Developer Frontier Developments has confirmed that the Distortus Rex is the first creature of its kind to come to Jurassic World Evolution 3, and even features unique kill animations, as well as a high level of aggression. This means that players will want to be careful about the kind of enclosure they build for it.

The Mutadon, on the other hand, has been described as a versatile species that can travel through land and air. It is also equipped with the same hunting abilities as the Velociraptor and the Pterosaur, and the studio has noted that players will have a hard time figuring out how to contain it.

Joining the two are the family units of the Titanosaurus, which also includes a new juvenile variant, and the new Aquilops.

Jurassic World Evolution 3: Rebirth will also feature an entirely new campaign with a story inspired by the events of the film Jurassic World Rebirth. In this campaign, players will get to partake in research and build out a top-secret facility across three locations. Players will also get access to new technology that will help them manage the new predators. Playing through this campaign will offer new facility blueprints and scenery pieces as rewards.

The expansion also ties further into the movie with the addition of a host of new skins for Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spinosaurus, Mosasaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Dilophosaurus, and Velociraptor. Vehicles aren’t being left behind either, with new Rebirth-themed skins for the SUV, MVU, ATV, and helicopters.

As for the update, Jurassic World Evolution 3 gets changes to how its Aviaries work. Restrictions on terrain editing have been relaxed. Creatures like the Pterosaurs can now also more freely navigate around, under, and through scenery, which opens up options for players to make their enclosures more visually interesting. To further encourage building out your Aviary, the update also marks the return of the Cearadtylus family unit.

Adding more whimsy to your park, Tyrannosaurus Rex adults can now benefit from water bodies being in their enclosures thanks to their ability to swim through deep water. For more details about the update, check out the full patch notes below.

For more on Jurassic World Evolution 3, check out our review of the base game.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 update 1.3.3 patch notes:

New Family Unit – Cearadactylus.

• Introduced a new family unit to the game – Cearadactylus.

Tyrannosaurus rex Swimming Behaviour

• Tyrannosaurus rex adults can now swim through deep water

Aviary Improvements

• The Cretaceous Cruise can now pass through Aviaries, allowing your guests to observe flying species from the attraction
• Terrain Editing restrictions have been greatly relaxed within Aviaries

Pterosaur Improvements

• Pterosaurs can now navigate more freely under, around or through large scenery blueprints where space allows
• Two new custom perch points can be placed, or added to scenery and blueprints, allowing flying species to perch anywhere

Scenery & Blueprint Menus

• Scenery items can now be favourited for quick access
• A ‘Favourites’ section will appear at the top of each scenery category if favourited scenery items exist there
• The Blueprints menu is now filterable to help find similar items or themes quickly

Handheld Flare for Rangers

• Ranger teams in 4x4s now have access to a handheld flare to lure or repel dinosaurs with
• Carnivores and armoured herbivores will be drawn towards the flare, while herbivores will run from it

Drone Additions

• The land hatchery now has a drone, and a ‘Deep Analyser’ tool has been added to all hatchery drones – land, lagoon, and aviary
• Using the Deep Analyser tool will reward you with cash and genome points when scanning species

New Scenery Items

• A number of existing grid-based scenery walls have had non-grid versions added, alongside some new scenery pieces:
  • Biosyn Wall Copper 01
  • Biosyn Wall Powdercoat 01
  • EU Brick 02
  • EU Wall Plaster 01
  • EU Wall Stone 01
  • Hatchery door
  • JW Wall Concrete 01, 02 & 03
  • JW Wall Corrugated 01 & 02
  • JW Wall Glass 01
  • JW Wall Panel 01 & 02
  • JW Wall Wooden 01 & 02
  • New rock colour for existing rock set

Scenery Daytime Lighting

• An option has been added to allow scenery lights to be turned on during daytime

New Achievements

• Two new public and one new secret achievement have been added to all platforms

Bug Fixes

Campaign

• The objective to move Stegosaurus within the Katsuyama Campaign level can now be completed with a Ranger Teams ‘send’ command
• Territory now forms as expected on returning to the Nevada Campaign level after repairing fences and returning species to their enclosures
• Fanfare for achieving five stars in the Badlands Campaign level, and subsequent Velociraptor statue unlock, now correctly triggers
• It is now much clearer as to which species are required to complete the five star objective in the Sichuan Basin Campaign map
• Species that are no longer needed for objectives can now be rewilded in Campaign
• Resolved a blocker when re-playing the Hawaii Campaign level if the ‘Egg Mountain’ digsite had already been fully depleted
• Lokiceratops is now translated in all instances within the first Campaign level
• The Riverside Laboratory opening cut-scene now uses the correct Tyrannosaurus rex model variant

