It’s December, and you know what that means. A month full of reflecting on the last 11 months as we panic buy gifts because none of us prepared ahead of time. And one of the key pieces of reflection in the gaming world is The Game Awards. Hosted and created by video game journalist Geoff Keighley over ten years ago.
The Game Awards is as much a recognition of the past year as much as it is a showcase of what is to come. As each show features a plethora of game reveals and trailers to generate hype and interest. Though we’re not here to talk about those. We’re here to talk about the actual awards. Even if the people who actually win them won’t get that long to talk about them.
There are 29 awards up for grabs this year. Each one having 4-6 nominees. And I’ll be providing my thoughts on which game I think will win each category, as well as which one I want to win. The only categories I won’t be going over are the Esports categories and Content Creator of the Year. We’re here to talk about video games.
Most Anticipated Game
Prediction: Grand Theft Auto VI
My Pick: Marvel’s Wolverine
Look, we all know Grand Theft Auto VI is winning this without question. But don’t fool yourself. We all know there’s a very good chance it’s in this exact same category next year. It’s one more delay away from missing the 2026 Game Awards deadline. Which is why it didn’t get my vote. Because I’ll believe in a GTA VI release date the day the game actually comes out, and not a moment sooner.
How Rockstar looks at the GTA VI release date knowing they’re going to delay it again
The other options are 007: First Light, Marvel’s Wolverine, Resident Evil: Requiem, and The Witcher IV. The Witcher IV might also be in this category next year as well, but I wasn’t going to vote for it anyway. For me, it comes down to Wolverine and 007. Insomniac may have majorly dropped the ball with Spider-Man 2, which has caused me to question Wolverine‘s chances. But I’m more of a comic fan than a James Bond fan. So it gets my vote.
Best Adaptation
Prediction: A Minecraft Movie
My Pick: A Minecraft Movie
The real winner here is Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I know it. You know it. We all know it. Well, apparently everyone except the people who nominate these things knows it. It’s easily the biggest snub across every category this year. Especially when you look at the options to choose from.
Pretty sure robbing Keanu Reeves is one of the seven deadly sins
A Minecraft Movie, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, The Last of Us: Season 2, and Until Dawn. First off, get Until Dawn and Devil May Cry off that list right away. They have no chance of winning, and shouldn’t even be nominated in the first place. Did you know Splinter Cell: Deathwatch existed before it was nominated? Don’t worry, no one else did either. And The Last of Us: Season 2 is based on The Last of Us Part II, so no shot it wins.
That just leaves A Minecraft Movie. A very bad movie enjoyed ironically by fans of schadenfreude and no one else. It’s going to win off the power of memes and Jack Black loudly exclaiming Minecraft terms to the audience. But every single person in that building, and everyone watching at home, will know this award exists in the Shadow of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Best Multiplayer
Prediction: ARC Raiders
My Pick: Split Fiction
I haven’t played ARC Raiders. But there’s got to be some sort of They Live subliminal messaging going on within it. The game came out less than a month ago, yet so many people immediately wrote it in as Game of the Year. A vocal crowd that may actually tank this game’s chances of winning this one award it’s nominated for.
More like AI-rc Radiers, amirite fellas?
ARC Raiders is up against some pretty tough competition in Battlefield 6, Elden Ring Nightreign, Peak, and Split Fiction. I don’t think Peak will win. It doesn’t really seem to be anyone’s favorite friendslop game of 2025. I would say its strongest competitor is Battlefield 6. And Battlefield 6 didn’t use AI, so I know which side I’m on.
My personal pick, though, is Split Fiction. Couch co-op games are sadly not as popular or as widely made as they used to be. And the overwhelming success of It Takes Two proves that the market for them never left. Split Fiction is an incredibly creative game all about teamwork. And multiplayer games based on teamwork instead of competition will always take the win in my book.
Best Sports / Racing
Prediction: Mario Kart World
My Pick: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
They could cut out all but two of the nominations here and I don’t think they’d lose a single vote. As the battle for Best Sports / Racing game is fought between EA Sports FC 26, F1 25, Mario Kart World, Rematch, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. As cliche as it might be, it all comes down to Mario vs. Sonic.
