Which game won the coveted Game of the Year 2025 award? Check out Game8's complete list of winners for Best Action, RPG, Story, and more.
Game8’s 2025 Game Of The Year Nominees And Winners
Best Action Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Given to the game which provided players with the most exciting fights throughout a significant portion of its playtime. | ⚫︎ Hades 2
⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ⚫︎ Monster Hunter Wilds ⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Ninja Gaiden 4 |
| Winner: | 🏆 Hades 2 🏆 |
|---|
The first Hades came out half a decade ago as a critical darling and surprise indie smash because, in part, of its addicting and beautifully complex gameplay loop. It should come as no surprise, then, that Hades 2 takes our pick for Best Action Game for building upon what was an already excellent foundation and somehow making it leagues better than the first.
With brand new weapons and boons, better balance, an even more intricate gameplay loop, and literally thousands of ways to approach fights, Hades 2 sees Supergiant perfecting their approach to roguelikes.
Best Role-Playing Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Whether as a lone vagabond or a brave party leader, this award is given to the game that provides the most immersive role-playing experience. | ⚫︎ Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
⚫︎ Where Winds Meet ⚫︎ The Hundred Line ⚫︎ Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma ⚫︎ Digimon Story: Time Stranger |
| Winner: | 🏆 Where Winds Meet 🏆 |
|---|
Where Winds Meet draws players into an immersive Wuxia world rich with activities, from fishing alongside skilled anglers to engaging in story-driven campaigns that gradually unfold a larger narrative. It’s a rare gem that trusts players to define their own journey, whether as a martial arts god, an enigmatic healer, or even as an ever-drunk board-game champion—nearly anything feels within reach.
With gorgeous visuals, a heartfelt story, flashy combat sequences, and all the quirky charm of the Wuxia genre presented in an accessible format, it’s no wonder Where Winds Meet has claimed our Best Role-Playing Game award.
Best Single Player Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| This award is given to the game with the most in-depth single-player experience across multiple aspects of gameplay. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ DOOM: The Dark Ages ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong ⚫︎ Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 ⚫︎ The Outer Worlds 2 |
| Winner: | 🏆 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🏆 |
|---|
If there’s one game in 2025 whose single-player experience might outlast everything else the year had to offer, it’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Its turn-based combat, enhanced by real-time mechanics like timed counters and dodges, is as memorable as the emotional, resonant story it supports; one elevated by strikingly realistic visuals, haunting music, and excellent voice acting. Hence, even though its peers are excellent in their own ways, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes our award for the game with the best single player experience.
Best Co-Op Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Dedicated to the game with the best gameplay involving two or more players working together towards a consolidated goal. | ⚫︎ Elden Ring: Nightreign
⚫︎ Monster Hunter Wilds ⚫︎ PEAK ⚫︎ R.E.P.O. ⚫︎ Split Fiction |
| Winner: | 🏆 PEAK 🏆 |
|---|
PEAK is a difficult but rewarding co-op experience that excels through clever level design and tight gameplay. It’s the ultimate test of teamwork, rewarding players for surviving the gauntlet together and punishing the entire team when they don’t. What’s more, it manages to do all this without feeling tiresome, stifling, or repetitive, so long as you’re always on a session with a pal or three. It truly is the best co-op game 2025 has to offer.
Best Multiplayer Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| This award is for the game with the best multiplayer gameplay, regardless of the number of players or teams that can be present in a session. | ⚫︎ ARC Raiders
⚫︎ Battlefield 6 ⚫︎ Dune Awakening ⚫︎ Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond ⚫︎ Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds |
| Winner: | 🏆 ARC Raiders 🏆 |
|---|
ARC Raiders successfully brought the high-stakes extraction genre to a broader audience through its approachable design, free loadouts, and innovative "owned extraction" mechanics. It’s insanely replayable and ultimately deserves the Best Multiplayer Game award for its unique PvPvE loop that fosters organic player cooperation and emergent storytelling, all while showcasing some of the most technically impressive visuals of 2025.
