-growing disconnect from each other. Running on a PS5 Pro, it’s one of the most visually arresting games ever made, and its dense plot and open world gameplay will demand unraveling over the course of dozens of hours. Aside from its PlayStation-exclusive predecessor, there’s nothing else like Death Stranding 2 anywhere else in gaming. — C.C.

Although many of its biggest hits have come from beloved franchises like Call of Duty, Microsoft’s internal publishing wing Xbox Games Studios has been on fire recently with some of the best games of the year. Among them, Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight shines as one of the most beautifully crafted single-player games in recent memory.

The game is a Gothic fantasy set in the Deep South, and stars a woman named Hazel on a journey to restore her home after a cataclysmic hurricane wreaks havoc. Incorporating Southern folklore with magical abilities and mythical creatures, the story of South of Midnight plays as a dark fairy tale rooted in Black culture that’s brought to life in an incredible stop-motion-like aesthetic. Emotionally gripping and engaging to play, it’s one of the year’s best games and a crown jewel for Xbox-exclusive titles. — C.C.

Fans of Dune have longed for a game that can match the complexity of the franchise’s novels and recent Oscar-nominated blockbuster films — and it finally arrives with Dune: Awakening. The MMO survival game is a sprawling player choice-driven epic set in an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides was never born or risen to power, leaving Arrakis in a very different kind of civil war.

Players take on the role of a custom-created character, forced to endure the brutal surface of Arrakis, scavenging for precious water and resources amid its sandscapes. To survive, crafting and resource management become essential in order to build increasingly complex shelters and strongholds — all the while outwitting threats ranging from massive sandworms and other players in PvP combat. The game may exist outside of canon, but still provides a fascinatingly immersive experience of what it actually feels like to live in the fictional universe created by Frank Herbert. — C.C.

After multiple botched attempts, IO Interactive has finally nailed the experience of Hitman in VR with this year’s PS VR2-exclusive World of Assassination trilogy. Rather than being a diluted version of the base game, the new vision for Hitman VR comes in the form of an update to the existing PS5 release that swaps (almost) every level of the core game into virtual reality.

Hitman World of Assassination is already one of (if not the) best series of stealth games ever made, and translating the sneaking, subterfuge, and silent executions of IO’s modern classic feels like a perfect fit. Traversing each level feels intuitive without forced teleportation gimmicks employed by other VR titles, and being able to ambidextrously manage tasks (say: holding someone in a headlock while aiming a pistol) makes the more passive action of the flat-screen game exponentially more immersive in VR. The game is also one of the best-looking VR games available, thanks to the (unfortunately wired) PS VR2 tech, which is connected to and powered by the PS5 (or preferably PS5 Pro). — C.C.