Sandbox

• Weather events can now be toggled off in sandbox maps
• The water slider no longer affects the shape of generated mountains when using the Island Generator
• ‘Task Time’ Sandbox option now affects the duration of breeding programmes, nest egg incubation and nest cooldowns
• ‘Target Income’ Sandbox setting has been removed, and other sandbox settings reworded to make it clearer on what settings affect Park Metrics
• Capture mode camera can now be positioned lower than sea level on Malta Sandbox and Island Generator maps
• ‘Dinosaur Lifespan’ Sandbox setting description has been updated to more accurately reflect its affects in game
• Staff Centre build limit can now be exceeded with the ‘Operations Building Limits’ Sandbox setting turned off
• Expedition map now automatically closes after sending out an expedition when the ‘Scientists’ Sandbox setting is set to off

Challenge

• Updated the Challenge pause menu settings to reflect that time-of-day options are exclusive to Sandbox levels only

Park Management

• Resolved an issue causing the Visitor Centres second upgrade slot to not function as intended
• Transporting and placing a flying species directly over an Aviary Dome will now send them to the closest hatchery attached to that Aviary Dome
• Scientists can now be rested directly from the task assignment screen
• Text has been added to explain why the ‘Rewild’ option is greyed out for Hybrids when selecting them for transport
• Vehicles can now be manually repaired at the facility which they belong to
• The research option for ‘Park Team Upgrades’ now only requires three operations buildings with vehicles present to unlock
• Updated the ‘Private Egg Offer!’ narrative event sabotage risk amount
• Additional information has been added to the Dinosaur Marketplace help screen explaining that the stock available is based on park rating and thus grows with more appealing entries as your park rating does
• If the ‘Operations Building Limit’ Sandbox setting is set to off, operations buildings will now show a functional limit instead of an operational building limit
• Resolved an issue where the Activity Centre blueprint variants were not showing accurate guest information when previewing the building before placement
• The cost of moving and detaching a building from a fence is now accurately displayed before the buildings placement
• The Dinosaur Encounter attraction now closes if there is a storm or terrorising dinosaurs within the park
• Guests on benches and chairs now disappear when Shelters are open, and when threatening dinosaurs and storms are present

Dinosaurs

• Increased the frequency with which flying species are able to break out of Aviary Domes
• Resolved some animation issues when Atrociraptor fights Pachycephalosaurus
• Dinosaur charges and attacks against vehicles have been re-balanced to improve chase frequency and the damage dealt to vehicles if an attack is successful
• Protoceratops and Chasmosaurus now appear in the correct size categories within the hatchery
• Improved a number of Majungasaurus fighting animations that were misaligned or not triggering correctly
• Shortened the distance between the Cryolophosaurus and goat carcasses when eating
• Cryolophosaurus now aligns more accurately with the fence when performing a fence attack
• Resolved an animation issue where the Giganotosaurus was misaligned when hunting Corythosaurus
• Yutyrannus and Parasaurolophus male patterns are no longer set to blank by default
• Resolved multiple animation issues where Deinocheirus’ fight finisher did not resolve correctly
• Dinosaurs no longer occasionally use land based attacks on the Cretaceous Cruise while swimming in water
• Resolved issue where a species’ territory would be removed and reformed when entering the Dinosaur Encounter attraction
• Quetzalcoatlus no longer clips into the ground as it takes off
• Protoceratops is now classed as ‘small’ when filtering by size within a land Hatchery
• Lokiceratops is now classed as ‘medium’ when filtering by size within a land Hatchery
• Indoraptor now requires Indominus rex DNA to become available for synthesis
• Resolved a rare issue where dinosaurs could lose all of their territory and be unable to regain it, causing their comfort level to drop
• Dilophosaurus female Rana pattern has been updated to visually align it with its other patterns
• Resolved a rare issue where dinosaurs would sometimes stop forming territory
• Archaeornithomimus hatchery release animation no longer clips into the ground when releasing a large clutch
• Adult Deinocheirus now loose comfort if their juveniles are missing from their enclosure
• Irritator’s tongue no longer clips into its lower mouth when roaring
• Carnivore feeders can now be placed inside aviary domes
• Compatibility and fertility traits have been removed for Hybrid species as they could not use them
• Semi-aquatic species now attack the Cretaceous Cruise when swimming deep water
• Resolved issue causing Caiuajara and Tapepjara fights to be offset
• Mutadon can now be tranquilized when attacking a helicopter
• Resolved an issue with the Mutadons jump attack that would see it thrown off of prey unnaturally
• Fixed an occasional issue where the Mutadon may appear to walk into the ground when attempting to evade being tranquilized by an ACU team
• Resolved an issue where Pachycephalosaurus would appear floating above ground, or get stuck within the hatchery, when being released from a hatchery
• Spinosaurus Rebirth model variant no longer distorts when during it’s fight finish animation
• Resolved an occasional issue where some species would stop forming territory, or reacting to changes within their territory, when loading a save made on a previous version of the game

