Getting asked to do a top ten list for Giant Bomb was not on my 2025 bingo card, but to be fair, neither was losing my corporate job, which has given me back so much time and mental bandwidth to be able to post and talk about video games again (mostly over on Remap lately). I’m so happy GB reached out for my list, and so stoked to be sitting in front of my computer on day ten of a strep throat/flu combo, deep in what can only be described as a brain-fog flow state, writing my silly little list to share with y’all. I wish top 10 lists happened in January or games stopped coming out after November each year. But I digress.
10. Peak
It wouldn’t be a true Danika list without mentioning at least one game where you get together with your friends and go ape shit. Is there a goal in Peak? Well, yes. Does it matter? Well, not really, because what actually matters is the journey. What matters is the fun you have, the frustrations you face, and the mistakes you and your friends make along the way. I genuinely think friendslop, and yes, I’ve come around on the term friendslop, has the power to bring us closer as people who play video games. Peak is only at number nine on my list because I’m not better at it, and being a flawed person is a hard thing. I will strive to jump further, grab harder, and climb longer in 2026.
9. Sol Cesto
I keep getting mad at people when I ask if they’ve played Sol Cesto and they say no, especially if they’re a roguelike sicko, and so many people have said no. I’m blaming it on the fact that the game is still in early access, but I really need more people to play this game. PLEASE. The art is gorgeous, the gameplay is just challenging enough, and it’s my number one relaxing-with-my-Steam Deck game right now, which prior to this was Balatro, and prior to that was Slay the Spire. The devs also just released an update earlier in December, so there’s even more content than before! Does that entice you, reader?
8. Lumines Arise
Man, I suck at this game. But it made me cry. And sometimes that’s enough.
7. Elden Ring Nightreign
I am shocked by how high on my list Nightreign is. I am basically a toddler on the edge of a tantrum anytime I have to rely on a video game map while some kind of you-will-die timer is ticking down. I fully crumble under the pressure. I forget how to use a controller, I forget how to talk, I hear the devil on my shoulder telling me to power my computer down immediately. I can pinpoint one singular reason why NIGHTREIGN worked for me and why I love the game so much, and that reason is my wonderful friend Elly. Elly is goated at video games, and Nightreign is no exception. I made the choice early on to only play this game if Elly was in my party, and I’ve beaten every boss and felt like a million bucks after entirely because I was able to comfortably follow my friend around and ask questions to get a better understanding of the gameplay. I still need to play the DLC, and you can bet your ass I won’t play without Elly!
6. Squeakross: Home Squeak Home
Picross meets Animal Crossing, need I say more? You get to design your own rat and level up their pad by solving puzzles. I feel like I don’t need to say more. Just trust me, it’s great.
5. Blue Prince
I genuinely feel like Blue Prince changed my outlook on puzzle games. I’m notorious for rage-quitting when I can’t solve a puzzle, but everything about Blue Prince made it impossible for me to do that. I couldn’t close the game without finishing a run, and I couldn’t consider a run finished unless I made it through most of the house, if not all. Every time I solved the parlor puzzle, I felt like a genius. Maybe I am a genius? Anyway, awesome game.
4. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Adding this game to my list less than 24 hours before my list gets published because I fucked up and waited way too long to play it. WHY.. WHY did I do this to myself? I love to rob myself of shared experiences because I get easily turned off by a thing when there is a ton of hype around it. It’s not my first time and it won’t be my last, but starting this game late is really making me rethink my aversion to hype! I am absolutely loving Clair Obscur. Everything about it. That’s pretty much all I can say.
3. Road to Empress I
OKAYYYYY, LET’S GO! I am a huge fan of Chinese dramas, primarily historical ones, so I am no stranger to palace intrigue, and Road to Empress scratches every itch. Harem scandal, succession sabotage, poisonous osmanthus soup, and at the heart of it all is a girl just trying to get by as a Cairen to the emperor. While this game is pretty linear and ultimately leads you to one singular end, there are so many possible scenarios that can play out for every single decision you make. It’s so funny, and it makes for a really good time, especially if you’re playing through it with Patrick Klepek and Rob Zacny like I did. Fun fact - after finishing Road to Empress, the director immediately went on to direct Love in the Clouds, one of the most successful Chinese dramas of 2025!
2. Promise Mascot Agency
Why was there not a ton of buzz around this game? I didn’t play Paradise Killer, so I have to apologize to Kaizen Game Works. I was unfamiliar with your game (literally and figuratively). Promise Mascot Agency is the business management sim of my dreams. The main character is voiced by Kiryu’s VA, and also happens to be a hot, tattooed yakuza who is very respectful of the lifestyles of those around him. All you do in this game is drive around in a kei truck while managing a group of mascots. There’s more, of course, but even if that was all I’d been told, I would’ve picked this game up the moment it came out.
1. R.E.P.O.
To me, R.E.P.O. perfectly represents friendslop. It is the friendslop game, and it fucking rules. I got my Steam recap and wasn’t even surprised by the percentage of my overall playtime that this game had. When I play R.E.P.O., the stakes feel so low, and still, getting past an extraction point and beating a level feels absolutely awesome. It’s number one on my list because I’ve had more fun playing R.E.P.O. than any other game I’ve touched all year. I can blame a lot of that on my friends, who are awesome, but it’s also because it just does not feel bad to play, ever. As an entire-life rage-quitter of games and someone who prefers to play almost everything on easy mode, I appreciate the way R.E.P.O. is designed so much. Restarting a run in this game never feels bad. Dying and watching my friends try to survive is never anything but entertaining. Helping people learn how to play feels super rewarding because I know, eventually, they’re going to use those skills to carry the team through the finish line, or not, who cares! R.E.P.O. is going to be a game I play well into 2026 and beyond. PLAY R.E.P.O.!