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It’s time for our annual countdown to award the very best games this year had to offer. Over the next ten days, we’ll count down our top ten games of 2025.
As always, the votes of each Press Start team member, weighted from #10 through to #1, were collated to compile our collective very best for the year that was. Games worthy of one’s top spot would be awarded a maximum of 10 points, and the values would descend to their tenth selection, which would receive a single point.
The first Hades is seen by many to be the catalyst for the industry’s seismic shift towards roguelikes, as every man and his dog plied the procedural and random nature of the sub-genre to almost any conceivable context. The streets know it wasn’t the first roguelike, of course, but it’s undoubtedly one of the most prolific and successful, going so far as to convince developer Supergiant to develop a direct sequel to the game, which isn’t something they’d considered for any of their previous works.
Like the first Hades, which finished midway through our Game of the Year rankings in its year, this dungeon-crawling follow-up also launched into early access, at which point Harry declared that it “paints a promising picture of an ambitious and content-rich sequel that surpasses the original in every way.”
The game would, of course, eventually launch its 1.0 on PC and Nintendo Switch 2, where it still enjoys console exclusivity. It boasts sharper writing, far deeper combat systems, and a level of replayability that its contemporaries could only dream of. Even if Supergiant opts against a third visit to the underworld, the Hades duology has been a special pair of games that, like so many great modern texts, has recontextualised the Greek gods and their myths for a whole new audience.
Ewan Says
“Stylish art, a banging soundtrack, and addictive roguelike game design combine to make the triumphant Hades II. Inspiring countless others, Supergiant has somehow outdone themselves and delivered a true sequel that improves upon the original without losing what made it special.
Beyond near-flawless combat, the game is full of charismatic characters, extensive world-building, and rewarding progression.”
In our review, James scored Hades II a 9.5 out of 10, stating:
“Hades II is bigger and bolder than the original Hades. It’s another adventure that will no doubt see players happy to welcome Melinoë and her unique moveset to the Hades family with open arms. It ambitiously but successfully doubles the content offering without sacrificing any of the quality we’ve come to know Supergiant for.
And while it’s a different beast to the original Hades, Hades II builds such a strong identity for itself that it stands strongly beside its predecessor in ways you’d never expect.”
On the review aggregator Metacritic, Hades 2 is resting at an average of 95.
Congratulations to Supergiant for earning a place in our top ten for 2025.
Game of the Year 2025
#5 – Hades 2
