As opposed to ones I didn’t finish, here are the video games that I played to completion in 2025.
This is largely a collection and repost of material from my Bluesky thread — I won’t be adding any additional commentary to the respective text for each game beyond what I wrote at the time. I’m reposting here because, hey, who knows when another social platform will implode, right?
This is also just a (chronological) list of overall games that I played to completion in 2025, not necessarily games that themselves came out in 2025; there are certainly a few of them on the list, but as always, I didn’t quite get to everything I wanted to this year (looking squarely at you, Majima).
The links provided alongside each game are generally to the direct listing of the platform I played on. There are a few outliers for some larger releases where the platform doesn’t really matter, or it just made more sense in my head to give a more general link. Basically: don’t think too hard about it!
Mouthwashing
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2475490/Mouthwashing/
To share any more than this would be too spoilery for what’s otherwise a narrative game. Go in blind if you can. Liked it more than I thought I would; wish I liked it even more. Does its intended aesthetic justice. Glad I checked it out.
LIVE A LIVE
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2014380/LIVE_A_LIVE/
The 1994 SFC RPG HD-2D-ified and officially translated. Dabbled in the fan translation forever ago, but played through two endings here! Another I wish I ended up LOVING, but just really liked. Super impressive for its era. Rad ideas all around.
Little Kitty, Big City
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1177980/Little_Kitty_Big_City/
Grabbed in a recent bundle after hearing about it last year. Super chill and really funny. Goal is just to wander and discover, meet animal friends, and get yourself back home! Played through in just 2 or 3 sessions, did most tasks.
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2366980/Thank_Goodness_Youre_Here/
Came in the same bundle as Little Kitty, Big City; saw it was supposed to be funny and short, so I went for it. So glad I did! Multiple LOL moments for absurdity and clever writing. Short little “adventure” game “helping” in town.
Wind’s Seed
https://lynn.github.io/winds-seed/
A small PC-98 RPG by Compile (yes, of Puyo Puyo). I wanted to get weird lately with fan translations and PC-98 in particular. Dunno that I can RECOMMEND it, but it almost has a Brave/Default system (“Call”), cool music, and great sprites. Glad I tried it!
Azusa 999
A ~3 hour PC-98 game made by a 19 year old in 1997 in RPG Maker. Gonna be thinking about this game for a while. You’ll be tempted to turn the sound off; don’t. You’ll think you know where it’s all going; you (probably) don’t. Kudos to Samuel on the translation/etc.
A Game About Digging A Hole
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3244220/A_Game_About_Digging_A_Hole/
A great $5 podcast game. I think I took almost an extra hour compared to what folks usually take (3 hours total for me). Does exactly what it sets out to do, and you get out of it exactly what you expect you will. Start digging.
Deadpool
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool_(video_game)
I don’t like being told I can’t buy a game anymore (it’s been delisted for years), so I spent the $40 the other day when Amazon randomly had Steam codes available(?). Seven hours later, I finished a perfectly fine “one of those kinds of games”.
Kirby’s Dream Land DX
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/5213/
Pretty sure I bought Kirby at or near launch. I’ve played it countless times over the years since then; it’s basically a 20 minute game for me now. Still love to revisit it every so often. Just a breeze. Love the modern GB colorization scene.
Suikoden I HD Remaster
First played and completed it 14 years ago on its PS3/PSP re-release. Both more and less involved than I remember it, but just as charming. Not heading straight into II next, but psyched to play it when I do. Glad this found new life!
E.V.O.: The Theory of Evolution
https://46okumen.com/projects/e-v-o-the-theory-of-evolution/
Absolutely delightful & whimsical RPG by Enix for the PC-98, tracking across 4.6 billion years. Yes, it’s the game before that SNES game you might know. Wish I could share all of my screenshots, but too many fun spoilers/surprises!
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
https://infinitewealth.sega.com/
Barely did Animal Crossing. Didn’t engage with Pokémon at all. Conflicted on various story beats. Still loved every minute. Takehito Koyasu rules. Only (mostly) spoiler-free (as can be) selfie shares. Back to just a single (main) game behind!
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (Remastered)
https://twitter.com/thedopster/status/1332345549429886979
Also playing the latest Zelda-starring game, but wanted to play the OG. Had a friend w/ CD-i, but never played it. Having played Arzette last year… this ol’ game actually ain’t too bad??? Remaster helps a lot gameplay/QOL-wise.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot | Dragon Ball Daima: Adventure Through the Demon Realm Part 1
https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/dragon-ball-z-kakarot
A simultaneously condensed and fleshed-out speed run through the first 8ish episodes of the series. Is this the best way to experience Daima? Stay tuned to the podcast!
