Best 2025 Video Games for upgrade system

#1 Hades II
4.9

Upgrade systems are praised for breadth and power growth, especially arcana and meta progression, with reviewers emphasizing flexibility.

Pros: skill tree depth, dialogue quality

Cons: emotional impact, economy and resource balance

#2 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
4.6

The revised perk and upgrade system was praised for offering meaningful upside-focused choices rather than weak side-grades.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#3 Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
4.5

The upgrade system is praised for meaningful amulets, combat additions, and flexible build choices that alter playstyle.

Pros: graphics quality, environmental detail

Cons: bug frequency, dialogue quality

#4 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
4.5

Upgrade systems are praised for flexible perks and incentives that help tailor traversal, stealth, and combat approaches.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#5 Ghost of Yōtei
4.5

Upgrades are praised for being tied to exploration, weapons, armor, charms, and mastery activities rather than pure XP grinding.

Pros: movement feel, environmental detail

Cons: puzzle design, age appropriateness

#6 Donkey Kong Bananza
4.5

Upgrade systems were praised when ability unlocks felt impactful, while costume boosts were seen as more situational.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#7 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
4.4

Upgrade systems were viewed positively for making gear and Orbment improvements easier and more convenient.

Pros: protagonist appeal, art direction

Cons: camera behavior, tutorial quality

#8 Assassin's Creed Shadows
4.3

Upgrades are generally praised, especially the Forge, weapon improvement, and approachable base-linked progression.

Pros: environmental detail, cross-save support

Cons: writing quality, enemy variety

#9 Hollow Knight: Silksong
4.3

Crests, tools, and upgrades are widely seen as flexible and creative, though a few reviews found early limitations or resource-linked tool use frustrating.

Pros: core gameplay loop, world interactivity

Cons: loot system, accessibility options

#10 Borderlands 4
4.3

Upgrade systems receive positive evidence for direct SDU upgrades and inventory-capacity improvements tied to collectibles.

Pros: sandbox freedom, art direction

Cons: polish, save system reliability

#11 Cronos: The New Dawn
4.2

Upgrades were generally praised as meaningful because scarce cores, suit boosts, and weapon improvements forced real tradeoffs.

Pros: core gameplay loop, emotional impact

Cons: checkpoint system, bug frequency

#12 Battlefield 6
4.1

weapon upgrades and attachments were praised for making weapons improve and change meaningfully.

Pros: haptic feedback integration, performance optimization

Cons: pacing, microtransaction impact

#13 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
4.1

Weapon upgrading was described as a useful part of the broader equipment loop.

Pros: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

Cons: platforming precision, menu usability

#14 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
4.0

Upgrade and Mega-related systems were praised when Mega Evolution felt improved, but some reviewers reduced it to a stat boost button.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#15 Atomfall
4.0

Upgrade system evidence was limited but positive, with weapon improvement through crafting described as helpful.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#17 Kirby Air Riders
4.0

Road Trip's upgrade choices added strategic balancing, asking players to build a well-rounded machine rather than chase one stat blindly.

Pros: flying mechanics, exploration quality

Cons: AI behavior, boss design

#18 South of Midnight
4.0

The upgrade system earned praise in one review for later enhancements that made positioning and cooldown management more interesting.

Pros: atmosphere, voice acting

Cons: world interactivity, camera behavior

#19 Absolum
3.8

Upgrade systems offered build variety and experimentation, but reviewers split over random, temporary, or underwhelming upgrades.

Pros: mission design, world interactivity

Cons: quest design, endgame content

#20 The Outer Worlds 2
3.8

Weapon and gear upgrades were usually liked for customization, but some reviewers found mod limits or specific systems clunky.

Pros: world-building, mission design

Cons: mission variety, enemy variety

#21 Arc Raiders
3.8

Upgrades and workbenches add depth, but unclear item requirements and workshop friction made the system less smooth.

Pros: frame rate stability, platform-specific feature support

Cons: voice acting, writing quality

#22 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
3.7

Upgrade system was mixed: reviewers liked easy, useful upgrades and new moves but criticized weapon upgrading as resource-heavy or boring.

Pros: animation quality, multiplayer design

Cons: save system reliability, companion AI

#23 Silent Hill f
3.6

Upgrade systems were appreciated for strategic trade-offs and natural-feeling growth, but a few reviewers found the mechanics minor or confusing.

Pros: voice acting, emotional impact

Cons: family friendliness, menu usability

#24 Doom: The Dark Ages
3.6

Upgrade systems were mixed: some liked streamlined and useful upgrades, while others wanted more depth or disliked passive-feeling progression.

Pros: environmental detail, polish

Cons: camera behavior, value for money

#25 Digimon Story Time Stranger
3.3

Cross Arts and upgrades added tactical options, but reviewers criticized limits such as only equipping one Cross Art at a time.

Pros: atmosphere, world-building

Cons: HUD clarity, fast travel convenience

#26 Avowed
2.9

Upgrade systems were sharply divisive, with some liking gear longevity and many others criticizing tiers, scarcity, or number-go-up design.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#27 Monster Hunter Wilds
2.8

The upgrade/build system was a mixed point where tighter buildcrafting created tradeoffs but made High Rank gear feel limited to one reviewer.

Pros: art direction, cross-play support

Cons: dialogue quality, monetization fairness

#28 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
2.0

Upgrades were fun and familiar for some, but others felt certain powers were underused or too lock-and-key.

Pros: world-building, frame rate stability

Cons: companion AI, upgrade system