6 games you need to go back to in 2025

Having a backlog of games you’ve picked up but put down for one reason or another is a natural part of being a gamer. What you end up playing will ebb and flow, the way any hobby or passion you have goes through different changes.

Each year though, it’s worth taking stock of your backlog and wondering what you ought to be checking off. Sometimes all this comes down to is vibes, but other times there’s plenty that may be on your backlog that’s quite topical.

In 2025 for example, there are a number of games you should be returning to, whether to finally finish them off, or go back for a second time around, ahead of some of this year’s biggest releases. The following games are just a few of the titles that you should be starting over.

6

BioShock

Time to remind yourself why this game is so revered.

2007’s BioShock from the now-shuttered Irrational Games might not be the game you think you should get back to in 2025, but believe me, you’ll want to dive back into Rapture sooner than later. Ken Levine, the director for BioShock and one of few individual developers gamers know by name is finally nearing the release of his next major work, Judas, with his studio Ghost Story Games.

Judas has been in development for 11 years now, with development kicking off one year after the release of BioShock Infinite. A lot is promised about how Judas will be a new innovative title, that has just as much of an impact on the industry as BioShock did the first time around, but we still have more questions than answers at this point.

What is clear, though, is how similar Judas is to BioShock, and it’ll only take you a few moments of watching the trailer to see the similarities. Judas is currently due for release sometime later this year, and at the time of writing this in mid-March 2025, if it does appear on shelves in 2025, it’ll probably arrive sometime in the fall. Which means you definitely have some time to play through BioShock if you’ve played it before, or to finally check out a game that so many players can’t stop talking about more than a decade later.

For the real old-heads, System Shock 2 might’ve been what put Ken Levine on their map, but it was BioShock that cemented him in the minds of players for years now. When Judas arrives, you’ll appreciate having taken the time to see how Levine’s sensibilities have evolved, and if Judas really is the evolution he’s promised for 11 years now.

5

Death Stranding

Why shouldn’t we have connected again? What’s happening in this story?

While BioShock is a game that I imagine many people would be playing for the second, third, or even ninth time, Death Stranding likely falls more into the camp of a game that was picked up, and dropped. That’s the case for me, at least, and with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach set to arrive in June 2025, it’s time for a refresh on what the hell a strand-type game is, and what’s going on in this story.

Death Stranding is a game that a lot of people really, really love, while plenty of others either hate, or don’t get it. However, everyone I’ve ever talked to who absolutely loves it admits that they didn’t love it the first time around. It took another try or two for it to really click, and with the sequel so close now, it’s worth taking that second or third attempt at trying to see why people love this game so much.

It’s also worth mentioning that, since the first game released, it’s been updated immensely, with new features intended to remove some of the friction players felt when it launched in 2019. So, maybe this time around the issues you might’ve had with it have been smoothed out. There’s got to be something about this game that’s mostly you delivering packages from one side of the US to another that has millions of people convinced it’s something special.

4

Cyberpunk 2077

It’s not broken anymore.

Continuing with games that were updated to being almost unrecognizable to their launch versions, Cyberpunk 2077 is deserving of another look in 2025. With its DLC expansion Phantom Liberty releasing in late 2023, along with the giant quality-of-life update that was Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, I understand if you’ve already gone on your ‘return to Cyberpunk 2077‘ journey last year.

If it didn’t get to it then though, you’re in luck, because the actual final major update from CD Projekt RED only arrived at the top of this year. So, it’s officially time to get back into Cyberpunk 2077, and all it has to offer, now that CDPR took the time to fix the game after its broken launch.

And, similar to Death Stranding, Cyberpunk 2077 is the kind of giant game that takes a long time to get through. So now its biggest bugs have been ironed out, the entire progression system has been revamped, and CD Projekt RED is finally done delivering major updates to the game, 2025 is the perfect time to head back into Night City.

Get ready for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

This is the last Hideo Kojima-related game you’ll see on this list, but it’s not my fault that reaching back into the developer’s previous work is particularly topical in 2025. Konami is continuing its efforts to revitalize its biggest gaming IP’s, Metal Gear Solid included. We’ve already got Silent Hill 2 Remake last year, and Konami hopes that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will continue the momentum that Bloober Team got going with Silent Hill 2.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is also regarded as one of, if not the, best game in the entire Metal Gear franchise. That’s a subjective opinion of course, but it’s one that plenty of fans hold. The coming remake has a high bar it has to reach, if it’ll own up to a game that was not only an instant hit on launch, now has years of nostalgia built up around it.

Plus, unlike some of the other games on this list, MGS3 won’t take you a minimum of 40 hours to beat. You can be in and out in 20 hours if it’s not your first time. And if it is, then you’re really in for a treat ahead of the remake.

2

Super Mario Odyssey

Time to get into Nintendo Switch 2 form.

Source: Nintendo

Death Stranding 2 and Metal Gear Solid Delta might be a couple of the biggest games coming in 2025 that you ought to prepare for, but the release of an individual game doesn’t compare to the launch of a full-blown console. The Nintendo Switch 2 is mere months away at this point, and it’ll almost definitely be arriving, or at least it hopefully will be arriving, with a new 3D Mario game.

Which means you might as well freshen up your triple-jumping skills by diving back into Super Mario Odyssey. Arguably the best 3D Mario game in the franchise so far, Odyssey remains a beacon of pure joy when you’re playing it. This is one entry I can personally attest to, as I’m replaying it with a friend through the co-op mode and having an absolute blast.

Nobody makes games like Nintendo makes games, and while we’re all excited for the Switch 2 and everything new that’ll be coming, taking a step back to remind yourself of the magic Nintendo instills in its biggest games is an excellent backlog project if ever there was one.

1

Okami HD

A sequel is finally coming, which means it’s time to relive this work of art.

There were a lot of big announcements at The Game Awards 2024, but perhaps the biggest of them all is the fact that we are indeed getting another Okami game. Now, replaying the original isn’t exactly as time-sensitive as some of the other games on this list, but realistically, anytime is a good time to revisit, or finally knock off your backlog, one of the best games ever made.

It’ll be a long time before Hideki Kamiya and his new studio Clovers are ready to even show gameplay, let alone give a release date, for the upcoming Okami Sequel, but with the reveal still fresh in the memory, it’s a good kick-in-the-pants to go back to an absolute jewel of a game.

Don’t forget to give your backlog some love.

With new games releasing quite literally every day, it’s easy to just be swallowed up in what the new heat is. But you likely have more than a few excellent games sitting in your backlog that still generate a fair amount of their own heat.

It’s worth your time (and your money) to go pick these games back up, if you have them in your backlog, or to just generally give your backlog some love.

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