Park Construction

• The sorting of various building blueprint menus has been improved
• Improved ability to select scenery within an aviary
• If a scenery piece is selected with the scenery build menu open, then deselects the scenery piece, the player is now returned to the scenery build menu
• Terrain modification fidelity is greatly improved when placing a Cretaceous Cruise to prevent parts of the building from being placed in water
• Scenery pieces within a group can now be duplicated if another scenery piece was previously selected from the same group
• Environment brushes can now paint the edges of aviary domes
• The Carnotaurus statue now has teeth
• Fixed an issue where trying to place a building with guest connections to another building would decouple the mouse from the building on placement failure
• The path ‘Adjust Terrain’ setting no longer allows for terrain manipulation beneath dinosaurs, which would cause them to deform
• Fixed an issue where moving and then undoing the movement of a substation would not reconnect the power
• Flying species will no longer use Custom Perch Points if placed in water
• Floor heights around buildings and fences now correctly set the terrain height to match when placed

Controls & Accessibility

• Scenery category menus no longer reset the scroll to the top when reentering the menu after placing a scenery item or blueprint with a gamepad
• Resolved a gamepad issue where time controls would be temporarily unusable when opening them after placing scenery
• The ‘N’ key can now be rebound in the Mouse and Keyboard Settings
• First time user screen setup has been improved on some platforms
• HDR brightness can now be adjusted within the ‘Screen Setup’ settings
• When a facility is selected through a shortcut, on selecting a vehicle and then backing out, the facility will now be selected without the camera focusing on it
• Resolved an issue where the research node selector was unresponsive when initially using a d-pad to navigate the research screen
• Using a d-pad to navigate the building blueprint menu no longer snaps back to the previously selected blueprint
• Site map icon scaling has been improved for ultra-wide monitor configurations
• Minimum zoom levels are now consistent across both the Standard and Placement cameras
• Build menu filters for some build menus has been replaced in favour of a more useful search bar when using a gamepad
• Resolved an issue where placing a blueprint with ‘Advanced Move’ that does not contain any grid objects could cause the camera to quickly move across the map when the blueprint is placed

UI

• Species no longer appear as elderly when their lifespan is set to unlimited in sandbox
• Biosyn Capture Team and MVU skins now show the correct preview images when selected
• Tooltips for required modules no longer block placement when constructing custom buildings
• Search terms are now retained after closing and reopening the scenery menu
• Searching the build menu now returns more accurate results when searching partial terms
• Storm warnings and notifications now clear much sooner once a storm ends
• Various sub-menus have been cleaned up of redundant scroll bars where not needed
• Icons directing you to photograph sick dinosaurs are now removed when disabling the ‘Research’ setting in Sandbox
• Paleoecology text within all species biography tab is no longer cut off when using the ‘capitalise all’ option
• Improved clarity of how reputation gains are displayed within the nest menu
• Hover tool tips are no longer triggered through terrain
• Hatcheries now retain your previous species selection when re-entering a hatchery after selecting a species for synthesis
• Dinosaur tooltip is no longer empty in the Site Map if visible before the Site Map is opened
• Resting scientists are no longer sorted to the top of the scientist management screen
• Sorting functionality has been improved when assigning scientists to a task
• The information presented when assigning scientists to expedition and fossil extraction tasks is now much clearer
• Resolved an issue where clearing a search filter allowed decorative items to be selected behind the filter menu
• The fossil icon for the Guanlong now has its tail facing the correct way
• Gates no longer have the option to be closed during a sabotage event
• A pop-up now notifies player how much they will be charged for replacing a contract
• Resolved an issue on gamepad where the carnivore feeder preview persisted when switching to the water or painting environment brush tabs

Audio

• Improved timing of Majungasaurus Juvenile foot placement audio
• Audio is now clearer when Majungasaurus is tranquilized
• Sirens now sound out when Emergency Shelters are opened in Sandbox levels

Workshop

• The ‘Create Frontier Account’ button no longer becomes disabled immediately after a failed password creation attempt
• Backing out of a creators list of creations through a featured creation now loads back into the creators profile without issue
• Workshop filters which are shared between categories will be retained when switching tabs
• Resolved an issue where workshop creator tags were missing from tiles in the browse menu after a second interaction with the search bar
• Fixed downloaded workshop substations not appearing in the building menu
• Fixed an issue with workshop items only retaining 255 characters when re-uploading a creation

Stability & Performance

• Resolved an issue where input responsiveness could be affected when placing down a community creation
• Resolved an issue that prevented path connections to the arrival point from being recognized when loading a park
• Fixed an issue where storm VFX and SFX would be missing when loading a save taken as the storm begins
• Fixed an issue with a “moire/interference” pattern like issue showing on the ground in the distance for some graphics settings
• Fixed an infrequent crash when confirming dinosaur marketplace deliveries near park infrastructure buildings
• Frame Rate no longer drops when previewing the placement of a blueprint after previewing the placement a scenery piece
• Resolved a crash when the timer would run out in the Hawaii Challenge level on Jurassic difficulty without completing all objectives.
• General performance and stability improvements

