In 2025, the entertainment world, particularly the games industry, continued to navigate a landscape marked by turmoil, mismanagement, and general confusion. Despite these significant challenges, the year remarkably produced a wealth of genuinely good games. These included innovative new blockbusters from lesser-known studios, intense retro-inspired experiences, and poignant narratives exploring the mysteries and complexities of life. Additionally, the year offered an abundance of action-packed titles, providing players with numerous shooting mechanics and scenarios to enjoy. The A.V. Club highlighted several games that stood out for their impressive quality and entertainment value in this tumultuous year.

Among the top games recognized was "Umamusume: Pretty Derby," available on PC, iOS, and Android, which places a strong emphasis on legacy. This flagship title, part of a franchise centered around races between anime horse-girls (literally "umamusume" in Japanese), meticulously integrates its past. Players starting a new run can select two previous trainees, allowing their proficiencies and skills to be carried forward, ensuring that "Their legacies live on." Each playable racer in the game is based on a real horse, licensed from its owners and reimagined as top athletes with career goals mirroring their real-life counterparts. As a trainer, the player's objective is to guide these horse-girls to achieve their full potential on the racing track. The emotional depth of these stories, such as Nice Nature's inspiring journey from a self-proclaimed "side character" to a winner of multiple top titles, is particularly striking. Despite an acknowledged drawback in its stingy gacha system for unlocking new characters, the game is celebrated for its excellent portrayals of female friendship, Yuri-coded rivalries, and narratives of daughters forging their own paths.

Another significant release was the remastered version of "The Roottrees Are Dead" for PC, a rare example of a truly vital re-release in an era saturated with remasters. Robin Ward's treatment of Jeremy Johnston's brilliant genealogical mystery game successfully enhances the original while rectifying its shortcomings. Notably, the revamp replaces the original itch.io release's AI-generated art with works by actual artists, and it expands and deepens the compelling puzzle of uncovering identities within a complex candy-making empire. The remaster also introduces numerous quality-of-life improvements to the game's fictitious '90s internet interface and includes a new sequel campaign that meticulously upholds the high standards of the original. This commercial version of "The Roottrees Are Dead" exemplifies how a remaster should function: taking an already excellent game and presenting it in an even more refined and improved form. Following these impressive titles, "ENA: Dream BBQ" was also mentioned as a forthcoming release on PC and Mac, indicating further anticipation in the gaming world.