Marvel Snap
After almost three years (playing since launch), I can finally say I “beat” Marvel Snap… which is to say I hit infinite. I never really go out of my way to try (just focusing on missions and general fun), and so I never did… but this Cerebro deck just kept killing it.
Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1392820/Milk_inside_a_bag_of_milk_inside_a_bag_of_milk/
Playing PC-98 games (namely Azusa 999) & some of the heavy 2024 games primed me for checking this out. ~20 minutes total for the couple “endings.” Already one ending into the sequel. Appreciate these being made.
Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604000/Milk_outside_a_bag_of_milk_outside_a_bag_of_milk/
Huge leap in production values over the first game. Gets a little too dreamy and out there for me at points than I can relate to, but thoroughly appreciated. Did a couple endings in a little over an hour.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-switch/
Waited for Switch 2 on the off chance it got a boost… which was the right call. About 25 hours of a nice little adventure. Kinda funneled me toward the end when I had more to do, but that was fine. It was fine. Lots of beds.
Trip World DX
https://limitedrungames.com/collections/all/products/trip-world-dx-gbc
Was introduced to this gem on the JP 3DS Virtual Console. Psyched to see an official colorization from Toruzz. Grabbed the actual GBC cart to play on real hardware (well, Analogue Pocket). Finally got around to it. Cute, short little romp.
Hero of Law
https://newerteam.com/en/hol/index.html
N64 ROM hack that is exactly what you think it is. Completed main case and all extra material. Absolutely delightful writing beginning to end, accompanied by a great soundtrack arrangement. Short and sweet and highly recommended.
Legend of Zelda: Reality Estate
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/9117/
Another N64 ROM hack. A single house with lots of mystery and a specific, very cool item mechanic! Final battle was annoying, but everything else was neat with only a few quirks and caveats. Even I could finish it without a guide!
Azaran: The Demon Bottle
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3895180/Azaran_The_Demon_Bottle/
A nice sub-two-hours Zelda 1-alike, seemingly meant as a prequel to a larger, Ocarina-inspired(?) game coming soon (Azaran: Islands of the Jinn). Some of the block puzzles in the third dungeon were… not how I’d have designed them.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Basically everything I could ask for in this kind of game. I don’t really have anything more to add that you haven’t already heard elsewhere this year. (Doing my best to share spoiler-free-ish screenshots here.)
The Making of Karateka
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1163060/The_Making_of_Karateka/
I missed Karateka (probably too young by a couple years), even though I played a fair bit of Prince of Persia back then. It was delightful to catch up with such a detailed history. The lead-up games and prototypes were fantastic.
Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection
https://atari.com/collections/mortal-kombat-legacy-kollection
To say MK was formative or foundational for me would be to undersell it — have told a few of those stories over the years. Loved all the footage. Want more ports of more games. Want the input lag decreased further (PS5). Online was rough.
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1004640/FINAL_FANTASY_TACTICS__The_Ivalice_Chronicles/
Tried to play this so many times in the past. QOL updates helped. Complicated feelings about it (job unlocks, pacing, so many proper nouns). Time to rewatch the Stormblood raid cutscenes I had no context for.
Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2893570/DRAGON_QUEST_I__II_HD2D_Remake/
“Reimagination” is in its description, and yeah: it’s every bit as much “reimagined” as the upcoming VII remake seems to be. Not gonna lie… this was kind of a bummer to me. Really lost a lot of what makes DQ1 actually DQ1. Hmm.
Dispatch
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592160/Dispatch/
I fell off the Telltale train same as lotsa folks (after the original Walking Dead season), so it was great to hop back in to something similar. Great characters & acting. Enjoyed the dispatch missions & little hacking games. Glad to have played!
Castaway
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2564860/Castaway/
I’m legally obligated to play any Link’s Awakening alikes. Main game is a 30-45 minute, three-short-dungeon romp. Then there’s a 100 floor tower of small challenge rooms. Regularly on sale. Perfectly cromulent. Want to see them tackle bigger scope.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/marvels-spider-man-2/
I kept thinking “this is a very expensive game” the entire time. These are probably the closest to mainstream “big games” that I play…? I liked it plenty! Maybe a little long in the tooth, but still a fun romp beginning to end.
Hypogea
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2980260/Hypogea/
A delightful short adventure game with a pole-vaulting robot looking for batteries. Some finicky controls in places, but quick respawns, no real penalties, collectables, interesting environments, a dash of melancholy… highly recommended.