Localisation & Text

• Added translation for Iguanodontian in the species cohabitation menu
• Scenery options for casting light being ‘on, off, or dynamic’ are now worded more clearly
• ‘Rewild Fee’ header is no longer truncated within the dinosaur information panel
• ‘Contraceptives Applied’ no longer overlaps with other UI elements in the dinosaur information panel
• Guest desire icons no longer overlap text in the guest attractions menu
• Resolved an issue with overflowing text in the environment panel when viewing a feeder
• Removed repeated text from the ‘Park Tours’ overview text
• The ‘Intelligent Trait’ help screen now more accurately reflects how the trait works in game
• The text for the ‘Storm Defence’ building upgrade now more accurately reflects the upgrade itself
• The word ‘Fountain’ is now usable in all languages when searching for scenery
• Added default name for ‘Scenery Path Seating 3’ blueprint
• Missing text has been added when hovering over plant foliage within the environment brush menu
• The ‘Unable to Research’ text is no longer truncated in multiple places when the ‘Capitalize All’ accessibility setting is enabled
• Fixed some scientist descriptions overrunning the UI when ‘Capitalize All’ accessibility setting is enabled
• Biography text for some dinosaurs is no longer cut off at the bottom in some languages

We were particularly fond of its unique take on a park management sim and were impressed by how its developers integrated community feedback into the experience. Well, Frontier’s all set to duplicate that feat with the Rebirth Expansion DLC coming to the game on June 16, 2026. It’s going to set you back by $24.99 / €24.99 / £19.99.

It wouldn’t be much of an expansion if there weren’t any new dinos to engage with, and this one doesn’t disappoint. There’s the Distortus Rex, which is as deadly as it sounds. It’s a one-of-a-kind creature with unique kill animations that match its unbridled ferocity, which your staff is going to be hard-pressed to deal with. There’s also the Mutadon, which is as vicious on land as it is in the air. The Titanosaurus is the Devastator to the Auilop’s Ravage, although it might take some time to grow to its full size from its Juvenile variant.

There are also a bunch of movie-accurate Rebirth skins for existing dinos in the base game to look forward to. We’re apprehensive about that Distortus Rex, but that isn’t going to stop us from diving in, thanks to the announcement trailer being as awesome as it is.

Of course, there’s much more in store for May’s second wave, starting with Dead Static Drive on May 20th for Premium subscribers. It’s accompanied by Pigeon Simulator and Winter Burrow, with all three titles already available for Ultimate and PC tiers.

All three tiers can look forward to Souls-like third-person shooter Remnant 2 and My Friend Peppa Pig on the same day. May 21st sees the arrival of bullet hell first-person shooter Luna Abyss on Ultimate and PC (while also launching for PS5). If you’re looking for something more cerebral, then there’s Escape Simulator on May 26th for all three tiers.

Echo Generation 2 debuts for Ultimate and PC Game Pass on May 27th alongside The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition, which is also coming to Premium. Note that the original version is being delisted, with current owners getting a free upgrade.

Then there’s co-op title Crashout Crew and cozy bug-collection game Kabuto Park to look forward to on May 28th. Final Fantasy 6 rounds the second wave, despite technically launching on June 2nd, alongside Jurassic World Evolution 3.

Of course, several titles are also leaving on May 31st, and include some fairly heavy hitters. Enjoy them now while you can (or pick them up at a discount):

• Against the Storm (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Crypt Custodian (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Persona 4 Golden (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Spray Paint Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC)

We’ve played them all, and picked our favorites to give you a few choices for the holidays and beyond as we wait for a new batch of great games from 2026. As it stands, our nominees for the best PC games of 2025 are:

1. INAZUMA ELEVEN: Victory Road

Intense football RPG action with a layer of anime polish can be quite appealing to either an anime or a football fan, but this one is more than that. It offers an almost endless amount of playable content thanks to a massive roster of characters, and a lot of replay value thanks to its single and multiplayer modes. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and a very rewarding journey along the way.

2. Dispatch

Joining Robert Robinson III on this charming and often hilarious take on superheroes is sure to have you very invested in its story and mechanics right off the bat. Dispatch hits all the right notes and brings a charming cast to the stage, while a riveting narrative weaves their lives together with the SDN acting as a binding thread. It captures your attention and manages to hold it long enough for this one to become endearing.

3. Hades 2

We always knew the long wait for this one was going to be worth it. Hades 2 is an absolute blast with its roguelike action-RPG gameplay loop, blending very well with its story and unique art style. Its potent combination of style, substance, and satire is sublime, while the combat does come with enough challenge to keep you on your toes. Look no further than this one for hours of quality fun.

4. The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

If you haven’t gotten around to this one after playing the first game, or perhaps coming to the franchise after the live-action shows, this one is definitely going to have you invested. The remaster does a brilliant job of improving on the strengths of the original release, making it the best possible way to experience the adventure that awaits. For those of you already familiar with how it all ends, another playthrough is always on the cards anyway.

5. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Every hour you sink into this action-packed JRPG is going to be worth it, with its story, characters, combat, and general allure drawing you in and leaving you with so much to do in its world. It’s also very replayable, which is a great way to keep the story going and your characters’ stories playing out on increasingly harder difficulties. This one does its genre justice and is a world that calls to you at every turn.

6. Absolum

With a combat system worthy of a chef’s kiss, accompanied by a roguelike gameplay loop that’s very addictive indeed, Talamh is a place you might find pretty hard to leave. The battle against the Crimson Order and Azra is the perfect excuse for some good old beat ‘em up action, and this one is excellent on that front. Between all the character archetypes on offer, it’s probably going to keep you busy for a while.

7. Clair Obscur Expedition

This one’s already winning quite a few awards and nominations, and with good reason. The Continent and Expedition’s beloved cast of characters are reason enough to fall in love with The Paintress’s world. But all of the adversity and loss they have overcome have you invested in the entire journey. It’s almost as if you’re a part of the expedition too, and the one who decides its fate. It’s an experience that comes along every once in a while to show you what a great game can do.

8. Hollow Knight: Silksong

This one’s release was among the year’s most pleasant surprises, and taking over a new adventure as Hornet was an absolute treat. The combat was familiar yet fresh, while the explorable world’s size and scope were overwhelming at first, and simply delightful as we kept losing ourselves in its confines. Add a very enticing art style and excellent level designs, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

9. Blue Prince

This is among the more unique ones on this list. Helping Simon secure his inheritance of the Mt. Holly Estate might not be the most action-packed game on this list, but it certainly stretches your mental faculties in your quest to locate the mansion’s hidden room. No two days are alike, and you’re soon going to be thinking about this one even when you’re not in your gaming chair.

10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Oh, what an RPG this one turned out to be. With a massive map full of quirky folks, mysteries, intrigue, and some good old adventures to be had along the road, it was a sequel that stayed true to its roots while building out the franchise in a number of meaningful ways. The story is top-shelf, while an abundance of things to do is going to keep you quite busy as you play it all.

11. ARC Raiders

This extraction shooter has been among the few games we’ve visited almost daily, not because we had to, but because we wanted to. It’s been the perfect choice for a quick session where we kick back, and set out to meet other players in a world where the community has now made identifying friends from foes a part of the fun. Its design lends itself to the chaos that such decisions can cause, and you’re going to have a lot of unpredictably fun moments with this one.

12. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

With a perfect blend of the samurai and shinobi’s ways, and a massive recreation of feudal Japan to let those two archetypes loose in, Shadows is a great addition to the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Naoe and Yasuke are great characters, their skillsets lending themselves to some very interesting ways to achieve your goals. A stunning world and protagonists whose blades could strike from the shadows or the light is certainly an adventure worth having.

13. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Cloud Strife’s fight against the Shinra is the perfect backdrop for an explosive story, combined with some incredible gameplay mechanics that make this one’s long-awaited PC version worth playing even if you’re not a fan of Final Fantasy. We’d recommend hooking up a DualSense to your PC for this one to get the most out of its haptic integration, while enjoying all of the visual bells and whistles that it has to offer. It’s the best of both worlds, really.

14. Monster Hunter Wilds

Beautiful biomes, a wide variety of impeccably designed monsters to hunt, and a plethora of quests to keep you travelling across the Forbidden Lands make this one a fine choice for those of you looking for a meaty RPG. Excellent build variety and deep combat mechanics, along with a charming world full of things to pique your curiosity, are more reasons to jump in and enjoy yourself thoroughly.

15. Lumines Arise

Simple mechanics can often lead to complex gameplay loops, and Lumines Ares is a great example of that. No two rounds of this puzzle game are the same, and it takes the concept of Tetris to a whole new level with a very unique visual design and audio design that weaves itself into the game’s DNA quite creatively. This one’s impressive and addictive, which is quite a potent combo.

16. Battlefield 6

Among the year’s best looking shooters, Battlefield 6 might have drawn a bit of flak for its campaign, but that does not take away from the fact that its shooting mechanics are very much on point. If you’re looking for a multiplayer shooter that shows off what your PC can do while also being a great option for those extended gaming sessions, this one has everything you need and more.

17. The Alters

If a game that has you creating alternate versions of yourself to progress further in its story sounds cool to you, you’re in luck. Jan Dolski’s story might seem quirky on the surface, but there’s a surprising amount of depth on offer here, and your choices carry a lot of weight in the bargain. This one’s among the most creative titles we’ve played this year, and is going to remain among the most unique ones we’ve encountered over the years.

18. The First Berserker: Khazan

Khazan’s revenge-fuelled rampage is a stylish, well-designed game that puts its combat front and center and challenges you to play it on its terms before it gives you the satisfaction you crave from a title of its calibre. With an interesting story and characters backing up the action, along with a distinct visual style to sell it all, this one is going to have you white knuckled as you take on its many threats.

