The must-play games in November 2025

Inazuma Eleven: Heroes of Victory Road

The time has finally come: "Inazuma Eleven: Heroes of Victory Road" brings the cult of the football role-playing game back onto the pitch. After all these years, this comeback almost feels as exciting as a last-minute championship goal. Level-5 sends you on a journey with a new hero to form the team of the future, with a fast-paced, emotional and that mix of team spirit and drama that makes the series so unique. In addition, the numerous cinematic cutscenes by the renowned anime studio MAPPA, known for works such as "Jujutsu Kaisen", make this adventure the best in the series.

Europa Universalis V

How much history can you actually manage before your patience collapses? "Europa Universalis V" does not ask this question, it simply assumes that you will try. Five centuries of world politics lie before you: from the late Middle Ages to the Age of Revolution, complete with the Hundred Years' War, the Reformation and the eternal ping-pong of dynasty and diplomacy. Every nation has its own catalogue of crises, and every decision acts like a stone in the gears: sometimes lubricating, sometimes blocking.

This time, however, the system goes deeper. The population no longer exists as an abstract number and much more as a finely modelled mosaic of religions, cultures and classes that is visibly reflected on the map. The nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie tug at your power, each group demands privileges, each reform generates headwinds. Domestic politics is no longer a menu page, it s a daily reality that quietly sabotages your foreign policy. What is also new is how logistics and economics ground warfare: Armies no longer march across the map like ghosts, they need supplies, population, infrastructure and above all patience.

What makes "Europa Universalis V" so fascinating is its mixture of planning and chaos. You coordinate perfect trade routes across dozens of goods, only for a neighbouring state to decide to ruin your dream with a single alliance. You centralise your power only for a religious minority to ignite the provinces. And yet this is precisely the appeal: a strategy game that looks less like spreadsheets and more like living history. In other words: a world that keeps rolling even when your plans have long since fallen apart. If you don't lose your patience, you'll discover one of the best strategy games of recent years.

PowerWash Simulator 2

Have you ever thought about how meditative pressure washing can be? In "PowerWash Simulator 2", the sound of water becomes the soundtrack of satisfaction. New locations such as Sponge Valley, Power Falls and Lubri City are waiting to be freed from dirt - alone or in split-screen co-op if you're looking for enlightenment twice as fast. The arsenal ranges from an abseiling device to a lifting platform, and if you like, you can decorate your base with trophies and sofas in between. Between soap formulas and dust particles, there is an astonishing calm, as if the game were saying with every spray: "Breathe ... and wipe."

But FuturLab knows what the community loves: humour in the dirt. Cats lie purring in the freshly polished van, friends admire your work, and somewhere the last forgotten corner sparkles, depriving you of sleep. It's absurdly calming, almost silly therapeutic and that's why it's so great. "PowerWash Simulator 2" doesn't see cleaning as work, it's pure escapism with soap suds.

Anno 117: Pax Romana

Welcome to a Rome that you not only rule, but bring to life. In "Anno 117: Pax Romana" you are more than a master builder, you are the architect of a future empire. As governor, you control provinces, shape cultures and negotiate power with care. The legendary battles of the Sealing War give this Rome a distant mythical aura, while your daily decisions determine growth, influence and stability. If you want to lead the empire, you need flair, patience and the will to make history.

Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted

Have you ever thought about the fact that "Plants vs. Zombies" is actually a perfectly disguised allegory of gardening? They sow, water, defend - only with a lot more bite. In "Replanted", PopCap shows how well digital weed management still works in 2025. Everything looks crisper: new HD graphics, bonus levels, a hardcore mode worthy of the name and even local co-op if you prefer to sow panic together.

The best thing about it: it stays silly. Plant plants, stop zombies, laugh. Nevertheless, this remake feels surprisingly fresh. It's just a game that knows its roots and simply waters them better. Between the retro pea gun and chaotic multiplayer, the humour flies as deep as the first shovel in Dave's front garden. In short: nostalgia with fertiliser.

World of Warcraft: Midnight

How many times can you say "back to Azeroth" before it becomes a paradox? "Midnight" has an answer: at least once too often, but in the best possible way. The new expansion takes you to Quel'Thalas, where Light and Void vie for supremacy, Silvermoon shines in new splendour and even the Sun Elves briefly cast shadows. The zones, from the Immersang Forest to the Void Storm, are splendidly staged, the threat epic, and yet there is still a feeling of returning home: you know every stone, but none of them look the same.

This time, perhaps the greatest adventure is not in the battle, but in moving furniture. With the new housing system, everyone gets a home, regardless of faction, class or chaos level. Carpets, fountains, wall decorations. Blizzard calls it "living comfort", veterans call it "endgame with style". After twenty years of armour maintenance, you can finally choose your upholstery colour. And who would have thought that World of Warcraft would one day teach us that even heroes just want to come home.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

How much noise can a game actually make without the neighbours ringing? "Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero" tries it out - and the answer is apparently: enough to light up an entire living room. Spike Chunsoft brings back the Budokai Tenkaichi series and lets you thrash through destructible arenas as if you'd landed in a year's subscription to Collateral Damage. Over 180 characters from Z, Super, GT and the movies are available, each with their own abilities, transformations and special attacks that look like someone blew up the colour palette. The game may run at 30 fps on the Switch 2, but it looks like your favourite episode of the anime.

It gets really charming when the platform itself becomes a feature. On the Switch 2, you can perform the iconic attacks yourself thanks to motion control: Joy-Cons forwards, Ki beam out, clear the living room for safety's sake. And because battles take place in short, crisp rounds, the game on the handheld feels like it was made for it: collecting characters, testing transformations, taking apart the next arena, it's all possible in between. For old fans it's a return to the loudest nostalgia of the franchise, for new fans it's a crash course in hyperbole. And honestly, when a game manages to make you feel like Son Goku while commuting, it's done something very right.

→ If you fancy even more gimmicks between nostalgia and new beginnings: You can find more highlights in our "Level Up" section - and of course in the current issue.