What about the here and now? Well, today sees the arrival of Aerial_Knight’s DropShot and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Premium subscribers can also finally go hands-on with Avowed, which is getting a meaty new Anniversary Update today alongside its PS5 port.

Death Howl, a Souls-like deck builder, follows on February 19th for all three tiers, along with EA Sports College Football 26 for Ultimate subscribers. However, the standout addition is undoubtedly The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition for Ultimate and Premium. Right on time for that rumored new DLC.

TCG Card Shop Simulator arrives on February 24th, though it’s still in early access, with Dice A Million joining on February 25th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Towerborne’s 1.0 release is also out on February 26th and will be available for all three tiers. And for those who don’t care that Henry has come to visit us on March 3rd, they can experience Final Fantasy 3 instead.

Check out all the titles that will be leaving on February 28th (available to purchase at a 20 percent discount for Game Pass members):

• Monster Train (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Injustice 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Middle Earth: Shadow of War (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Taking a closer look at software sales for the month of December, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 took the lead, with Battlefield 6 being ranked third. Other titles in the best-seller charts for the month are a mix of newer games like Donkey Kong Bananza and older titles like Grand Theft Auto 5, Minecraft and Red Dead Redemption 2.

While other console makers might have started struggling with console sales last year, Nintendo has been doing quite well with the release of the Switch 2. Piscatella had confirmed, the Switch 2 ended up being the best-selling console of the year in the US, with the country accounting for 4.4 million units. Along with this, the new console is also noted as selling faster than the original Switch from back in 2017.

As he noted, the Switch 2’s hardware sales single-handedly managed to offset industry-wide downward trends in console hardware sales. Sony’s PS5 ranked second for the period. The Switch 2 has also been described by Piscatella as being the “fastest selling video game console hardware platform” in history so far.

While things might be going well for Nintendo for the time being, research firm Niko Partners has predicted that the company will end up raising the price of the Switch 2 thanks to the worldwide memory shortages affecting manufacturing. The firm noted that, while the Switch 2 is priced competitively when compared to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo might have to bring its latest console in line with its competitors to maintain profitability.

In the meantime, Battlefield Studios has been working hard on creating and testing more content for the upcoming second season of Battlefield 6. While it hasn’t yet revealed too many details aside from its February 17 launch date, the developers provided a few hints about what kind of content we can expect when Season 2 of Battlefield 6 is kicked off.

Among the new content coming to the game is a brand new map, dubbed Contagion, that will also feature its own unique gameplay mechanics. No details have been provided about these mechanics, aside from vague hints about players needing to use equipment to interact with them, a soldier wearing a gas mask in the teaser trailer, and the fact that the map’s name implies some sort of contagious infection will be involved.

Battlefield 6 is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review from back when it first came out.

2025 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-01-22T14:00:07.506Z

December 2025 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2026-01-22T14:00:07.505Z

But which is the absolute crème of the crop? Let’s dive into our nominees for the best graphics of 2025, starting with…

Ghost of Yōtei

Everything about Sucker Punch’s sequel is a massive improvement over Ghost of Tsushima, and that especially applies to the visuals. Much greater draw distance with almost no noticeable pop-in, more details, higher quality textures and materials, improved effects – there’s even seamlessly implemented ray-traced global illuminations. All in all, whether you’re in the throes of combat with swords clashing and mud splashing or speeding through fields of flowers, Ghost of Yōtei doesn’t disappoint.

Silent Hill f

Between the expressive facial animations and grotesque environments, Silent Hill f is a nightmarishly stunning experience. Its environments are packed with incredible texture work and backed by realistic lighting and shadows that accentuate every gruesome reveal. Then there are the monsters, designed by kera, which strike a nauseating fine line between beauty and dread.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

After pushing the limits of the Decima Engine in the original, Kojima Productions somehow goes even further beyond in Death Stranding 2. Gazing upon mountain ranges with nary a hint of slowdown or pop-in, the phenomenal character models with realistic skin textures – it’s a feast for the eyes, and only gets better as you progress further in. For instance, the entire first encounter against Neal and his soldiers? Simply amazing.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

Count on id Software to take technology like ray-traced global illumination and make it a core part of its game while still delivering incredible optimization. Like its predecessors, DOOM: The Dark Ages focuses on brutally fast, though definitely more methodical, combat, but it still packs some fantastic sights like projectiles reflecting off glossy surfaces, more realistic environmental destruction and stellar atmospherics. All of this results in easily one of the best-looking shooters of all time.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Another excellent showcase of RTGI, Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings late Sengoku-era Japan to life in surprisingly stunning ways. However, it’s all the other details that help the experience come together so well, from the physics-based weather and realistic wind to the environmental destruction (especially when destroying a stand and watching dozens of fruit tumble onto the street). The depiction of various cities and castles is also incredible, making this feel like a lived-in world.