19. Bionic Bay

Atmospheric, immersive, and mentally challenging, Bionic Bay makes excellent use of a solid premise to give you an experience that’s going to have you wanting more. It’s a test of your patience just as much as it’s a test of your ability to get creative with solutions to the problem in front of you. It’s exhilarating when you get it right, while the way it all comes together is a reward on its own with this one.

20. Jurassic World Evolution 3

With Jeff Goldblum coming back to the fold as Dr. Ian Malcolm, and a very encouraging approach to setting you up for success as you manage your dinosaurs and facilities, this one gets you locked in pretty quickly. We still go back to our parks for some routine maintenance from time to time, watching the dinosaurs we’ve helped bring to life thrive. It’s quite relaxing and a lot of fun until Extinction Now rears its ugly head.

And there you have it. These are the PC games from 2025 we think deserve your attention. But there has to be a winner, right? We’ve an inkling you already know what’s coming.

The winner of the best PC game in 2025 is

Clair Obscur: Expedition

Clair Obscur: Expedition , a game that has surpassed expectations and goes above and beyond to enthrall its players.

Its visual style lends it realism while leaving room for artistic flourishes. Its cast of characters sells its material so well that you find yourself even rooting for its antagonist. You’re going to be humming its soundtrack and maybe even listening to it in the gym. Its story is going to take you to places you might not be ready to visit. Its combat might fool you into thinking it’s an easy experience with no challenge involved. In short, it’s everything a great game should be, and is one that’s going to remain close to our hearts in the years to come.

And that’s a wrap on the best PC games of 2025! We’re looking forward to doing it all over again next year, and to keep bringing more of gaming’s best to your screens.

Let’s dive into the most amazing games of this year that can offer 50 to 100 hours (maybe even more) of great gameplay.

Ghost of Yōtei

Returning to your birthplace to avenge your brutally murdered family is cool and all, but discovering all the puzzles? Bonding with your ferocious wolf by slaying poachers? That’s where it’s really at. Ghost of Yōtei is excellent at seamlessly weaving optional activities into its exploration – be it Bamboo Strikes, Sumi-e Paintings – and making every single one feel unique. But maybe you’d fancy earning some new armor that can deflect bullets by stealthily infiltrating a teahouse for Ginji the Armorer. Perhaps earning an incredible Charm by assisting Ran the Bowyer. Slay Takezo’s disciples for the privilege to face him in a duel. And probably engage in some bounty-hunting on the side.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Mysteria Ecclesiae is out, meaning Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has wrapped up all its DLC, but even if you didn’t venture off the beaten path, Henry’s journey is still one of the best open-world RPGs of all time. Starting from nothing, slaving away in menial jobs, finding your calling as a blacksmith (or a hunter, or an herbalist, really, take your pick), and slowly building yourself back up, Bohemia is simply bustling with things to see and do. Lead a noble life, beloved by all, or become a no-good criminal, destined only for the guillotine. It’s your choice, and the sheer reactivity of the world is something to behold over the course of 100+ hours.

Jurassic World Evolution 3

The biggest and perhaps most satisfying game in the series yet, with 90 species of dinosaurs with juvenile variants added for the first time. And that’s not even including the dinos from Evolution 2, added for free post-launch. But even with the extensive campaign, community creations and challenge modes, the real time sink is in Sandbox Mode, as you perfectly craft the dinosaur park of your dreams, optimizing every single aspect…or watching it fall into chaos. It even features a custom island generator for when you (inevitably) have to start over.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

For all the ways that Ghost of Yōtei surpasses Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the former is missing one thing: Base building. Or more accurately, hideout customization, where you can adjust the very moss on rocks to cultivate your league in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible. Of course, Shadows has plenty of other content, from castles to attack, skills to master, loot (weapons and armor) to plunder, and so on. In fact, there are even new story quests, collaborations, parkour improvements, and Corrupted Castles to challenge.

Clair Obscur

On its own, the story is an absolute rollercoaster, especially when optimizing builds and employing the most broken techniques possible. Act 3 is where all bets are off, however, and Clair Obscur unveils the full gamut of its post-game. A painted serpent in the skies; the Flying Manor where a familiar foe awaits; the Endless Tower with multiple sets of challenges – there’s just so much to discover, especially if you’re circling back and wiping the floor with previous Act bosses. It would all be for nought without a superboss waiting at the end, but don’t worry – Clair Obscur has that too.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

There’s nothing quite like wrapping up Silksong after years of waiting, going online and then asking out of pure bafflement, “Wait, Act 3?” Because you can explore the world of Pharloom, ascend to the top, defeating its toughest bosses, and yes, maybe rescue a few Fleas along the way. But there’s so, so much more, beyond what you’d even expect (or prep for). So go and complete those wishes, discover even more incredible characters, and if you’re feeling especially masochistic, there’s the one-hit KO Steel Soul Mode for a true challenge.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered

Technical problems aside, the Oblivion remaster is a treasure trove of content, even without accounting for mods. You get the massive base game – a heroic quest to stop the Gates of Oblivion from manifesting in Cyrodiil, with all its side quests, quirky NPCs, and dungeons to plunder. There’s also various DLCs for even more adventuring (and arguably superior narratives). Play multiple builds, approach quests from different angles and most importantly of all: Endurance, endurance, endurance.

