t’s July 2025, everyone: the first half of the year is finally behind us and, as it happens annually, the Game Awards ceremony inches closer and closer. This time, according to their official website, the show is scheduled for December 11th, streamed from Peacock as usual.
But enough with the niceties: you came here to know who we’re picking for Game of the Year in 2025 and…well, we don’t know that yet. Since we still have half a year to go through and there are major games predicted to come out in this second semester, trying to guess precisely the winner would do them a disservice.
Instead, we’ll show you below which games (so far) are likely to be nominated, and their chances of winning the Game of the Year category. Make sure to read on through and, by the end, let us know what your picks will be!
Game of the Year 2025: who’s gonna show up, and who’s gonna shut up
These games are frequently cited across multiple reputable sources, boasting strong underlying reasoning, and often come from established developers or franchises, positioning them as frontrunners for the Game of the Year 2025 Award.
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Most obvious choices
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: Not that this is of any surprise, but Hideo Kojima’s sequel to 2019’s Death Stranding appears in high regard in many, many gaming content websites. Regardless of which review you’re reading, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is highlighted for its technical brilliance, immersive qualities, ambitious scope, and strong—albeit convoluted— narrative. In short, it is one of Kojima-est Kojima games available today.
Furthermore, being a Sony-published title from a renowned auteur, it has the “establishment choice” appeal and is expected to be more palatable than its predecessor, drawing significant attention and critical acclaim.
Its widespread mentions across almost all sources, coupled with its status as a major-publisher title from one of gaming’s most famous names, gives it a high profile. The reported “universal praise” from early previews—and most of the already out reviews—further cements its position as a strong, critically anticipated release.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: Ah, yes. We all love an underdog story: we’ve seen it across every piece of media in existence—the story of a contender that comes from nothing, taking on impossible odds and, eventually, growing into a force to be reckoned with and, hopefully, attaining the ultimate victory.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is such an example for gaming. Featuring prominently on several of the major outlets, this turn-based RPG is praised for its exceptional storytelling, strong performances, thematic depth, fun gameplay, and impressive production values, especially coming from a debut team. Its high critical ratings position it as a potential critical darling and a strong “lock” for contention as it still gains player traction.
Despite being from a relatively new team, its consistent mention as a surefire GOTY contender and its reported high critical scores across multiple prediction sites signal immense critical buzz and potential to be a standout, critically-acclaimed title. It is worth noting that, among all titles mentioned here, Clair Obscur was the highest scoring on sites such as OpenCritic, and only recently had its crown taken—albeit by a minor margin— by Death Stranding 2
Ghost of Yōtei
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: We know. How can we give such praise to a game that is not even out yet? Well, this highly-anticipated title is mentioned as Ghost of Tsushima’s immediate successor, and it shows. The trailers we got so far show a fresher take on the “Ghost of” lore, indicating that studio Sucker Punch did their due research on how to evolve from the already near-perfect experience from its predecessor.
Likewise, Ghost of Yōtei is poised to be Sony’s biggest release this year, and by what we’ve seen so far, it might as well surpass the previous game by bringing compelling combat, stealth, and artistic design. Granted, the fact that it is an exclusive title might reduce its sales numbers, but the organization behind the Game Awards swears that this is not a factor to be considered by the technical jury—one I, myself, used to be a proud part of.
Furthermore, the original game was, according to many a Reddit thread, “snubbed” on its turn in 2020. So who knows: public opinion might make this one a strong frontrunner.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: as Switch 2’s launch titles go, I don’t think you could ask for much more than Donkey Kong Bananza. The fact that it has been a while since Nintendo’s great ape grace us with a game of its own has got people talking. A lot. While this game is yet to come out, it is worth noting that rumors say the team behind Super Mario Odyssey (itself nominated Game of the Year in 2017, losing to another Nintendo title: Zelda’s “Breath of the Wild”) is also handling this one’s development.
So you know the game will probably have some heavy quality aspects—and since there’s no Zelda game to speak of this year, this might be a project that end up winning the crown and surprising some of the audience at least.
