We’d all love the ability to be in more than one place at a time. Most would use this miraculous power to earn a paycheque and enjoy leisure activities, while others might choose to expand their knowledge and flick through brainrot social media posts simultaneously. As our bio explains, the WellPlayed team is “A small collective of avid Aussie gamers,” with an emphasis on the small, so our use of the doppelganger fantasy would be to play multiple games at once.
Since we can’t clone ourselves (yet), we’re left to do our absolute best with the time we have, cramming in as many games into our schedules as humanly possible. Unfortunately, this limitation means we can’t cover everything, which leads some certified bangers to miss out on the review treatment. Regretfully, we missed a handful of top-tier titles in 2025. From indie darlings to long-awaited returns, and even a AAA genre definer, these reviewless releases deserve their flowers, and that’s what we’re here to do right now. Looking back on what could have been, the WellPlayed crew has compiled a list of well-deserved shoutouts from the pool of games we couldn’t get to this year.
Here are the best games of 2025 that we didn’t review:
R.E.P.O.
Developer: semiwork | Publisher: semiwork | Platform: PC | Release: February 27 (early access) | Metcritic: N/A | OpenCritic: N/A
I would be remiss to mention the friendslop king and not speak to the other jesters that hold court. R.E.P.O. was a similar jaunt, a diabolically charming jank-fest about bin-shaped robot people grabbing junk from abandoned dungeons, castles and military facilities. Playing it for the first time with both Adam and Kieron, I figured I had the experience licked as a great chaos simulator – but Adam firmly dunked on my meagre insight by jamming Kieron into a toilet and flushing him.
Before long, we were avoiding deadly ducks, horrifying heads and banging expensive curios into doorframes. It was a loop of lunacy that really needs to be experienced to truly appreciate what it can offer.
Just don’t go it alone. Or depend on Kieron delivering a singular shiny bauble to save your life.
Atomfall
Developer: Rebellion | Publisher: Rebellion | Platform: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC | Release: March 27 | Metcritic: 74 | OpenCritic: 75
Alright, I’ll admit this right off the block: WellPlayed didn’t produce a review for Atomfall because of me. I played Rebellion’s first-person RPG through, roaming the British countryside, making questionable moral decisions as I went, but my write-up got lost somewhere between a phone booth and a cup of tea.
Many, including myself, expected Atomfall to be a mini Fallout, something akin to The Outer Worlds, but reality was far more interesting. The post-apocalyptic setting and first-person RPG-ness of it all certainly fit with those titles, but Atomfall took a far more open-ended approach to player choice and how those choices affected the story.
I vividly remember accepting a quest from an innocuous vendor, only to discover they were attempting to frame an innocent member of the community and enact a sinister plot involving cults and violence. Instead of generically picking a side, I played along with the malicious merchant and collected their reward, only to turn a pistol on them as soon as my coffers were filled. From there, I cleared the innocent party’s name and went about my business, knowing that just desserts had been served.
This is a tiny example of Atomfall’s impressive and underrated freedom, and the fact that I didn’t manage to get a glowing review penned will haunt me forever. But hey, maybe I should just keep calm and carry on.
Blue Prince
Developer: Dogubomb | Publisher: Raw Fury | Platform: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC | Release: April 10 | Metcritic: 92 | OpenCritic: 90
I vividly remember watching a trailer for Blue Prince that was narrated by developer Tanda Ros. As gameplay unfolded, he spoke in a low, calming tone about the layered secrets hidden within the “architectural adventure” and the unique mechanics that bind the experience together. I was intrigued by the vague concepts and captivated by the absence of clear answers to many of the questions I had, but I couldn’t have anticipated how enamoured I would eventually be with this puzzle game.
It’s rare to know, in the moment, that you’re playing a future classic. A game that people will talk about in the greatest of all time conversations in the years to come. But, as my partner and I sat there, scribbling down potential clues and theorising on possible solutions, I started to understand. As we turned the key on room 46, I felt accomplished and regretful. We had conquered this challenging, thought-provoking masterpiece, and I was ecstatic, but it meant that our time with the Mount Holly manor was ending. And then Blue Prince pulled back yet another curtain, revealing deeper secrets to pursue and greater challenges to overcome.
