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This year's Game Awards, taking place December 11, shapes up as anyone's game. Originally, Rockstar's next big title was anticipated to dominate the event, but a delay into 2026 has significantly shifted the competitive field. This development paves the way for a much more unpredictable contest for the highly sought-after Game of the Year award.

The process involves a broad group of journalists worldwide, supplemented by a minor share of fan input. Various trends help determine which releases excel in the GOTY race. An elevated critical score—optimally over 90—is a near requirement. RPGs and action-adventures often earn favorable attention, while independent and multiplayer games struggle against steeper challenges compared to blockbuster story-focused experiences. These tendencies were used to predict 2024's victor, the PlayStation platformer.

Here are predictions for the select few most probable candidates for Game of the Year 2025. Differing from the movie business, where most hopefuls are known well ahead of awards season, video games typically showcase their impact only after release. Therefore, this ranking includes only games that have come out. Predictions may change throughout the year when new games arrive. Also included are some probable upcoming hopefuls and under-the-radar picks.

Leading Candidates

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Its winning chances: An highly praised narrative adventure, masterful with character development and cinematic presentation, emotionally impactful yet fun, with slick technical quality—it has all the qualities of a Game of the Year contender. This is an remarkable accomplishment from a relatively small studio, which only adds to its prestige. Comparable to last year's Metaphor was well-received in 2024. This title seems hard to beat.

Potential drawbacks: While it's a successful release, enough people need to play the game—most importantly among critics—to keep it in the conversation for over six months. Subscription services will help, but is it genuinely popular enough to come out on top?

Trajectory (stable): Clair Obscur is a complete package, fans keep engaging with and discussing it, and fan polls are heavily favoring its success. It is comfortable in the number one position.

2. Silksong

Positive factors: This studio's long hyped follow-up to its breakout darling has a strong chance to dominate at the ceremony, partly because the predecessor didn't have a significant impact back then and the voters may be eager to retrospectively honor it. Critics mostly love it, sales have been exceptionally strong, and its release was a significant occasion that defined the gaming talk for weeks.

Concerns: This sequel is very hard, which has split some reviewers and may additionally divide the audience. Many players quit the game or feel irritated by it, and the surrounding discourse has been a bit heated.

Current trajectory (just arrived): No other 2025 games have made as big a splash as Team Cherry's release, and it's improbable that any others will. The unexpected release was brilliantly executed for maximum attention, but the omission of review copies for critics means its review scores could change over time.

3. Donkey Kong's latest

Strengths: With a score of 90 or more on both review aggregators, Bananza has the required level of acclaim to be in the running. Typically for a first-party platformer, which counts against it. But, with its chaotic action, resuscitation of Donkey Kong as a lead hero, and position as a launch title for a next-gen system, it has more freshness than a typical platforming game, and makes for a more compelling story.

Weaknesses: Kid-friendly side-scrollers tend to struggle in GOTY categories, due to assumed immaturity and less complex plots. Astro Bot went against that trend, but back-to-back victories in a row seems improbable. Plus, Nintendo’s greatness is often expected.

Current status (down from No. 2): This title may maintain momentum better than some other games as more people acquire the hardware, but poorly received DLC has hurt its reputation somewhat.

4. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Positive aspects: This auteur's sequel to his controversial 2019 narrative about hiking across a barren wasteland is both grander and more enjoyable than the original. A visually astounding, absorbing, bold thoughtful experience, with critical acclaim, backed by a major publisher… it’s got all the ingredients of a major Game of the Year candidate, and it comes from the renowned video game auteur still working.

Drawbacks: Next to Clair Obscur's indie charm, Death Stranding 2 feels like the mainstream choice, despite its many oddities. And the connection between the director and Geoff Keighley might make some voters feel hesitant about voting for it.

Momentum (down from No. 3): This title's review ratings have cooled a little since launch. And it’s not clear that the game has significantly grown beyond its current fanbase.

5. It Takes Two's successor

Strengths: Reviewer agreement is still the most reliable signal of success at The Game Awards, and with a rating over 90 on each of {Metacritic and OpenCritic|aggregate sites