The point of an honorable mention is exactly that, to be a quick mention. When it comes to video game top 10s, the honorable mentions are meant to be a way to briefly remark on a very good game that missed the cut, and then move on from there.
But I refuse to do that.
Video games are so incredible now that many games that miss my top 10 would have easily made the list in years past. Because of that, it feels wrong for me to just cast these games aside and give them a quick sentence or two. Thus, for the second straight year, I’m doing a post exclusively for my honorable mentions.
These are all games that I thought were absolutely tremendous (I gave one game on here a 9/10), but in the crowded year that was 2025, they just weren’t quite good enough.
With that, let’s get to nine games that I loved this year, but that sadly could not make the prestigious “Big Nerd Gaming Top 10 Games Of 2025.” Tune in a few weeks from now for the top 10, which I’m putting off as long as possible because of a late entry from a game I’m currently playing.
If you want more detailed thoughts, I linked to my reviews of each game in the titles.
I’m pretty shocked that Ball x Pit made it even to this honorable mention list. It’s a brick-breaking roguelite, and there were tons of opportunities for the formula to get stale, as this is not exactly the kind of game that is usually brimming with depth. Frankly, there were a few times where I felt like I was close to putting it down, but each time I’d get to that point, I’d either unlock a new feature or a new character that gave the game life all over again. This game is defined by its relentless creativity. Just when you think you’ve seen all the game has to offer, it finds a way to surprise you all over again. That creativity doesn’t always work out perfectly. I don’t care for the very unique citybuilding mechanic, for example. Yet I still respect it, because it’s truly impressive how hard they went for it in pretty much every way.
On one hand, I feel like it’d be impossible to do much more with this formula, so I hope the developer goes a different route for their next game. But also, I can’t rule out that they really might be able to make a Ball x Pit 2 even better with all of the big ideas they clearly have. This one was a lot of fun.
Citizen Sleeper 2 takes everything that made the first game great and expands upon it. That’s usually a winning formula when a game is awesome. Citizen Sleeper 2 still has the same sharp writing, addictive dice mechanics, and deep themes as the first game. But it takes its exploration and dice systems to another level by greatly expanding the universe you can explore. The new big “missions” the game has are very tense, and the game tackles existential and economic topics with so much grace. If you liked the first game, this one is a no brainer.
I do wish the onboarding in the game were a bit better. I didn’t fully understand some of the new systems in the game and ended up completely ruining my initial run after a few hours. But I enjoyed the game so much that I was willing to restart and replay those first few hours. This is something I usually would hate doing in video games, but Citizen Sleeper 2 was so intoxicating that I had to power through and see what happened. And I’m very glad I did.
There aren’t many AAA franchises that I respect more than DOOM right now. It’s not even necessarily my absolute favorite series, as this game doesn’t crack the top 10 this year, but there aren’t many developers out there willing to upend their entire formula with each new game instead of coasting off what they have done.
DOOM: The Dark Ages might be the boldest of all three DOOM games. Its “stand and fight” approach is a huge shift from DOOM and an even more massive shift from Eternal. But honestly, I will gladly take parries and the shield thrust over dashes any day. The Dark Ages might have my favorite core formula of any of the three modern DOOM games. All of the new elements in the game feel so good. I only think the game is held back a bit by less inspired level design and systems that don’t require you to use all of your weapons the way past DOOM games did. But if you want a rock solid single player FPS, The Dark Ages was easily my favorite of the past several years.
When I think about the point and click genre, I mostly associate it with games that I’d consider to be fun and pleasant. The Drifter boldly takes this formula and tries to make something significantly more thrilling and exciting. It’s not quite like any game in this genre that I’ve played before, and that’s the best part about it.
In addition to many tense and cinematic moments, The Drifter also blends sci-fi and horror in some very cool ways. It constantly had me on the edge of my seat. Somehow, each chapter would end with a cliffhanger or big moment that would make me gasp. The storytelling is masterful, as are the visuals, music, and especially the voice acting. Outside of a few puzzle solving elements that bugged me, The Drifter pretty much knocks it out of the park. Even if you aren’t really a fan of point and click adventures, I think this is the one that can win you over.
