Game 2025: Blue Prince entered the house

The 11th game award, expected on December 11, will come at the end of the upstream year to play the game will witness the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 and (in theory) Grand Theft Auto 6. Both of those releases may appear big in the game contest of the year at the top awards ceremony for the Game – Oscar of Gaming, as ever. But they are not the whole story. Even the first few months of 2025 witnessed a number of surprisingly powerful Goty candidates being light.

The voting agency of the game award includes a series of international media (including polygons), with a 10% contribution from the voting of fans. There are some powerful indicators for what will work well in the game portfolio of the year. High Metacritic ratings (preferably over 90) are required; Role -playing games and strong action adventures, as well as games with strong reporting elements; Indie games and more players struggle more difficult to be recognized compared to the AAA game adventures. We used these figures to accurately predict the winner last year, Astro Bot. (We also have four of the right six candidates, and are called exactly 14 other types.)

Below, you will find our predictions for the nominated people most likely, including six people per year, for Game of the Year 2025. Unlike the film industry, where most of the games are known first, you never really know what kind of video game will have, or it will be good, until it is given. With that thought, this list only includes the game that has been released. We will update these rankings throughout the year when new games are released. We will also list some of the most likely candidates and in the future updates, we will also predict some black horses of Goty Race 2025.

Update (April 11): Green Prince It was our first great vibration for the award race, and entered our rankings in second place as a major independent candidate in 2025 (so far). That motivates Assassin’s Creed Shadows Get out of the run now, and may be good. Although very liked, the game does not seem to be motivated to stay in the conversation. We have also adjusted the list of upcoming titles to reflect the disclosure of Switch 2 and overwhelming feedback to South of midnight.

Why can it win: The important consensus is still the most reliable index of success at the game award, and the only game released so far with ranking above 90 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, Hazelight’s Co-op Adventure is a clear leader on this issue. It also has a heritage advantage: Hazelight’s previous game, It takes twoWon Goty in 2021, and has since accumulated a large number of people following. As an action adventure leading the story, Fictional Also belongs to a genre that the jury of the game award has been known to support in the past.

Weaknesses: Maybe It takes twoThe victory will be included if the jurors are looking for something different to reward. Also, while It takes twoThe intense personal story about divorce is definitely a power, Fictional Has more praised for its design rather than the abstract story and overwork of writers who adapt in virtual reality.

Why can it win: Indie games have a difficult time in the main game contest of the year at the game award, but often have room for one person, and Green Prince Everything happened for it. It has been met with excessive welcome, with 92 metascore. Everyone in the criticism/voters seem to be playing it. And its deep mystery, challenging puzzles and fascinating storytelling elements will keep the conversation around it.

Weaknesses: Green Prince Quite difficult and confusing according to the standards of a typical Goty Pick game award. Those who were nominated for the previous indie like Stray And Inside Definitely easier access and control of characters, while last year was similar Good animals Do not make cuts. In addition, if another great independent game appears this year – Hades 2 For example – Green Prince It will have to fight it for the only nomination that the independent gaming community seems to be allowed.

Why can it win: This may be this year Black legend: Wukong: A ambitious hit game from a developer operating outside the gaming facility, bringing the eager desire of the core gamers for large solo adventures made without compromising. Liberation 2 As a real medieval role -playing game with a strong storytelling, and critics really like it (its metascore is 88). Another similar game may be the Goty winner 2015, The Witcher 3. This is right in the sweet point of the game award.

Weaknesses: Black legend: Wukong Do not win Goty – much for the disappointment of the manufacturer. Just like Black legendGame science, Kingdom comehorse developer is considered by some people to be political radiation, after the founder Daniel Popra made comments to support Gamergate in 2015. Perhaps more, the game is a challenging time not to be widely played among journalists and jurors, despite having respectable sales.

Why can it win: Monster Hunter’s stable climb from Co-op Curio, through the feeling of handing, to the AAA champion has reached its peak with huge sales and glowing evaluation of Feral. It was smooth, it was great, and it sanded from the rough edges of Monster Hunter. (As a rule, the jury of the game award does not care about the rough edges.)

Weaknesses: In spite of Feral The gesture towards the usual RPG storytelling style than previous monsters, this is still a deep system game, in which the device is more important than the player’s personal investment in the characters, and that is not the game’s favorite interface for the Goty winner.

Why can it win: It only missed the deadline for the 2024 or two weeks awards, but Machinegames’ undertakes the hero of the film that cannot be erased quickly welcome to all the things that the jurors want to see: strong storytelling, leading performance, polishing technology, high production value, a good blend of action and playing Cerebral more, and Troy Baker. It is almost certainly nominated for a Goty 2024, and the PlayStation 5 release of April will be a big help in keeping. Great circle In the conversation until the nomination process in 2025 began.

Weaknesses: The PS5 release, though 12 months, is one terrible Long time to maintain related in the race. The game award usually does not reward for licensed games. And the score of Metacritic and Opencritic in the mid -80s is good, but shows an important consensus in this game a bit lighter than the first time.

Why can it win: Obsidian’s traditional fantasy role -playing game is an interesting case. Its initially important reception is soft, but it has a long tail and strong oral, because the player finds the reliable qualities, its old style-to-full fighting, excellent writing, and more booty-with towels to turn back. Genre-good genre, like a role-playing game focused on not being strong and powerful, it is a sweet point of the game. Acknowledged Definitely underestimated, and although it may be pushed out of candidates who are likely throughout the year, it is the definition of a black horse.

Weaknesses: It will be very, very surprising for a game with only 80 metascore to be nominated for Game of the Year. Surprisingly, but not unprecedented: Black legend: Wukong Manage it with 81 metascore last year.

Automatic stealing level 6: It has been a long time since there was a main automatic game of Line Lessf that the game did not have GTA 5 has been released. It is difficult to see anything that defeats Rockstar’s Behemoth – if, and that’s a big thing if, it makes its release date in 2025.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: Nintendo may have many Goty candidates in the year of Switch 2’s release, but the only one we know is sure of the long -awaited return of Retro Studios for Samus’s science fiction adventure.

Hades 2: Suppose it appears from this year’s early access, the sequel Roguelike of Supergiant may lead independent candidates in the year – out to take revenge on the initial game to be aware at the awards ceremony by 2020.

Death is trapped 2: Hideo Kojima is a favorite game award and original Death trapped strong controversy in 2019, although it finally lost Sekiro. Death trapped It was divided at the time, but in the years since then, repeated release helped players get their heads around this single vision, and with the full muscles of the PlayStation behind it, the sequel will definitely create a large sensational shot.

Ghost of yōtei: No publisher has a better achievement at the game award compared to Sony, and its other candidate this year is this open-world Samurai adventure, again, the sequel to a game (Ghost of Tsushima) Reputation only develops over time. If nothing else, the release of this rarer Bespoke will probably overcome the same topic Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Donkey Kong Bananza: Of the two games launched Big Two Switch 2 of Nintendo, Banana is the ability to score a Goty nomination. Mario KartLike a racing game, no chance (Mario Kart 8 did not guarantee a nomination in 2014). The game awards in history are not so good for family -oriented platforms, but Astro BotThe 2024 victory seems to change that, which is beneficial for Donkey Kong – as long as the game can withstand comparisons.