Sonic game, by the way
Sure, Mario Kart World may let you play as all the one-off unimportant Mario characters and enemies that people will pretend they cared about before they saw them driving a go-kart. But does it have Minecraft Steve? Name another game where you can see who would win in a car race between Sonic the Hedgehog, Hatsune Miku, Joker, and SpongeBob. It’s basically the racing game equivalent of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
On top of that, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is just an overall more refreshing racing game. Mario Kart World went for a “bigger equals better” mentality that doesn’t seem to have paid off. As the game hasn’t had nearly the same level of staying power as its predecessor Mario Kart 8. CrossWorlds is full of fun characters and even more fun mechanics. Mario’s popularity may give him the win, but Sonic has my vote.
Best Sim / Strategy
Prediction: Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
My Pick: Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
I have to be honest, I haven’t played any of these. Heck, I hadn’t even heard of The Alters or Tempest Rising before seeing these nominees. However, I am familiar with Two Point Museum and the Two Point franchise, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, and Jurassic World Evolution 3. And I learned a lot about Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles recently. As well as learning about it for an older article I wrote on tactical strategy games.
Bold to say the J word around gamers
Final Fantasy Tactics is a cult classic amongst Final Fantasy and tactical strategy fans alike. Widely regarded to be one of the best strategy games ever made. So the odds are already weighed in The Ivalice Chronicles’ favor. Though, it being a remaster instead of a fully new game could possibly hurt its chances. That being said, I haven’t seen anything out of the other games nominated that makes me question the outcome.
Best Family
Prediction: Donkey Kong Bananza
My Pick: Sonic Racing: Crossworlds
Logically, Donkey Kong Bananza wins this easily. LEGO Party, LEGO Voyagers, Mario Kart World, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and Split Fiction aren’t nominated for Game of the Year. Donkey Kong Bananza is. However, it has the fewest total nominations out of all the GotY nominees. With this being its only other nomination. So this race may not be as much of a forgone conclusion as it seems.
Gorilla warfare
Really the only game here that I’ve heard anything negative about is LEGO Voyagers. Mario Kart World could, again, get the win based on Mario’s name value. Though opinions on that title aren’t exactly stellar. I could see LEGO Party getting a surprise win for being way better than anyone expected it to be. And I personally don’t view Split Fiction as a family game. You could play it with a family member, for sure. It just doesn’t fit the category quite like all the others do.
Again, my pick is Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Though I don’t expect it to win. First off, the category is all about family. And Donkey Kong Bananza is a 2 player game maximum. Where nothing is lost if you play single player. CrossWorlds, by nature, becomes more fun the more people you play with. And you can play it with more than two people. Plus, nothing says “nuclear family playing a racing game” quite like a race between Amy Rose, Mega Man, Ichiban Kasuga, and AiAi.
Best Fighting
Prediction: 2XKO
My Pick: 2XKO
Fighting games are not my wheelhouse. So all of my analysis here is based on what I’ve heard. As well as checking out articles and YouTube videos regarding the nominees. The most helpful of which was Maximilian Dood’s video discussing the category as a whole.
Are these the two X’s that are KO’ing?
The fight is between 2XKO, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage. And this is…complicated. For starters, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 and Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection are just collections of old games with slight enhancements. R.E.V.O. World Stage is an enhanced edition of a game that came out nearly 20 years ago. And 2XKO isn’t even out yet. It’s in early access.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves should win by default. Given that it’s the only game that actually fully released this year. But I don’t think it will. People love Riot Games. And 2XKO has received a lot of attention recently. Given that it’s the new game on the block, with a lot of chance to improve before full release, I think it gets the win here. Though I don’t really have a dog in the fight.
Best RPG
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
This is a two-horse race, but those two horses are so evenly matched that no one can tell who will win. As Avowed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Monster Hunter Wilds, and The Outer Worlds 2 look to be crowned Best RPG.
E33 sweep? Probably not, but who knows
I’ll just get right to it. It’s going to be Expedition 33 or Deliverance II. Avowed‘s reception was mixed at best. With a lot of people being surprised it even got nominated. Monster Hunter Wilds sort of came and went. And its poor PC performance definitely isn’t helping its chances. And The Outer Worlds 2 feels too new. Though I have heard positive things about it. It may have an outside chance, but I don’t think it holds a candle to the two RPG juggernauts this year.
