A ode to games that missed out in the Game of the year nominations 2025

There has been a lot of discussion around the game of the year this year. Ignoring Geoff Keighley’s award show as the defacto game of the year selector, there has been discussions all over the internet as to which game takes the crown from this year. I feel the consensus is Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 is the clear winner only due to the fact it is the most popular choice by overall numbers. Even if you do not agree with anyone’s choice of game of the year the one thing we can all agree on is the sheer number of great games that released this year. In any other year, there are numerous games nominated (and many that were not nominated) that would have taken the award with very little complaint or arguments.

The award for Game of the Year is always contentious due to the breadth of game genres and diversity we now have in gaming. In the 80s and 90s and even the 2000s the choices where easier as there just wasn’t as many games around, and we basically played what we had. Now there is an incredible amount of choice out there due to the unbelievable number of games being released. In the 1980s the number of games released were in the hundreds, the 90s moved to low thousands and from the 2000s the numbers climbed higher into the thousands. The Steam release charts show in 2020 there were 9665 games release and only 5yrs later we are already hitting double that. This doesn’t take into account games not released on Steam due to exclusivity of platform specific games like Nintendo and PlayStation. There is also the fact that Steam has made it easier than ever to publish a game (which does lead to the release of games that would have never made the cut before) and the use of game engines has meant more people are able to create games without the need for detailed programming experience. I realise that many people feel Steam is full of slop games and that Steam needs to curate its list of games that get released on its platform, but if they did would many of the breakout small indie dev games, like Peak, Schedule 1 or Abiotic Factor, ever have been released by a traditional publisher?

The nominees this year are Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight:Silksong and Kingdom Come Deliverance II. Many feel that Arc Raiders should have been on that list. Blue Prince was a game that took the internet by storm when it came out as its puzzles and unique mechanics were interesting and new. BallXPitt, Outer Worlds 2, Keeper, Split Fiction, Ghost of Yotai (I never played it as it was PlayStation exclusive), Silent Hill f and Doom the Dark Ages are all notable ones that missed out. Then there is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that missed out last year due to it’s release date and was not added this year even though it was an amazing game and an amazing Indianna Jones game. Then there are games that probably would have been mentioned if they had released over the last few years that are not even being spoken about. Battlefield 6 seems to be a huge success, especially compared to the last few iterations and the dull reception of COD this year. Assassin’s Creed Shadows should have been an absolute shoe in for a nomination as people have been asking for an Assassin’s Creed set in Japan or China for ages, but it didn’t really hit the spot that most people were expecting. The critics seemed to like it and 52% of the user scores on Metacritic are positive and the Steam reviews are very positive. The list goes on Avowed (very positive on Steam), Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater, The Alters (overwhelmingly positive on Steam), The First Berserker: Khazan (a massive missed choice in many people’s opinion) and of course Dispatch which, a bit like Indianna Jones last year, possibly lost out because of it’s release cadence. Civilization VII also came out this year, although it does not seem like it was well received (I haven’t played a Civ game for years and it has slowly moved away from the game I enjoyed playing). This list goes on. A quick search shows over 400 games on Metacritic with a score of 80 or more and quite a few games that are above the 90s.

There has always been a number of games that have been missed in any of the game of the year lists, but this list of snubbed games is hefty not only in number, but in quality. First Berserker: Khazan surprised many souls players and Dispatch has been hailed for its story, voice acting and the fact that it successfully brought back the TellTale style game with huge success. Who would have bet a year ago that a TellTale style game would be popular in 2025. Arc Raiders has changed the way people think about extraction shooters and many large streamers have called for it to be added to the game of the year list and even for it to win.

Now there have been many games that should have been a sure winner for the developers and publishers that fell short.

Borderlands 4 was a commercial success but there has been a mixed reception to the game, some down to the price, gameplay, story and of course we cannot speak about Borderlands without the Randy Pitchford effect on the game’s reception.

Monster Hunter Wilds was poorly received partly due to its performance but all due to people just not clicking with it. It is difficult to parse out with Monster Hunter games as to really get a feel for the game you need to spend multiple hundred hours in it. Most of the negative reviews on Steam are from seasoned Monster hunter players who have clocked in 200-300hrs in Wilds before reviewing it.

