The Best Action-Adventure Game of 2025

It’s a word utilized to picture a immense magnitude of games released each year, but what does “action-adventure” adjacent mean? It’s a bully question. Here astatine IGN, we classify immoderate crippled that fuses combat with a genuine consciousness of exploration arsenic action-adventure. They often instrumentality spot successful unfastened worlds, but that’s not a mandatory request (see the likes of Uncharted and God of War), and truthful this flexible format allows for a wide scope of antithetic projects to marque the chopped this year, from the tightly crafted co-op platforming enactment of Split Fiction and the vast, isolated, do-it-yourself ambiance of Death Stranding 2, to the adventures of banana-hunting apes and revenge-seeking ronin. So let’s get connected with it arsenic swiftly arsenic a Hornet and uncover the runners-up and eventual victor of our grant for the Best Action-Adventure Game of 2025.

Runner-Up - Split Fiction

Following connected from the fantastic It Takes Two, developer Hazelight took things to the adjacent level erstwhile it comes to standard successful Split Fiction and continued to hone its trade arsenic the modern-day masters of the co-op game. Much of its communicative is spent platforming and puzzle-solving, but a steadfast magnitude is besides reserved for combat against its galore varied sci-fi and fantasy-laced foes, arsenic good arsenic exploration of its larger-scale levels. It ne'er erstwhile stands still, perpetually evolving and switching up its mechanical ideas to lucifer each world’s colourful acceptable dressing. That consciousness of breathtaking propulsion on an ever-changing journey, balanced with areas designed for you to dilatory down a small and hunt for secrets and astonishing broadside missions, is what makes Split Fiction 1 of our apical 5 action-adventure games of the year.

Runner-Up - Ghost of Yotei

Perhaps the astir accepted “action-adventure” connected our list, Ghost of Yotei follows successful a agelong enactment of PlayStation Studio exclusives that firmly acceptable that mold. Telling the communicative of revenge-seeking wandering Ronin, Atsu, Yotei takes everything that made radical autumn successful emotion with its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima, and tweaks it for the better. Where enactment is concerned, its slick sword, spear, and kusarigama combat is simply a existent prima of the show, with new-age weaponry specified arsenic firearms besides brought into the premix to grow this ghost’s arsenal. In presumption of adventure, 17th-century Hokkaido plays signifier to arsenic beauteous a looking and sounding satellite arsenic you could measurement into successful 2025, with nary shortage of collectibles, broadside stories, and show-stopping duels to prosecute with. Sucker Punch’s latest is the Seattle studio’s astir accomplished effort to date, and 1 of this year’s precise champion action-adventures.

Runner-Up - Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza encourages you to research its galore sandbox levels, not done cautious investigation, but by smashing each country of them into tiny pieces to spot what secrets lurk inside. Nintendo’s modern 3D reinvention of what its beloved ape could beryllium successful 2025 rapidly became the Switch 2’s must-have game, and for bully reason. Bananza is simply a feast for treasure hunters, with hundreds of glowing bananas begging to beryllium uncovered done demolition courtesy of DK’s pounding fists and galore peculiar abilities. Those skills are astatine the bosom of it all, with the titular Bananzas powering inventive caller ways to escapade done each of its themed levels. From the rampaging Kong Bananza that allows you to unleash a monstrous fury susceptible of breaking the toughest of terrain, arsenic good arsenic immoderate enemy’s soon-to-be particulate skeleton, to the wing-flapping Ostrich Bananza that allows for caller heights to beryllium soared to. It’s acold from conventional, adjacent by Nintendo 3D platforming standards, but Donkey Kong Bananza is 1 of this year’s precise champion erstwhile it comes to action-adventure.

Runner-Up - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Speaking of unconventional, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach surely isn’t disquieted astir obeying genre norms. An action-adventure that’s ne'er acrophobic to show, tell, oregon person you prosecute with things you’ve ne'er rather seen before, Kojima Productions’ latest is the fulfillment of a committedness made successful its predecessor. That’s not to accidental that determination isn’t the acquainted to beryllium recovered here, with its accrued absorption connected combat echoing memories of its creator’s Metal Gear Solid roots, acknowledgment to an expanded scope of options erstwhile it comes to approaching its stealth-action. It’s successful its adventure, and the exploration of themes of grief and quality transportation astatine its centre, that marque each of Sam Porter Bridges’ challenging steps done a post-apocalyptic Australia successful Death Stranding 2 truly sing, though, and 1 of this year’s precise champion action-adventures.

Winner - Hollow Knight: Silksong

Not lone is it a immense alleviation that Hollow Knight: Silksong yet came retired successful 2025, but an adjacent bigger 1 that it turned retired to beryllium truthful great. Placing an adjacent greater accent connected the enactment portion of “action-adventure” than its predecessor, Team Cherry delivered a challenging, yet incredibly rewarding sequel via the extremity of protagonist Hornet’s needle. That rapier-like leaf volition get plentifulness of use, too, with sprawling caverns laden with each mode of darting foes and patience-testing bosses possessing each mode of onslaught patterns, which erstwhile learned unlock the way to eventual satisfaction.

Boss battles are lone fractional of the, well, battle, erstwhile it comes to Silksong, though, with exploration inactive providing the nutrient of this Metroidvania/Soulslike soup. Breakable walls fell invaluable materials down them, and broadside quests promote cautious probe into each of its galore biomes, whether connected the hunt for precious bounties oregon searching for missing fleas that request to beryllium reunited with their traveling caravan companions. It’s this equilibrium of some enactment and escapade that has turned the Hollow Knight bid into specified a phenomenon, and, successful turn, Silksong into the victor of our grant for champion action-adventure crippled of 2025.

Is Silksong your prime for the champion action-adventure crippled of the year, oregon would you person chosen differently? Vote for your favourite successful the canvass above, oregon fto america cognize successful the comments below.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.