With 2025 halfway over, it’s time to look at the highest-rated new video game releases of the year to date. Even with major developments likeGrand Theft Auto 6being delayed to next year, 2025 is still shaping up to be one to remember for gamers. Fans have been treated to acclaimed new installments in long-running franchises as well as introduced to brand-new, imaginative IPs that have performed far better than many would have guessed.
While January was fairly slow at first, the end of that month saw a string of brand-new game releases and the momentum hasn’t stopped since then. Every month has seen its fair share of brand-new game releases, with some months proving to be more fruitful than others. There are still six months to go in 2025 and there will be plentymore high-profile new game releases, but there are 10 titles that already stand a good shot of keeping their spot in the 10 highest-rated games of the year list.
This list, curated by review aggregate site OpenCritic, includes games with at least 20 reviews or more that have been released in 2025 so far. Discounting early access games, remasters, and ports, the highest-rated new video games of 2025 are, in order,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33with a 92 rating,Death Stranding 2: On the BeachandSplit Fictionwith 90,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2,Blue Prince,Monster Hunter Wilds,Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, andKeep Drivingwith 89, andStarVadersandMonster Train 2with 88.
Best Games of 2025 So Far
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is the highest-rated game of the year so far and that should come as no surprise.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has earned widespread acclaimfor its incredible soundtrack, enthralling narrative, and engaging turn-based combat system that rewards skill and strategy. It’s the current front-runner for Game of the Year, and it will likely pick up even more awards come December. JoiningClair Obscurin the 90+ club areDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachby Hideo Kojima andSplit Fictionby Josef Fares. The former is a gorgeous, cinematic open world game that takes theDeath Strandingconcept to the next level, while the latter is a co-op thrill ride that brilliantly blends elements of the sci-fi and fantasy genres.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2just barely missed the 90+ cut, but still has a respectable 89. For the uninitiated,Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is a hardcore medieval RPGthat retains the elements that made the original a cult classic while introducing significant improvements to vastly increase its appeal. Fellow 89-rated gameBlue Prince, meanwhile, is a first-person puzzle game with roguelike elements that is virtually impossible to put down.
Anyone looking for a quality new game to play should definitely consider checking out any of the highest-rated games of 2025 so far. They represent a wide variety of genres and styles, and according to the critics, all excel in their fields.
