SIMPLY THE BEST

As we hit the midway point of the year, these are the top titles of 2025 so far

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WE SEEM to be whipping through the year at a fair old pace - how is it June already?

After last year’s lacklustre offerings, 2025 has been an impressive year for games so far even after Grand Theft Auto VI's release got pushed back a full 12 months.

It's also great to see that it’s not just the AAA studios that have already made a big impact, with gems like Blue Prince and The Midnight Walk already vying for the title of game of the year.

The next six months bring the promise of some big hitters, including the arrival of the Switch 2 this week - with Smyth's Toys even holding (what is now, sadly) an old-school midnight launch on June 5 with a limited number of consoles available for a lucky few to buy.

As we plough on with the year, here are five of the best games from the last six months you should check out.

Assassin's Creed Shadows

(PEGI 18) PSS, Xbox X/S, PC

Diamonds are created under immense pressure, and I can only imagine the weight of expectation on Ubisoft Quebec to deliver on this title.

The 14th major instalment in the Assassin’s Creed series, Shadows’ release was pushed back twice to give developers time to do some last-minute polishing. But the result was worth it.

A stunning tour through 16th-century feudal Japan, you can choose to play as Naoe, a shinobi, or as Yasuke, an African samurai based on areal historical figure.

Combat is some of the most aggressive I’ve encountered in the franchise, especially if you find yourself cornered by a group of enemies.

Opponents tend to block attacks, meaning you have to work a lot harder to open up vulnerabilities to eliminate them. This is doubly hard when you consider many of the baddies are armoured, so you have to think tactically and move fast.

KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE 2

(PEGI 18) PS5, Xbox X/S, PC