Here Is The 2025 Game Of The Year ‘Shortlist’ Of 11 Games
I feel like we’ve been saying this every year for a while now, but 2025 has been a stacked period for top-shelf games, and I do think it’s the best crop in a while. For real this time.
We have gotten what feels like a new Game of the Year contender every month this year, sometimes more than one, and the list has grown so unwieldy I thought it was best to do a breakdown of what appear to be the frontrunners.
While I am listing these by Metascore, that is not the end-all be-all of what’s going to be the list, as in, the top 6 there are going to make the cut. If we’re talking The Game Awards’ voting body, some surprises could end up there. Though I think there is still one clear frontrunner, even in a year this crowded.
Hades II (95 Metascore) – I’ll be honest, I am a little surprised to see Hades 2 as the highest-scored game released this year by a somewhat significant margin. Don’t get me wrong, Hades II is absolutely great, and I do think it will make the final list, but it does feel like “more Hades” in a way that doesn’t break from its predecessor enough in many ways.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (92 Metascore) – I mean, this is it. I don’t know if it will 100% win, but Expedition 33 has been the clear frontrunner since its release earlier this year, and it has retained that title even as many of these other games have been released after it. For many, it’s considered one of the best games of the generation, the decade or even all time. There has been a bit of backlash to people liking it too much, but it’s still firmly planted as the likely top pick.
Blue Prince (92 Metascore) – When I first played Blue Prince, I was positive it was at least going to be my personal GOTY, with its amazing layered puzzles that required taking literal notes to track all the mysteries, and I still don’t think I’ve found them all. Now, I’m not convinced it’s even going to make the final list at all.
Split Fiction (92 Metascore) – Another game I think could drop away from the final list, despite the fact that its sister game, It Takes Two, actually was GOTY, and Split Fiction has similarly high reviews. It just feels like something that’s going to be papered over with some of these other titles.
Hollow Knight Silksong
Hollow Knight Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong (91 Metascore) – It’s hard for me to imagine the hugely anticipated Silksong will not make the list, seemingly worth the wait, though there may be some controversy if it makes it there ahead of more deserving offerings.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Nintendo
Donkey Kong Bananza (91 Metascore) – The Switch 2 is the fastest-selling console ever, and this is the best Nintendo game for it. Bananza was in the GOTY conversation immediately after launch, and if I had to do some predicting, I think it will be in the final batch.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (89 Metascore) – Generally considered better than its predecessor, the Hideo Kojima sequel is probably on the bubble of making the final list, but I’d probably lean more toward yes than no.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Warhorse
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (88 Metascore) – Far and away what I hear the most often about the GOTY list, other than Expedition 33 being the frontrunner, is that players hope that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is not forgotten by the end of the year, as it is many people’s GOTY and if it didn’t grab at least a nomination, that would feel like a slight.
ARC Raiders (87 Metascore) – The latest chatter is that ARC Raiders may also be a GOTY contender, though I’m not sure I buy that. I do, however, think it’s a shoe-in for Best Multiplayer.
Ghost of Yotei (86 Metascore) – It reviewed better than Tsushima, but I think recency bias may be at play here in terms of thinking that Yotei will make the list. It’s very good to be sure, but so many of these games are better.
Megabonk (no score) – Just go play Megabonk. It’s $10. It won’t make the list, but you should at least understand why it’s here.
My predictions? They may change, but I think for the six Game Awards slots it will be:
- Expedition 33 (winner)
- Hades II
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Silksong
- Death Stranding 2
- Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (possibly knocked out by Split Fiction)
Am I right? Not usually, but I’d be shocked if at the very least, Expedition 33 didn’t take it.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
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