Best Remake/Remaster
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the game that best revives an old gaming classic while keeping its true spirit alive. | ⚫︎ Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles
⚫︎ Oblivion Remastered ⚫︎ Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter ⚫︎ Seven Knights Re:BIRTH ⚫︎ DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake |
| Winner: | 🏆 DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake 🏆 |
|---|
DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake takes timeless JRPG classics into the modern era, equipped with revamped gameplay, stunning and vibrant landscapes, and a grander narrative in the world of Alefgard. This shows a remake done right, not only by sticking to what made them legends, but also by layering in quality-of-life tweaks and orchestral splendor to claim the top spot.
Best Fighting Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the best fighting game with the most polished and enjoyable combat. | ⚫︎ Hunter x Hunter Nen Impact
⚫︎ Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. ⚫︎ Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves ⚫︎ 2XKO |
| Winner: | 🏆 Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves 🏆 |
|---|
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is, all at once, a worthy successor to the legendary Mark of the Wolves, a love letter to SNK’s original flagship fighting game series, and the best fighting game of the year. SNK returns to South Town with a strikingly fast paced, intricate fighter that, despite its mechanical complexity, offers tons of skill expression for fighting game nerds of all skill levels.
Coupled with its uniquely vibrant comic book aesthetic and diverse roster of SNK mainstays, Fatal Fury favorites, and oddball guests, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves shows that SNK is still fighting to keep its spot as a legend in the pantheon of fighting game icons.
Best Roguelike/Roguelite Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the game with gameplay loops so good that players don’t mind restarting from the top each time. | ⚫︎ BALL X PIT
⚫︎ Chaos Zero Nightmare ⚫︎ Elden Ring: Nightreign ⚫︎ Hades 2 ⚫︎ Megabonk |
| Winner: | 🏆 Hades 2 🏆 |
|---|
A true Odyssey to the first game’s Iliad, Hades 2 is a divine evolution that honors its predecessor while confidently carving its own legendary path. See, metagame progression has always been one of the core pillars of the roguelike genre, and striking the right balance is what separates a great deathloop from a forgettable one. Supergiant has this formula down to a science, ensuring that every run matters—even the disastrous ones—through its smart use of multiple currencies earned under different conditions, and by designing builds that actively support runs that are falling behind rather than punishing them.
Best Soulslike Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Presented to the game that best features FromSoftware’s genre-defining mechanics of tight controls and difficult bosses while conquering the challenges that come with it. | ⚫︎ AI Limit
⚫︎ Elden Ring: Nightreign ⚫︎ Ender Magnolia ⚫︎ The First Berserker: Khazan ⚫︎ Wuchang: Fallen Feathers |
| Winner: | 🏆 The First Berserker: Khazan 🏆 |
|---|
Despite steep competition for the award, The First Berserker: Khazan stands out as a premier Soulslike, distinguishing itself through stunning anime-style visuals, tight controls, excellent audio design, and intense, high-speed combat. While its formidable difficulty may intimidate newcomers, the game’s deep lore and polished execution make it a must-play for fans of the genre.
Best Simulation Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the game that most convincingly recreates real-world systems, activities, or professions, delivering deeply engaging experiences that captivate through meticulous detail and emergent gameplay. | ⚫︎ Two Point Museum
⚫︎ Jurassic World Evolution 3 ⚫︎ Schedule I ⚫︎ Powerwash Simulator 2 ⚫︎ Tiny Bookshop |
| Winner: | 🏆 Powerwash Simulator 2 🏆 |
|---|
PowerWash Simulator 2 builds on its predecessor, bringing the lessons it’s learned to a new company packed with more tools and refined mechanics for your powerwashing journey. Across a swath of fresh locations brimming with grime—and new interactive gameplay—PowerWash Simulator 2 cleanly claims the top spot among sims worth its mettle.
Best Shooter Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Given to the title with the most polished and satisfying gameplay. With firearms, of course. | ⚫︎ DOOM: The Dark Ages
⚫︎ ARC Raiders ⚫︎ Arena Breakout: Infinite ⚫︎ Borderlands 4 ⚫︎ Battlefield 6 |
| Winner: | 🏆 ARC Raiders🏆 |
|---|
As the breakout shooter of the year, it should come as no surprise that ARC Raiders sniped our award for Best Shooter Game of the year. ARC Raiders is a visual marvel that delivers on the large scope and daunting environments of its post-apocalyptic dystopia through thrilling and innovative extraction shooter gameplay.