I picked E33 because it’s the only one of the two that I have played. But, from what I’ve heard, Deliverance II is about as deep an RPG as you can get. So, as purely a role-playing game, I could see Deliverance II getting the nod here. People may see it as a better pure RPG, though not a better game overall. But the sheer power of Expedition 33 could hand them this award as well. Either way, I won’t be surprised.
Best Action / Adventure
Prediction: Hollow Knight: Silksong
My Pick: Split Fiction
Hollow Knight: Silksong has to win something, right? Though I feel like the real win is the fact that it actually came out. And it’s up against some pretty stiff competition. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Split Fiction. So there’s a very real chance that Silksong doesn’t win anything. Which a part of me would find very funny.
Currently filing a bug report
That being said, this feels like Silksong‘s best chance. It’s one of the few times it’s not up against a titan like Expedition 33, or a game with similar elements like Hades II. Though, as far as action filled adventures go, my vote is for Split Fiction. There aren’t many adventures quite like it. And it’s easily the most unique game on the list.
I think every game on here has a very solid chance of winning. Except maybe Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It came out in December 2024, so it technically qualifies for this year’s awards. But I think it’s just been too long. Ghost of Yotei basically just did exactly what Ghost of Tsushima did, so it could win off that alone. But none of those games have a diehard fanbase like Silksong. And I think they show out here.
Best Action Game
Prediction: Hades II
My Pick: Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Battlefield 6, Doom: The Dark Ages, Hades II, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. I guess you could say this category is…action packed. No but seriously this is another category that feels like it really comes down to two games. This time it’s Battlefield 6 or Hades II.
The ART of vengeance
Which is a shame, because Art of Vengeance was very good. I just don’t think enough people played it for it to get the win here. Doom: The Dark Ages doesn’t seem to be anyone’s favorite Doom game. And I haven’t seen it garner the same fanbase as Doom (2016) or Doom Eternal. I’ve heard praise for Ninja Gaiden 4, though not enough to make me think it will win this award.
Hades II, and the series in general, has gathered a large, dedicated fanbase. Much like pretty much anything based on Greek myths. It’s like Percy Jackson for people who don’t read. Actually, there’s probably significant overlap. And then stands Battlefield 6 on the other side. A gritty, realistic war simulator that singlehandedly redeemed the franchise after the abysmal Battlefield 2042. It’s a close race, but I give Hades II the edge.
Best VR / AR
Prediction: The Midnight Walk
My Pick: The Midnight Walk
Does anyone care about VR anymore? It was about 10 years ago when virtual reality was seen as the future of gaming. And seemingly every tech company was rushing to push out their own VR headset. But now, I don’t see many people talking about it. VR seems like a dead fad that a small handful of developers have refused to give up on.
How it feels running back to your room after turning all the lights off
Every once in a while, there will be a VR game that seems cool. Though the general reaction is almost always “I wish that wasn’t VR.” Which I know for a fact is how people reacted to Deadpool VR. I’m not sure about Alien: Rogue Incursion, Arken Age, or Ghost Town though. And I know The Midnight Walk was well-received, and freely playable in regular 2D. Which is how most people played it.
I don’t know how much staying power this category has going forward. Almost everyone I’ve seen talk about these nominees is voting for The Midnight Walk because it’s the only one they’ve played. And they didn’t even play it in VR. Also, Deadpool VR came out the day after the nominees were announced. Something tells me that’s going to hurt its chances.
Best Mobile Game
Prediction: Umamusume: Pretty Derby
My Pick: Persona 5: The Phantom X
It’s gonna be the anime horse girl game. Dread it. Run from it. The anime horse girls arrive all the same. And there’s nothing Destiny: Rising, Persona 5: The Phantom X, Sonic Rumble, or Wuthering Waves can do about it.
Quit horsing around
The Phantom X is my personal pick, because I have a soft spot for Persona 5. I’ve heard that Destiny: Rising is better than you’d expect. And Wuthering Waves captured the same devoted fanbase as games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero. But none of them dominated online conversation quite like Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
And, when they win, the developers better dedicate the award to the anime girl based on that one horse that never won a race. That one character is responsible for a majority of the game’s success. As they accidentally stumbled into a universal underdog – underhorse? – story that so many people wanted to participate in.
Best Debut Indie Game
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
This one is just unfair. Four games battle for the title of Best Debut Indie Game. At first it was five. But the developer behind smash indie hit Megabonk pulled out. Revealing that he had actually developed and published games before under a different name. Narrowing the field to Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Despelote, and Dispatch. It’s like bringing three knives to a hydrogen bomb fight.
