2025 has been an interesting year for gamers. Global events, yet another Assassin's Creed outing, some notable indie titles, a Hideo Kojima game, but still no GTA VI.
Some titles impressed us, some underdelivered, and some became breakout hits. Without a clear frontrunner dominating the conversation, unlike the recent years of Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, God of War, Black Myth: Wukong (I said what I said, Astro Bot), 2025 is all set to be stacked with equally good nominees for Game of the Year (GOTY) 2025 top spot at this year's Game Awards.
It also meant that we gamers got a strong, diverse set of games across multiple genres, gaming styles, and development scales.
Barely a month remains for the GOTY to close nominations (estimated mid-November), so here are our picks...
Top GOTY 2025 contenders
Death Stranding 2
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is your quintessential big-budget, celebrity-filled production that typically appeals to Game Awards voters.
We at THE WEEK reviewed what could be said as Kojima's best all-around game to date, complete with his signature weirdness yet armed with improved gameplay mechanics from the original.
Claire Obscur: Expedition 33
Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 surprised every single gamer this year, except for the genre enthusiasts. This is a strong frontrunner, which achieved massive success.
And the game is a feat in itself, a Japanese-style RPG developed by a small French team, featuring excellent voice acting, incredible music, and an innovative battle system that balances nostalgia with modern gameplay.
Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Yotei was the clear winner of the AAA PlayStation exclusive category this year, improving over the original GOTY 2020 nominee and everyone's favourite pick, Ghost of Tsushima.
In fact, if The Last of Us Part II hadn't released that year, Ghost of Tsushima would have won the top spot.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong is another hit that very few saw coming. The title finally came out after years of anticipation as the most-wish-listed game on Steam.
The one hiccup it might face is how hard the overall gameplay is. But if you get a 50-hour game for barely $10 (It is currently at Rs 880 on the Steam India store), who is complaining?
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II caught everyone by surprise with its significant improvement over its buggy, performance issues-ridden predecessor.
The sequel has a huge learning curve, but gamers are all in awe of its simulation-based gameplay, engaging story, and overall stability.
Split Fiction
Split Fiction was all the rage on TikTok and Instagram Reels earlier this year that we even forgot that it was a follow-up to It Takes Two.
The game quickly became a hit for its improved co-op game design, mechanics and storytelling.
GOTY 2025 wild card contenders
If you know Game Awards, you know that sometimes, it is the wildcards that take the crown from behind. So here are a few notable titles that could achieve that:
Donkey Kong Bonanza
Blueprints
Hades 2
Even Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which came out in December 2024, is in the running. And who can forget the "too easy to play but buggy as they come" AAA title that was (shudder!) Monster Hunter Wilds running on PC?
Sadly, despite the noise, there is a good chance that Assassin's Creed Shadows would be snubbed due to gamer outrage. If it is not, this AC title is also worth your while.