It is an accessible, endlessly replayable extraction shooter with surprisingly compelling meditations on the unbreakable nature of human will amidst corporate greed and class division.
Best Horror Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Encompassing every level of dreadful terror, this award is given to the game with the best spooks, regardless of its delivery method. | ⚫︎ Silent Hill f
⚫︎ Tormented Souls 2 ⚫︎ No, I'm Not A Human ⚫︎ FNAF: Secret of the Mimic ⚫︎ Cronos: The New Dawn |
| Winner: | 🏆 Silent Hill f 🏆 |
|---|
If one word best captures the often suffocating but always enthralling experience of this year’s Best Horror Game, it would be nonconformity. In a series as storied as Silent Hill, the latest entry dares to break away from usual conventions to deliver a unique experience that’s both terrifying and timely.
Silent Hill f’s exploration of abuse, trauma, and femininity through the lens of Japanese folklore and traditions is not only conceptually genius but executed perfectly through the series’ trademark grotesque body horror and its brand new gripping, fast-paced action-oriented combat system.
Best Puzzle Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the game with the most challenging and thought-provoking puzzles built into its gameplay and storyline. | ⚫︎ Lego Voyagers
⚫︎ Blue Prince ⚫︎ No Sleep for Kaname Date ⚫︎ Routine ⚫︎ The Talos Principle: Reawakened |
| Winner: | 🏆 Blue Prince 🏆 |
|---|
Blue Prince revolutionizes the mystery genre with a strict daily step limit, making every move count as you draft and explore the ever-shifting Mt. Holly estate. As players slow down, think deeply, and piece together mind-bending puzzles to chase the secrets of Room 46 while unlocking permanent upgrades, it's no mystery how Blue Prince takes the top spot.
Best Sports Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| From heart-stopping last-second goals to buzzer-beating slams, this award is for the game that delivers the ultimate adrenaline-fueled rush of athletic glory and competition. | ⚫︎ REMATCH
⚫︎ F1 25 ⚫︎ NBA 2K26 ⚫︎ Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 ⚫︎ WWE 2K25 |
| Winner: | 🏆 REMATCH 🏆 |
|---|
REMATCH takes to the field with its fast-paced version of soccer—where players score tight goals by ricocheting the ball off the surrounding walls, or styling on opponents with coordination that would impress even Cristiano Ronaldo.
With the roar of the crowd ringing in your ears after each hard-fought goal, REMATCH is one of those games where taking a loss is not an option—not even from our Best Sports Game awards.
Best Visual Novel
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the visual novel that has the best synergy between high-quality prose, impactful character development, immersive audio-visual presentation, and innovative systems that make player choices feel meaningful. | ⚫︎ Dispatch
⚫︎ Marisa of Liartop Mountain ⚫︎ S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH ⚫︎ SHUTEN ORDER ⚫︎ The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy |
| Winner: | 🏆 Dispatch 🏆 |
|---|
By utilizing a TV-style episodic rollout, this year’s Best Visual Novel, Dispatch, sparked constant and furious fan theories fueled by its sharp writing and unforgettable cast. The way the gameplay and plot intertwine, raised to greater heights by its cast of amazing voice actors, is quite brilliant, creating a gripping experience that resonates long after the credits roll.
Best Performance
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the talent with the most moving performance in their respective games. | ⚫︎ Jennifer English - Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
⚫︎ Troy Baker - Higgs (Death Stranding 2: On The Beach) ⚫︎ Konatsu Kato - Hinako Shimizu (Silent Hill f) ⚫︎ Laura Bailey - Invisigal (Dispatch) ⚫︎ Chen Linling - Arrisa (AI Limit) |
| Winner: | 🏆 Konatsu Kato - Hinako Shimizu (Silent Hill f)🏆 |
|---|
Konatsu Kato’s gut wrenching but indignant performance as Silent Hill f’s Hinako Shimizu transcends language barriers and brings the game’s story to life. Horror, as a genre, has always thrived upon its "scream queens," women who embody the tension between vulnerability and survival amidst unfathomable horrors.
