#TechTuesday: The 2025 Top 5 video games that will make the perfect birthday gift
#TechTuesday: The 2025 Top 5 video games that will make the perfect birthday gift
If you're a gamer, you're probably no stranger to terms like respawn, levelling up, 3D graphics, and augmented reality.
For the non-gamers, though, it can be quite intimidating to attempt to find the perfect gift for a gaming partner or friend.
Gamers often invest countless hours (and quite a bit of money) into building their ultimate setup—complete with high-performance tech, immersive sound systems, and ergonomic chairs in a bid to maximise their gaming experience.
Their dedication is real: they'll only pause for bathroom breaks, and snacks are never in short supply.
If you're on the hunt for a gift that will truly impress your gamer friends, look no further.
Here are five of the latest and most sought-after games that are guaranteed to make them scream with delight:
Fortnite:
Fortnite is a online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017.
It has seven variations of game modes that otherwise share the same overall gameplay and game engine:
Fortnite Battle Royale: a battle royale video game where the action features up to 100 players fighting to be the last person standing;
a battle royale video game where the action features up to 100 players fighting to be the last person standing; Fortnite Save the World: a co-op hybrid tower defence-shooter survival computer game where up to four players fight zombie-like enemy creatures while defending objects using traps and defenses they can build;
a co-op hybrid tower defence-shooter survival computer game where up to four players fight zombie-like enemy creatures while defending objects using traps and defenses they can build; Fortnite Creative: where players have complete freedom of creativity in which to create worlds and battlefields;
where players have complete freedom of creativity in which to create worlds and battlefields; Lego Fortnite: an open-world series of games divided between the survival game Lego Fortnite Odyssey and the social game Lego
an open-world series of games divided between the survival game Lego Fortnite Odyssey and the social game Lego Fortnite Brick Life Rocket Racing: a racing title;
a racing title; Fortnite Festival: a rhythm title; and
a rhythm title; and Fortnite Ballistic: an early access tactical first-person shooter. All but Save the World are free-to-play.
2. Call of Duty – Black Ops 6:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a 2024 first-person shooter video game co-developed by Treyarch and Raven Software and published by Activision.
It is the twenty-first overall Call of Duty installment and seventh main installment in the Black Ops sub-series, following Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020).
Set against the backdrop of Operation Desert Storm, Black Ops 6's single-player story follows rogue CIA agents Troy Marshall and Frank Woods as they assemble a group of agents to hunt down Pantheon, a paramilitary group with clandestine ties to the agency.
3. Monster Hunter – Wilds:
Monster Hunter Wilds is Capcom's sixth mainline action RPG and was released in February this year.
The game tracks a hunter who explores the Forbidden Lands to find a lost expedition, fighting diverse monsters across expansive biomes.
Monsters respond to context-dependent factors like time and weather, enabling encounters to be richer.
All of the 14 weapon classes of previous games return with new moves, and the Slinger tool has been enhanced for distant item pickup and setting off environmental traps.
Multiplayer accommodates four players, and cross-play is supported between PC and consoles.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a more entry-level experience with improved tutorials and mechanics without compromising on the series' core gameplay, which is monster hunting and equipment crafting.
4. Baldur's Gate 3:
Baldur's Gate 3 is a 2023 role-playing video game released and developed by Larian Studios.
It is the third primary title of the Baldur's Gate series, based on the tabletop fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
A partial release of the game was released on early access for Windows and macOS in October 2020 until the full release for Windows in August 2023, with PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S releases later that year.
5. Helldivers 2:
Helldivers 2 is a third-person shooter cooperative video game published in 2024 by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 5 and Windows and developed by Arrowhead Game Studios.
The game is the immediate sequel to Helldivers (2015).
The game is set in the 22nd century and follows the Helldivers, an elite shock troop unit deployed to combat various threats to humankind.
Helldivers 2 was released on 8 February 2024 and was both commercially and critically successful, with more than 15 million copies sold.
Considered to be one of the best video games of 2024, it was nominated for and won numerous awards.
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