The upcoming Game Awards, scheduled on December 11, appears wide open. Originally, Rockstar's next big title had been expected to clean up the ceremony, but postponement into 2026 has completely changed the competitive field. This turn of events paves the way for a far more open contest for the prestigious Game of the Year title.
The voting includes a international group of journalists worldwide, supplemented by a 10 percent of community votes. Several key factors help determine which releases shine in the Game of the Year competition. A strong Metacritic score—ideally over 90—is a near requirement. Story-driven adventures and narrative action games often get favorable attention, while smaller and online games face greater hurdles compared to blockbuster single-player experiences. These patterns correctly anticipated the previous champion, Astro Bot.
Here are educated guesses for the select few potential nominees for Game of the Year 2025. Unlike the movie business, where the majority of entries are known long before awards season, video games frequently reveal their impact only post-launch. Thus, this breakdown includes only games that have been released. We will update during the coming months as upcoming games arrive. Also included are some likely future entrants and under-the-radar picks.
Top Contenders for Game of the Year
1. Clair Obscur
Strengths: An highly praised RPG, excellent in character development and performance, emotionally impactful yet entertaining, with high technical quality—this is all the qualities of a award-winning contender. It's an impressive achievement from a debut group, which only adds to its appeal. The somewhat similar Metaphor: ReFantazio was very strong in 2024. The game appears hard to beat.
Challenges: Even though it's a successful release, enough people must play Expedition 33—most importantly among reviewers—to keep it in the running for longer than six months. Game Pass will assist, but is it truly big enough to win?
Current standing (remaining strong): Expedition 33 is a well-rounded experience, players continue engaging with and discussing it, and fan polls are overwhelmingly favoring its chances. It remains comfortable in the top spot.
2. Silksong
Strengths: The developers's long awaited sequel to its 2017 indie hit could well dominate at the ceremony, in part because the first game didn't make much of an impression back then and the panel may be keen to retrospectively reward it. Reviewers mostly praise it, commercial performance is exceptionally strong, and its release was a major moment that dominated the discourse for weeks.
Weaknesses: The game is very hard, which has split some critics and may also polarize the jury. A lot of players bounce off the game or feel frustrated by it, and the related debate has been fairly divisive.
Momentum (just arrived): Hardly any 2025 games have generated as much buzz as Team Cherry's release, and it's unlikely that any others will. The shock drop was brilliantly planned for optimal impact, but the omission of early access for media means its review scores could change over time.
3. Bananza
Why it could win: With a score of 90 or more on both critical sites, this game has the essential level of acclaim to compete. Typically for a Nintendo platformer, which counts against it. But, with its physics-based gameplay, return of a classic IP as a starring protagonist, and status as a showcase title for a hardware release, it has more novelty than the usual Mario game, and makes for a more interesting story.
Weaknesses: Kid-friendly jump-and-run games tend to underperform in Game of the Year categories, due to assumed simplicity and weaker narratives. The 2024 champion went against that trend, but back-to-back victories in a row seems doubtful. Additionally, the company's greatness is often taken for granted.
Performance (down from No. 2): Bananza may hold momentum better than some other games as more people buy the hardware, but disappointing DLC has damaged its standing slightly.
4. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Strengths: Hideo Kojima's follow-up to his divisive 2019 sci-fi epic about traveling across a barren world is both more expansive and more palatable than the original. A visually impressive, engaging, bold thoughtful experience, with critical acclaim, published by Sony… it’s got all the ingredients of a serious Game of the Year candidate, and it comes from the most famous creative visionary still working.
Drawbacks: Next to Clair Obscur's indie charm, Death Stranding 2 feels like the establishment choice, despite its many eccentricities. And the closeness between the creator and Geoff Keighley might make some jury members feel hesitant about voting for it.
Standing (down from No. 3): This title's reception have moderated a little since launch. And it’s not clear that the game has truly broken out beyond its current supporters.
5. It Takes Two's successor
Advantages: Critical consensus is still the most accurate signal of success at The Game Awards, and with a rating exceeding 90 on each of {Metacritic and OpenCritic|aggregate sites
