We made it to the finish line. 2025 is officially in the books, and if you’re like most gamers, you probably spent the last twelve months debating whether Metroid Prime 4 lived up to the hype or crying over the GTA VI delay.
But while the industry giants were fighting for billboard space, a quiet revolution was happening in the background. Some of the best experiences of the year didn’t have Super Bowl commercials or massive marketing budgets. They were weird, wonderful, and in some cases, surprisingly stressful tea-shop simulators.
If you’re looking for something unique to play during the New Year’s hangover, here are the Top 7 Hidden Gems of 2025 that deserved way more love than they got.
1. The “Game of the Year” Snub: Blue Prince
- Released: April 10, 2025
- Genre: Puzzle Strategy / Roguelike
While everyone was busy with shooters, Blue Prince quietly dropped one of the smartest puzzle games of the decade. You play as an architect exploring a shifting manor, drafting rooms to uncover secrets. It sounds simple, but the “room-drafting” mechanic is a brain-burner.
Why you missed it: It’s a slow-burn architectural mystery, which is a hard sell next to explosions. But critics raved about its atmosphere, calling it a “brain-breaking” masterpiece. If you like feeling like a genius (and then immediately feeling stupid), this is your game.
2. The Weirdest Creature Collector: Morsels
- Released: November 18, 2025
- Genre: Roguelite / Creature Collector
Forget catching cute monsters in balls. Morsels is a gritty, bizarre roguelite where you are a mouse collecting “morsels” – little creatures that you use to fight. Published by Annapurna, it has that distinct, polished indie weirdness that sticks with you.
Why you missed it: It launched late in the year (November), right when the holiday blockbuster season was screaming the loudest. It’s a shame because the art style is grimy and gorgeous in equal measure.
3. The Platformer with Attitude: Shotgun Cop Man
- Released: 2025
- Genre: Action Platformer
This game is exactly what it says on the tin, and it is glorious. The mechanic is brilliant: your character moves slowly, so you have to fire your shotgun in the opposite direction to propel yourself forward.
Why you missed it: It’s an indie platformer with a silly name. But the humor is top-tier – at one point, you confront a mesh-shirt-wearing Satan who flips you off. It’s the kind of pure, unadulterated video game fun that we often forget to appreciate.
4. The Action Fix: Possessor(s)
- Released: November 11, 2025
- Genre: Action Side-Scroller
From Heart Machine (the folks who brought us Hyper Light Drifter), this game is a fast-paced side-scroller set in a quarantined mega-city. You play as Luca and her “less-than-cooperative” counterpart Rhem, balancing ground and air attacks in tight combat.
Why you missed it: It dropped in November, sandwiching it between major releases. But with its “mostly positive” user reviews and stylish aesthetic, it’s a must-play for fans of metroidvanias and precision fighters.
5. The “Cozy” Game That Isn’t: Wanderstop
- Released: March 11, 2025
- Genre: Narrative Sim
On the surface, Wanderstop looks like a cozy tea-shop simulator where you manage inventory and serve customers. But because it’s from the creator of The Stanley Parable, nothing is that simple. It’s actually a narrative deconstruction of the genre, exploring trauma and the inability to sit still.
Why you missed it: The gameplay was “divisive”. People expecting a chill Stardew Valley clone got stressed out, and people wanting a thriller didn’t want to brew tea. But for those who stuck with it, the story was one of the year’s best.
6. The Sequel We Needed: Monster Train 2
- Released: 2025
- Genre: Deckbuilder Strategy
The original Monster Train was a cult hit, and the sequel doubled down on everything. It added more clans, more units, and “Pyre Hearts” that change the strategy of every run. It’s the ultimate “just one more run” game.
Why you missed it: Strategy sequels often fly under the radar unless they reinvent the wheel. Monster Train 2 didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken; it just made the train bigger and the explosions louder.
7. The Nostalgia Trip: Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- Released: February 18, 2025
- Genre: Narrative Adventure
From the team behind Life is Strange, this game takes us back to the summer of 1995. You follow four teenage girls, Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat, as they film their summer and uncover secrets that bind them together.
Why you missed it: It released way back in February, which feels like a decade ago in internet time. Plus, narrative adventure games are a niche genre these days. But if you loved the emotional gut-punch of Don’t Nod’s previous work, this is their best yet.
The Final Verdict
If there is one lesson to take away from 2025, it’s that “bigger” doesn’t always mean “better.” While we all spent months waiting for the triple-A giants to fix their servers or delay their launch dates, these smaller titles were out here delivering pure, finished fun on day one.
So, before you make your New Year’s resolution to finally clear your backlog (we both know that’s not happening), do yourself a favor. Pick up one of these hidden gems.
Here’s to 2026 – may it be filled with fewer delays and even weirder indie games. Happy New Year!