For a game like Silent Hill f, which directly cradles this tension so expertly, Kato’s performance is a masterclass in embodying the fear and, more importantly, the abject feminine rage of having to face monsters that are both frustratingly mundane but frighteningly violent.
Best Story
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing the game with the best story, inclusive of its delivery, narrative style, depth, etc. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ Dispatch ⚫︎ S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH ⚫︎ The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- ⚫︎ Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles |
| Winner: | 🏆 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🏆 |
|---|
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 needs no preamble to earn its awards, especially when it comes to its story. It moves with purpose, gradually revealing layers of its mythology without ever overwhelming the player. The tragedy in the sky lingers throughout without becoming intrusive, carried by a pace that feels natural yet deeply unsettling. Even so, it consistently cuts through the gloom with well-timed humor, though never sacrificing the narrative’s urgency.
Best Gameplay
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the title with the best gameplay regardless of genre and platform. | ⚫︎ Donkey Kong Bananza
⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ⚫︎ Silksong ⚫︎ Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 ⚫︎ BALL X PIT |
| Winner: | 🏆 Donkey Kong Bananza 🏆 |
|---|
It would be easy to say that Nintendo went bananas when designing Donkey Kong Bananza’s intricately designed and beautiful levels, fun and expressive movement system, and rewarding gameplay loop, but it would also be correct.
Nintendo knew they had to deliver on Donkey Kong’s first 3D platforming adventure since the N64, and by building upon the blueprints of their previous masterpiece Super Mario Odyssey they’ve cracked the code and made a game that feels immensely fun to play for just about anyone.
Best Visuals
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the game with the most appealing visuals, regardless of its theme or art direction. | ⚫︎ DOOM: The Dark Ages
⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Hades 2 ⚫︎ Keeper ⚫︎ The Outer Worlds 2 |
| Winner: | 🏆 Ghost of Yotei 🏆 |
|---|
It’s hard to imagine topping the beauty of their last release, but Sucker Punch has truly outdone themselves with Ghost of Yotei. The game’s stunning palette and sharp contrasts create environments so breathtaking that almost every location feels perfectly photogenic.
Best Audio
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding games with a remarkable auditory experience, encompassing music, voice acting, sound effects, and everything in between. | ⚫︎ Silent Hill f
⚫︎ Skate Story ⚫︎ Ratatan ⚫︎ Rift of the NecroDancer ⚫︎ Unbeatable |
| Winner: | 🏆 Rift of the NecroDancer 🏆 |
|---|
Rift of the NecroDancer, backed by a diverse cast of composers bringing their own flair and funk, claims the top spot—no introduction needed. With a soundtrack rife with earworms that reels you in and keeps you jamming, as well as a custom mode packed with community beatmaps, this game shows it has its finger on the pulse of what truly lies at the heart of music.
Best Value for Money
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the game which provides its players the most bang for their buck. | ⚫︎ Where Winds Meet
⚫︎ Ender Magnolia ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong ⚫︎ Duet Night Abyss ⚫︎ Europa Universalis V |
| Winner: | 🏆 Hollow Knight: Silksong 🏆 |
|---|
Despite being the most hyped indie title in gaming history, Team Cherry’s decision to price the game at just a cent under twenty dollars when most players would’ve gladly paid double speaks volumes about how much confidence they had in delivering an experience worthy of Hollow Knight’s legacy.
And deliver they did: Silksong offers such a staggering amount of high-quality content that, even now, it feels like we’re borderline robbing them by paying so little for it.
Best Hit Out of Nowhere
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the game with the most impactful debut despite its lack of marketing | ⚫︎ Schedule I
⚫︎ PEAK ⚫︎ Oblivion Remastered ⚫︎ R.E.P.O. ⚫︎ Escape from Duckov |
| Winner: | 🏆 Schedule I 🏆 |
|---|
Schedule I’s explosive popularity, which is almost entirely carried by independent content creators and the players themselves, and achieved with virtually no traditional marketing, is a clear example of the influence gamers can wield over the industry. It peaked at several hundred thousand concurrent players and has amassed nearly two hundred thousand English-language user reviews; numbers typically reserved for titles backed by massive marketing budgets.
