7 under-the-radar gaming gems you might have missed in 2025

In the early days of gaming, it almost seemed like it would be possible to play any game, provided you had the money.

Not only that, but games were also kept by console makers and publishers. These days, however, there are too many games to play, and not nearly enough time to play them.

That means there are hidden gems everywhere: games you don’t even know could easily be among your all-time favorites.

These games can be small games that simply don’t have the marketing muscle, or even bigger games that got lost in the deluge of more prominent or high-profile releases throughout the year.

Most of the games on this list have overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam – they’re all worth checking out.

Here are some of our favorites that you may have forgotten, missed, or may not have heard of.

Editor’s note: All games on this list are traditional ‘Web2’ games with no crypto or blockchain integrations. But you might enjoy it anyway!

Promise Mascot Agency

(PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)

Promise Mascot Agency is ostensibly a mascot management simulator, but there is so much more to it than that.

The mascots are not people in suits; they are living beings, and it is your job to deploy them where they are needed most.

As you progress, you can upgrade your Kei truck and learn more about why you were banished to this track.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward vector

(PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch)

Although this is the second Citizen Sleeper game, don’t think of it as a sequel.

In Citizen Sleeper 2, you take on the role of a Sleeper – a digitized human consciousness in a synthetic body – and use the dice allocation mechanism to decide what actions you take.

It offers a much more expensive setting in which you travel between multiple locations aboard your ship, called The Rig. And instead of being solo like in the original, you pick up party members who give you new options and a new story.

There’s a new ‘push’ mechanic that lets you make bolder moves at a higher risk to yourself, and a less linear story to explore.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the mist

(PC, PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S + One, Switch)

There are a million Metroidvania (or Search-Action if you prefer) games, and most of them are forgettable. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is one you will remember.

This game is dripping with atmosphere. It doles out FromSoft-style story beats through item descriptions and the like, but also includes cutscenes and interactions with other characters to help flesh out relationships.

The combat leans a bit on the easy side, but that’s why there are games like Silksong.

Absolute

(PC, PS5/PS4, Switch)

Beat-’em-up games based on licenses like Marvel and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tend to over-index, leaving out original stories.

From the teams behind games like Streets of Rage 4 and the new side-scroller Marvel: Cosmic Invasion: Absolum is a Fantasy-style story with an original setting and characters.

This game features a branching gameplay system that ensures no two runs are the same, across different backgrounds and bosses, along with a range of fighters and abilities.

Even if you don’t normally like beat-’em-up games, this is one to revisit.

South of midnight

(PC, Xbox)

As Hazel, you must fight your way to find your family and home after disaster strikes.

This game is set in the American Deep South, and as Weaver (a user of magical threads and healing agents) you will encounter and sometimes battle the many creatures drawn from the mythology and folklore of that region.

This game features a top-tier soundtrack and a unique stop-motion visual style, making it a standout.

Despite being published by Microsoft, this title has flown under the radar for many and is definitely worth checking out.

RoadCraft

(PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S)

From the makers of Snowrunner comes Roadcraft. You are the owner of a disaster recovery company that cleans up debris and helps rebuild after a disaster, building roads and bridges and more. There are dozens of realistic, heavy machines to control.

And like Snowrunner and Mudrunner, believable physics are a central aspect of the gameplay: the objects you clear each have their own physics, and different surfaces like asphalt and mud interact with your vehicles in different ways.

Atomic fall

(PC, PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S + One)

In the aftermath of a nuclear disaster in Northern England, you must craft and fight to survive.

Atomfall takes a page from STALKER, down to you exploring a quarantine area where things have gotten weird.

Part of the fun here is the distinctly British flair, which gives it a slightly different feel to games like STALKER, mentioned above, and Fallout.