You’re Probably Already Overlooking These Unmissable 2025 Gems

19 July 2025

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you’re-probably-already-overlooking-these-unmissable-2025-gems — You’re Probably Already Overlooking These Unmissable 2025 Gems

With games releasing left, right and center every day, it can be hard to keep on top of the latest and greatest. Some of 2025’s best titles have shuffled their way right under your gamer nose and are waiting for their chance to shine in your library as your new favorites.

Pixel Art RPGs. Stardew Valley, Omori, Hyper Light Drifter.

Whether a product of its time or an artistic choice, nothing beats a good pixel art RPG.

While you may have loved playing the biggest titles of the year, such as Death Stranding 2 or Donkey Kong Banaza, sometimes the best games are ones hiding away. From innovative spins on classic genres to incredible sequels, these games are worth both your time and money, and we can’t sit around and let them fade into obscurity.

10 Monster Train 2

An Expansive Sequel

Monster Train 2

Like most of us, you are likely bored waiting for the next big roguelike to release, but little did you know one of the most innovative in the genre is already available to play. Monster Train 2 is a roguelike deck builder that takes a polished gameplay loop and expands upon it in ways the genre hasn’t seen before.

Unlike other titles, in Monster Train 2, you will have to manage and defend three floors from waves of enemies simultaneously. By improving your deck, you can achieve incredible builds that, when combined with the game’s five playable clans, give you incredible variety and replay potential. If you are a fan of deck builders, Monster Train 2 is one of the best unique takes in the genre.

9 Kabuto Park

Cute, Colorful, And Creative

This adorable little title is a hidden gem of soft aesthetic games that looks and sounds like the warmest hug. Kabuto Park is a small little game that has you collecting various bugs to put them against one another in card-based RPG battles.

The artstyle present in this game is absolutely stunning and, just like the gameplay, it is simple yet fuzzy to look at, and it is charming fun in every corner of its beautiful world. Kabuto Park is not just like every other cozy game, it is a masterclass of the genre with a perfectly short length that provides you with plenty of accessibility options to make it a joy for everyone.

8 The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-

The Hundred Routes

ESRB: Mature 17+ // Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): Too Kyo Games, Media.Vision
Publisher(s): Aniplex Inc., Marvelous
Number of Players: Single-player
Steam Deck Compatibility: Unknown
PC Release Date: April 24, 2025
Nintendo Switch Release Date: April 24, 2025
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC
Developer: Too Kyo Games
Publisher: Aniplex Inc.

From the great minds of Kazutaka Kodaka and others who made the Danganronpa series, comes a visual novel strategy RPG that will grip you in a world and story unlike any other. The Hundred Line is pretty much the next entry in the series, but bigger, bolder, and more impressive than ever.

Ryunosuke points forward, Aiba stands in an empty carnival, Makoto leans against a pink background

If you’ve got a Nintendo Switch and you’re into visual novels, you’re in luck! The Switch has quite a few, and these are the best ones to check out.

Being a visual novel at heart, this game is stuffed full of tons of engaging stories and thousands of decisions for you to make. Even the most minute decisions can alter your path, and with over 100 possible endings, you will need to consider every action wisely. Replaying to get other endings and seeing how drastically the story changes is always a blast, and even for those who usually dislike excess dialogue, you will still find this title gripping you at every twist and turn.

7 Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Don’t Sleep On This One

ESRB: T For Teen Due To Violent References, Use of Alcohol And Tobacco, Drug Reference, Language
Developer(s): Jump Over the Age
Publisher(s): Fellow Traveller
PC Release Date: January 31, 2025
Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

When it comes to going from tabletop games to video games, few provide an experience that blends both mediums into one, but Citizen Sleeper 2 does it best. This sci-fi dice-based RPG puts you in a heartfelt world full of galactic robotic surprises and deep characters that all perfectly integrate within the gameplay to make an immersive, rich experience that has those tabletop vibes.

Citizen Sleeper 2 will take you through a beautifully written story as you discover your memories and meet new friends and foes. While the game does reference the first game a bit, you don’t need to play it to enjoy the deep and fun gameplay or the wonderfully dramatic story.

