GameMinr's Top 5 Most-Read Articles of 2025: A Year of Demos, Switch Debates, and Hidden Gems

As 2025 draws to a close it's time to reflect on the stories that captured your attention here at GameMinr. From our take on curated demo discs straight out of the 90s to practical Switch buying guides and exciting hands-on previews, our top 5 most-read articles highlight a passion for gaming discovery. Thank you for making our first year a great one! Now let's take a look at our top five most read articles of 2025, from #5 to our undisputed #1 hit.

#5: GameMinr Digital Demo Disc 03: December 2025 - A Disc Full of Gifts

Kicking off our list is the festive finale to the first year of our beloved Digital Demo Disc series. Published just a few weeks ago, this December edition stuffed stockings with seven free demos and one full free game: standouts like the 3-hour Octopath Traveler 0 prologue, atmospheric skater Skate Story, Zelda-like shooter Minishoot Adventures, and rage-fueled A Pinball Game That Makes You Mad. The bonus? A free content update for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Words of Vengeance, that blends boomer shooting with typing outlandish 40k quotes. You can check it out here.

#4: 10 of the Best Metroidvania Games for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2

Hollow Knight Silksong took over the gaming world for a decent stretch of the year and after that Switch players wanted other great Metroidvania games to play. This ultimate recommendation list included genre-defining picks like Hollow Knight and its sequel Silksong, Metroid Dread (tense E.M.M.I. chases), Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Edition, and even tiny gems like Gato Roboto.

From the Gothic castles in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to the glitchy sci-fi experiments of Axiom Verge, it was a one-stop shop for map-unlocking addicts. Dive into the list and find your next adventure.

#3: Hands On with Space Adventure Cobra - The Awakening

Retro anime fans propelled this preview into the top three. Our hands-on with the Switch demo of Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening captured the 80s anime's action as space pirate Cobra and android Lady Armaroid hunt cosmic treasure across planets, blending fluid platforming, strategic combat, and secrets in multi-layered alien worlds.

If you haven't played Space Adventure Cobra; it has great anime cutscenes that fill in the story, responsive Switch controls, and excellent action. You can check the full impressions here.

#2: A Switch Owners Dilemma: Which Version of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Should We Buy?

Nintendo loyalists debated fiercely over this guide to Square Enix's Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. It broke down the Switch vs. Switch 2 editions: Switch 2's superior graphics, 60fps, and particle effects but without the ability to play on the original switch; versus the original Switch cartridge's portability, forward compatibility, and family sharing.

The verdict? We prioritized the versatility of the Switch edition over the extra sparkle of the Switch 2 version. If you're still on the fence, you can check out the options here.

#1: GameMinr Demo Disc 01: October 2025 - Brawlers and Ballers

And the #1 article of the year? The inaugural Digital Demo Disc 01, which launched our monthly series back in October. We pulled together seven curated freebies with roguelite beat 'em up Absolum, slot-summoning Slots & Daggers, pixel-art Marvel masher MARVEL Cosmic Invasion, brick-breaking empire-builder BALL x PIT, and bonus Little Nightmares III horror co-op.

We have had a great response from readers who are nostalgia for 90s magazine demos just like we are. We can't wait to keep this going in the new year, in fact our next disc will be coming this Friday (Jan 2) so keep an eye out for that. If you want to check out any of the demos on the first disc you can run it back right here.

That does it for our Top 5 Articles of 2025. But don't worry, we'll have another Top 5 for you tomorrow where we round out our Top 5 games of the year. Until then, thanks for joining us this year, and we hope to see you again soon.