With 2025 coming to a close, we now have a solid list of the 10 highest-rated games of the year, and some may be surprised to learn which ones weren’t nominated for the top prize at The Game Awards. The Game Awards has limited space for nominees in each category, with six games typically nominated for GOTY and four to six games nominated in every other category. Considering this, there was no way that all 10 of the highest-rated games of 2025 could be nominated for GOTY, but even so, some nominees have lower review scores than games that made it on the list.
The six games nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025 are Hades 2 (94), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (92), Donkey Kong Bananza (91), Hollow Knight: Silksong (91), Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (90), and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (89). Five of these are featured in the top 10 highest-rated games of the year on review aggregate site OpenCritic, though not all have higher scores than some of the games that were left out. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the only GOTY-nominated game to not make the top 10.
2025’s Game of the Year Discussion Differs From All The Others in a Big Way
Every Game of the Year sees stiff competition from the hottest titles of the year, but 2025’s lineup will seemingly differ in a substantial manner.
Besides the games nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, the rest of the top 10 are made up of The Seance of Blake Manor (92), Split Fiction (91), Blue Prince (90), Monster Hunter Wilds (89), and Keep Driving (89). The Seance of Blake Manor isn’t nominated in any categories at the show, while Split Fiction has earned nominations for Best Game Direction, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Family Game, and Best Multiplayer Game. Blue Prince picked up noms for Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game, while Monster Hunter Wilds is nominated for Best Role Playing Game. Keep Driving failed to pick up a single nomination at The Game Awards this year despite being in the top 10 highest-rated games of 2025.
The following list excludes remakes, remasters, and ports, so that’s why the Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are not featured despite having higher overall review scores.
Highest-Rated Games of 2025 List
- Hades 2 – 94
- The Seance of Blake Manor – 92
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 92
- Donkey Kong Bananza – 91
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – 91
- Split Fiction – 91
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – 90
- Blue Prince – 90
- Monster Hunter Wilds – 89
- Keep Driving – 89
The 2025 Game Awards field is extremely competitive, and just because a game is in the 10 highest-rated games of the year, it doesn’t mean it will secure itself a GOTY nomination. In fact, 2024’s Black Myth: Wukong only had an 82 rating, meaning it was nowhere near the top 10, yet it managed to get a GOTY nomination regardless.
We can talk about Game Awards snubs all day long, but it’s hard to argue that the six games nominated for GOTY aren’t deserving. Still, I personally would have loved to see Blue Prince nominated for GOTY as it is my personal Game of the Year. I sunk over 100 hours exploring Blue Prince‘s mind-bending halls and had a blast unraveling its many mysteries. My second choice for GOTY is the emotionally-charged turn-based RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and I’m expecting it to win. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the show is an Expedition 33 sweep, in fact, which means Blue Prince is sadly unlikely to win in the two categories that it is nominated for come the event on December 11.
