Best 2025 Video Games for checkpoint system

#1 Lego Voyagers
5.0

The checkpoint and respawn system was strongly praised for instant, forgiving recovery with almost no penalty for mistakes.

Pros: co-op experience, puzzle design

Cons: controls responsiveness, replay value

#2 The First Berserker: Khazan
5.0

Checkpoint placement is praised, especially checkpoints before bosses that reduce runback frustration.

Pros: combat system, boss design

Cons: narrative quality, difficulty balance

#3 Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
5.0

The checkpoint system is praised as a quality-of-life improvement because it reduces frustration around difficult optional challenges.

Pros: combat system, faithfulness to franchise

Cons: narrative quality, frame rate stability

#4 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
4.8

The checkpoint system was praised for letting players retain damage dealt in Rogue Mega fights without penalty.

Pros: combat system, exploration quality

Cons: graphics quality, voice acting

#5 Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
4.5

Frequent checkpoints and quick returns make demanding sections more manageable. Most appreciate the reduced repetition after death, though a few find the spacing or healing rules uneven.

Pros: overall quality, difficulty balance

Cons: frame rate stability, performance optimization

#6 Split Fiction
4.5

The checkpoint system was consistently praised for generosity, fast respawns, and reducing frustration.

Pros: co-op experience, content variety

Cons: writing quality, narrative quality

#7 Goodnight Universe
4.5

The checkpoint system was praised for keeping players close to the action and reducing stress after failures.

Pros: narrative quality, emotional impact

Cons: controls responsiveness, platform-specific feature support

#8 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
4.4

The checkpoint system reduced frustration by preventing major progress loss after death.

Pros: narrative quality, combat system

Cons: map and navigation design, menu usability

#9 Ghost of Yōtei
4.0

Checkpoint evidence is limited but positive for convenience, with one reviewer noting instant respawns and mid-fight boss checkpoints that reduce punishment.

Pros: combat system, narrative quality

Cons: grind level, innovation

#10 Sniper Elite: Resistance
3.6

Generous checkpoints can make mistakes and Invasions easier to recover from. Another account finds that an invasion death sends progress back frustratingly far.

Pros: overall quality, level design

Cons: innovation, mission design

#11 Marvel’s Deadpool VR
3.3

Checkpoints are generally forgiving, but technical lockups can still force reloads and occasionally make players repeat encounters such as boss fights.

Pros: combat system, voice acting

Cons: pacing, boss design

#12 Battlefield 6
2.8

checkpoint/respawn systems were mixed, from bad checkpoint recovery to praised respawn choices.

Pros: multiplayer design, sound design

Cons: narrative quality, map and navigation design

#13 Little Nightmares III
2.7

Checkpoint system was mixed: some found checkpointing generous, but others said reloads wasted time or sent them too far back.

Pros: atmosphere, faithfulness to franchise

Cons: puzzle design, co-op experience

#14 Hollow Knight: Silksong
2.2

Checkpointing is a common concern, with long runbacks, sparse benches, paid benches, and poor placement repeatedly criticized.

Pros: difficulty balance, art direction

Cons: economy and resource balance, checkpoint system

#15 Borderlands 4
2.0

Checkpoint design is criticized for a severe lack of respawn points in parts of the open world.

Pros: movement feel, loot system

Cons: performance optimization, narrative quality

#16 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
2.0

Checkpointing was criticized for causing lost progress when autosaves appeared only at limited quest points.

Pros: combat system, narrative quality

Cons: save system reliability, learning curve

#17 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
2.0

Checkpointing drew criticism when boss retries or long optional stretches sent players farther back than expected.

Pros: boss design, graphics quality

Cons: open-world design, side character depth

#18 Cronos: The New Dawn
1.8

The checkpoint system was criticized for punishing loops or lost progress in two reviews.

Pros: combat system, narrative quality

Cons: boss design, puzzle design

#19 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
1.7

The campaign's checkpoint structure is a major frustration. Always-online mission design, limited resume behavior, and forced mission restarts repeatedly undermine otherwise forgiving in-mission checkpoints.

Pros: multiplayer design, level design

Cons: fun factor, narrative quality