2025 is coming to a close, but while there’s plenty of games to look forward to in 2026, sometimes it’s nice to take some time to look back: As such, here’s a list of Frontline Gaming Japan’s ten favorite Japanese games of 2025.
This is not a ranking, some of the games are not (yet?) available in English, and the list is in alphabetical order. Rather than trying to take an objective look at what the top ten best games of the year were, this is instead a completely subjective list of ten games that we enjoyed. The descriptions are written based on the Japanese versions of the games and may not reflect changes made to English releases.
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian
The latest game in the Atelier series may be a spinoff of the mobile title Atelier Resleriana, but features a completely original story and protagonists that do not require any prior knowledge. The game features a satisfying mix of classic Atelier series elements and characters and modern quality of life updates without going too far either way, and this combined with returning characters from various older games makes it a great title for series fans.
Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion
The second Daemon X Machina game manages to definitively differentiate itself from Armored Core by going harder on the loot system in the first game while introducing open world gameplay, resulting in it being able to establish a distinct identity diverging from the derivativeness fans expected.
Dolls Nest
FromSoftware fans have constantly asked the question: “What if Dark Souls, but Armored Core?” (or vice-versa), and the answer to that surprisingly came from NitroPlus. Dolls Nest gets the formula perfect, making it one of, if not the best non-From Soulslike, with a fascinating world, amazing gameplay, and some mind-blowingly good takes on familiar environments.
Elden Ring Nightreign
FromSoftware’s first foray into making a Souls game with roguelike elements is not perfect, but is nevertheless extremely addictive, with some weirdly endearing characters to boot.
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy Tactics is still a genre-defining classic, and just porting it would have warranted it a place on this list, let alone adding voice acting and quality of life updates, and this new version reinforces how well its political storytelling, job system, and tactical depth have held up.
Stellar Code
This short and sweet visual novel features a great sci-fi story with suspense elements reminiscent of Steins;gate – while we’d love to tell you more, it’s hard to do so without spoiling the fantastic story.
Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
Suikoden I and II are still timeless classics, still amazing, and being able to play them on modern hardware with modern updates is great. Both games remain standout examples of classic JRPGs, with ensemble casts and systems that still feel distinct decades later.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
The first Trails game has aged well enough and is still readily available, to the point that many fans wondered if there was even any point to a remake: Despite a few dodgy decisions involving the voice cast, though, the remake does manage to assert itself as the new definitive version of the title, justifying its existence with fantastic new updated gameplay, a sense of scale that could not previously be portrayed by the art style, and some of the best quality of life in any video game to be found.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center
A retro-styled mystery adventure with a striking limited-palette pixel art style, Urban Myth Dissolution Center stands out for its atmosphere, characters, and tight storytelling, making it one of the year’s most memorable small-scale releases.
XenobladeX Definitive Edition
The long-awaited port of the lone WiiU-exclusive Xenoblade title offers a fascinating setting and premise – players take on the role of a denizen of a crashed colony ship tasked with exploring an unknown alien world – which may appeal to fans of Xenosaga (and perhaps Xenogears) more than the other Xenoblade games.
Want to look back a little back further? Check out Frontline Gaming Japan’s 10 favorite Japanese games of 2024 too!
