There is a solution to this, and ironically, Blizzard has had it in place in the Diablo series for years. Just make a main, non-seasonal "Eternal Realm" progression mode alongside the seasonal characters. I have a feeling Chief Rebel might make this concession in the future, but it might not be before my friends and I are long gone.

At this point, I’ve played more roguelike deckbuilders than I can remember. That’s not a bad thing, because when they’re good they can offer some of the most satisfying gameplay. And if they’re great, they can even dominate video game discourse. That margin between good and great is probably slimmer than I, as an outsider, can really understand. The Spirit Lift doesn’t manage to bridge the gap, but it brings some unique vibes and solid but formulaic execution.

Screenshot: Cairn We are, seemingly, in the middle of a climbing game renaissance. Following the meditative flow of Jusant  in 2023 and the high-stakes co-op of 2025’s Peak , Cairn  arrives to offer yet another distinct perspective on the ascent. These games aren’t just copying each other; instead, they focus on vastly different aspects of the vertical journey. Developer The Game Bakers describes Cairn  as a “realistic simulation.” It’s not a simulation in a funny Goat Simula

MIO comes agonizingly close to being an early Game of the Year contender for me. If not for a few hostile design decisions, it would likely make my "Best of 2026" list. If you are a die-hard fan of Metroidvanias with patience to spare, definitely check out MIO: Memories in Orbit. For everyone else, be warned: this beautiful machine has sharp edges.

When Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally did hit store shelves, its negative buzz kept me away. Did I really want to ruin my mental image of Samus and the Metroid series with annoying Federation NPC allies and a useless open world? I mean, look at the damage Other M did to the Metroid series. The early buzz practically made it sound like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be the last Metroid game we’ll see in a while–and probably the last Prime game ever.

It started with an email that asked (as many have before it): Will we be seeing you at CES? Why, no. I don’t go to CES. Travel is expensive. But I always wanted to do CES, and a little voice in my head wouldn’t let it go. So I boarded a plane to Vegas, and despite its popular tourism slogan what happens in CES is written about by every major publication that covers technology or anything tech adjacent.

It’s been a crazy rollercoaster for Hytale. This Minecraft-meets-RPG style game was declared dead in June 2025, when Riot Games dissolved the studio. Despite its trailer on YouTube getting 60+ million views, Hytale has been mired by changes in focus during development, and eventually stalled out altogether. Then, in November of last year, original founder Simon Collins-Laflamme bought the rights back from Riot Games to save the project he started.

StarRupture takes the automation base building concept and throws it into a world that’s fun to explore. The extra layer of lore has made me really invested. That being said, the Early Access roadmap promises more wildlife, new buildings, new locations and points of interest and much more, including new exploration mechanics.

Listen, we've been through the Game Awards, we've seen the announcements, and we've perhaps even finally gotten some new gear for Christmas to work with in the New Year. It's cold (maybe? Sometimes?) and, if you're anything like us, you're out of money to go out. What's that mean? Well, it's a great time to go back and play some of the best games of 2025 you just didn't have time to. We're choosing our favorites while we gear up for what's to come in 2026

Fractured Utopias fleshes out the sandbox and adds some fantastic faction mechanics, but it double-downs on the macro-scale detachment. It’s a warm spot in an icy game, but don’t expect it to melt the barrier between you and your subjects.

Nostalgia isn’t new, and neither is blatant nostalgia bait. I’m actually okay with it though, especially since I’m the target of this one. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was seminal to my childhood cultural appreciation. I saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day  in the theater as many times as I could convince my parents to let me go, and later rented Terminator on VHS to see where it all started.

here I am getting bogged down in genre discussions when I should be talking about The Berlin Apartment specifically. You can see I’m avoiding it. I feel like I’m going to beat up a cute little puppy that really doesn’t deserve it. I won’t be that harsh, but there’s a part of me that really wants to be.

Another Game Awards has come and gone–and with it an amount of cringe and commercialization that wouldn’t fly with other award shows. But it's also the best place to see all of the cool upcoming games in one place. Here’s a list of games that were announced or featured at The Game Awards that we’re most excited about:

My first impressions of Cloudheim when I saw it was: “Hot damn! What a cool looking game.” While it leans towards a more anime/gacha visual style (not really my thing) I can’t deny how gorgeous it looked in screenshots. It reminded me a bit of Genshin Impact x Legend of Zelda , with creature designs that could be something out of Studio Ghibli. However, games aren’t just as good as their visuals, and Cloudheim definitely has potential. But I can’t help but feel like Cloudhei

I have to admit that I’m hooked on Escape Simulator. So, obviously, I jumped at the chance to play a sequel. And if you’re asking, “Did Escape Simulator really need a sequel?” The answer is: the developers certainly thought so. In fact, their Steam store page lays out their reasons, among them “a fresh start” and an inspiration to “explore darker escape room themes and experiment with new gameplay and puzzle ideas.”  That sounds great to me.

Absolum is one of my games of the year. I have a feeling it's slipping under the radar a bit, but I hope it’s successful enough that Dotemu keeps working on these new IPs, because their first truly novel offering in a long time is an absolute gem. 

Gamescom Opening Night Live was just foisted upon us, and with it, Geoff Keighley has again made himself the figurehead for all things gaming events. He uses these events to have mini-E3 Summer Game Fest type announcements and this three hour show was no exception. As such, here are our favorite big announcements from Gamescom Opening Night Live.

Fan Expo Chicago 2025 was one for the record books, with a fantastic guest list and a lot of exciting things to do. One of the highlights of the con came when we had a chance to interview some of the cast of Aliens, who we'd had the pleasure of seeing together in their Friday panel. For this task, we enlisted Antal Bokor, our managing editor, a combat veteran, and a lifelong fan of Aliens, to take on the task of interviewing people who quite literally influenced all of ou

The Re-Strandening Or Beach’s Revenge Straight out of the brain of Hideo Kojima comes the sequel to 2015's first ever “Strand” game. In...