Game of the Year: Best PS5 Developer of 2025

by

In addition to our Game of the Year top 10 and the Push Square team’s favorite games, we’re highlighting the best PS5 games of 2025 by category. Today, we’re announcing our pick for the best PS5 developer of 2025.

Bronze Trophy: Nihon Falcom (Trails through Daybreak 2 + Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter)

Nihon Falcom, the company behind the Trails series, consistently releases new games – whether they’re completely new stories, updated versions, or remakes – roughly every five or six months. In 2025, they provided an ideal starting point for new players with the release of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter. This well-crafted release appealed to both longtime fans and those just discovering the series.

Honestly, what’s really cool is that the team already won over a lot of us earlier this year with Trails through Daybreak 2. Now they’re doing a great job balancing things – keeping the long-time fans like me happy while also making the games accessible for anyone new jumping in. It’s awesome to see them tackling both at the same time.

Silver Trophy: Level-5 (Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time + Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road)

Level-5, the studio behind Ni no Kuni, had a difficult period for a while. But 2025 saw them bounce back with the successful RPG, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and by bringing the anime-style football game, Inazuma Eleven, to PlayStation for the first time.

The company is also poised for success with DECAPOLICE in development. However, 2025 marks the start of a promising new chapter for Level 5.

Gold Trophy: Embark Studios (ARC Raiders + The Finals)

For years, gamers have been eagerly anticipating ARC Raiders. The game offered the appealing idea of an easy-to-learn extraction shooter, and when Embark Studios released it earlier this year, it quickly became a hit. Now, ARC Raiders is one of the most popular multiplayer games of 2025, thanks to its high-quality gameplay.

The game started strong and has received consistent support, with developers quickly fixing any problems players encounter. Remarkably, the team at Embark Studios has managed this while also continuing to update their other online shooter, The Finals. Though The Finals isn’t as widely played, it still receives regular seasonal updates, even as ARC Raiders was being developed and after its launch. Now, the studio boasts two of the best online games currently available.

Platinum Trophy: Sandfall Interactive (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

Sandfall Interactive’s debut game won Game of the Year – that really speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

You’ve likely already heard of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – it’s the game that launched Sandfall Interactive into the spotlight. The game quickly gained a large and enthusiastic community, and now Sandfall Interactive is a well-known name. Because of this success, players aren’t just anticipating their next game; they’re confident it will be excellent.

That release was a unique success – everyone is now aware of the talented studio behind it. They’ve really made a name for themselves in 2025, and rightfully so, having created one of the top RPGs for the PS5.

Read More

2025-12-30 23:07