The First Berserker: Khazan

There’s more to The First Berserker: Khazan’s story than the revenge quest, least of all the retries required to best its bosses. Embarking on side quests and finding all the fragments of Ozma’s Diary is the route towards the best ending. But even if you’re content to explore or replay on higher difficulties, there’s also New Game Plus, which carries over all armor, skills and weapons, increases the level cap and lets you craft Epic and Legendary equipment. Best of all? Transmog for the true endgame – fashion.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

230 Pokémon to catch and 65 Mega Evolutions only scratch the surface of Z-A’s content. There are dozens of side missions to complete, the Z-A Royale to grind through (complete with promotion battles), and online multiplayer, including the new Battle Club for four players to duke it out. And that’s without factoring in Mega Dimension, a completely separate realm where the true end-game, full of level 100+ threats, awaits alongside even more Mega Evolutions.

Donkey Kong Bananza

An out-and-out blast from start to finish with a story that can be finished in less than 20 hours. But if you’ve played a 3D Mario game, you know that’s not the end – it can’t be. There are 1000 Banadium Gems, and what’s a King of Kong to do but collect them all? DK Island and Emerald Rush add even more with the latter’s rogue-like structure offering even more replay value, and that’s before diving into the limited-time events each month for new statues.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

When you can spend dozens of hours simply delivering packages, building bridges and ziplines, and admiring the sights, you know it’s something special. Fortunately, Death Stranding 2 offers more beyond that, from a healthy selection of weapons and targets to unleash them on to side quests with cameos from your favorite personalities to Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii as a Pizza Chef, no less. Otherwise, plan out your optimal routes and just have fun with the community.

Elden Ring Nightreign

With eight Nightlords and several other bosses in between, there’s room for plenty of killing in Limveld. Choose your Nightfarer, optimize that playstyle with different Relics and – if you like them enough – complete their personal quests for even more power. That’s the base Nightreign experience, not including all the Shifting Earth locations to explore. However, you can also challenge the Everdark Sovereigns, even tougher versions of the Nightlords, or venture into the Deep of Night for longer expeditions with cursed loot. And if that isn’t enough to keep you busy, attempt to solo everything. The Forsaken Hollows DLC adds even more content in the form of new Nightfarers, and new bosses.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

The original Trails in the Sky FC takes about 66 hours if you’re aiming for everything – recipes, side quests, perfectly optimized Orbments. The remake is just shy of six hours, but even if you’re focused purely on the story and side content, it’s a long journey, made all the more fulfilling with expanded cutscenes and more combat depth.

Where Winds Meet

Everstone Studio makes no bones about wanting you to get lost in its massive world, offering thousands of NPCs to interact with and dozens upon dozens of hours of content. Even outside of the multitude of weapons, mystic techniques and Martial Arts to master, there is such a rich plethora of optional activities to indulge in. Engage in Shuai Jiao (the Sumo before Sumo became a thing), venture into dungeons, or just run around and explore the massive world while helping those in need. It’s a truly expansive experience that’s only going to get bigger once other regions launch globally.

Hades 2

There’s a moment in Hades 2 when you think you’ve understood everything that the game has to offer – its various Boons, the systems governing its weapons, the Incantations. Then the way to Olympus opens, and a brand new game is laid bare. Of course, you’ll still be growing crops, optimizing your Arcana, maxing out Keepsakes, upgrading weapons and unlocking their Hidden Aspects, and most importantly of all, discovering pets to assist you in runs. And even after the ending, there’s yet more to discover and greater challenges to conquer the Oath of the Unseen.

This guide is all about figuring out how to check and increase Park Rating in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

How To Check Park Rating

To see how your current Park Rating is faring as well as get an idea of what you need to do in order to raise it, open up the Control Room. Here you can get a broad overview of everything from the number of distinct species to appeal and its modifiers to contracts that will help raise the rating.

How To Increase Park Rating

Each park will clearly outline a set of four specific targets to achieve in order to maximize the rating and be considered successful. These are visible in the bottom left of the Control Room’s Management tab, and apply to each star of the five star scale.

The foundations of any improvements will rest upon making as much money as possible, since most of the targets will require significant investment. These improvements themselves will lead to greater profits, but it makes sense to prioritize those that do over those that are simply money sinks such as shelter coverage or dinosaur comfort.

Focus heavily on the targets that involve increasing dinosaur numbers and diversity, as well as Guest count. Contract completion is also relatively easy to achieve.

