Best Action Game of 2025 - Article
by Lee Mehr , posted on 17 January 2026 / 3,740 Views
Whether cleaving with an axe, slicing with dual daggers, or something else altogether, action games are the go-to for undistilled wish fulfilment; that can come in the form of wiping out legions after leveling up or practicing aerials and precise combos for hours on end. 2025 saw a healthy mix of disparate personalities that capture a certain itch. Not merely satisfied with ports, Nintendo had the foresight to craft a new Hyrule Warriors for Switch 2's launch year; also, Microsoft found some change between the cushions to revive one of the most celebrated action franchises of all time. It truly was an interesting year of resurrected IPs and standard sequels – across the AAA and indie space.
The Shortlist:
Terminator 2D: No Fate
Hades II
Ninja Gaiden 4
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
The Runner-Up:
Ninja Gaiden 4
For all of the development shutdowns & layoffs Microsoft made last year, it's funny how action games seem to evade those attacks. Between Hi-Fi RUSH and now Ninja Gaiden 4, somehow these types of announcements are kept close to the chest before being officially announced and production continues - seemingly - without a hitch. This also marks the first time a mainline 3D entry in the series was a collaborative effort: Team Ninja & PlatinumGames. With Directors Masakazu Hirayama & Yuji Nakao at the helm, Ninja Gaiden 4 feels like a genuine labor of love from all of those involved. The wait was worth it.
The Winner:
Hades II
Hades' special blend of action, RPG, & rougelike was such a successful blend the first time that Supergiant Games decided to keep this foundation and create its first ever sequel. The potential was ripe for not only new gameplay opportunities but storytelling ones as well. Melinoë's journey to defeat Chronos is another compelling tale filled with well-written characters. Between taking the gold in 2020 and now in 2025, I get the feeling Supergiant has a handle on isometric action games.
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Aside from NGIIB. NG4 for me
You're not wrong about there being more indie sequels this year that I'm used to seeing. I'm not totally sure how I feel about that. Much of the appeal of indie games to me lies in their creativity, after all. Yet at the same time, there's no way in hell I was gonna skip Hades II (or certain others) ever and I'm so glad I didn't because it wound up being my favorite new game this year and, not gonna lie, that had a lot to do with the fact that they pretty much just expanded on the formula that worked with the first game that I also loved, so I'm a bit conflicted. I guess my worry is that some time down the road, sequels and whatnot become the rule even for indie games like they have for the world of AAA titles and it saps away the most important distinction between those categories.
It's a complex situation, for sure. A more familiar example for me is something like TOEM 2 coming out when the first had a great resolution already. It used to be simple: build a foundation, wrap up a self-contained story, and use that knowledge for the next new IP. It had the same kind of vibe as a garage band discovered by a wealthy producer who let them do their own thing. That's likely not the case for Supergiant anyways, but it gives off that scent by virtue of today's marketplace.
At the same time, even all of the work put into prototyping a new-ish concept and yada yada seems more time- and cost-intensive today (discounting game jams). Why cast aside a world and foundation that netted you 6-7 figures, especially when competition is so stiff?
Wow shows how behind I am in this case..I'm just playing the original Hades now! Great game though, and I'm not always big on rougelikes! Can't wait to play Hades II now!!!
