5 Most Overlooked Games of 2025 You Need to Play

2025 has been a big year for gaming, and as a result, there are always a few titles that slip under the radar – not because they’re not worthy, but purely because there’s such a wealth of releases that they get lost in the madness.

MenStuff has rounded up some of the best overlooked games from last year that you shouldn’t ignore if you come across them on the store shelves.

Mafia: The Old Country

Mafia: The Old Country might not be the expansive, task-packed open-world game that fans of yesteryear are familiar with. It’s a tighter, excellently polished, and cinematic experience that puts the delivery of the narrative front and centre. It’s a standout entry that gives the Mafia franchise another unique selling point as opposed to being another open-world crime game amongst the other releases. A must-play for longtime fans.

Lego Horizon Adventures

Lego Horizon Adventures is admittedly a combo that we weren’t sure was going to work, but it just does. It’s fun, easy to play, and looks gorgeous with its stop-motion-like colourful animation style. And while the combat can feel a little same-y at times, it’s such a great spin on a beloved franchise that it’s worth anyone playing — young and old.

Eternal Strands

Eternal Strands is like the love-child of some of my favourite games in recent years. Take Darksiders III‘s snappy combat and colourful comic-book style, merge it with Shadow of the Colossus‘ climb-‘n-kill boss fights, and smoosh it together with a Prince of Persia-esque storyline, and you’ve got all the elements to make something memorable. Even with some minor hiccups and frustrating bits, Eternal Strands is a solid action-adventure that shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone who loves the genre.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Sniper Elite: Resistance doesn’t throw too many new tricks into the Nazi-sniping pan, but it delivers another enjoyable, flexible and solid third-person stealth-action experience. Each level feels like its own little open-world sandbox experience full of cool moments, like sniper duels, sneaky infiltrations, and detonating explosions. If you’re a fan of the series, you know what you’re getting — and that should please many.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

I know, I know. An Assassin’s Creed game on an ‘overlooked games’ list? Yes, because, let’s be honest: Shadows had a lot of naysayers leading up to its release for various reasons. And yes, it may not be the best AC game, but it’s a really enjoyable and slickly-designed game that’s worthy of a playthrough. A strong story of revenge and redemption brings the narrative focus back to the series, and a compelling list of villains to eliminate and things to do will keep you hooked in the stunning Japanese world for quite some time. Plus, if you simply need that itch of slinking across rooftops and stabbing unsuspecting guards in the neck satisfyingly scratched, Shadows will do that.

Which games do you think deserve a mention? Let us know by tweeting @MenStuffZA, posting on our Facebook page, or commenting below.