In a sense, I’m glad I didn’t have the chance to review Blue Prince, because I’m not sure I’d have the words to describe my love for it adequately. Perfection.
Old Skies
Developer: Wadjet Eye Games | Publisher: Wadjet Eye Games | Platform: Switch/PC | Release: April 23 | Metcritic: 80 | OpenCritic: 80
Despite being a self-confessed point-and-click connoisseur, I somehow missed Old Skies from Wadjet Eye Games when it released (maybe I’m no longer worthy of such a title). This time travel adventure received rave reviews across the board, so when it was time to put my feet up at the end of the year, I knew I had to find out if it was as good as people were saying. And it is. Admittedly, I still haven’t rolled credits, but I’ve played enough to know that this is a treat for all point-and-click fans.
Old Skies has a doozy of a premise – it’s set in the nearish future (2060) and sees you play as Fia Quinn, a timeline agent working for ChronoZen, a company that can take a client into the past to alter history as long as they have enough dosh and the events aren’t too impactful. As the story unfolds, things go awry at times, resulting in Fia copping a bullet or fist to the head. However, Fia’s missions often help people to help themselves, but what about the long-term effect on Fia? How does she cope with constant change when her life stays the same? Guess you’ll have to play it to find out.
Guilty As Sock!
Developer: Demon Max | Publisher: Demon Max | Platform: PC | Release: May 29 | Metcritic: N/A | OpenCritic: N/A
An honourable mention in the friendslop category is Guilty as Sock!, the game that pits you against your friends, where you’ll concoct and hurl outrageous accusations at one each other—fitted with witnesses, lawyers, prosecutors, and judges all played by your friends, who get into character with their own personally-styled sock puppet. I had a blast playing this with buddies, and it definitely got weird with the reason we were in the courthouse in the first place. What do you mean I’m representing a murder sock who likes mayonnaise and happens to be a vampire? What does the mayonnaise have to do with anything? It got wild and wacky, and my acting and improvisation skills were put to the test the entire time. Staying in character is hard when you can’t stop laughing after all.
Peak
Developer: Team PEAK | Publisher: Aggro Crab | Platform: PC | Release: June 17 | Metcritic: 82 | OpenCritic: 83
It shocks me how well I can miss a game at times. During a year that seemed to be bursting at the seams with friendslop titles, I managed to hit most of the big ones – but arguably the biggest gravity-feuding simulator zoomed right on by me.
Friendslop is a term I use ironically, given that it’s an absurd descriptor for games that are (arguably) basic in scope but bursting with potential once you rope a few mates into them. Games like R.E.P.O. and Lethal Company slam dunked the concept, popularising the genre and making me think that this landscape was mostly populated by janky pseudo-horror. But nah, the folks behind Another Crab’s Treasure dropped a half-baked game-jam experiment that begs to scramble, cling and climb to the tippy-top of an immense mountain.
Magnificently, I managed to miss the entire burgeoning hype-wave of Peak – clearly I was too busy washing my hair the night it came out (and perhaps a dozen nights afterwards) because I didn’t even see it enter my YouTube algorithm. I think I randomly saw an Instagram reel of someone greenscreening themself into an environment to lament the horror of falling, but I was entirely intact as far as true first-experiences go.
And so I randomed upon it when I read a comment mentioning that its cheap price would not be that way forever. I mentioned it to a mate, and he said he had never heard of it. We both bought it (with full intentions to refund it if the gimmick didn’t land), and good lord we played it for four entire hours. My wife watched me play it, hell, HIS wife came and watched as we scrambled up the innards of a volcano. This game has such a simple, beautiful hook that grips me as firmly as a hand helping you climb. My biggest regret is that I didn’t come across it sooner. In the eternal words of Danny Devito:
“Oh my god. I get it.”
Sword of the Sea
Developer: Giant Squid | Publisher: Giant Squid | Platform: PS5/PC | Release: August 20 | Metcritic: 88 | OpenCritic: 87
Journey, Abzü, The Pathless, these are all games that tickle my entertainment bone, and all the creation of (at least partially), the folks at developer Giant Squid. So am I predisposed to enjoying the hell out of Sword of the Sea? Sure. But you can’t tell me that “a zen adventure where you ride a hovering sword like a snowboard to slowly bring life back to a desert ruin” isn’t a fucking all-timer pitch.
