Best Action/Adventure Game of 2025 - Article
by Lee Mehr , posted on 18 January 2026 / 3,415 Views
One of the most common category critiques in games is the action/adventure genre's elasticity. When does a first-person shooter with a heavier emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving cross into this territory, instead of simply being categorized as a shooter? You can apply this same question to other genres as well. Until formal rules are codified into law, the next best answer runs parallel to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's definition of hardcore pornography: "I know it when I see it." The inherent fuzziness of the genre seems destined to be a permanent fixture in award season discourse.
There's also a benefit as well: by having a wider tent, it tends to be the most competitive genre. From long-dormant sequels – perhaps suggesting at one time that they'd never release – to expected follow-ups that build upon a studio's previous foundation, this genre's theme last year was about one thing: refinement. Between Sucker Punch, Retro, Hazelight, & Team Cherry, the competition is incredibly steep.
The Shortlist:
Ghost of Yōtei
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Split Fiction
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Runner-Up:
Ghost of Yōtei
After Ghost of Tsushima won gold in 2020, Sucker Punch's sequel returns to claim a silver medal. While Atsu's revenge story saw a few dings from certain critics, Yōtei thoroughly succeeds in capturing a specific time and place. The bigger size and scope can certainly feel daunting, but it avoids open-world fatigue through greater variety and detail. Combine that with sharper combat and it's easy to see why our community adored it. The Legends co-op mode can't come soon enough!
The Winner:
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Let's set the stage with Mark Nielsen's review: "Few games have had as infamous a wait time as the once DLC, now full-fledged game Silksong, which was announced in 2019 and then years later finally confirmed for release in 2023 2024 2025. It's been a long, arduous journey, but after six years (and more if you count the full development that allegedly started before the original game), Team Cherry has managed to spin us exactly the sequel you'd expect."
It's a rare thing for a shadow-dropped indie title to inspire other games – from AAA to indie – to shift their release dates away from Silksong. That just shows the unprecedented levels of hype this Metroidvania acquired. Between level design, atmosphere, aesthetics, mechanics, and so on and so forth, the wait seemed totally worth it. Within a few short months, it went from being a continual meme near that of Half-Life 3 proportions to quickly dropping on our laps and becoming another overnight sensation. Congratulations to Team Cherry!
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Though I'm not quite yet done with Silksong, this does feel like a very well deserved win for it.
Nice to be quoted for Silksong :-)
Not a huge shocker this one.
Makes my job a little bit easier. ;)
"One of the most common category critiques in games is the action/adventure genre's elasticity."
Ha, looking at these games, indeed. What is the criteria nowadays? Is Ninja Gaiden 4 an action adventure? It is according to it's wikipedia page, it however is too actiony to be an adventure? :P
While I cannot argue with the games here being superb, it's so odd to thing that GoY can be considered in the same category as a 2 player platformer.
-"What is the criteria nowadays? Is Ninja Gaiden 4 an action adventure? It is according to it's wikipedia page, it however is too actiony to be an adventure? :P"
I mean, essentially, yeah. It's funny b/c its Steam page lists it primarily as 'Action' & 'Hack n Slash' before also saying 'Adventure', which I think speaks to this categorical quagmire. Even with the marketing behind it, I'd be hard-pressed to list a 3D Ninja Gaiden under anything but Action. Because the hack 'n slash label already reinforces the type of mechanical expectations we intuitly expect from this genre in a different way to something like Hellblade.
-"While I cannot argue with the games here being superb, it's so odd to thing that GoY can be considered in the same category as a 2 player platformer."
Again, fair to interrogate that decision imo. Although the logic there is hearing directly from the horse's mouth and leaving it as is. Even though Hazelight's game are more like a smorgasbord of gameplay templates, perhaps 'Co-op 3D platformer' could be a more appropriate way to categorize them.