Blonde Blazer supremacy, by the way
That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dispatch pulled out the win here. It’s absolutely one of my favorite games of 2025. And I could definitely see it being nominated for more awards had it released earlier in the year. And while the fanbase will endlessly argue over Blonde Blazer or Invisigal, I could see them uniting to give Dispatch the win in the one category it’s nominated for.
Blue Prince is a fantastic puzzle game, and I’m sure Despelote is great. But Clair Obscur is, quite frankly, generational. I don’t think it’s going to sweep every category it’s nominated for. Though you have to imagine a Game of the Year contender is going to eat up this award like it’s nothing.
Best Independent Game
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Oh hey, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, nice to see you again. This is genuinely one of the most stacked Game Awards lineups I have ever seen. As the options are Absolum, Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
E33 on its way to trounce the competition
Sorry Absolum, Ball x Pit, and Blue Prince; but it’s not going to be any of you. The other three are all Game of the Year contenders, so it seems obvious one of them will take it. I could see a world where people don’t vote for Expedition 33, Hades II, or Silksong because they already voted for them for Game of the Year, and want another game to shine. But all three fanbases are so strong, that I don’t think it’ll happen.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 pushes the definition of an independent game, but I think it takes this award too. Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong are beloved games by those who played them. But they don’t have as wide an audience as E33. And I think the wave of momentum it’s been riding carries it all the way to victory here.
Best Community Support
Prediction: No Man’s Sky
My Pick: No Man’s Sky
I don’t play online games much. So my knowledge in this category is limited. That being said, I think I know enough to make an informed decision here. As Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite, Helldivers 2, and No Man’s Sky are judged on their activity with their community and their game.
Wow they’re right, there is no sky here
Fortnite seems to be the obvious choice here. That game has remained relevant way longer than anyone really expected it to. Mostly thanks to the constant crossovers with increasingly absurd franchises. Baldur’s Gate 3 won Game of the Year 2 years ago, so that could boost its chances. And people adore Final Fantasy XIV. But I think, by pure community support, No Man’s Sky both deserves and will get the award here.
No Man’s Sky released nearly 10 years ago. And was seen as one of the biggest disappointments in modern gaming. A case study on what not to do when advertising a game. But Hello Games have been regularly pumping out massive and completely free updates ever since. And have slowly morphed the game into something much closer to what was promised. A redemption story in real time that deserves to be awarded.
Best Ongoing
Prediction: Fortnite
My Pick: Marvel Rivals
Now this? This is Fortnite‘s award to lose. It feels like Fortnite was hotter than ever this year, which really shouldn’t be possible. But they just keep going. Like the perpetual motion machine of gaming that never stops releasing new crossovers and events. Did Final Fantasy XIV, Helldivers 2, Marvel Rivals, or No Man’s Sky add The Simpsons to their game this year? Didn’t think so.
This one image had the internet in a chokehold
Despite all that, Marvel Rivals is my pick here. A game that took the gaming world by storm when it came out. And has continued to release new content, maps, skins, and characters regularly. Also Fortnite doesn’t have Invisible Woman or that weird shark guy who both captivated the internet for very different reasons. At least I hope it was for different reasons.
Final Fantasy XIV, Helldivers 2, and No Man’s Sky all have very strong fanbases keeping those games alive. However, none of them have the same level of momentum behind them that Fortnite and Marvel Rivals do. So it seems like it all comes down to them. Though Fortnite seems to have a massive advantage.
Games For Impact
Prediction: South of Midnight
My Pick: Wanderstop
I can tell you for certain that it won’t be Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. The only impact that game made was the sheer force with which I deleted it once I was done. Which narrows the race down to Consume Me, Despelote, South of Midnight, and Wanderstop. This is another category I’m not paying too much attention to. So we’re going off vibes and limited information.
To me, this is very impactful
South of Midnight is easily the highest profile game on this list, so I think that could earn it the win. I know the most about Wanderstop, and people who have played it have really enjoyed it. But I don’t know if that’s enough to upset South of Midnight. Even if that game didn’t quite take off as much as some people hoped it would.