Sword of the Sea succeeds on much the same parameters as its predecessors, offering beautiful landscapes to navigate with moreish movement against a stirring score (another Austin Wintory banger), so if that’s ever been your bag – get around it. I remember telling one of the Sony Australia guys at a party that it might even beat out Abzü as my favourite of the studio’s output so far. Played it yet, Pat?
Megabonk
Developer: vedinad | Publisher: vedinad | Platform: PC | Release: September 18 | Metcritic: N/A | OpenCritic: N/A
It took playing Megabonk to identify something in myself. However much in denial I have been about the allure of the pokies (or slot machines to our international friends), I can now see myself in full submission. The colours, flashing lights, sounds. What are we rolling?
Mouldy cheese, apparently.
Megabonk is doing the Vampire Survivors thing of steering a character around who automatically attacks foes while gaining wild powers. If you’re lucky, you’ll pull purple or gold tier items from treasure chests, with all the gambling brain itching that pure chance rewards. Items gained, such as cursed dolls, batteries, and chonkplates, alter your character and will synergise with your boomerang banana build that randomly strikes nearby foes with lightning.
All while getting mad air and doing sick tricks as a skeleton on a skateboard.
When your character is inevitably overcome by a swarm of 100 goblins, the exhilarating 10-minute jaunt flies by into the next one and two hours disappear in the blink of an eye.
CloverPit
Developer: Panik Arcade | Publisher: Future Friends Games | Platform: PC | Release: September 27 | Metcritic: 77 | OpenCritic: 81
LET’S GO GAMBLING!! CloverPit is the gambling rogue-lite that has the addictive nature of Balatro and the gritty atmosphere of Buckshot Roulette. I couldn’t get enough of this game since it released, and visited the pit a bit more than I would like to, since it’s hard to clear your debt, folks. CloverPit is all about using the slot machine to clear your debt and escape death with luck, charms, phone calls, and not hitting 666. And what makes me come back to this game time and time again is that you are never gambling with real money, no real-life risk and all the rewards! Except, well, money of course. I promise it’s not an addiction…I can stop whenever I want.
SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato
Developer: StudioBando | Publisher: StudioBando | Platform: Xbox Series X|S/PC | Release: October 7 | Metcritic: N/A | OpenCritic: 74
Game Pass has been my main go-to for games, like it always is every year. And if I didn’t have access to it, I would’ve never come across the hidden gem SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato. Who doesn’t love potatoes? I felt obligated to save this stolen potato the second I saw this game. It encapsulated the types of imaginary characters and stories I’d come up with as a kid, and it was such a joyful experience from beginning to end. Although it’s only a couple of hours, it captured my heart and made me laugh throughout the entire cartoon journey. If you’re looking for a winding-down, simple, laughable cartoon game, this is definitely the one for you.
Absolum
Developer: Dotemu | Publisher: Dotemu | Platform: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Switch/PC | Release: October 9 | Metcritic: 87 | OpenCritic: 86
I’m not really a roguelite guy, but I am a beat-em-up guy, and I am a guy who slapped a fat 10 on the roof of Streets of Rage 4 – a recent game from two developers of Absolum – so it’s only natural that I’d be down to check it out. From the moment I played (and failed) my first run, this fusion of beat-em-up and roguelite mechanics had me hooked. And that’s without taking the astonishingly beautiful and detailed art style, as well as the compelling fantasy setting, into account. Everything about Absolum ruled, and the more runs I played (and failed, because this game can be extremely difficult), the more invested, and quite frankly, obsessed I became.
I craved the next upgrade or skill that would perhaps see me victorious, and with a selection of four unique characters to choose from, all of whom are a blast to use, runs never felt like a chore thanks to the varying powers that your build can be made up of. Plus, like any beat-em-up worth its chops, playing in co-op only adds to the fun.
But where Absolum truly shines is in its ability to blend a narrative and a world full of interesting lore with simple yet immensely satisfying brawler combat. Any game can look good, but beat-em-ups have to feel good to play, and Absolum is up there with the best.