I was very skeptical about Eriksholm when several friends started highly recommending it. I love stealth, but a game that was purely built around it felt like it would get boring to me. I like my stealth games to have a bit of action to mix things up. I don’t always want to be forced into insta-fail stealth scenarios.
But it turned out that I had nothing to fear from this game. That is mostly because Eriksholm is only partially a stealth game. In reality, it’s more like a puzzle game with a stealth framework, and it’s a combination that works wonderfully. Basically, each scenario in Eriksholm only has one solution, and it’s so fun to poke around with different abilities and figure out how to get through each area. There are also a few spots that feel closer to a traditional stealth game, which keeps things fresh.
The game also has a really solid story, with excellent characters that I really cared about. Our two main characters, Hanna and Alva, have the most chemistry of any two characters in a video game this year, in my opinion. The way that they constantly piss each other off but also care about each other is really engaging to watch throughout. This is a game that deserved way more love this year.
This one was a bit of a roller coaster for me. I went from really enjoying the new open world design to burning out on it. The story also hadn’t truly grabbed me about a third of the way into the game. I was seriously considering dropping it, but a friend inspired me to at least see a specific arc through. Sure enough, the Kitsune arc suddenly had me completely engaged with the story, and I ended up pretty much mainlining the game to see it through to the end. It’s a very cool journey that excels in so many ways. You will see this game in many categories in my upcoming “BigNerdGaming Awards.”
Of course, I still had some issues, which is why the game isn’t in my top 10, but I consider this a very sizable step up from Ghost of Tsushima in many ways. Sucker Punch should be proud of their efforts. They somehow made a revenge tale feel fresh and interesting in a way they almost never are for me.
The Seance of Blake Manor feels like a supernatural version of Knives Out, combined with Rise of the Golden Idol and a dash of Blue Prince. It leads to a detective experience that doesn’t quite feel like anything else out there.
Blake Manor rewards thorough exploration as you search through an old manor to dig up secrets on everyone in the manor to figure out who abducted a missing person. It is beyond satisfying to continue to obtain info and slowly cross out one suspect after another until you reach your final conclusion. As much fun as being a detective is, the game’s secret sauce is its story, which is consistently compelling. It has some great twists and uses its supernatural elements to great effect. There are also dozens of individual character arcs that were way more interesting than I anticipated. If you want to play a game released in 2025 where you explore a mansion, uncover mysteries, and deal with a time mechanic, there’s one clear choice, and it is The Seance of Blake Manor (teehee).
Shinobi is a well rounded game that performs pretty well in nearly every category. Its combat allows you to chain tons of combos together, but does so in a way that even appeals to someone like me, who isn’t usually big on that. The art and animations are excellent, the level design is well done, and I actually really enjoy the way they essentially created a series of smaller Metroidvania levels instead of one big one. I don’t think it’s something I’d like to see all the time, but it’s different, and they make it work.
There are a few flaws, but this is one of those video games where, even though it’s not among my very best from this year, I’d be shocked to find anyone who outright doesn’t like it and is into these genres. It is just so polished in every way. There is something for any action/Metroidvania fan here.
Any game that makes it to this list should feel honored, in my view, but Wanderstop might be the one game that should be offended. I gave this game a 9/10, and it was in my top 10 since March, and yet it fell off my top 10 in literally the past week. So close! But don’t let that take away from how awesome this game is.
Frankly, it’s shocking that Wanderstop is here in the first place. This is a game about relaxing and making tea for patrons. There’s no business to manage. There’s no real urgency about anything. It’s a game that lets you play completely at your own pace. That doesn’t usually click with someone like me, as I tend to be more goal-oriented. But Wanderstop somehow makes it work. The tea making is just complex enough where I was able to stay engaged with the systems, and the story and themes are both presented wonderfully.
I think, more than anything, this game succeeds because it is genuinely good at everything. The story is strong, the visuals are lovely, and the music is great. It also has one of my favorite characters of the year in Boro and some excellent writing throughout. Wanderstop is such a well polished package in every regard that even if it isn’t the kind of game you would usually play, I think almost anyone can find something to enjoy here. As someone who rarely likes to take a deep breath and do nothing, me saying that should mean a lot.
Coming later this week: my top 20 moments of 2025!
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