2025 marks an incredibly stacked year in gaming, with The Game Awards having a tough choice between several amazing titles for Game of the Year (GOTY). From stellar RPG stories to robust roguelikes, games have surged to innovative new heights this year. As a result, there are many different contenders for GOTY, including some that will stand out as landmark games long after their release.
Among the many dark horses for GOTY, there are many frontrunners who represent a complete package for gaming’s highest honor. Although only six different games can be nominated for GOTY in 2025, plenty more will likely be involved with other award categories. From general titles like “Best Multiplayer” or “Best Ongoing” to genre-specific awards, such as “Best Fighting Game” or “Best Role-Playing Game,” games could win in other ways.
Silent Hill F
Strong Horror Narrative With A Terrifying Atmosphere
Silent Hill f defines itself as one of the best horror games of 2025, not only for its gripping story, but also for how every aspect of the game oozes an eerie quality that is hard to forget. Like other Silent Hill games, the psychological thriller of Silent Hill f focuses on strong themes, ones meant to discomfort you immediately. With a strong emphasis on the culture of 1960s Japan, the setting is rich with folklore and standout horrors that’ll stick with you.
Some criticisms have been levied against Silent Hill f for gameplay elements, such as inventory management and limited combat. However, the limitations in both of these systems only serve to emphasize the setting, and the feeling of helplessness within it.
There are many deviations and innovations from past Silent Hills games in Silent Hill f too, helping it stand out among legendary horror games. Silent Hill 2 might be considered the greatest horror title ever made by some, but Silent Hill f‘s polished environments, themes, and story put it high upon its own pedestal too.
Ghost Of Yotei
Beautiful World Within An Anticipated Sequel
Ghost of Tsushima was a GOTY contender when it released, and its sequel, Ghost of Yotei, is another one very likely to win the award this year. This game improves upon almost everything its predecessor did, refining sleek samurai combat into something truly fluid and satisfying. This gameplay of Ghost of Yotei is as sharp as the sword you wield, with tons of ways to approach various duels and fights you come across during your journey.
However, much like the last game, the standout part of Ghost of Yotei is its large world, crafted into a gorgeous landscape for you to explore. Vibrant colors dot an incredibly pristine landscape, with every location acting like a living painting you can visit. The amount of detail in the world has the ability to capture your attention for hours, with a strong story of revenge driving your actions for title with a strong GOTY possibility.
Blue Prince
Intricate Puzzles And Haunting Mysteries Forge An Instant Classic
Blue Prince is a stand-out indie game from this year among many stand-out indie titles, coming out of nowhere to push itself into equal status with any 2025 GOTY hopeful. This game uses deckbuilding mechanics in a roguelike formula to let players solve various puzzles, with each growing in complexity as the game goes on.
The mechanics of Blue Prince have amazing innovation to them, combined with a unique setting. Many critics praising this indie game have compared it to a Lovecraftian book or House of Leaves, comparing its atmosphere to something subliminal to match its mind-bending puzzles.
What makes Blue Prince really shine is how everything it does merges together perfectly. No one aspect of the game outpaces anything else, whether that be the story, the puzzles, the setting, or the other factors that put together this piece of art. The tone of Blue Prince is wonderfully consistent, weaving a world that begs to be explored with every discovered clue and found solution to the brain teasing twists and turns.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Massive Single-Player Story With Relentless Attention To Detail
RPG titles tend to be confined some of the time, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one that truly lets players become whatever they want. This game does what very few others allow, having every single system, quest, and mechanic be tied intrinsically to a player’s growth, sometimes being without forgiveness in doing so. Every action in this game requires some degree of learning and dedication, creating an immersive experience you’ll rarely find elsewhere.
The difficulty of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doesn’t detract from a great story that follows a character who has to struggle to become someone in a medieval world. Set in the 1400s in old Bohemia, before it became the Czech Republic, the setting of this game is also unique considering the period of history it follows. The open world is defined by the war, occupation, and conflict of the era, only adding to the game’s authentic feel.
The individual story of protagonist Henry creates a plot worth following, but Henry can fulfill as many roles as you’d expect from an RPG character. With every action carrying weight and the world’s details defining how you shape your story, it’s no wonder how this game could easily win GOTY.
Split Fiction
Conflicting Genres Mesh Wonderfully With Fun Gameplay
Split Fiction is a co-op adventure made by the same creators of It Takes Two, another GOTY winner from 2021. This game puts players in the role of two main characters, whose appreciation for the sci-fi and fantasy genres initially create conflict. However, as the story goes on, both characters must dive into the worlds of their preferred genres, going on a grand adventure where each learns to appreciate the other.
There are many highlighting moments in Split Fiction that pay homage to many aspects of sci-fi and fantasy stories, creating multiple levels for fans of both. The unique mechanics of the sci-fi levels and distinct systems only present in fantasy levels keep the story fresh until the credits.
