Grab your mouse and get clicking, because it’s been a great year for games, and the PC has seen nearly all of them cross its path. The IGN staff has rounded up the best PC gaming had to offer in 2025 and pitted them against each other in a free-for-all Quake match for the crown… okay, actually we just nominated our top five and then voted on a winner, though we’ll also be shouting out a few more standouts that are worth highlighting alongside them.
As always, the PC list comes with a few funny caveats alongside its console-based competition – or, more specifically, because of the fact that it’s not really trying to fight in that age-old war. PCs have long acted as a bit of a catchall for gaming as a hobby, and that’s been more true than ever in recent years as nearly every (non-Nintendo) “exclusive” seems to make its way to Steam at some point. Certain games on this list can feel a little more PC-focused than others, but some of the selections here might look a bit familiar if you’ve followed out console awards. That’s the nature of our multi-platform hobby.
The Best PC Game of 2025
Honorable Mentions
Two games worth shouting out that didn’t make our best PC shortlist are Europa Universalis 5 and Anno 117: Pax Romana – strategy games have a comfy home here, and while the genre is is a little tougher to penetrate than likes of RPGs and action games, its undeniable that 2025 has been a great year for 4X fans. Similarly, mouse-and-keyboard diehards had plenty to sink their teeth into this year with awesome FPS options like Doom: The Dark Ages, Arc Raiders, and Battlefield 6, all of which are sitting comfortably as nominees for our Best Shooter category. There were also some excellent indie roguelike hits like Ball x Pit, Megabonk, and Monster Train 2 that can feel at home on PC. That’s not to mention another great RPG that just got pushed out of the top five here in The Outer Worlds 2, as well as the excellent Split Fiction, both of which made our Best Xbox nominations.
Runner-Up – Hollow Knight: Silksong
The conversation around the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong was almost entirely dominated by difficulty when it first arrived. It’s a brutally challenging platformer, often unforgiving but never outright unfair, and one that truly tested those who tried to conquer its seemingly endless map. But to boil Silksong down to only discussions of difficulty does it a disservice. Whether or not that one run back to a boss is too long, or that fake save bench that actually drops you into a pit of poison water is too mean (it’s not, it’s hilarious), there is so much Silksong does right, or more often brilliantly, that make it a truly stunning achievement overall. Its world is detailed and beautiful, its characters are charming and cleverly written, its music is consistently fantastic, and its branching paths let you explore and grow stronger no matter which direction you go, always giving you options if you hit a physical or metaphorical wall. The story it tells is also touching and nuanced, told through a lead character that has become a standout. Silksong is a game that nails nearly everything it attempts, and a sequel that was absolutely worth the wait.
Runner-Up – Blue Prince
It’s easy to underestimate Blue Prince. In fact, it’s easy to reach the credits, play deep into its endgame, and still underestimate just how much is hidden in the shifting halls of the roguelike puzzler. A smart blend of genres that come together to make something not quite like anything else we’ve played before, Blue Prince is one of those singular puzzle games that hooks you hard and then makes you wish you could wipe your mind and play it all over again once you’re finally through. Its only frustration comes in the form of its randomness, but even that is woven in masterfully as a beast that can be tamed with skill, knowledge, and plenty of permanent upgrades. It somehow strikes the same tone as games like Myst, but with the enticing “just one more run” of wildly different all-time contenders like Slay The Spire. That’s a hard line to walk, but Blue Prince strides along it with grace.
Runner-Up – Hades 2
Similar to Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2 had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of an absolute giant. How do you improve on something already so close to perfection? Well, developer Supergiant’s strategy was to go bigger bigger bigger. It doesn’t revolutionize what made the original Hades so incredible, but it does offer a distinctly different flavor of it, and then stuffs that refreshed package full of so many new areas, enemies, systems, and upgrade options that it more than fulfills the role of a true and proper sequel. Melinoë’s journey to kill the titan of time is also a fun twist on a familiar formula, and her moveset and weapon options masterfully shake up the still excellent action without overcomplicating anything – that’s why although it didn’t win the top spot here, it was crowned our best action game of 2025. And, of course, all of that is complimented by the same gorgeous sense of style and hypnotizing soundtrack that helped the first game leave such a lasting mark.
Runner-Up – Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may command the center of the RPG stage in 2025, but overlooking Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dancing right alongside it would be a mistake. This massive medieval adventure could keep you playing well past the 100-hour mark, with tons of stories to unravel and quests to complete. Most notably of all, those tasks come with lots of choices to make that give you a hand in how this tale plays out, as well as the burden of living with the consequences of your actions. We’ve been waiting a long time already for The Elder Scrolls 6, and it seems like we’ll be waiting a long time still, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a phenomenal alternative before that day ever comes – and is far from a consolation prize in the meantime, standing as a very impressive RPG that very well could have been claiming the top spot of many a list in a year that wasn’t dominated by a certain French game…
Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I wouldn’t blame you if you feel like rolling your eyes at the absolute sweep Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has rolled out for award ceremonies across both IGN and the games industry as a whole, but becoming so used to it winning everything from best-ofs to costume contests throughout the month of December doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve to. This distinctly (perhaps even aggressively) French RPG doesn’t really do a ton we haven’t seen elsewhere before, transparently owing loads to the plenty of Japanese-made RPGs that so clearly inspired it – but it does bring together loads of familiar pieces and assembles them in a way that feels fresh and new. The exciting and varied action elements of its turn-based combat, the interesting twist on a post-apocalyptic plot, and the powerhouse strength of the ensemble cast fueling the heart of it all. Add to all this that it’s come from a brand new developer that clearly understands how to punch above its weight – not to mention it came out of the gate swinging with a PC version that didn’t require frantic post-launch patching to be optimized – and it’s not hard to understand why Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is our winner for Best PC Game of 2025.
Got a different pick? Tell us what your favourite PC game of 2025 was in the comments! For more IGN awards, you can check them all out in one place here, including our picks for the best Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo games of the year.
