2025’s Gaming Scene: Weird, Wild and Wonderful
If 2024 was the year of AAA remakes and awkward live-service flops, then 2025 has roared in like a drop bear on Red Bull – with indie weirdness, emotional sports sims, and a dolphin on a motorbike (no, seriously). We’ve rounded up the best of the bunch, based on their creativity, critical buzz, replayability, and how many times they made us yell “bloody hell!”
Top Games of 2025 (Jan–Jun): Aussie-Style Scorecard
| Game Title | Genre | Platform(s) | Notable For | Vegemite Rating out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Prince | Puzzle, Exploration | PC, Consoles | Map-building mansion mystery | 5 |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | RPG, Artcore Chaos | PC, PS5, Xbox | Final Fantasy meets French existentialism | 4 |
| Mario Kart World | Racing, Open-World | Switch 2 | Dolphin. On. A. Motorbike. | 5 |
| Split Fiction | Co-op, Narrative Action | PC, Consoles | Fantasy vs Sci-fi VR mind trip | 4 |
| Despelote | Sports, Narrative | PC, Consoles | Football feels in 2002 Ecuador | 5 |
| Monster Hunter Wilds | Action, Multiplayer | PC, PS5, Xbox | Massive beasts, massive screams | 4 |
| Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders | Sports, Chill-Action | PC, Switch, PlayStation | Minimalist downhill zen | 4 |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 | Historical RPG | PC, PS5, Xbox | Medieval muck and Monty Python moments | 3 |
| Two Point Museum | Sim, Comedy | PC, Consoles | Dinosaurs, ghosts, and public peeing chaos | 4 |
| Expelled! | Mystery, School Drama | PC, Consoles | Cosy crime with teen sass | 4 |
Highlights & Howlers (With a Dash of Aussie Banter)
Blue Prince
Explore a shape-shifting mansion one blueprint at a time. It’s like playing Cluedo while designing IKEA rooms after six beers.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
A Louvre-soaked Final Fantasy fever dream with monster battles and emotional wreckage. It’s dramatic, French, and fabulous.
Mario Kart World
Nintendo’s most iconic racer goes open-world. Yes, you can now ride a dolphin-motorbike across an endless mushroom continent.
Split Fiction
Zoe (fantasy writer) and Mio (grumpy sci-fi nerd) get sucked into a rogue VR world and must co-op their way out. Like playing Stranger Things meets Writers’ Block.
Despelote
A love letter to football, childhood, and Ecuador’s 2002 World Cup dreams. Less FIFA, more feels. The Ted Lasso of indie games.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Bigger, louder, scarier monsters. Every battle feels like being tackled by a T-Rex at full speed in a Bunnings carpark.
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders
Looks like a peaceful snow trip – plays like a death simulator if you take one wrong turn. Still, very zen.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
It’s muddy, political, and medieval – basically Game of Thrones if Jon Snow was a peasant and nobody bathed.
Two Point Museum
Build your own cursed natural history museum, fight ghost outbreaks, and manage queue rage. Genuinely hilarious.
Expelled!
You’ve been framed for yeeting the school’s top student through a stained-glass window. Prove your innocence with gossip, clues, and sass.
Honourable Mentions (Still Worth a Yarn)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered – Cyrodiil never looked so shiny.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Finally, a samurai Creed done (mostly) right.
- Doom: The Dark Ages – Doomguy with a mace? Say less.
- Citizen Sleeper 2 – Still brooding, still brilliant.
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Narrative heaven for indie lovers.
Final Verdict: The Year So Far in Aussie Gamer Speak
- Best Game to Play with Your Mate on the Couch: Split Fiction
- Best Game to Accidentally Cry Over: Despelote
- Best Game to Yell “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”: Monster Hunter Wilds
- Best Chill Game to Avoid a Breakdown: Snow Riders
- Best Laughs Per Minute: Two Point Museum