I know the least about Consume Me and Despelote. I know they’re both semi/autobiographical games. With Consume Me being about eating disorders, and Despelote about growing up in Ecuador. I’m sure people who relate to those got a lot out of those games. So I can’t really knock any of these games, or any votes for them. Except Bloom and Rage. Don’t play that one.
Innovation in Accessibility
Prediction: Assassin’s Creed Shadows
My Pick: Doom: The Dark Ages
This is another category that I am far from an expert on. The only accessibility options I look for are turning off motion blur and camera shake. Though I’m all for developers adding features to make their games more approachable for people with disabilities. It’s just not something I pay a lot of attention to when I play a game.
Maybe this game will actually be good for something after all
The options here are Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Atomfall, Doom: The Dark Ages, EA Sports FC 26, and South of Midnight. I’m not informed enough on Atomfall or EA Sports FC 26 to comment too in-depth. But I’ve barely heard a peep about either of them, so I’m fairly confident they won’t win. I’ve heard South of Midnight had some great accessibility features, but I don’t think it was as big as the two remaining options to win.
Ubisoft has a pretty good reputation for having an insane amount of accessibility options. Assassins Creed Shadows may have been a total commercial failure that seems to have near sunk the company as a whole, but that doesn’t mean it can’t win in this one regard. And I know The Dark Ages had quite a lot of options as well. So it seems like a coin flip to me. And the coin landed on tails, so I picked Doom.
Best Performance
Prediction: Charlie Cox – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Ben Starr – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
If you’ve seen these nominees already, then you know there are two groups of people. Those who believe that Expedition 33 is overrepresented. And those who believe that someone from Expedition 33 still got snubbed. E33 takes up half of the nominees with Ben Starr as Verso, Charlie Cox as Gustave, and Jennifer English as Maelle. With the other half being Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yotei, Konatsu Kato as Hinako Shimizu in Silent Hill f, and Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Ironic that Charlie Cox was blindsided by reactions to his performance as Gustave
I wouldn’t be surprised if Troy Baker got the nod here. His replication of Harrison Ford’s voice, and how accurately he captured it, makes that game work. But there’s nothing an event trying to be cool loves more than a celebrity. Which I think will nudge things in Charlie Cox’s favor. Who did a fantastic job, don’t get me wrong.
But my pick is Ben Starr. The pure depth of his character, and how well he captured all the different and difficult emotions was stellar. And he sings in one of the songs on the soundtrack. So that’s bonus points. Honorary mention to the snubbed Andy Serkis as Renoir, though. I absolutely would’ve voted for him if he was an option.
Best Audio Design
Prediction: Battlefield 6
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Full transparency. I picked Expedition 33 because I only allow myself to vote for games that I have played. Unless there’s a category where I haven’t played any of the games. Which is when I go off of what I’ve seen or heard from others. The competition in this category is Battlefield 6, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, and Silent Hill f.
Needs more screaming whale noises
Best Audio Design is a bit of a vague category. Basically pertaining to everything you hear while the game is playing. Though I’m pretty sure music doesn’t count, since it has its own category. And trust me, we’ll get to that. I would not be shocked to see Silent Hill f get the win here. Horror games usually pay more attention to audio design than most genres, and Silent Hill f is one of the grossest games I’ve ever heard.
But I see Battlefield 6 getting the win here. The Battlefield games are usually known for having some top notch audio design. And everything I’ve heard – pun intended – makes it sound like the audio makes you feel like you’re actually in the middle of a battlefield. Expedition 33 has some phenomenal sound design and cues, but this is definitely not its strongest category.
Best Score and Music
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I mean, come on. This has been a forgone conclusion since the moment people got to the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 title screen. Forget Best Score and Music of the Year. It may very well be the Best Score and Music of All Time. Put any video game soundtrack up against Expedition 33, and there’s at least an argument to be had.
Images you can hear
Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach all had solid soundtracks to go with their games. But Expedition 33‘s soundtrack is a masterpiece all on its own. Then you hear them in the context of the game, and it elevates the whole experience to levels beyond any other nominee. “Lumière,” “Alicia,” “Goblu,” “Monoco,” “Une vie à t’aimer.” A game would be nominated for Best Score if it had one of those. Expedition 33 has all of them and several more.
If you haven’t heard the soundtrack, do not go listen to it. Go buy Expedition 33 and experience all of the music with the full context of everything else going on. Keeping in mind that this all came from some guy they found on an obscure indie game forum who had never made a game soundtrack before. I have half a mind to just list out all the other certified classics on the soundtrack that I left out. But this article is long enough as it is.
