Over the last decade, many open-world games have pushed the industry forward. This isn’t about picking the most popular titles; even smaller, innovative games can have a big impact. Here’s a look at the games that truly changed things, across all consoles and genres.
Okay, so 2025 was a surprisingly good year for gaming, even with all the industry stuff going on. As a PC gamer, I was seriously spoiled for choice! We had huge RPGs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning awards, and a bunch of awesome indie multiplayer games popped off – R.E.P.O., Peak, and RV There Yet were constantly in my rotation. What really blew my mind was seeing games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Stellar Blade finally come to Steam. Since most of us PC players use Steam, those games – and a lot of others – did really well thanks to Valve and all its users. It was a great year to be a PC gamer, honestly.
While the naysayers are busy declaring Bitcoin’s demise (again), Waterman is waving historical charts around like a magician with too many scarves up his sleeve. Turns out, pullbacks like this are as predictable as a British summer-unpleasant, but hardly unexpected. And here’s the kicker: gold and silver, those shiny relics of financial anxiety, have already hit new highs. Historically, Bitcoin follows suit like an excitable puppy chasing after them. So, if you’re thinking of ditching crypto for gold bars, Waterman suggests you might want to rethink that life choice.
Although Zelda games often feature the classic battle between Link and Ganon, the series has consistently enhanced its optional content. Recent Zelda titles offer a wide variety of engaging side quests, many with their own unique stories, like the Anju and Kafei quest in Majora’s Mask and the Tarrey Town missions in Breath of the Wild. Games on the Switch have also added numerous Shrine challenges and collectibles like Korok Seeds. Now, a dedicated Zelda fan has impressively completed every 3D Zelda game to 100% in a single playthrough.
2025 saw a surge of exciting and original indie games, spanning all sorts of genres. This highlights the consistently creative spirit of independent game development, which often operates without the massive funding of larger studios. That freedom allows for truly unique and sometimes unusual concepts you wouldn’t typically find in mainstream, big-budget games.
As a big fan of games like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, I’m used to Rockstar hiding all sorts of cool stuff – Easter eggs, strange mysteries, even UFOs! They’ve always loved messing with us, sometimes with really elaborate secrets and other times by jokingly telling us there’s nothing to find. Red Dead Redemption 2 is such a huge game, and honestly, I figured we’d found everything by now. But it turns out players are starting to uncover a brand new mystery, which is super exciting!
One common problem with creating Sims in The Sims 4 is that they keep moving around. This can be really annoying when you’re trying to choose clothes or focus on a specific detail. This guide will show you how to keep your Sims still in Create-a-Sim, making it much easier to customize their look.
New research reveals a surprising link between monitoring a qubit and the dynamics of a charged particle in spacetime.
Although Shawn Layden has stepped back from a public role in gaming, he’s remained active in the industry behind the scenes. In addition to his work with Tencent, he’s been involved with several new companies, many of which focus on gaming. He recently shared that he’s developing a television series, and now hints it might draw inspiration from the popular show Mad Men.
A unique release plan for the fifth season of Stranger Things has sparked a lot of discussion. The first four episodes came out in November, but fans had to wait nearly a month for the next three. The final set of episodes – episodes eight and nine – are expected to arrive on New Year’s Eve 2025, with a shorter gap between releases intended to maintain viewer engagement as the story reaches its climax. While some fans have expressed disappointment with this staggered release, most of the criticism surrounding the final season has actually focused on how certain beloved characters are portrayed and the direction of the plot.