GREETINGS GAMERS!  

Well, we are already here! Halfway through August and at the end of Summer 2025 already?! I feel like this summer absolutely blew by! While I am a major fan of Fall and Halloween is admittedly my favorite holiday, I thought it would be fun to take a moment and think back on this Summer 2025 and which games I jammed on!  

That’s what this list is! A list of games that defined my personal Summer of 2025, from old games, to new games, to even older games. I want to compare lists with all of you gamers and see where we land!  

So, without further ado, and seriously in no particular order, here are five games that defined my Summer 2025!

Split Fiction 

Where do I begin? I played Split Fiction with my significant other when it came out and we had a blast! I played all the way through It Takes Two and was forever changed by its story telling! Not only from a narrative point of view, but also from a gameplay one! Hazelight Studios really does stand above the rest when it comes to co-op action-adventure story telling and platforming parkour while simultaneously solving puzzles! It was so fun and definitely was a highlight of the Summer!  

If you haven't played, Split Fiction is a co‑op action‑adventure from the makers of It Takes Two and A Way Out where two authors, one writing sci‑fi, the other fantasy, get trapped in their own worlds. You switch between crazy, single-session mechanics like taming dragons or wielding laser swords, using teamwork to escape and do something in the real world (no spoilers here!). It’s wild, inventive, and built around two-player fun. 
 

Battlefront II 

Wow – the blast from the past that I never thought I needed. I wrote a blurb about it because I was so hyped. Battlefront II had a resurgence of players this summer, including myself, and it really was a great time! My Star Wars buddy and I had a reason to over-analyze clone trooper armor again and chat about the entire franchise as if it was new (give me your Star Wars hot takes in the comments) while we gamed. And if some of you are wondering, my favorite troop is the 104th Battalion, the WOLF PACK! Shoutout Plo Koon as well. It was so much fun as I was also catching up on all the Star Wars lore that I hadn’t seen yet, including the entirety of the Clone Wars animated series, which made the game that much better as I truly immersed myself in the narrative that exists in between the movies.  

If you haven’t played any Battlefront titles, or this one, the shooter blends massive multiplayer battles across the Star Wars timelines; Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War, and beyond. As well as a narrative campaign starring a commander from the Empire’s Inferno Squad. There are multiple game modes including starship aerial combat to large-scale warfare to 2v2 hero battles to relive iconic cinematic fights; hello Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar!
 

World of Warcraft: Classic Anniversary 

It’s no secret that my favorite game of all-time is World of Warcraft. I’ve played Vanila every expansion since, currently am playing retail WoW, and plan on playing the next expanstion Midnight. I mean who doesn’t want to see Blizzard’s iteration of player housing? I was serious when I was talking about an Alienware Arena neighborhood!  

In all seriousness, this summer was a bit different though. Blizzard re-re-released Classic WoW again for us mortals to have another go! I was among the many who felt excited to start fresh again. I attempted the first re-release in 2019 but ended up doing other things, so this time it was for real! And I am happy to say that I did it! At least for me. Made to level 60, raid logged Molten Core and Blackwing Lair which I never truly did as a wee lad, so it was a big ol’ checkmark on the bucket list! Definitely deserves a spot on my Summer 2025 list!   

And if you haven’t played World of Warcraft, maybe don’t because it’s the best MMORPG ever to be made and you might get addicted. Kidding! We all know what MMOs are at this point, so this needs no introduction. Truthfully WoW is one of many MMOs out there and they all have some interesting spins on the genre; this one was just the one that hooked me and hasn’t let go!  
 

Jedi: Survivor 

I will admit that I started this playthrough way late. I played and beat Fallen Order rather quickly upon its release and wasn’t super invested so Jedi: Survivor took a little bit of a backburner for me. I also admit that I believe my playthrough came upon the insane amount of Star Wars content I was consuming in July (see above in the Battlefront II section). There was a sale, my interest got the best of me and blamo, next thing I know I am Cal Kestis again with a raging mullet and a full-beard popping Inquisitors and baddies with my white-bladed lightsabers (just changed them to orange the other night because of Lord Baylan) like a boss! 

Now as for the story, I definitely have some thoughts and opinions. Find me in the Alienware Discord if you want to hear those. As for the game, it was just some good modern Jedi force-slinging and slashing fun! There are some intense moments, and some even more intense moments when the parry combat system gets the best of me. But overall, from a gameplay perspective, it has been a blast and a surely highlight of my Summer 2025!  

As with the others, if you haven’t played Jedi: Survivor, it is your classic on-rails narrative RPG where you get from point A to point B via checkpoints, putting the bad guys in the dirt along the way! I’ve seen comparisons online towards the souls-like genre, and yes, agreed, but only if we’re comparing to Sekiro, due to the parry-based system. The game has multiple lightsaber forms to choose from, including single-blade to single-blade + blaster, and even a crossguard form that plays like your lightsaber turned into a massive claymore sword and you’re yelling FREEEDOM! So, you can always switch it up, even do more Force-centric builds. Overall, definitely would recommend to anyone who has any sort of Star Wars affinity!  

Stardew Valley 

Standing ovation, please! And shame on me for taking this long to experience this absolute gem of a game. I’ve tried to start Stardew valley a couple of times but never got into the rhythm. This summer though, my wife and I sat down to try a co-op playthrough and she is HOOKED. Which got ME HOOKED! And now our weekends are full of crops, mining, fishing, and trying to befriend the beautiful townsfolk of Pelican Town and waiting for the next Egg Festival because I lost the egg hunt.  

Stardew Valley seriously deserves all the praise it has received. The game is beautifully spontaneous, continuously rewarding in this seasonal loop that changes the way of which you are rewarded, and culminates in an overall gameplay loop that is both minimally magical and dangerously deep. My wife and I have gone completely different ways as the farmers we are, her with raising her ducks and chickens and cows, and me spending my hours fishing in the rivers and lakes and ocean. It definitely is one of the bigger highlights of my summer because who doesn’t like playing couch co-ops with their best friend all the time!? 

If you are like me at all and haven’t played Stardew Valley yet, go! It’s not too late! It is an endlessly cozy farming sim that you must experience! If you don’t know, you inherit your grandfather’s run-down farm, grow crops, raise animals, build relationships with townsfolk, mine, fish, and even solve forest mysteries. There’s literally always something to do during the day/night cycle that you will feel like the errand list is building up, but in the best way possible!

Well, there you have it! My Summer 2025 list of games! It was a doozy! But most importantly, it was memorable and isn’t that what gaming is all about?! Let me know some of your favorites you have played this Summer in the comments below! Do we have any matches? Do you have some interesting picks? Let’s chat about it!