It’sFather’s Dayand so it’s safe to say that many gamers are busy spending time with their dads, and some may even be playing video games together. For others, their dads may not be gamers at all or, like my dad, used to be big gamers but have fallen out of the medium in recent years. This Father’s Day, it’s my goal to get my dad back into gaming, and I’m looking to do so using brand-new games released in 2025.
My dad used to be big intoCall of Duty, sinking hundreds of hours into each new installment’s multiplayer and mastering their campaigns. He achieved impressive feats like beatingCall of Duty 2andWorld at Waron Veteran difficulty, and also conquered someZombies map Easter eggs. As he’s gotten older, the fast-paced multiplayer has become more difficult for him to enjoy, and the battle royale craze completely failed to catch his interest. BeforeCall of Duty, he played a much larger variety of games, and that’s why I’ve decided to think a little outside the box with the titles I’m going to have him try this Father’s Day. I think anyone in a similar boat should consider using these titles as well.
The five games I’ve selected this Father’s Day are all 2025 games, but represent a wide range of experiences.Mario Kart Worldis the newest game on the list, and I’m hoping it will appeal to his nostalgia for games likeMario Kart 64as well as racing games in general.Split Fiction, meanwhile, is a way to play together, and while its weirdness might put him off, there’s no denying how fun it is in co-op.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is the biggest swing in the line-up, but I think any dad that used to play old-schoolFinal Fantasymay find it appealing. And then there’sOblivion Remastered, which is a throwback to the heyday of the Xbox 360 generation, the last my dad really got into, andBlue Prince, which is the kind of challenging puzzler that can appeal to non-gamers.
Blue Prince
Blue Princeis a first-person puzzle game with roguelike elements that I hope will remind my dad of genre classics likeRivenandMyst. In it, players map out mansion by choosing between three different rooms every time they open a door. The rooms inBlue Princeoffer their own unique challenges and secrets, with the ultimate goal of reaching the elusive Room 46.Blue Prince’s puzzles are easy to understand but hard to master, and the game has that kind of addictive quality that makes it difficult to stop playing. Even though it’s a single-player game,Blue Princeis a lot of fun to play with a partner or in groups, and that social element combined with the rewarding challenge will make it something my dad appreciates.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is a big gamble because my dad hasn’t played a turn-based RPG for decades, but if he’s going to like any of the more recent entries in the genre, it would be this game.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is appealing even to those that typically don’t like turn-based RPGs because every single action involves input from the player. Instead of simply waiting for enemy attacks to land, players can actively dodge or parry incoming strikes. Party attacks are also amplified through a QTE system, ensuring players must always be on their toes.Clair Obscur’s combat is exhilaratingin a way that most turn-based games aren’t, but what I’m hoping will really hook my dad is the story.
Many video game stories take hours of investment for players to get truly engrossed, butClair Obscurgrabs players by the throat right at the start.Clair Obscur’s shocking openingsets the tone for an absolutely wild ride and while Father’s Day itself won’t be enough to get to the game’s other jaw-dropping story moments, it should be enough to make my dad want to see what happens next.
Mario Kart World
My dad used to play simulation racing games likeGran Turismo, but he liked racers in general, and playedMario Kart 64multiplayer from time to time. I have fond memories playingMario Kart 64split-screen with my dad back in the day, and with how easyMario Kart Worldis to pick up and play, it seems like the best bet to get him back into gaming. While the usualMario Kartgame modes like Grand Prix and Battle are plenty of fun, I think the open world will have a certain “wow” factor for him, and Knockout Tour will be what keeps him playing.Mario Kart WorldKnockout Tour challenges playersto reach a certain position on each track or get kicked out of the competition. Playing Knockout Tour online is especially fun, and it’s the mode I personally keep going back to whenever I fire up my Switch 2.
Oblivion Remastered
The last time my dad played games seriously was the Xbox 360 era. One of the biggest game releases on that console wasThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Bethesda’s gorgeous, massive open-world RPG that now has a fancy remaster built to take full advantage of modern consoles. Revisiting Cyrodiil throughOblivion Remastered’s souped-up graphicswill hopefully make my dad nostalgic for his gaming heyday, and if nothing else, seeing how much it improvesOblivion’s graphics should be a good way to illustrate just how far gaming graphics have come since the last time he played.
Split Fiction
Split Fictionis primarily a co-op platformer, but it is also a melting pot of all kinds of genres.Split Fictionis full of bizarre moments, like the level where players play as pigs and eventually get turned into hotdogs, that will either make my dad want to keep playing or dismiss it as being too goofy. I thinkSplit Fiction’s clever co-op mechanicswill ultimately win him over and while we won’t have enough time to play through it in its entirety on Father’s Day, it would be a good reason to visit him again in the near future. And if he ends up likeSplit Fiction, I can show him Josef Fares' other co-op games likeIt Takes TwoandA Way Out.
