Best 2025 Video Games for mission design

#1 Absolum
5.0

Mission structure worked best when story events and run transitions surfaced naturally during exploration.

Pros: mission design, world interactivity

Cons: quest design, endgame content

#2 The Outer Worlds 2
4.6

Major missions and tentpole scenarios were praised for puzzle-box structure, role-play opportunities, and varied routes.

Pros: world-building, mission design

Cons: mission variety, enemy variety

#3 Donkey Kong Bananza
4.5

Mission design was praised where routes to hidden goals encouraged planning rather than simple objective chasing.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#4 Doom: The Dark Ages
4.5

Mission design was praised in the supporting review for making the core demon-slaying missions feel exciting.

Pros: environmental detail, polish

Cons: camera behavior, value for money

#5 Hollow Knight: Silksong
4.5

Mission design earns positive evidence where missions give players reasons to revisit areas and make NPC discoveries feel more purposeful.

Pros: core gameplay loop, world interactivity

Cons: loot system, accessibility options

#6 Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
4.5

Mission design is praised through comments about well-crafted stages that mix platforming, combat, puzzles, and optional routes.

Pros: graphics quality, environmental detail

Cons: bug frequency, dialogue quality

#7 Ghost of Yōtei
4.3

Mission design is generally positive for diverse objectives and strong campaign structure, though some side mission design is criticized elsewhere.

Pros: movement feel, environmental detail

Cons: puzzle design, age appropriateness

#8 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
4.2

Mission design evidence praised the range of stakes and activities, especially when missions kept the adventure moving.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#9 Kirby Air Riders
4.1

Road Trip and challenge design were often praised for fast, varied encounters, but dissenting reviews found Road Trip dull, repetitive, or chore-like.

Pros: flying mechanics, exploration quality

Cons: AI behavior, boss design

#10 Arc Raiders
4.0

One review praised quests and trials for giving specific match goals with worthwhile rewards.

Pros: frame rate stability, platform-specific feature support

Cons: voice acting, writing quality

#11 Elden Ring Nightreign
4.0

Mission design was praised for demanding mastery on the fly rather than slow, methodical FromSoftware play.

Pros: emotional impact, visual effects quality

Cons: crash stability, cross-play support

#12 Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
3.9

Episodes of South Town and related missions are often praised as fun or useful for learning systems, though some special conditions are criticized as frustrating.

Pros: emotional impact, animation quality

Cons: enemy variety, server reliability

#13 Atomfall
3.9

Mission design was split between admiration for naturalistic quest feel and criticism that many leads still became point-to-point errands.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#14 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
3.5

Main mission design was mixed: reviewers praised varied scenarios, but one criticized a required sequence for lacking an alternate path.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#15 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
3.4

Mission and goal design was divisive: some praised the streamlined objectives and new goals, while THPS4 fans missed NPC missions, original goals, and structure.

Pros: core gameplay loop, controls responsiveness

Cons: crash stability, cross-save support

#16 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
3.4

Mission design was mixed to negative, with story missions praised but many objectives criticized as repetitive, short, or non-bespoke.

Pros: animation quality, multiplayer design

Cons: save system reliability, companion AI

#17 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
3.3

Mission design is mixed: reviewers liked forward momentum and variety, but some criticized forced backtracking or insufficient challenge.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#18 Borderlands 4
3.2

Main mission design ranges from carefully crafted to fetch-quest heavy, with reviewers split between praise for structure and frustration with repetition.

Pros: sandbox freedom, art direction

Cons: polish, save system reliability

#19 The Alters
3.0

Mission design received mixed evidence because one reviewer felt survival objectives and narrative goals could work against each other.

Pros: controls responsiveness, onboarding experience

Cons: crash stability, grind level

#20 Civilization VII
2.9

Legacy paths, quests, and victory objectives were seen as useful guidance by some, but others found certain paths rigid, repetitive, or unevenly designed.

Pros: animation quality, controls responsiveness

Cons: matchmaking quality, user interface design

#21 Digimon Story Time Stranger
2.9

Mission design was mixed to negative: side missions often felt basic or fetch-like, though some reviewers liked their world flavor and progression rewards.

Pros: atmosphere, world-building

Cons: HUD clarity, fast travel convenience

#22 Assassin's Creed Shadows
2.7

Mission design is mixed: the moment-to-moment action entertains, but several reviewers called setups bland, thin, or repetitive.

Pros: environmental detail, cross-save support

Cons: writing quality, enemy variety

#23 Lego Voyagers
2.5

One reviewer criticized the broader mission structure for lacking clear direction and goals.

Pros: writing quality, checkpoint system

Cons: menu usability, user interface design

#24 Avowed
2.2

Mission design drew criticism when quests felt repetitive, fetchy, or like back-and-forth errands, though some standout missions remained.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#25 South of Midnight
2.2

Mission design was criticized for predictable navigation through repeated steps across the folktale chapters.

Pros: atmosphere, voice acting

Cons: world interactivity, camera behavior

#26 Monster Hunter Wilds
2.2

Mission design was criticized for unskippable walk-and-talks, forced walking, and control loss, with only a few later mission moments landing better.

Pros: art direction, cross-play support

Cons: dialogue quality, monetization fairness

#27 The First Berserker: Khazan
2.0

Mission design is a weak spot in the harsher reviews, with complaints that missions can feel like formalities or use puzzling reset structures.

Pros: core gameplay loop, controls responsiveness

Cons: mission design, learning curve

#28 Battlefield 6
2.0

mission design was one of the weakest areas, often described as dull, passive, or dated.

Pros: haptic feedback integration, performance optimization

Cons: pacing, microtransaction impact