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Fairy Tail Creator Hiro Mashima Names His Top 10 Games of 2025
posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
Manga creator Hiro Mashima (Rave Master, Fairy Tail, Eden's Zero, DEAD ROCK) named his top 10 video games of 2025 on December 29. Mashima's top pick for the year was Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, followed by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Borderlands 4 in second and third places, respectively. The creator also noted he is looking forward to playing the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection in 2026.
In August, Mashima released an interim list of his top five video games of 2025. Since then, the top two spots have not changed. However, Donkey Kong Bananza dropped from third place to seventh place. Replacing Donkey Kong Bananza, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, and Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time in the third to fifth places are Borderlands 4, Octopath Traveler 0, and Split Fiction.
Mashima's top 10 list is:
1. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3. Borderlands 4
4. Octopath Traveler 0
5. Split Fiction
6. Ghost of Yōtei
7. Donkey Kong Bananza
8. Hades II
9. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
10. Ball x Pit
As of press time, Mashima has received 40 replies, most of which are from fans praising his list or asking how he has time to play all the video games. One commenter joked the creator had forgotten to rank Monster Hunter Wilds. A second commenter also said, “Nice joke GTA6 in 2026,” making light of Grand Theft Auto 6's long development cycle.
Sources: Hiro Mashima's X/Twitter account via Hachima Kikō
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history