Exciting Milk
https://baba-jpc.neocities.org/translations/milk/milk
Back on my PC-98 bullshit. A VERY SHORT two-episode (unfinished after that) 1996-1997 visual novel with a neat premise about time travel, the environment, & animal monsters. Unbelievable animation for the platform. Studio Live in the credits!
despelote
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2367820/despelote/
Rad, chill, two-hour, super personal autobiographical game experience about Ecuador and their journey to the World Cup in 2002. I won “that” match, and (it being historically accurate) pretty sure I found the blurred Goku in “that” place.
Horses
https://www.gog.com/en/game/horses
The short game at the center of a larger convo about gaming, art, commerce, rights, & a whole lot more. It’s a shame the game doesn’t even remotely live up to BEING at the center of it, but hey (is for horses), whatever. I’m not your best guy for this commentary.
and Roger
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3308870/and_Roger/
I wanted something short. Saw this making the rounds in the Steam sale recommendations. Go into it blind, they said. Don’t read up on it, they said. Just play it, they said. Well, I did. I recommend the same to you! (Tough on controller at times.)
Dragon Ruins II
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3293490/Dragon_Ruins_II/
Just under the wire! Every run complete. Literally been playing “all year” (started in January, paused… and just finished 😂). First game was one of my favorites last year. Huge sequel upgrade. Maybe a little long in the tooth? But great!
What stands out the most to me as I look back through the list is just how many games I played in 2025 (at least it feels like “a lot to me?!), and more specifically, how many “short” games I played. This was a carry-over from 2024, where this trend began courtesy of the Steam Deck. What’s even more interesting to me is just how much I played the Steam Deck docked in 2025 compared to 2024!
I’m a huge fan of portable gaming, but also the hybrid approach: I loved my Super Game Boy, and I likewise got a good amount of use out of the Gamecube’s Game Boy Player. The desire to drop in and out of portable and big-screen with the same game is kinda coded into my DNA. I think it’s funny how I did a lot less of this with the Nintendo Switch than I did compared to those earlier options, and then compared to the Steam Deck, even when the Steam Deck is far less seamless about docking and undocking while active compared to the Switch. I think it’s just the combination of actual games available, the usual boon of how cheap stuff is on PC, and how comfortable the Steam Deck is compared to holding a Switch (which I’ve corrected for Switch 2 with the respective new ZenGrip).
Another change I made for 2025 was keeping a running list on my phone of my actually-intending-to-play backlog, with accompanying projected gameplay lengths. This really let me plan out a good rotation of short games, longer games, looking ahead to critical new releases, and so on and so forth. It wasn’t perfect, but it was great for catching things before they fell through the cracks.
As always, there’s a bunch of stuff I wish I got to during the year, and specifically games from 2024-2025. It really feels like we’re in (another?) golden era of indie games, and they’re the ones giving me some of my favorite experiences.
It’s hard to say what’s going to come first/next in 2026 (well, spoilers: I started Demonschool in December and I’ll be wrapping that up soon!), but I expect we’ll see some second-halves of games released and played here in 2025, along with the aforementioned catch-up on 2024 and 2025 indie games. These days I like to keep myself no more than a single mainline game behind in the Like a Dragon series, so I’ll be back in Hawaii very soon. I also meant to play Alan Wake 2 this year, so that’s certainly on the priority list. Will I finally get around to Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin…? Speaking of Final Fantasy, the final patches for the Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail expansion will release this year, so the 8.0 anticipation will… certainly be something. Will I be back on my PC-98 bullshit? Almost certainly!
What’s frustrating and difficult to think about is, when you consider the state of the gaming industry right now, it’s actually never been a better time to play games… provided you don’t mind (or, rather, enjoy!) playing anything and everything from across time. The fan translation scene really expands that all even further, nevermind the prety incredible hacks like full-on game conversions and even “just” Game Boy colorizations. I’m psyched to see what games I end up playing next year that weren’t even on my radar to begin with.
Let’s wrap things up with some random awards:
- BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT — Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake
- MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE — Hypogea
- BEST GAME THAT CAME OUT IN 2024 THAT I PLAYED IN 2025 — Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- BEST GAME THAT CAME OUT IN 2025 — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- STILL ACTIVELY PLAYING SO IT COULDN’T MAKE THIS LIST BUT WOULD HAVE — Demonschool
- BEST GAME THAT I PLAYED IN 2025 — E.V.O.: The Theory of Evolution
In conclusion: PARRY IT!
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