Also, there is also another reason why we think Donkey Kong Bananza will at least garner attention for a nomination or several: Astro Bot. Sony’s Game of the Year victory in 2023 might have paved the way for titles seen as “lesser” by the public to shine. Personally, Metaphor: ReFantazio was my choice for last year, but unlike some, I do see the appeal that led the PlayStation 5 opening title to its major victory—and I don’t think it would be unheard of if the same context applies to Donkey Kong.
Split Fiction
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: I’ll admit: I was more than ready to give Split Fiction a major snub, and only after guys like Polygon, Gamespot and IGN gave it such a major praise that I decided to pay more attention to EA’s new release. With its critical consensus with high ratings (over 90 on Metacritic and OpenCritic), combined with Hazelight’s previous GOTY win for It Takes Two in 2021, this is one very real contender to the Game of the Year award. It is incredibly well-designed, has a story-first kind of drive that might appeal to the Game Awards jury, and some experts even suggest it’s even better than its award-winning predecessor.
Possible surprises
These games are mentioned less frequently as top contenders or carry some specific challenges, but their unique qualities, critical anticipation, or potential for breakthrough success could still lead to a surprise nomination or even a win.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: Many specialists list this as a strong possibility, albeit being something of a “dark horse”. The Monster Hunter series has a history of nominations (Monster Hunter World in 2018), and Wilds is expected to continue this trend with strong reception, making it a solid choice for a highly regarded action RPG.
Granted, it has been slowing down as of late because a) the game’s been around for a while; and b) it’s been battling some performance issues on PC (there’s a new patch out as of this week that, hopefully, fixes things, but I haven’t got around to testing that just yet). While a beloved franchise, Monster Hunter games, despite critical acclaim, often haven’t broken through to win GOTY over more narrative-focused or single-player titles. It’s a strong contender in its genre, but its broader appeal for a top award might be slightly limited compared to the “most likely” candidates.
Hades 2
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: Supergiant Games is known for delivering consistent quality, design and gameplay; and the original Hades’s strong performance against heavyweights like The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020 are more than enough proof of that. Not only that, one thing it has going for it that others may not is a faithful fanbase: the first game hooked everyone from the get go, and this trend was maintained when Hades 2 came out. So yeah, we see it being a threat to some of the top contenders.
However, we have to recognize that Hades 2 faces an uphill battle: although there are example of independent titles winning GOTY awards (see It Takes Two, Balatro, Sea of Stars and the first Hades) on several events, those were few and far between among a competition that is, quite literally, millionaire in budget spending, PR and marketing campaigns.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Why it’s a Game of the Year 2025 contender: Featured by the likes of Polygon and IGN, this realistic medieval RPG is seen as a potential “ambitious hit from a non-establishment developer,” akin to The Witcher 3’s success. Its strong storytelling and respectable critical reception could place it in the Game Awards’ preferred list of nominees. Also, the first game became somewhat of a cult classic, so it’s not like its sequel shows up as a complete anomaly. Unlike its predecessor, we can’t really say Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is “unknown”.
However, as pointed out by some major outlets, it has a potential for political complications involving its developer, Warhorse Studios, and detractors of the so-called “woke agenda”: apparently, some characters have a “case of the gay” and this drew the ire of a good chunk of its fanbase. Jurors from the Game Awards might be swayed to consider this—positively or negatively— when casting their votes, which might give it a look of “pandering”. Despite all of this, Kingdom Come: Deliverance expands a lot of the original’s best concepts, so its quality, at least for itself, is unquestioned.
Final thoughts: IT’S GOTY TIME, BABY
All in all, the Game Awards is already predicted to be stacked: despite layoffs and the major hurdles the gaming industry has faced as of late, one thing we cannot complain about is “lack of variety” when it comes to product offering.
I’d reckon this list would be even more impressive if Rockstar didn’t drag their feet when it comes to Grand Theft Auto 6, which will come out only in 2026. But hey, as long as it turns out awesome as expected, we can always run this list again next year.
As for now, let’s wait and see: like we said earlier, we still have half a year to go, and there’s much to come out in July and the following months. We’ll just have to stay tuned.
How about you? What do you think will shine through this year? Let us know in the comments!