Call of Duty should be a done deal every year as they have a captive audience of people to work with. But it seems after the positive reception of last year’s game this year’s COD was plagued by multiple issues. Now it is difficult to separate the issues that have created this dislike of the game from the complaints of AI usage to create skins and maps (a valid complaint), but the story and mechanics of the game seem to be boring and there appears to be no iteration of the game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was Ubisoft’s chance to correct all the issues the recent Assassin’s Creed games have had. The Japanese setting was one people have asked for repeatedly. There have been numerous vocal complaints over the years for them to use as a springboard to iterate on the game. They know, after many iterations of the Assassin’s Creed formula since the initial game came out, what people liked and didn’t like in their Assassin’s Creed games and the things that people feel make Assassin’s Creed games fun. They seemed to choose to ignore all of this and plough on with the same tired formula that has seen a once mammoth game that was a staple for most people, reduced to a game many don’t want to play.

Of course, we cannot look at these games above without mentioning that everyone of them is an iteration of a big franchise, made by a AAA studio (or multiple studios) whose previous iteration have had vocal discussions around them detailing what people want from these franchises. Everyone of them seems to have ignored specifics with the intention of making a game that sells millions of copies but is not a game that people want. Now I am sure if you ask the likes of Randy Pitchford and the Guillemot brothers the game did what it was designed to do. Assassin’s Creed sold 5mil copies in the first few months and I am sure it drove Ubisoft Plus subscription numbers. Borderlands 4 only sold 2.5mil copies but made over $150mil in revenue. They described it as ‘softer than we would have liked’. Cod had people refunding the game on Steam even after the 2hr refund window, due to their undisclosed use of AI. These issues continue to be highlighted as reasons why the gaming industry is where it is, but as long as people buy the games these developers will continue to make them.

On the list of games that came out this year there are many that would never have made the list either because of the small player sample or down to the fact that many of these games are niche.

BallXPitt is a great little game that I spent quite a few hours in, and I can see someone who likes these kinds of games playing this for many hours. The mechanics are not new or unique in and of themselves, but are a fun mix of previous games that creates a fresh feeling game. I enjoyed the characters and you can see, and more importantly feel, the time, care and attention that went into making this polished game.

I am a huge fan of Double Fine. They never seem to put out a bad game. But as has been their routine for many years they put out a critically received game that is polished and fun to play, but it is very niche and not a game many will play. I feel most people are glad Double Fine exists and are supportive of them making quirky, interesting games but I fear you will often hear people say, ‘It’s a great game but not for me’. They are one of the developers that showcases why we have so many cookie cutter games that are made for everyone but no one. People are glad there is a developer that makes good games, but they have repeatedly struggled to fund their games and to find an audience. This is one developer that I feel has really benefitted from the Microsoft acquisition, so long as they continue to be seen as beneficial to their parent company, which is always a worry in the current climate. All this to say that Keeper, although a great game, was never going to be on the game of the year list for many as I doubt many critics, streamers, reviewers or even gamers for that matter even played it in a sea of game releases.

Outer Worlds 2 was a great game. The issue is people expect AAA quality from Obsidian as they are part of Microsoft now. Obsidian have always been an AA company making AA games. As with Double Fine above, they have benefited from the Microsoft acquisition as they can make games now with a defined budget (Microsoft are not going to give them multiple millions as they are not Call of Duty) that have a specific purpose. People use ‘Game Pass game’ as an insult but they, as with Double Fine, can make games they would have made without the worry of funding. I think this shows in how this game is more polished and well thought out when compared to the first one that was in development before the Microsoft acquisition. Outer World 2 is a better version of the first game. The jokes and jibes at the state of human society are a little more subtle but still there and as biting. The characters are quirky still but not as over the top. They are less caricatures of people and more designed to just be quirky people.

Split Fiction is not It Takes Two. The first game was a masterpiece, and this game is just very good and fun. This is, I think, it’s biggest drawback. Separated from It Takes Two, Spilt Fiction would be hailed as a very good game, but when you have played It Take Two and then play this one, the expectations of this were very high. It is worth mentioning that it has a Metacritic score of 93 (above Clair Obscure and Blue Prince) and an overwhelmingly positive score on Steam. This is by no means an underrated or underperforming game. But when you have a Game of the Year winner and then your next game ‘feels’ like it is not quite as good but still very good, it is easy to see why it isn’t in the nominations. Hazelight will continue to be on my developers to immediately pay attention to list.

