2025 has been a great year for gaming. When Grand Theft Auto VI shifted into 2026, people feared we’d be getting nothing special this year, but instead we’ve got a great showcase of how gaming can be tremendous even without some of its biggest franchises firing on all cylinders. You’ve already heard about the year’s best, and next week we’ll be deciding our official winners in our Game of the Year categories, but right now it’s time to talk about the less-appreciated games of the year. Titles that might have reviewed well and even found a decent community, but have not had the blockbuster success of a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong or Hades II. There are countless games that could have made the list, but here are five we thought deserved another look.
5. Digimon Story: Time Stranger
We were admittedly quite harsh in our network review of Digimon Story: Time Stranger. I’m never one to go against another writer, but gaming is a subjective medium, and so I will say that even if it doesn’t offer great enjoyment for some, this is a satisfying creature collector for others that proves this genre can thrive without monsters in our pockets. Digimon Story: Time Stranger has a bit of an older edge to it, allowing the story to be more engaging to nostalgic fans while also giving them all their favourite digital monsters to battle and collect. It already has a strong fanbase and has sold pretty well, but it still feels a bit like it was left by the wayside once Pokémon Legends: Z-A hit the market.
4. Unbeatable
It’s difficult to say whether Unbeatable really counts for an underrated game, considering it just released last week, but this rhythm-based action game should not be left off your radar. Featuring vibrant hand-drawn animations, a rocking soundtrack and intuitive gameplay, Unbeatable helps us finish the year just as strong as we started it. Some cringe dialogue and some lingering bugs may be within it, but these issues can be pretty easily ignored if you stick with what makes Unbeatable an easy entry on this list.
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3. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon has its community out there, which to be honest is true for pretty much every game on this list, but its success did feel dampened by the arrival of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered as well as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. All of those games released before Tainted Grail’s 1.0 launch, but this year simply had too many great RPGs to play. We’re lacking really decent Scrolls-like games, and that’s exactly what Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon offers, with a darker tinge to its world and storytelling. That narrative might fall off a bit towards the end of the game, but if you want to get lost in an immersive fantasy world on these cold winter nights, it might be worth picking up this hidden 2025 gem.
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2. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
The art of the side-scrolling action platformer might almost be lost on mainstream audiences, but Shinobi: Art of Vengeance proves that this subgenre can still thrive given the right games. Its beautiful art style, fast-paced and enjoyable gameplay as well as great boss battles make it a brilliant nod to the past of Shinobi and a great introduction for newcomers. If you’re reeling from Absolum and Hades II and want to punch some more cartoon dudes in the face, then you’ll probably enjoy Shinobi: Art of Vengeance even if it doesn’t have a roguelike mechanic to keep you coming back for one more run.
1. Wildgate
While I’m as sick of the live-service trend as the rest of you, I will go up to bat for games that really try and do something fresh with the genre. Enter Wildgate, a PvPvE shooter from Moonshot Games and Dreamhaven that combines ship combat and first-person shooting. It’s part extraction shooter, part heist game as you search the depths of space for loot and ship parts while combatting other crews. It felt really unique to play and had a really rich sense to its action. Unfortunately, like so many multiplayer games released in the past few years, it hasn’t managed to keep its player base around. Therefore, it’s a bit trickier to recommend than every other title on this list, but definitely feels like it fits the “underrated” category the most. If you’ve got some friends you want to make a crew with and want a shooter that actually plays differently, then Wildgate might be for you.
What games do you think deserve more attention from this year?