Hidden Gems of 2025 | No Video Game Left Behind

2025 was stuffed with more fantastic games than I was stuffed with fantastic food on Christmas Day! So many great games, in fact, that whittling them down to a group Top 10 was a heartbreaking task. To mend some of that heartache, we’ve assembled this here appreciation article, dedicated to the games that, as individuals, we loved but didn’t quite get the votes to make it into our communal Top 10.

Have a read of QD’s Top 10 Games of 2025 if you haven’t already.

Shaun:

Absolum

Genre experiment Absolum combines side-scrolling, beat ‘em up action with roguelite elements, and wraps it in a graphic novel art-style that pops with colour. It’s the sort of game that has you convincing yourself to do “just one more run” when you’re playing, and when you’re not, you’re dreaming about your next session; what character to use, which powers and items to combine, and wondering how far your next build will take you.

You pick one of four playable characters and set off through a hostile fantasy world to defeat the tyrannical Sun King, kicking his minions’ asses along the way. When you die you start over but with the opportunity to power-up and unlock new skills and items. Your actions can affect the world around you and there are side-stories that take place over the course of multiple runs. Combat is super satisfying too; juggling groups of enemies in the air, side-stepping projectiles, parrying attacks, and activating special moves to control the flow of the fight.

Absolum was a personal favourite of mine last year delivering kick-ass gameplay, fantastic characters, an enthralling fantasy world, and almost endless replayability. I’m gunning for some DLC or a sequel to expand the world even further, and can only hope that other developers take on this hybrid-genre, now that Dotemu have shown it can be done!

Promise Mascot Agency

Promise Mascot Agency is one of the most bonkers games I’ve ever played. It combines a quirky business sim, with open-world driving, and a Yakuza-style storyline! But that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the weirdness.

You play as a tattooed Yakuza enforcer (voiced by the same actor as Yakuzas’ Kazuma Kiryu!), put in charge of running a mascot agency and sending the misfit employees on promotional jobs. But the mascots aren’t just people in costume, they’re supernatural Yōkai! From a giant severed pinky finger with a foul mouth, to a human-sized block of depressed tofu, and a seductive ex-call girl Tetris-block, it’s the many eccentric characters that really make the game shine.

Your goal is to rebuild the mascot business and send profits back to your struggling family, while thwarting the corrupt town mayor, investigating a Yakuza curse, and helping your weirdo mates achieve their dreams. In your souped-up little Kei truck, you boost around the island, hitting stunt jumps and marvelling at the batshit crazy physics; all the while keeping a lookout for new mascots to recruit, new jobs to send them on, and new opportunities to invest in the local community.

Kaizen Game Works have expertly mashed genres in Promise Mascot Agency, and stuffed it with Japanese culture, slapstick humour, and a surprisingly gripping story.

Sonia:

Two Point Museum

Two Point Museum was one of my highest-rated games of last year, and for good reason. Between the base game and its DLC, I’ve sunk nearly 100 hours into expeditions, exhibit building, and keeping ‘Buzz levels’ high for my museum guests. To say I was addicted would be an understatement.

Two Point Museum takes the tried-and-tested formula of Two Point Hospital, and makes it feel fresh again with new mechanics that give the game its own identity and that extra bit of oomph it needed. What really cinched it for me was the variety of museum themes. Getting bored of fossils and skeletons? No problem, head to Wailon Lodge — the supernatural museum — and start catching ghosts instead. In the mood for something more puzzle-focused? Pebberley Heights — the space museum — has you covered.

I’m also not usually one to dive into DLCs, but the Zooseum expansion genuinely adds something new. With a fresh map and an entirely different theme, it meaningfully expands on the base game rather than just padding it out. It’s easily one of my favourite games of 2025, and even if it didn’t crack our group Top 10, it’s a standout I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I can’t wait to see what Two Point Studios does next

Elena:

PEAK

I did not expect to like this game as much as I did. As someone who casually goes bouldering, and has a chronic fear of heights, this game changed me. PEAK is an absolute emotional rollercoaster. One minute you’ll feel like everything is under control, the next you’re praying you’ll make it through the deadly fog with nothing but scout cookies and the hopes and dreams of your fallen comrades. One thing’s for sure though, your resolve (and friendship) better be sturdier than the mountain you’re climbing.

I have been blown apart by mines, broken every single bone in my body and even volunteered to be left behind so the party could make it to the summit. My heart was literally pounding in every run. And yet, Team PEAK has done an excellent job at making me enjoy and even adore a sport that I am not built for in the real world.

Tiny Bookshop

I am a bookworm who has daydreamed about upending my life more than once to run a bookstore. Tiny Bookshop let me live out this fantasy, and it was everything I hoped it would be. The narrative is delightful and the world is vibrant, with characters so charming, it’s hard to refuse helping them. It’s also the perfect game to play casually in short bursts.