Clair Obscur: Expedition

No, Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game isn’t the result of only 32 people and a dog, but you have to admit: Its visuals stretch the definition of “double-A” to an obscene degree. While balancing its fantastical painterly art direction with realism, it delivers some truly surreal environments and moments, packed with detailed shadows and lighting. Even the world map with its diorama-like layout looks incredible.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

If you played the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance, then the sequel’s outstanding visuals shouldn’t be a surprise. However, the universal leap in quality is mind-boggling, especially considering the increased scale. The composition of the cutscenes and facial expressions of its cast are only the start as you’re treated to realistic fire, rainfall, and excruciatingly detailed foliage. And it all runs like a dream.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Having more detailed and realistic character models and environments than the original is only the start. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater goes to extensive lengths to look drop-dead amazing – extensively complex skin meshes, a physically based material system for the clothing, Lumen GI for realistic lighting and shadows, the list goes on. Of course, even with the improved facial expressions, Konami retained every single element of the original’s quirky presentation, and we couldn’t be happier.

F1 25

Say what you will about its improvements over previous games, F1 25 still highlights the sheer beauty of the racing sim series. LIDAR technology results in more realistic tracks, but the implementation of path tracing, which enhances lighting, reflections and sheer detail, especially during various weather conditions, is excellent. Of course, Codemasters’ penchant for painstakingly crafting its F1 vehicles remains as praise-worthy as ever.

Battlefield 6

With the amount of time and resources invested in Battlefield 6’s development, it’s somewhat surprising that it looks this good despite the lack of ray tracing and other advanced features. Nevertheless, the presentation is off the charts, whether you’re running through an active battle with jets screaming overhead or watching buildings torn apart, their debris realistically scattering. The fact that it achieves all this while still offering buttery smooth performance is yet another win.

Dying Light: The Beast

Speaking of not offering ray tracing and still looking incredibly good is Techland’s Dying Light: The Beast. Lighting is a core element of the franchise, and its implementation is especially impressive here, as is the extensive range of parkour animations (which play out seamlessly) and revamped damage model. Striking enemies with melee weapons creates realistic cuts and deformations to a gruesome degree, giving melee combat that extra bit of edge.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered

Virtuos opted for an intriguing dual-engine approach here, retaining the original code base and core while overhauling the visuals in Unreal Engine 5. Sure, it’s resulted in some problems, but Cyrodiil comes to life like never before. Emperor Uriel, with his realistic wrinkles and excruciatingly fine cloth textures, is only the start as the environments and NPCs are brimming with details.

ARC Raiders

Several Unreal Engine 5 titles come under fire for their poor optimization and performance issues. Then you have ARC Raiders, which offers exceptionally peak performance. Achieving this meant opting away from the likes of Lumen and Nanite, but the fidelity is still surprisingly strong. Reflective surfaces on ARC, realistic-looking weather, detailed destruction – it’s almost enough to make you forget that this is a multiplayer shooter.

Borderlands 4

Once you surmount the various technical problems on PC, there’s no denying that Borderlands 4 is a great-looking game. Gearbox’s signature cel-shading style looks more nuanced than ever, and it’s impressive given the scale of its environments, the seamless exploration, and the surprisingly complex character designs (especially the enemies).

Hell is Us

There’s an eerie atmosphere to Hell is Us, made all the more tangible with the presence of Time Rifts and otherworldly creatures in otherwise realistic, war-torn environments. While it required further optimization at launch, discovering Lake Cynon’s lush field of blue flowers or exploring the sleek interiors of Auriga Museum still made for some startling moments, further bolstered by the excellent texture quality, lighting and reflections.

And the title with the Best Graphics of 2025 is…

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Let’s be real – this generation hasn’t exactly been brimming with titles that push the graphical envelope. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is, of course, the exception and it becomes apparent in the opening minutes. Quick cuts of Mexico, the first location, look almost identical to real life. The skin tone on the characters, alongside details like realistic sweat and retinas, also makes them feel that much more alive. And mind you, this is before Australia, where the sheer breadth of the world is unveiled, from the different biomes to the real-time weather effects (including dust storms).

We mentioned the battle against Neal and the impressive use of lighting, reflective puddles and effects, but it’s even more incredible how this is achieved with screen-space reflections rather than ray-tracing. If all of this wasn’t enough, seamlessly going from the main menu right into the game underscores just how ahead of the curve Death Stranding 2 is of the competition. For that reason and many more, it’s our pick for the best graphics of 2025.