After Three Months, These Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2025

Finished Split Fiction and though it didn’t impact me like It Takes Two it was still incredible. That last level was absolutely mad. They really thought outside the box.

Actually going to go back and play A Way Out now as I missed it originally.

In 2021 I had my multiplayer GOTY as It Takes Two and my Single-player GOTY as Psychonauts 2.

Right now it’s Split Fiction and Avowed but excited for either of those to be beaten.

My favourite game from Q1 of 2025 would be Avowed, really enjoyed that. Whether it’s my GOTY is unlikely as there are some big, big games still to come this year.

Avowed is criminally underrated. It's Oblivion, but FUN. And with great characters and a great, nuanced story full of thoughtful sidequests.

May end up as my GOTY. Loved all 48 hours of it.

Avowed at 80 is criminal! I've been playing it slowly due to lack of time, but so far I'm really enjoying the story and characters.
Only issue I have is the treasure maps don't appear correctly when I pick them up. Which is quite a minor thing.

Same with Avowed, I've spent over 100 hours on it (not finished yet) and I just can't put it down. The narration, The side quests are very well done, and I love Obsidian's humor, especially during the dialogues between companions. You have the option to change your combat style whenever you want, which is really fun. Once again, a very good Xbox game underrated for obscure reasons.

#1 Shadows for me

#2 Pirate Yakuza

#3 Avowed

I haven't play Avowed as yet, @fatpunkslim, but fully intend too. I'm just wondering whether you have a similar playstyle to me, which has led you to still be playing after 100 hours, when people within these very comments are saying they finished after 48 hours. I like to explore everywhere, and do everything. I also prefer to play on the hardest difficulty, or thereabouts, is that what you are doing for the game to still be going at 100 hours...?

At the moment Avowed, but just finished an hour a go. Was definitely worth the delay for a game to finally be fit and ready to play in this day and age.
Currently downloading Stalker now because games release in an incomplete state nowadays.
Looking forward to Claire obscure, but will wait to play for the above reasons.

@Fiendish-Beaver I know you were not talking to me, so I apologize for jumping in. But my playstyle is similar to yours. In this game I played on the hard difficulty, explored heavily, did every side quest and completed all the stuff like treasure maps and bounties. I think my final hour count was 78, if that helps.

I agree with others in the thread about Avowed. I figured I would enjoy it as an Obsidian fan, but I was surprised by how much I liked it. The main story didn't really hook me until near the end. But it did get me eventually, and the combat and side quests are really great throughout. I am a big fan of the game.

@Fiendish-Beaver 4 days and 6 hours to complete Avowed for me. Still no idea why they put days in the time....
It's a good 8/10 game and worth putting the time in. The ending was a let down and didn't stop with walls of text, but up till the boring ending, it didn't put much of a foot wrong except a bug where a party member could be electrified for ever and the unforgivable oversight of no torch or light spell in the game, which was just stupid.
My favourite Xbox game in quite a while, I'd love an expansion..

@Fiendish-Beaver I love exploring, and in Avowed, it's truly satisfying because there are so many hidden places, secret passages, mysteries to uncover, treasures, etc... So yes, I take my time, I take the time to read, etc... Maybe I'm slower than average, but that's just my playstyle.

No need to apologise, @Westernwolf4. I appreciate the input. My son went through the game in 48 hours, but I'm sure he cannot see and go everywhere in that time. You and I sound like we have the same way of playing, and so I am grateful for your response... 😊

I was enjoying Avowed until I picked up KCD2 and barely played it since. It’s going to take something extremely special to beat Henry’s Bohemiam adventures to GOTY for me although I can see why Split Fiction is top spot as it’s a genius, brilliant game. One of the surprises up there is Two Point Museum. I put hours and hours into hospital and campus but have been really struggling to gel with Museum. Maybe I’m missing something.

Thank you are always, @Titntin. So you took around 100 hours. What difficulty did you play on? Harder difficulties invariably add a fare few hours, particularly if you have to reload battles...

Nothing wrong with playing slowly as far as I am concerned, @fatpunkslim. Going everywhere and finding those hidden things that other may have missed is much of the fun for me.

I know they are completely different games, but I did a single run in Fallout: New Vegas that last 900 hours, and a single run in Skyrim that lasted over 1000 hours. So I am all for taking my time to explore thoroughly...

@Fiendish-Beaver No mate, I never play exploration games on high difficulty, I'm not there for challenge in each and every fight. I think I kept it on normal, as it was pretty reasonable out of the box, but I'm happy to knock settings down too if enemies become bullet sponges or each battle is taking far too long.

I did do every single side quest, and I uncovered every single piece of land from the fog of war, so that helps knock the time up.

@Fiendish-Beaver I play it in normal too, No need to crank up the difficulty for me or artificially stretch out the game's duration, but if you enjoy intense and spicy challenges, that's cool too!

@Fiendish-Beaver A tip for when you are playing Avowed, don't complete the main story until you are happy you've done everything as it doesn't let you go back once you do the final part. It's so odd it just doesn't have the option to carry on exploring after the end, it just simply reloads the last cut scene if you select continue.

Been gone for a while, the whole Drop the Price talk around the Switch 2 got me back! The utter state of gaming in the 2020s is a shock, like I remember watching that Killzone 2 reveal trailer and was like brah if games look this good now what will they look like in 20 years,… terrible should have been my guess! Anyways best game on that list is by far Ninja Gaiden 2 which I kinda played almost 20 years ago. Don’t ask me about Avowed, they flopped it, I was looking forward to that the most and I couldn’t even bare finishing the first level, weak through and through. Like almost like mediocrity has replaced creativity in almost every game. Anyways sorry to “rain on your parade”, that was actually a good game, but don’t let me get you down, I am just disappointed these days. Games should have been a lot further ahead as they are now. I wish everyone on here an awesome Friday night full of gaming, whatever your choice have fun!

@fatpunkslim I think that this is the perfect speed to play a game like this, where exploring is such a big part of it. I play most of my games at a slow pace. As long as you are enjoying yourself, that is all that matters!

@Fiendish-Beaver I think it is really cool that your son got to play it, and I hope you enjoy the game when you do!

My youngest son is the other gamer in our family, and I tried to get him to play Avowed so that we could discuss. But I can't tear him away from Flight Simulator right now. I am glad he is enjoying himself, but no one at home will talk Avowed with me!

Avowed is not my game of the year……it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.

After going ham in 2024 and buying/playing a ton of games at release, here I am again in 2025 back to my old ways, I haven't played a single thing released this year yet. On the single player side this year I finished up Metaphor Refantazio and Songs of Conquest, and my co-op group is still finishing up For the King 2. On this list, I really want to get to KCD2 for single player and Monster Hunter for co-op.

That's cool. Thank you for the tip, @PartyMarty...

Avowed and Atomfall are my favourites so far. Sniper Elite Resistance, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black also highlights. Games I want to check out Eternal Strands, Khazan the first berserker, Like A Dragon Pirate and South Of Midnight

Path of exile 2 is the best xbox game imho.