Games That Could Be GOTY Contenders at the 2025 Game Awards

When it comes to gaming, what defines a great title often depends on personal taste. Some players are die-hard FPS fans, others lean toward story-driven adventures, while the thrill of quick-hit experiences like the Aviator app hits the spot for some.

However, regardless of personal preferences, there are always a few standout games that almost everyone agrees are on another level, whether for their brilliance, creativity, or slickness. Recognizing such exceptional titles is exactly what The Game Awards sets out to do.

The Game Awards, which was launched in 2014, is an annual ceremony that has been the biggest stage for celebrating the very best games in the industry. The awards honor exceptional titles across different categories and genres, with awards like the best mobile game, game with best narrative, best action, adventure, fighting, etc. However, the category that gets the most hype, year after year, is Game of the Year. This award is reserved for the video game that nails it all in terms of gameplay, creativity, technical polish, and the overall experience.

This article puts together five titles that we believe could be serious contenders for the 2025 Game Awards’ Game of the Year. We’ll give a quick overview of these games and explain why each one has a shot at the crown.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a role-playing game developed by the French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. This is the studio’s debut project, and what a debut it is.

The game, released on April 24, 2025, is set in a dark fantasy Belle Époque-inspired world. It throws players into the shoes of Expedition 33, a group of volunteers tasked with stopping a terrifying force known as the Paintress, who literally wipes people out of existence once they hit a certain age. Players have access to six distinct playable characters, each with unique abilities and fighting styles.

One feature that makes the game stand out is its combat system. On the surface, it’s a turn-based RPG like Final Fantasy or Persona. However, it is layered with real-time mechanics like dodges, parries, and quick-time counters that keep you on your toes. The game is also close to perfect when it comes to presentation, delivering jaw-dropping visuals that bring the story and action to life.

Overall, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ticks all the boxes for a potential Game of the Year. It delivers a gripping story about mortality and grief, pairs it with innovative gameplay mechanics, and backs it all up with dazzling production values and strong critical acclaim. The fact that it comes from a relatively small studio only adds to its underdog charm.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, produced by Hideo Kojima, is a sequel to the first game, Death Stranding. It dropped in June 2025 and, like the original, it falls under that strange but captivating mix of action-adventure and cinematic storytelling.

You are once again stepping into the boots of Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus), trekking across massive landscapes. However, this time it’s set in Mexico and Australia, with the usual mix of survival, delivery runs, and now, a heavier dose of combat and exploration.

Visually, the game is absolutely stunning. The environment is vast and alive, and the soundtrack makes the whole experience feel like a slow-burning art film that you’re actively part of. The story, as expected, is centered on connection, grief, and survival, but it’s told in a way that feels more refined and approachable compared to the first game’s ambiguity.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is one of the earliest major releases of 2025. It launched back on February 4, and while the buzz has naturally cooled a bit over the months, the game remains a hot topic in the RPG community.

For anyone new to the series, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is an open-world, first-person RPG and a direct follow-up to the 2018 game. It’s set in 15th-century Bohemia and once again follows Henry of Skalitz as he gets caught up in a mix of civil war and personal revenge.

Compared to the first game, the map is about twice as big, featuring detailed medieval towns, wide countryside, and even the silver mines of Kutná Hora, all carefully built to feel historically accurate. And this time, players are not restricted to only swords for combat; you also have access to crossbows and early firearms.

Reception-wise, the game is currently sitting at an 88 on Metacritic and has sold over three million copies within just a few months. It, in fact, picked up the Best PC Game award at Gamescom 2024 before its official release.

Blue Prince

Blue Prince is a puzzle-adventure game that incorporates strategy and roguelike elements. The game, released on April 10, 2025, was developed by solo creator Tonda Ros under Dogubomb and published by Raw Fury.

Blue Prince’s setup is deceptively simple: you play as Simon P. Jones, who inherits the mysterious Mt. Holly Estate under one condition: he has to uncover a hidden 46th room inside the ever-shifting mansion. If he fails, the house reshuffles itself overnight, forcing him to start all over again.

At first glance, Blue Prince looks like a stylish puzzle game. But the deeper you go, the more it reveals layers of intrigue. Each run through the mansion is different; you draft new rooms, stumble across puzzles, and piece together fragments of lore tied to the estate’s history. It’s a game that pulls you in slowly, and it‘s quite intellectually demanding to the point that you might have to take down notes.

Reception-wise, the game is already making a splash. It has a 92 Metascore, a near-unanimous thumbs-up from critics, and early buzz as the indie contender for this year’s Game Awards. Indie games usually only get one seat at the GOTY table, and if any of them can crash the party this year, it’s most likely this one.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza is Nintendo EPD’s bold revival of the iconic ape. It was released on July 17, 2025, as a launch showcase for the Nintendo Switch 2. 

The game is a 3D platformer with open-world elements, similar to the adventurous feel of Super Mario Odyssey, but with the Donkey Kong series’ trademark strength as a major feature. It’s the first brand-new Donkey Kong game in over ten years, and Nintendo clearly treated it as more than just a spin-off.

You play as Donkey Kong, teaming up with a young Pauline to recover stolen banana-shaped diamonds. You get to explore vast underground worlds filled with ice caverns, lava pits, and tropical biomes while trying to recover this diamond. 

While each contender shines in its own way, only one will ultimately walk away with the coveted Game of the Year award. The kicker is that it might not even be one of the titles we’ve mentioned, especially with more heavy-hitters still slated to launch before the year wraps up.

However, what we do know is that the ceremony is set for December 11, with eligibility closing a few weeks earlier in November. Until then, the speculation will keep building, and gamers everywhere will be watching closely to see which game takes the crown.