Indie games shone the brightest in 2025, and that has become a fact. They absolutely dominated the competition throughout the year, despite the presence of many commendable AAA releases.
The top five best-rated games on Metacritic and on Steam are nothing but indie titles. Even the top 20 best-rated games on Steam are dominated by none other than indies.
So this brings up the question of which is the highest-rated game of 2025. On Metacritic, it is one title, but on Steam, the best-rated game of 2025 is Schedule 1.
Schedule 1 Deserves the Spot
Schedule 1 is one of those games that just boomed out of nowhere. This game took the internet by storm, and maybe no one saw it coming. Many people have called it a masterpiece, and some Steam reviews have even mentioned that this game made them buy their first PC.
It is pretty hard to convince a console player to shift to PC, and this game did that just by people seeing the gameplay footage. That is something extremely rare to witness in the gaming industry.
“This game is a masterpiece i have been on console my whole life but after seeing footage of gameplay i was forced to buy my first pc and have my wifes pc ordered currently so we can rule the streets with our kind herb, highly recommend anyone reading this to play the game it is the only game iv written a review for and hope the dev receives the support needed to expand even further.”
-Steam Review
There are many reviews claiming it to be a 10/10 game, and rightfully so. It is worth noting that the game is currently in early access, so it will only get better. The full release may be even more impressive, as the developers have not disappointed the fandom yet.
“10/10 game and the dev is awesome and did not abandon the game after success.”
-Another Steam Review
The reviews for this game are overwhelmingly positive, indicating that the majority have thoroughly enjoyed it. It reached an all-time peak of nearly 460,000 players on Steam at launch. Currently, it still has a peak of over 30,000 players.
Strong Reviews, Strong Fandom
The game is currently sitting at over 96 percent positive reviews. The recent reviews are over 98 percent positive. So, it makes sense why Schedule 1 is the best-rated game on Steam in 2025.
The game has overwhelmingly positive reviews, and they speak volumes. Not only that, but even after a long time since its release, there are still thousands of people playing it. Sure, the player count is nowhere near its all-time peak, but that is still pretty impressive for an indie game.
This is yet another example of how well indie games performed last year, and hopefully, this year brings the same level of performance.
For more interesting news and features, please check out the links below:
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Obaid Ur Rehman is a lifelong gaming enthusiast with a deep passion for writing about video games. While he enjoys all genres, he specializes in RPGs and Soulslike titles. After tackling some of the toughest bosses, he often unwinds with a cozy game to relax. Outside of gaming, Obaid enjoys watching anime, bingeing TV series, or staying active at the gym.
