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That time of the year again. Where I get to look back at all the poor life choices I made and make a list about them…okay, not really. This is a yearly tradition for me, where I choose the best game pickups by the month for the previous year. It’s typically fun and I enjoy it so, let’s not waste time with this Best game pickups of 2025 by month.
Balatro
Month: January
System: Steam
This was gifted to me by Downs, which I’ve mentioned a lot but I still really appreciate it. I got pretty addicted to this for a while and still hop back to it now and again. Unfortunately it probably isn’t something I’ll ever review because I’d want to see a majority of the game first which would take an incredibly long time to do.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Month: February
System: Switch
Where to even begin. This has been the coziest game of the year for me and one of the best too. I got this because my fellow author and friend, Amber, wanted to play. What began as just a fun pass time for me with her became an addiction.
For anyone not familiar with this title, it does share some likeness to (paid link) Animal Crossing. You move to an island with Hello Kitty and her friends that My Melody got invited to. Upon arrival, you realize the island is empty and you must build your life there as you explore. There’s plenty of items to collect, daily, quests to do, friendships to forge and you can choose any cabin on the island to move into. It’s a ton of fun and you can read my review for game if you’re curious. Also, there is a physical for this too. A (paid links) standard, deluxe & a gift box version which has different goodies inside.
The Killing Antidote
Month: March
System: Steam
This game really took me by surprise by how fun it was. I initially tried the demo, which is a lot of fun, and then had to go purchase the game because I forgot I even was playing a demo at all. The character customization is nice but the fun comes straight from the fights. They aren’t easy and ammo is not exactly plentiful. You have to work on keeping a balance between killing and running away. Definitely worth looking at over on Steam.
Dagger Froggy
Month: April
System: Switch
I didn’t buy many games in April but this was one of the best ones I did buy, for me anyway. It’s another roguelike title, which you can read my recommendations for those here. You play as a frog and have to survive so long within each level to finally reach the final boss. Read my review for more information.
Death End;re Quest 2
Month: May
System: Switch
I lucked out and found a copy at GameStop when I was out of town. I haven’t played much of the first game but I couldn’t just leave it behind. Well, glad I didn’t because I actually was having a good time with it. Unfortunately, I did end up throwing it to the backlog but I’ll return one day. Copies of this go for about $40-50 on (paid link) eBay.
Mario Kart World
Month: June
System: Switch 2
Got a ton of games in June when the (paid link) Switch 2 launched. It was a fun time all the way around but I had to choose just one game to talk about and it absolutely has to be (paid link) Mario Kart World. The amount of fun I had racing with friends and family while also being able to free roam to my heart’s content could not be matched. I talk about this more critically in my review, so do check that out.
Digimon Survive
Month: July
System: Switch
Honestly, it was such a toss up between (paid link) Digimon Survive and (paid link) Donkey Kong. While I enjoyed DK for what it was, which you can read my review, it fail short compared to the fun I had with Survive. Being a long time Digimon fan, Survive takes the series in a darker place that I quite liked. I know some people really disliked the visual novel aspect and bashed on the tactical battles pretty hard but I liked both aspects myself. Read my review for the game for more information.
Geometry Survivor
Month: August
System: Switch
What? A roguelike auto-shooter made it on this list? Say it isn’t so! Alright, really though, this game was more fun than I really thought it would be. It might not be the best of the best, but it is certainly a fun one for the price. Check out our review for more and I also listed our best 5 weapons too.
Silksong
Month: September
System: Switch 2
I jumped on the bandwagon with this one. I had not played much of Hollow Knight at this point or any really. Still, I hopped in and what a wild ride it was. It tested my skills, my patience, my persistence and I actually came out loving every minute of it, mostly. I still want to someday go back and fight the bosses I chose not to fight on my first run through. You can read my review for more details on what I thought of it.
Digimon Story Time Stranger
Month: October
System: Steam
One of the best games to release in 2025 as far as I’m concerned. As a longtime Digimon fan, I was so happy with this game. Everything about it felt right. The story could have been done slightly better but overall, it hit the sweet spot for Digimon that I hadn’t felt in years. Check out my review for more and if you’re just starting your journey, I have some tips for you.
Majogami
Month: November
System: Switch 2
This is one of those games that I haven’t played a whole lot of but I know it’s a good one just by what I played. It also means it is something I really want to get back into in the near future. If you aren’t aware, this game is a beautiful 2D hack n slash. I’ll link to a trailer to get a better idea of how it looks and also works as far as gameplay is concerned.
Kirby Air Riders
Month: December
System: Switch 2
I was not expecting to like Kirby Air Riders as much as I did. When watching the trailers and the Directs, it felt like a lesser version of Mario Kart. Which, okay, it is a but different but it’s very fun to play with other people. I only wish they gave us more courses than what we received. Don’t have your (paid link) copy yet? Go treat yourself!
Conclusion
2025 was a pretty wild year for game purchases and game releases. I’ll be publishing my top 10 games I played in 2025 soon enough, so check that out when it drops. That’s all for this article. Happy gaming!
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