6 Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune & Dunan Unification Wars

Two Great Nostalgic RPGs, One Fantastic Remaster

ESRB: T For Teen // Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence, Simulated Gambling, Language
Developer(s): Konami
Publisher(s): Konami
Engine: Unity
Franchise: Suikoden
Platform(s): PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
OpenCritic Rating: Strong

If you’re bored with the constant open-world slop of modern releases and want a more traditional RPG, then look no further than Konami’s classic RPGs in Suikoden I & II HD Remaster. These two titles are masterclasses of the RPG genre and, unfortunately, have been under the radar for far too long.

This HD Remaster includes both the first two entries in the series, faithfully improving on the few flaws the original titles had while leaving them chocked full of nostalgia. Both games are excellently crafted, and Suikoden I is a classic gem with a wonderful story that is now better than ever. Meanwhile, Suikoden II is an emotional heart twister that has an unforgettable story, and it still stands as one of the best JRPGs around.

5 Revenge Of The Savage Planet

Knee Slapping Fun

While most AAA games strive for serious, deep, meaningful stories and realistic worlds, we can never have too much of a silly and witty adventure. Revenge of the Savage Planet is exactly what your life is missing! This strange and silly third-person exploration-focused title will have you chuckling your heart away in every corner of its alien planets.

PEAK character saluting in front of a tree.

Filled with curious dangers, you and some friends can land on five varied planets that have questionable inhabitants and wild nature unlike any other. Revenge of the Strange Planet takes strides as a sequel to push what the original did so well to very extreme heights, and it ends up making for a memorable game that we can’t help but love.

4 Haste

Reaching Heart-Racing Speeds

Developer(s): Landfall
Publisher(s): Landfall
Steam Deck Compatibility: Playable
PC Release Date: April 1, 2025
Platform(s): PC

While Sonic is taking a break to hit the racetrack this year, a new high-energy game has entered to rival him and give you an exhilarating roguelike. Haste is a game all about running fast and making heartbeat-skipping landings through dangerous procedural levels before the end of the world catches up to you.

When we say no game is as frantic and fluid as Haste, we mean it. This game will have you feeling like a god of movement as you dodge and weave between obstacles at ridiculous speeds. With numerous items and level types, there is plenty of content. Consistent updates have added new game modes and even co-op to expand upon the game even further, bringing us more heart-pumping action that is putting us on life support.

3 Wanderstop

A Wonderfilled Way To Relax

Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Ivy Road
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive

Wandering on through the endless sea of cozy games, it can be hard to find one that sticks out, but Wanderstop is one of the few that truly brings us into that zen state. This tea shop managing cozy game has a focus on narrative that will warm your heart and make you feel free from your modern woes. Set in a colorful fantasy forest, you will meet interesting characters and serve them freshly gathered tea, all the while the main character, Alta, hates every moment of it.

When not brewing up some tea, you will be taking your time with simple tasks, such as decorating your shop or cleaning up your garden, and it’s pure bliss. Many cozy games give you a lot of things to do in little time, so instead of actually getting cozy, you just end up min-maxing everything. Wanderstop is an actual cozy game that lets you do things at your own pace with plenty of time to breathe in between.

2 Rift Of The NecroDancer

Fighting The Rhythm

Coming from the wonderful NecroDancer series, Rift of the NecroDancer takes the rhythm game genre into a new direction. With a Guitar Hero-like setup, you will hit notes to the rhythm. However, the notes aren’t regular notes; they are instead enemies. Each enemy moves along the track in a different way to add a layer of technical complexity to beating a song, as you don’t just need to have good rhythm but also know how each enemy behaves.

Pa Rappa The Rapper, Sayonara Wild Hearts and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line split image

Rhythm games can be great party options or fantastic for passing the time in general. These 15 titles are the best for newcomers to the genre.

As well as having a godly OST, there are DLC tracks featuring music from Celeste and Pizza Tower, as well as some Vocaloid bangers to get you grooving even more. There truly is no rhythm game like Rift of the NecroDancer, and while it is very tough, it deserves to be given more attention for how creatively it pushes the genre.

1 Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma

An Underrated Series, Growing Ever Stronger

This exciting new entry in the Rune Factory series takes the slower, relaxing gameplay that the series is known for and innovates it into a new generation. Rune Factory is usually all about living a simple fantasy social life with farming and relationships aplenty and some smaller combat elements, but Guardians of Azuma steps things up a notch.

This title takes a fresh twist, combining classic elements from the series with a deep JRPG action combat focus. It creates a satisfying loop with tons of depth and content for all to enjoy. The social sim elements blend perfectly with the exploration and combat, making for a beautiful adventure that is one of a kind.