I grew up on beat-em-ups (shoutouts to Streets of Rage and Altered Beast), and Absolum felt like a seismic shift in innovation (or at the very least experimentation) for a genre that has been rather rudimentary by design over the years. It may sound easy as combining two genres together, but making them work is another thing, and Absolum works almost flawlessly.
Arc Raiders
Developer: Embark Studios | Publisher: Embark Studios | Platform: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC | Release: October 30 | Metcritic: 86 | OpenCritic: 87
Some mates asked me what I was playing during November. Arc Raiders.
“The robot dinosaur game?”
Despite obvious confusion with wannabe Dino Riders survival sensation Ark: Survival Evolved, both feature threatening behemoths of the technologically inclined variety. And you, dear player, are just a fragile little person looking to scrounge some junk on the surface before retreating to the tunnels deep below, where civilisation has retreated.
Earth belongs to the territorial Arcs: lethal robots that now call the surface their home. While they’re hostile towards the few remaining humans that seek to poke their heads above the surface, other humans prove more so.
You see, after 60 hours of Arc Raiders, I learned one hard truth. No matter how prepared you are for a robot death machine six times your size, you’re mincemeat once you’re reloading your slow-ass rustbucket gun. Unload everything you’ve got once cornered by four different Arc types outmanoeuvring you via land and air, and if you survive, you might just be lucky enough to get shot in the back by a Twitch streaming rolling shitty, no-risk, low firepower Loadout who was hiding out of sight the whole time this was going down. All your weapons, gear, and hard-fought loot are now free for some sneaky rat.
The thing that will keep me coming back to Arc Raiders are the titular Arc, though. To experience them in action is something else. Simply some of the best, most unnerving and thrilling enemy AI I’ve seen in a game. Ever.
That the rest of the game is polished to a sheen, looks as nice, and sports a soundscape to rival the very best, oh boy. Embark hit this out of the park.
Lumines Arise
Developer: Enhance | Publisher: Enhance | Platform: PS5/PC | Release: November 12 | Metcritic: 87 | OpenCritic: 86
Another trippy arcade banger, Lumines Arise is to Lumines what Tetris Effect was to Tetris. Enhance Games and Monstars Inc. struck gold a second time with this one, taking what makes the source material a compelling and entrancing experience and uplifting it with psychedelic visuals and orgasmic game feel.
The stage designs in Arise are truly exquisite, offering a wholly fresh aesthetic palette with each new section where not only do the blocks and backgrounds gain a new look but often become reactive to the play field and your actions, accompanying the soundscape to create some truly entrancing sessions.
Whether you’re a Lumines veteran, new to the rhythmic block puzzler or a newly-arrived intergalactic visitor looking for a quintessential example of human art, get around Lumines Arise.
Sektori
Developer: Kimmo Lahtinen | Publisher: Kimmo Factor Oy | Platform: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC | Release: November 18 | Metcritic: 88 | OpenCritic: 89
In a year filled with games that tapped into the deepest, most lizard-like corners of my brain matter, Sektori was a surprise late entrant. Invoking the sleepless, caffeine and THC-fuelled nights of playing Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved in my youth, it wears that inspiration on its sleeve while introducing a number of new wrinkles that elevate the formula to addictive new heights.
I am, admittedly, still not as good at Sektori as I would like. I’ve managed to complete the campaign pretty safely on the entry-level difficulty, but I’m punished by anything higher – true greatness comes by mastering some fiendishly-satisfying systems and I’m determined to get there. There’s a lot of meat on the bone for a geometric arcade twin-stick shooter too, with a heap of extra modes and unlockables to keep things interesting.
This game should come with one of those festy warning labels they put on cigarette boxes, but it’s just pictures of bleeding eyes and thumbs worn down to the bone.
Huh, we missed a couple of big ones along the way, didn’t we? Top to bottom, 2025 was a gigantic year for video games, so we were bound to let a few slip through the cracks. We aren’t big on resolutions here at WellPlayed, but we’re hoping we don’t need to put together a list like this for 2026. That said, the next 12 months are going to be stacked, so stick with us, ok? That said, we’d like to thank everyone who read a review, kept up with our gaming news, and humoured us with our opinion pieces throughout 2025.
What games from the 2025 release calendar do you have in your backlog? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