Much like It Takes Two, the appeal of Split Fiction comes from the intricate co-op found in every aspect of the game. Every level can only be completed through cooperation, with tons of different mechanics introduced throughout your journey to keep things interesting. You can never guess what’s going to happen next in Split Fiction, only that it’ll be over-the-top co-op fun that makes GOTY a reasonable goal for the ambitious game.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Miraculous Release Of A Stellar Metroidvania
Many thought that Hollow Knight: Silksong would never release. Little did they know that one of 2025’s best games would come after a multi-year wait, offering an extremely focused Metroidvania for players to enjoy as much as the original Hollow Knight. This indie title crafts an extraordinary world like the first game did, with gorgeous hand-drawn animation for a haunting environment of insects in a richly detailed underground world.
The atmosphere of Hollow Knight: Silksong is only complimented by its gameplay, which features graceful and fast-paced combat against a variety of unique enemies and bosses. While discussions about Silksong‘s difficulty have drawn some criticism, the love poured into this game is undeniable. Every step of this game is encouraged with a world worth journeying in, delivering on high expectations that are now setting their sights on a GOTY nomination.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Refinements And Polish To Gaming’s Boldest Direction
The first Death Stranding was not a conventional game by any means, and neither is Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. However, these ambitious games have continued to push the boundaries of what games can be, offering a formula of unseen cooperation and connection, the likes of which have never been matched by another title. The action-adventure gameplay of the sequel takes the appeal of the first, pushing it to the apex of its potential.
The cinematic adventure of Death Stranding 2 keeps players traveling delicately through a seemingly empty wasteland. The frustrations that come from delivering supplies over the harsh realities of this broken land add to an immersive feel that can get you invested quickly.
The innovative mind of Hideo Kojima is on full display in Death Stranding 2, from its story to its characters. The ambitious scale of this game feels risky, but delivers on many fronts, building a game that has a shot at GOTY for making a game not necessarily designed to be “fun” by the strictest sense, but something that keeps you thinking long after credits roll.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Creative Destruction For Absolute Player Freedom
Donkey Kong Bananza was a flagship game for Nintendo’s new Switch 2 console, and it delivered as an incredibly strong entry in 2025’s GOTY list. This game features Donkey Kong as a force of mayhem, allowing players to destroy any piece of any environment to carve their way through levels. Every single object you interact with can be a piece to your success, from finding hidden treasures to defeating various enemies you encounter.
The wild destruction in Donkey Kong Bananza is but one part of a game full of fun gameplay choices, from Donkey Kong’s animal-like transformations to the vertical nature of certain levels. The subterranean descent you embark on takes you across tons of unique locations, each with its own nuance and quirks to discover. The wild, chaotic breakdown of every environment never gets old, keeping you on a fun ride from start to finish.
This game also has plenty of collectibles, Easter Eggs, and other secrets to find, such as costumes for Donkey Kong and his friend Pauline. With light co-op elements in Donkey Kong Banaza too, this game is a great overall package, combining Nintendo’s continuing innovations in 3D action-adventure for an easy GOTY hopeful.
Hades 2
Triumphant Return Of The God-Like Rogue-Like
After a long period of Early Access, Hades 2 had its 1.0 release in 2025, instantly putting it in GOTY conversations. This game has been undergoing consistent refinements since players first got their hands on it, with consistent updates adding more and more to the game. This roguelike is among the pinnacle of the genre, with a narrative woven into the multiple attempts you make to save both the Underworld and Olympus.
The characters of Hades 2, such as main character Melinoe, are incredibly well-written, with thousands of lines of dialogue you can experience as you play. This adds to the immersive qualities of the game, with classical gods, heroes, monsters, and more feeling like fleshed out characters you can form bonds with.
The idea of growing stronger with every run makes Hades 2 feel like a constant climb upward, with each successful step encouraging you to take another. This is supported by the variety of playstyles you can adopt in Hades 2, whether it be through weapons, godly Boons, Incantations, and other factors you choose to use. Every run feels vastly different, with progress being tied to your preferences along with satisfying persistence.
The level of polish in Hades 2‘s final version speaks to the overall quality of the game, which has been adjusted to near perfection. With the original Hades not winning GOTY back in 2020, the action-roguelike expectations shattered in its sequel might finally help it earn its rightful award.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Storytelling Mastery Molds An Astonishing Experience
The frontrunner of GOTY for 2025 is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, for a single-player story that is unlike any released in the past decade. This title came without warning, bludgeoning players with a melancholic yet beautiful world that merges tragedy with companionship in a story that delivers unforgettable themes. Taking inspiration from many landmark JRPGs, this game has a variety of traditional systems that are innovated upon to make something special.
Every battle in Clair Obscur is turn-based, but also features real-time combat moments that allow you to parry incoming attacks. This creates both dynamic and strategic battles, which combine with a stellar soundtrack to fire up any player into action. The distinct artstyle of Clair Obscur also sets it apart, with monstrous imagery being offset by haunting beauty in a strangely painted world.
Many aspects of this game elevate it beyond many others, from its incredible performances from each party member character to how intricate the worldbuilding is. This makes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a masterpiece in so many regards, putting it in a place where The Game Awards highest honor is almost guarenteed.
- Location
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Peacock Theater, Los Angeles, California.
- Dates
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2024-12-09
- Website
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thegameawards.com