Oh, and it absolutely deserves every bit of praise it gets.
Best Game We Hadn’t Reviewed
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the game Game8 wasn’t able to cover through our reviews that nonetheless made the biggest waves. | ⚫︎ 9 Kings
⚫︎ Absolum ⚫︎ The Last Caretaker ⚫︎ VEIN ⚫︎ Rhythm Doctor ⚫︎ Monster Train 2 |
| Winner: | 🏆 Absolum 🏆 |
|---|
Absolum stands as one of the most polished action roguelites Game8 has had the misfortune of not being able to cover. Dozens of hours can easily be lost just exploring everything the game has to offer, especially once you dip into its two-player co-op features.
But while its overarching story is fairly straightforward, the individual character narratives are compelling enough to make the story worth paying attention to; something players of the genre often overlook.
Best Disappointment
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Games with the highest hype hurt harder when they fall. The great expectations for these titles not only went unmet, they actively disappointed. | ⚫︎ Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension
⚫︎ FBC: Firebreak ⚫︎ ReMemento - White Shadow ⚫︎ Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 ⚫︎ MindsEye ⚫︎ Splitgate 2 ⚫︎ Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 ⚫︎ Civilization VII |
| Winner: | 🏆 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 🏆 |
|---|
Even with its understandably sky-high production value backed by a triple-A budget, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 drags along some equally baffling design decisions such as an unpausable campaign and forced multiplayer elements.
To make matters worse, its story feels like it was conceived at the end of the writers’ collective rope: a confused, often nonsensical trip down memory lane that struggles to justify its own existence and legacy.
Best Indie Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the best game made by an independent studio. | ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong
⚫︎ Dispatch ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ⚫︎ Rift of the NecroDancer ⚫︎ Megabonk ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ R.E.P.O. ⚫︎ PEAK |
| Winner: | 🏆 Hollow Knight: Silksong 🏆 |
|---|
2025 was, without question, the year of indie games. Jaw-droppingly impressive titles developed by small teams captured the hearts of players worldwide, often standing in stark contrast to the more questionable releases from much larger developers and publishers.
And yet, despite the fierce competition, Hollow Knight: Silksong still manages to stand above the rest, even if only slightly, thanks to its sheer level of polish and, perhaps most importantly, its ability to actually live up to the insane hype surrounding it.
Best Mobile Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to the best game available primarily for mobile devices. | ⚫︎ Chaos Zero Nightmare
⚫︎ Umamusume: Pretty Derby ⚫︎ Where Winds Meet ⚫︎ Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond ⚫︎ Duet Night Abyss |
| Winner: | 🏆 Umamusume: Pretty Derby 🏆 |
|---|
It’s difficult to accurately describe just how important Umamusume: Pretty Derby’s global release was, not only to gaming but also to the horse racing industry at large. While it may not be the most balanced or complete mobile title on the list, its ability to capture the hearts of its audience by presenting the stories of an industry unfamiliar and unique to most of the world in a digestible and charming form is second to none.
Heck, it has even done a lot of good outside the game!
Game8’s Game of the Year
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Bestowed with utmost reverence to the game which Game8 has judged to be the best title in terms of story, gameplay, visuals, audio, and value for money. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ Silent Hill f ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong ⚫︎ Where Winds Meet ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ Donkey Kong Bananza ⚫︎ Death Stranding 2 ⚫︎ Digimon Story: Time Strangers |
| Winner: | 🏆 Hollow Knight: Silksong 🏆 |
|---|
Prior to 2025, the highest score Game8 Reviews had awarded in our coverage was a 96. That changed with Hollow Knight: Silksong, the first title to break that unofficial barrier and earn a 98, due in no small part to its ability to live up to the mythic levels of hype surrounding its release. It’s a game that embraces the genre’s frustrations and turns them into fuel, pushing players to improve while enveloping them in stunning environments, evocative music, and the rich world Team Cherry has meticulously crafted.
This indie title has undeniably captured our hearts with its story, gameplay, visuals, audio, and the absolutely absurd value offered by its USD 19.99 price tag.