Best Art Direction
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Stop me if you’ve seen these nominees anywhere else in this article. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Ghost of Yotei. Hades II. Hollow Knight: Silksong. This is one of the predictions that I’m the least sure on. There isn’t a wrong choice for many of these awards. But this feels like one of the few that could actually go to any game on the list. It all depends on what people value in visuals.
This is only the second area
People who don’t think that realistic-looking games count as artistic will vote for Hades II or Silksong, both beautiful looking games with unique visuals and art styles. Those who value attention to realistic detail will vote for Death Stranding 2 or Ghost of Yotei. And then Expedition 33 sits right there in the middle. A game with beautiful and expressive characters dropped against stunning settings and backdrops that make you feel like you’re playing inside a painting.
Expedition 33 gets my pick for the sheer amount of variety. Every area has its own unique look and feel. Every character is visually distinct and beautiful. And I can not remember the last time a game has made me come to a full stop on so many different occasions just to take in the scenery. The world of Expedition 33 is art, and I think that gets it the win. But I won’t be surprised regardless of the outcome.
Best Narrative
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I hope you’re not getting sick of hearing about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Because we’ve still got two categories to go after this one. And, spoiler alert, it’s nominated for both of them. This time, it’s up against Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Silent Hill f. The games competing on the strength of their storytelling.
For those who come after, right?
I’ve heard mixed things about the narratives told throughout Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Silent Hill f. While I haven’t heard much about Kingdom Come: Deliverance II‘s story. I could see Ghost of Yotei getting the nod, because the people who pick these things love the same revenge story told over and over again in different time periods.
But, once again, Expedition 33 is my pick. I have never seen a game so thoroughly and effectively captivate every single person who plays it in the first hour like E33 does. It’s like the opening to BioShock on steroids. Featuring two incredibly powerful moments in the prologue alone. And you can never tell where the story is going next. With deep, hard-hitting themes of loss, grief, trauma, family, and love that stick with you long after the credits.
Best Game Direction
Prediction: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Geoff Keighley loves himself some Hideo Kojima. And, honestly, we all love Hideo Kojima. Who else is going to make games about Norman Reedus working for FedEx during the apocalypse while carrying a baby around? So I would not be surprised at all to see Kojima, and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, get the nod here on the strength of his name alone. Though it’s got some stiff competition with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ghost of Yotei, Hades II, and Split Fiction.
I’ve chosen my side
Surprise, surprise, my pick is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The category specifies that it’s about “outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.” Expedition 33 is the only game on the list that’s not a sequel, or spiritual successor in Split Fiction‘s case. On top of that, E33 was made by a core development team of about 30. And a budget around $30 million. The average AAA game has a budget of roughly 10 times that.
Being able to accomplish what they did with the staff and budget they had. Reaching out to other studios to handle different things. Honing the game from the very rough early stages to what we see today. That’s all direction. Incredible direction, at that. It’s a game that completely upended AAA gaming and showed that the best games will always come from people who love video games. Not people who want to make the most profit.
Game of the Year
Prediction: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
My Pick: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I know, you’re shocked. But I’ll shine a light on the other nominees first. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Donkey Kong Bananza. Hades II. Hollow Knight: Silksong. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. I would not be shocked if any of these are your choice for Game of the Year. They’re all from beloved franchises and/or developers and were met with very high praise. In fact, most people considered Silksong to be a shoe-in for GotY in whatever year it came out. If it ever came out.
Tomorrow comes
That being said, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated the GotY conversation since the day it came out. If you’ve been keeping track, Expedition 33 received a record-breaking 12 nominations. Beating 2023’s Game of the Year Baldur’s Gate 3‘s nine. We’re not just talking about a Game of the Year contender here. We’re looking at what could easily be Game of the Decade. And, genuinely, one of the greatest and most complete games of all time.
Expedition 33 did not revive the RPG genre. It’s been alive and kicking all this time. It did, however, raise and become the new standard that all RPGs that come after will be compared to. For those who come after, I say good luck. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to say that E33 has earned its spot on the Mount Rushmore of RPGs alongside the likes of Final Fantasy VII or EarthBound. And has more than earned my vote as 2025’s Game of the Year.