That is everything there is to know about raising your Park Rating in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

This guide is all about raking in cash as quickly and efficiently as possible in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

Contracting

Frequently check the Management tab of the Control Room in order to browse Contracts. These can serve as a steady source of income if you can fulfill their objectives. Do this before undertaking upgrades or research as they often overlap, thus allowing you to reap the rewards for something you were going to do anyway.

Note the significant bonus cash reward for contract completion within a specified timeframe, if applicable. If you are not confident you can do it within the time specified, try to achieve any objectives that will get you close enough to completion before actually accepting the contract. Note that these contracts refresh automatically, so you are still on the clock to some degree.

Never expend the absurdly high $45,000 cost of refreshing the contracts list manually.

Fossil Expeditions

Your scientists can be an expense unto themselves, but they can also reap large profits. Dispatch them on global expeditions regularly, in order to bring home both fossils and minerals for turning quick profits.

Genome extraction is an added bonus for the purpose of improving the diversity of your dinosaur species.

While Gold and eggs are highly prized, they are also rare drops. The lowest valued fossils sell for $40,000 a pop, but add up in sheer numbers found over time.

Photography

You can earn cash for photographing dinosaurs in your park by simply visiting your exhibits in a vehicle. Whip out your camera and take some decent pictures. Photographs are judged for uniqueness of species and their behaviors on display in the photo, ranging from eating to swimming to sleeping. Both juveniles and adults count as distinct subjects, but avoid spamming the same subject over and over.

Note that you can reposition the vehicle while looking down the lens.

A number of bonuses can apply to the base value of photographs, including composition of the photo and subject count.

That is everything there is to know about making money fast in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

This guide is all about setting up Dinosaur Encounters in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

How To Build Dinosaur Encounters

Head to the Attractions menu, and select the Dinosaur Encounter building.

Either connect the Dinosaur Encounter building to a pre-existing Enclosure or place it first and then build a new Enclosure around it.

If not already appropriately populated, select dinosaurs to place inside the Enclosure.

Once hooked into your pathing system and powered up, it will be open to the public.

Best Use Of Dinosaur Encounters

Small herbivorous species of dinosaurs are the ideal candidate for populating the Dinosaur Encounter.

A handful of medium-sized dinosaur species may also be suitable up until they reach full size in adulthood.

The building is propped right up against the Enclosure fence, which should make pathing and powering easier. However, if you find that it just will not accept being placed on a pre-existing Enclosure due to some geometry issue, simply demolish just enough of the fence in order to place the building down, and then restore the fence so it forms a seam with the structure.
The Dinosaur Encounter’s food supply will have to be resupplied by maintenance every now and then.

The $137,500 investment is a lot, especially compared to the 100K cost for the Balloon Tour, but this Attraction revolves around the relatively quicker foot traffic, and should see a higher turnover. Grid draw is a mere one power as well.

That is everything there is to know about building Dinosaur Encounters for best effect in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

This guide is all about securing your park with Emergency Shelters in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

How To Build Emergency Shelters

Head to the Guests menu, and select the Emergency Shelter building.

Either select a preset Emergency Shelter building from the menu or create a custom one to your liking.

Select an appropriate location based on need and place the Emergency Shelter.

Once hooked into your pathing system it will be open to the public.

Best Use Of Emergency Shelters

Worst case scenarios are covered by Emergency Shelters, which are part and parcel of Shelter Coverage in terms of Guest Comfort rating.

They also provide security to your own park employees, and effectively prevent a sharp plummeting of the park’s Safety rating when something goes wrong.

Determining where to place them for best effect is made easy through heatmaps, but also by simply anticipating where problems are most likely to arise, such as Attractions that are attached to Enclosures, for example.

Some outcomes simply cannot be anticipated, such as calamitous weather, and you will have to pivot quickly to deploy maintenance and capture teams instead.

Storm Protection upgrades for buildings should be a high priority to mitigate the effects of weather events.

That is everything there is to know about building Emergency Shelters for best effect in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

This guide is all about plotting a route for Balloon Tours in Jurassic World Evolution 3.

How To Build Balloon Tours

Head to the Attractions menu, and select the Balloon Tour building.

Either select a preset Balloon Tour building from the menu or create a custom one to your liking.

Plot a route for the tour, with both commencing and ending points located at the building itself.

Once hooked into your pathing system and powered up, it will be open to the public.

Best Use Of Balloon Tours

Just about all species of dinosaurs can be visible on the Balloon Tour’s route.

Since the Balloon Tour can float right over various structures including other Attractions, as well as large unsecured tracts of land, Guests can entirely avoid dangerous land tours, and you can avoid massive security arrangements for worst case scenarios.

The Balloon Tour has no effect on your Transport Rating given its plodding speed, and is unlikely to be used specifically for traversing huge distances.

At a cool $100,000 to construct for just a singular Balloon to be deployed at any given time, it can be quite the investment. The relatively low load of two power to your network is the only upside.

That is everything there is to know about building Balloon Tours for best effect in Jurassic World Evolution 3.