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Each year, the lines between remasters and remakes get blurrier, which makes it interesting that in 2025, the biggest remakes have taken a relatively more conservative approach to the concept. We may expect remakes to be more than just a new lick of paint but sometimes fans aren't looking for embellishments, just simply the best way to experience a beloved classic that can also hold up to modern expectations.
So even while one of these entries does explicitly title itself as a remaster, in our eyes these are all remakes that do a fantastic job of rebuilding the original game through a modern lens while any new elements feel naturally part of its core essence and structure. If a remake feels like the perfect entry point that doesn't have you pining for the original, then it's surely done its job.
5. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered
Developer: Virtuos / Bethesda Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
Gloriously rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal 5, with ray-tracing, new animations, and new menu design, it's almost incredulous this handsome new version of Bethesda's 2006 RPG classic is merely labelled a remaster when similar examples would have made do with up-ressed textures.
But while The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered features some gameplay changes, such as sprinting and a Skyrim-inspired levelling system, deep down it's still fundamentally the same game with its janky combat, minigames, and an open world stitched together with loading screens (but also including all existing expansions). At the same time, you might also say that's just part of the Bethesda charm, and more than enough to keep fans satiated as the wait for news on Elder Scrolls 6 continues.
4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
Developer: Iron Galaxy
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Switch 2, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Given the success of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 remakes a few years ago, repeating the trick with the following two entries, including THPS3 that is often considered the series' peak, is a no-brainer. Although handled by Iron Galaxy rather than Vicarious Visions (now merged with Blizzard), it follows on from the previous remake package by not only presenting the skating in modern visuals but also adding new content and reworking mechanics, even if nothing is quite as gamechanging as THPS 1+2 incorporating the revert mechanic first introduced in THPS3.
There may be controversy as purists lament the omission of certain licensed songs as well as the open-world career mode in the original THPS3, but when it gets it right there still aren't other skating games that reach the same highs as the Birdman.
3. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment / Virtuos
Platform(s): PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Making a new Metal Gear Solid post-Kojima is a contentious affair, let alone remaking arguably the best and most beloved instalment in the series. Perhaps this is why Konami along with porting powerhouse Virtuos (remaking the Virtuous Mission, how apt!) opted to keep much of the original vision intact, including retaining all of the voice-recorded lines from the 2004 original that helped cement its place among the best stealth games.
Sure, you could just play the HD port (based on the superior Subsistence release) for a fraction of the price, but those new gorgeous Unreal 5-powered visuals really do make the 1960s Soviet jungle come alive while Snake's moveset has also been welcomingly modernized, including crouch-walking and a less fiddly way to execute CQC actions. More than two decades later, you also can't deny that Cynthia Harrell still has the pipes!
2. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Developer: Square Enix (Creative Studio 3)
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Switch 2, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC
28 years since its original release, Final Fantasy Tactics' epic tale of class warfare remains as potent and relevant for our times. It's perhaps for that reason that the latest version, handled by FF14 and 16's Creative Studio 3, doesn't try to overhaul the visuals, instead maintaining the grid-based turn-based battles on maps presented isometrically populated with deformed character sprites.
What however elevates the script, previously given a more Shakespearean localization in the War of the Lions PSP port, is the very welcome addition of voice-acting, finally giving this medieval fantasy the theatricality it had always aimed for. Just as impressive is that The Ivalice Chronicles doesn't set out to rewrite the historical record as it also preserves the PS1 original (actually more of a reconstruction due to the original master data source code having been lost), essentially giving you two games in one. It's one of the best Final Fantasy games for a reason. Play it and thank me later.
1. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Developer: Falcom
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Switch 2, Switch, PC
Although there are various arcs in Falcom's long-running JRPG series (aka one of the best anime games) to jump in from, the way each installment is a narrative continuity as complex as the MCU means the best way to start is usually from the beginning. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter succeeds in updating Estelle Bright and her adoptive brother Joshua's quest to become Bracers so that it looks and plays just like the modern Trails games, including an even-richer shader as well as integrating the latest installments' hybrid battle system where you can freely switch between real-time and turn-based combat in the field.
But even with voice acting and more cinematic direction, what's most important is that the story's script and structure has been kept faithfully intact. It's proof that not every RPG remake needed to be an indulgent and bloated reimagining like Final Fantasy 7.
Be sure to check out our ranking of the best games of 2025 to see how these remakes fared against brand-new entries this year.
