admin I feel like a broken record, but again, this has been a bad year for developers, gamers, and the big industry in many ways. But hey, just because AI sloppiness is ruining everything and greedy executives are destroying pop culture, that doesn’t mean we can’t find joy and truly great moments in all that nonsense.
Just as we’ve done in recent years, here we’ve rounded up 10 of the best video game surprises and good news from the past year. Hold them tight. Cherish them. Reread this list a few times. Remember that things can be good. Hope is important. We’ll probably need a lot of it to get through 2026.
Elden Ring Night Reign Lines
The average person seems pretty burned out on live-service multiplayer games. Fans had every reason to react with groans and sighs to the idea that the premier action RPG maker would focus its attention and resources on exactly that—an online multiplayer game—instead of onto the next single-player adventure.
But FromSoftware delivered Elden Ring Night Reign. It has not only successfully realized multiplayer Elden Ring; it produced a whole new mix of genres that I wish more games would try to experiment with. Do you need good friends to enjoy yourself to the fullest? Certainly. But unlike some of the friends turning heads this year, Night ReignThe magic of the film goes far beyond capturing hot mics and crazy moments. (But it’s great for that too.) I now expect great things from it The Twilightbloods and would like to see FromSoftware redesign it Armored core PVE for the modern age. -Ethan Gach
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic Announced
The Game Awards 2025 started with a super surprising announcement: Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. This is a new single player RPG from Knights of the Old Republic And Mass effect director Casey Hudson, and is a spiritual successor to KOTOR. Holy shit, people! Sure, it isn’t KOTOR 3, but it’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to that game, and that alone has fans excited.
Before you start getting at hyped to play The fate of the Old Republic, It should be noted that the studio is busy PHOTO was only created a few months ago, so this game is probably five years or more away from release and could appear on PlayStation 6 or even PS7. However, Hudson denies this and claims it will be released before 2030. I want to believe him, but I’m not convinced this is possible unless The fate of the Old Republic is much smaller in scope than most AAA RPGs. We’ll just have to wait and hope it doesn’t get canceled.
Digital foundry And Giant bomb Going completely independent
The digital games media space has never been more ubiquitous, thanks to creator platforms like TikTok and YouTube, but it has also never been more capable of supporting large institutional teams producing work that would otherwise not flourish on our algorithmically driven internet. So it was encouraging to see that, despite the broader digital media apocalypse, there is still room for once corporate-owned outlets to thrive in the indie space. That includes the relaunch of Giant bomb And Digital foundrybut also things like Game informant coming back to life with a physical magazine that you can actually buy IRL. – Ethan Gach
Nintendo adds virtual boy emulation to Switch’s online catalog
Not many people fondly remember Nintendo’s failed stereoscopic 3D Virtual Boy console from 1995. It was a major flop for the company, was barely supported by the company or third-party studios, and has largely faded into the past as a strange failure by the Mario creator.
But it’s still part of video game history, and so it was extremely unexpected but nice to see Nintendo announce Virtual Boy games coming to Nintendo Switch Online. And to let you play these rudimentary 3D games properly, Nintendo is shipping a brand new headset accessory that looks a lot like the OG Virtual Boy. All this will arrive in February 2026.
Terminator 2D: No Fate Was worth the wait
Back in February, Terminator 2D: No Fate was announced with a reveal trailer that immediately vaulted the game to the top of my most wanted list. With its beautiful pixel art and excellent animation, No fate It seemed like it might finally deliver the pulse-pounding run-and-gun action that James Cameron’s seminal sci-fi film always deserved, but never got. My excitement was heightened by videos in the months that followed like this onehighlighting that the people at developer Bitmap Bureau had the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver a game that paid tribute to the arcade action classics of yesteryear, but still feels exciting and rewarding today. But you never know for sure until a game arrives, so as hopeful as I was, I also feared that the end result could be disappointing.
Originally scheduled for release in September, No fate saw delay after delay, pushing it back to December 12th and making me more anxious than ever. But the end result turned out to be everything I hoped for: a beautiful, varied, challenging and immensely rewarding action game that not only does the movie justice, but also deserves a place among the best arcade-style action games of all time. What a wonderful surprise to end the year! –Carolyn Petit
Hell divers 2 Coming to Xbox, War machines Going to PlayStation
The era of exclusive video games has truly come to an end. I mean, we knew all that already, but in 2025 we saw it happen in real time in a way that I’ve never seen before. On August 26 Gears of War: Reloadeda remaster of a remake of the first game in the once Xbox-only series, arrived on PlayStation 5. On the same day, the PlayStation published Hell divers 2 launched on Xbox Series X/S consoles. It was like watching a prisoner exchange on a bridge between two nations that were once at war but now have a truce.
And yes, play War machines on a PlayStation is strange! I earned Xbox achievements on a PS5. We live in strange times. But I’m also glad that the future seems to be one where you don’t have to own every console to play every game. That’s fun, and as consoles become more expensive, it will be a boon for gamers who want to enjoy this hobby on a budget.
Id Software, Bethesda and Ubisoft Studios in North America Unite!
Even though the AAA video game industry has hit rock bottom this year, the emerging labor movement in gaming continues to make notable victories. Multiple teams at Blizzard announced new wall-to-wall unions, while developers at Bethesda landed their first contract. And the organization isn’t just limited to Microsoft-owned studios in the US, Ubisoft Halifax in Canada just formed a union too. – Ethan Gach
Fortnites MiniSimpsonThe season was actually great!
A mini Fortnite season entirely based on The Simpsons could have been a disaster. But despite the odds, Epic managed to make it work and delivered perhaps my favorite season of Fortnite in a long time. The Springfield Island map was incredible to explore. The images felt very cartoonish and Simpsons-y without looking too flashy and all that Simpsons Easter eggs and characters appearing at the event were a treat for fans. And on top of that, this season featured funny animated segments Simpsons characters written by the show’s staff. Is this just another sign that all of pop culture is merging into a gray mess? Certainly. But whatever, man, I can play as Moe now Fortnite. I’m happy.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Shadow fallen
Years of marketing, teasers and trailers are annoying and tiring. I mean, we’ve been waiting for years for more information about it The Older roles 6, a game that was already announced in 2018, when E3 still existed. So a remake of 2006 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion out of nowhere was super fun. No long waiting times. No delays. No annoying series of teasers and trailers. Just a reveal and boom, you played the game.
Based on how well it did, people seem to agree that shade dropping is a game Forgetfulness is a good idea. Even Todd Howard seems to have the idea to launch these types of games. And hey, Oblivion remastered Ultimately, it was a solid and very nice way to play (or replay) Bethesda’s groundbreaking open-world RPG. Now let’s hope that next year’s list of best surprises includes an article about a Fallout 3 remaster dropping shadows out of nowhere.
Hollow Knight: Silk Singing Finally launched after a long wait
Hollow Knight: Silk Singing could have easily been delayed from 2025 or disappointingly mid-launch. Instead, it built on the foundations of the original, without losing sight of what made it so special. May every long-awaited sequel *cough* GTA6 *cough* manage to deliver the same. – Ethan Gach
