The 2025 Game Awards, hosted by Geoff Keighley (I’m assuming) and presented by a boatload of ads, anime gacha games, and probably some kind of energy drink manufacturer or fast food joint, is around 3 months away. And with that, it’s about time we here at CouchSoup nail our colours to the mast for our prediction for Game of the Year.
However, that’s too easy. Instead, I’m going to tell you which games are going to be shortlisted AND the eventual winner. There are usually six nominees for the grand poobah of game award ceremonies. So, who have we got for GOTY 2025?!
Blue Prince is a fantastic roguelike puzzle game that hooks you from the very first moment you enter the grandiose mansion. But the puzzles you can see at surface level are just the tip of the iceberg. Your goal is to plot your way through the manor to reach the fabled Room 46 in order to claim your inheritance. Easier said than done, because every day the manor resets, and you have to begin again.
Let’s hope you don’t get too tired before you solve enough mysteries to reach your goal!
Take a gander at our review for Blue Prince here.
Metacritic: Too Early
We all thought Team Cherry’s follow-up to Hollow Knight was a myth, a constant joke prediction before any game showcase. How wrong we were. Now playing as Hornet, the Knight’s sometimes-ally from the first game, you are kidnapped by bugs of the Citadel in the Kingdom of Pharloom. Why? You should probably find out whilst doing other hijinks.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a difficult metroidvania that switches up a lot of mechanics from the first entry, in a good way. The developers created the animation and moveset for Hornet based on what you’ve already seen from her, and it feels goooood. I can’t wait to jump in properly later this year.
It wouldn’t be a Game of the Year list without a Nintendo game, right? And deservedly so. Donkey Kong: Bananza is a masterclass in 3D action platformers. It’s like if Mario Odyssey had a baby with Donkey Kong and Rampage. Yes, I’m aware that’s a tricycle. Deal with it.
On top of all of that, though, the destructibility is off the charts. The sheer amount of voxels on the screen is astounding and a technical marvel for the Switch 2. That might seem a little silly, talking about technical specs for a console that was released THIS YEAR, but it does have the limitations of a handheld. Anyway, DK: Bananza is awesome.
Metacritic: TBA
A late entry to this list after its release date was announced at last week’s Nintendo Direct, Hades 2 is a shoo-in for at least the shortlist of GOTY at this year’s Game Awards. Supergiant’s roguelike masterpiece follow-up has been in early access on PC for around a year, and plenty of people have sunk over fifty hours into that game (our very own CouchSoup contributor, Katie, is one of them).
Playing this time as the Princess of Hades, Melinoe, your mission is to defeat the evil Time Titan, Chronos. Hades 2 is going to be a contender, for sure, come the end-of-year awards. This year is a banger for games, folks!
Metacritic: TBA
I’m taking a punt here. This game hasn’t yet been released, so you might come back to me later this year and laugh right in my face. However, I do have a lot of faith in Sucker Punch’s sequel to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei. It has all of the potential to improve on the first installment’s already excellent gameplay by switching up some of the open-world chores to make it more varied and fun.
And, let’s face it, we all want to play a samurai game in that new Watanabe Lo-fi beats mode, right? It’s such a vibe.
I’m not going to lie, I’m getting less and less sure of myself on my pick for the GOTY winner this year. Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2 are going to take some beating. However, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a f*cking masterpiece. Its narrative is amazing, its combat is engaging, it’s ridiculously pretty, and it made me fall in love with a turn-based RPG for only the second time in my entire life.
Expedition 33 is nailed on for a bunch of awards this year (I’m thinking Best Soundtrack is a given and there should be at least three nominees for performance), and I think it will just about scoop the overall GOTY. I was obsessed with this game earlier in the year, and it had a real emotional effect on me.
I loved Expedition 33, so even if it doesn’t scoop the award, it will most definitely be my personal favorite of the year. If you’d like to hear more about my time with Expedition 33, read my rankings of the best companions in the game here.
Do you agree with this shortlist? How annoyed are you that I left off Death Stranding 2 or Kingdom Come Deliverance? Can we just agree that this year has been an amazing year in video games?! Let me know in the comments!