Arc Raiders is one of those games that I wish was more for me but just missed the mark. I wanted the PvE that they initially sold the game as. I think that I am not in the minority here either as many people went in and played it as such, but the predictable happened and the PvP players got bored of being nice and needed to show how big their bollocks are by camping extraction and spawn spots. This is why I never bought the game as I knew this was the inevitable conclusion. The game was fun, but I can’t play 70hrs a week to ‘get gud’ nor do I want to. People’s argument of it just not being a game for me is redundant as there are loads of PvP games out there and maybe this was rather a game that was not for them than a game that was not for me? The developers changed their direction on the game, and I can’t help but think it was due to a belief that PvE extraction shooter would not sell as well as a PvPvE shooter. A shame as it looked like a good game and I feel many who played the game enjoying the PvE friendliness, will be disappointed as the PvP guys take over. There are now multiple examples of people using the friendliness that was the driving force of the game initially, being used to trick people and killing the in the back. The number of complaints of toxic players is increasing as we go on. So yes Arc Raiders should be on a list somewhere but I really think it should be marketed as a PvP shooter from the beginning as I believe that is a PvP wolf under the PvPvE sheep clothing.

The nominees have been spoken about to death and everyone of them deserves to be on the list (although Death Stranding would not be on mine). Hades II is more Hades with new twists, incredible writing and voice work and beautiful art design. Kingdom Come Deliverance II has set the standard for all RPG story-based games going forward. It is the Witcher 3 of its generation from story, mechanics to characters and choice. Death Stranding is a Kojima ass Kojima Game. Enough said. Donkey Kong is the Switch 2 addition to the list. The gameplay and the destruction you can wreck garnered a lot of praise. Silksong was a highly anticipated game that played exactly as you would expect from a Team Cherry game. People loved it and it was more Hollow Knight but more difficult (a perpetual complaint). And then there is, what has been described as the ‘behemoth’ in this year’s nominees, Clair Obscure. This, as I have said, is the clear winner if for no other reason than it was universally praised by the most people. People may have their own favourites, on or off the nominee list, but by sheer volume of people that loved and were blown away with this game, it comes out on top. Now I know that people will have the talking point of if it is indie or not, or if Arc Raiders was overlooked and many other points but if we were to sit down with no bias and look at the games that released this year, there would be, if grudgingly, a clear winner.

The Game of the Year awards are a farce at best an utter joke at worst. There are too many outside factors to make this a viable awards ceremony. Astro Bot won last year. That is not to say that it isn’t a good game, but it beat Black Myth Wukong, Final Fantasy Rebirth and Metaphor: ReFantazio. It also beat Balatro which, even though a smaller game, is still garnering a lot of attention and has been ported everywhere whereas no one is even speaking about Astro Bot a year later. Astro Bot has sold 2.3Mil copies (bolstered by the Game of Year win up from 1.5mil at the time of the game awards) whereas Balatro is past 5mil and Black Myth Wukong stands at 25mil. At 1.5mil when the game awards happened last year and 80mil PS5 consoles sold, that means that less than 2% of the PS5 userbase bought (not necessarily played) Astro Bot. There were reportedly 5mil copies of Black Myth Wukong sold on PS5 by January 2025 and not to mention that it was effectively a PlayStation exclusive on console until August this year. There is no reason to look to the game awards, or any Game of the Year list really, as a definitive agreement on what was the best game this year, but I feel that the Keighley Game of the Year show is steeped in too much industry groupthink and circle-jerking to actually create a worthwhile list of games. I would not be surprised if his mate Kojima wins as looking at the Metacritic scores from critics, there are a huge number of 100 scores, many from major publications.

I started this wanting to discuss the game of the year awards but generally found myself gravitating towards the games left behind by the drafting of the list. This was not intentional, I don’t think, just due to the huge number of really good games this year, the feasible number to have as game of the year nominees and the breadth and depth of those games. I stopped looking at the Game Awards as a point of reference for which games are the best for that year a while ago and was more cursorily interested in their choices but last year stopped me from even doing that. I will probably just watch a recap of the announcements of new and upcoming games (this is what the ceremony is about after all) and have a cursory look at who won what out of morbid interest rather than any actual conviction that they will speak for gamers.

I feel the biggest talking point to take away from this year is just the level of quality and extraordinary number of good games. Hopefully this year will show developers and publishers that people want good games, make them assess the games that have done well and reassess how they make games. I am not sold on this happening but there is always hope.