Though my favourite part of Tiny Bookshop was successfully sharing book recommendations with the NPCs… I just felt so heard! I’ve come away from the game with an even greater appreciation of all the books out there (and with an even bigger reading list).

Rivers:

Baby Steps

Baby Steps is built around a punishing central gameplay mechanic: the player walks by applying pressure on each controller trigger and using the left and right sticks to precisely move the respective leg around. Unleashed on a sprawling open world, the protagonist Nate has to climb to higher and higher goals, often tumbling down enormous cliff faces along the way.

While this sounds goofy and frustrating, there’s a lot of clever design choices that elevate this game to something special. The world design is immaculate, making failure satisfying by landing you in unexplored areas, encouraging further exploration. You can’t stray too far without finding new and unusual discoveries. And when you’re stuck in one spot, there’s often an alternate path where you might find greater success.

While the improvised cutscenes are often crudely hilarious, the story tackles themes of trauma, social anxiety and toxic masculinity in surprisingly touching ways. Above all else, powering through the challenge of Baby Steps provides an immense feeling of satisfaction that is hard to match.

Tim:

The Berlin Apartment

Some games shout their themes at you; The Berlin Apartment hides theirs behind old peeling wallpaper for you to uncover — quite literally. You uncover small, human stories set across decades of life in the same single apartment, from pre-World War II Berlin to fighting censorship in 1967. It’s a quiet game that does a lot with small moments.

It’s cosy, melancholy, and quietly devastating at times — helped along by hand-drawn visuals, tactile interactions, and fantastic writing. btf Games has crafted a game that has you sitting with history, not just teaching it, and its honest, human stories stayed with me long after I finished.

Anno 117: Pax Romana

Anno 117: Pax Romana is very dangerous if you value your time. It’s the type of game you boot up for “half an hour” and suddenly it’s tomorrow. It takes the classic Anno recipe — turning tiny settlement into sprawling economic machine, with a side of warfare — and drops it into ancient Rome. And if you’re like me, where the Roman Empire… Is your ‘Roman Empire’, this is city-building nirvana.

The economic management is complex but never overbearing, with enough detail and depth to easily eat hundreds of hours. I especially loved the dual Roman-Celtic settlement focus. Anno 117: Pax Romana is intricate, absorbing, and stupidly addictive.

Julian:

Keeper

Keeper is one of those little games that feels particularly special to me, mainly due to no one I know having played it — which is a real shame. Perhaps it’s the premise: A lighthouse grows legs and sets off on a wondrous journey through a bizarre land. What’s not to like?

It does it all without dialogue, Keeper’s moving story is told through the emotions of a lightbulb and his bird companion. A slow light blink, a soft squeak — the little things carry the player through the narrative. As the game moves forward, so does its mechanics. While you may start as a lighthouse with legs, learning to walk, you finish as something far more spectacular. Saying more would just spoil the journey.

Developers Double Fine have produced a work of art with Keeper, one that I’d die on hill for. Please play this game.

Dan:

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

“Hidden gem” is a phrase that gets thrown around far too easily, but Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time genuinely earns the title. The game absolutely lives up to its name, happily stealing my time for all the right reasons. Between a charming main story, a sprawling open region designed for levelling and experimentation, and a cosy island you can shape into your own little haven, there is an almost ridiculous amount to do. I loved the freedom to play at my own pace, whether that meant pushing the narrative forward or heading off to the vast continent of Ginormosia to tackle challenges and grow stronger.

That flexibility really shines through its 14 unique ‘Lives’, each acting like a different character build. From familiar roles like Warrior to delightfully odd picks like Artist, switching lives changes how you explore, fight, solve puzzles, and interact with the world. Being able to swap on the fly keeps everything feeling fresh and inviting rather than restrictive. For a cosy player like me, this was dangerously moreish stuff, and a game I can happily recommend. Go on, let the girl steal your time too.

Misc. A Tiny Tale

If I had to pick a game that truly left its mark on me in 2025, it would easily be Misc. A Tiny Tale. This gorgeous indie 3D platformer follows Buddy, a tiny robot, and his loyal pal Bag Boy as they set out to help their villages recover after a mysterious explosion. From the outset, it is bursting with warmth, charm, and a sense of purpose that quietly pulls you in.

At its core, Misc. A Tiny Tale is a collectathon fan’s dream. Each level is packed with Golden Cogs to track down, rubbish to vacuum up, and trinkets tucked away in every corner of its garden-sized world. The Chibi-Robo inspiration is clear, but Buddy soon proves he is more than just an homage. Jumping, gliding with his propeller, and even breaking into a dance, this tiny bot has a surprising amount of personality and playful ability.

What caught me off guard most was the heartfelt narrative. Alongside moments of pure joy were scenes that genuinely had me reaching for tissues. The story carries real emotional weight, and it was the driving force that kept me pushing forward. If you are looking for a standout 3D platformer, this is one you should not skip. A tiny hero, sure, but a game with a truly big heart.