Its my annual GOTY thread time ! 2025 edition

Tombstone

Tombstone

Tombstone

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December is here (already ! I swear the years are speeding up) So its time to roll out my annual Game of the Year thread. Remember, this isnt what you think the "official" GOTY will be, its what YOUR GOTY is. As usual, I hope that the list here ends up giving some people a few titles to try out over the Christmas period that they might have overlooked in the year.

Its been quite a belter of a year for releases, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Civilization 7, Avowed, Monster Hunter Wilds, Two Point Museum, Split Fiction, Assassins Creed Shadows, Atomfall, First Berzerker Khazan, South of Midnight, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur Expedition 33, Doom Dark Ages, Roadcraft, Elden Ring Nightreign, Dune Awakening, The Alters, Abiotic Factor, Cronos New Dawn, Borderlands 4, Dying Light Beast, Hades 2, Silent Hill F, Battlefield 6, Dispatch, Outer Worlds 2, Arc Raiders, Europa Universalis 5, Anno 117...but what will be taking home YOUR coveted GOTY award.

The rules are the same as every previous year and the same "Note" applies. For those who havent seen the previous yearly threads, here's the info again :

Please Note : These are the rules that I use myself when I am weighing up the years games to pick which game was my game of the year. Theres nothing to stop someone doing an alternative poll which doesnt use these rules, these are simply the rules that I use. As with previous years, if you are a particularly miserable sod and feel that no PC game you played this year is worthy of being your game of the year, it is allowed to say No Game/Nothing

Here are the rules :

#1 - Absolutely NO multiple game choices, ONE game, ONE game only...NO top 3's , no joint GOTY, no "honourable mentions" - ONE SINGLE GAME.

#2 - Must have been FULL released in the calendar year of 2025 (which means that yes, a game which was in Early Access pre-2025 but got its FULL release this year, IS allowed)

#3 - No titles still in Early Access

#4 - No DLCs - must be a main game release

#5 - Must be a PC game

#6 - If you are miserable enough to somehow felt that you went 12 months without playing anything decent, it is allowed to say that no game at all was your best game of the year. (though maybe make a New Year Resolution to find a more rewarding hobby :D )


GO !

And to get everyone started off, my GOTY this year is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2


2025 Running Tally -

30 - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
29 - Arc Raiders
12 - Expedition 33
7 - Nothing at all
5 - Battlefield 6
5 - Silksong
2 - Borderlands 4
2 - Blue Prince
2 - Abiotic Factor
2 - Megabonk
2 - Split Fiction
1 - Metal Gear Solid Delta
1 - Tony Hawks 3+4
1 - Hades 2
1 - Herdling
1 - Where Winds Meet
1 - Trails in the Sky
1 - Stronghold Crusader Definitive
1 - Dispatch
1 - Silent Hill F
1 - Europa Universalis 5
1 - First Berzerker Khazan
1 - AC Shadows
1 - Ball X Pit
1 - Doom Dark Ages
1 - Cronos New Dawn
1 - The Séance of Blake Manor
 
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MGS Delta.
I did a couple of tweaks in the config to enable FG, completed it in 1 hit, zero crashes/bugs, which surprised me :cry:
Despite it being UE5, it did feel muscle memory, just like the original - just like Spyro/THPS remakes do, so that was impressive, and the nostalgia was great.
 
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Tombstone said:
#2 - Must have been FULL released in the calendar year of 2025 (which means that yes, a game which was in Early Access pre-2025 but got its FULL release this year, IS allowed)
Click to expand...

I would humbly suggest that next year you lengthen this to the past 15 months, otherwise just-released games don't stand a chance. I'm thinking of Anno 117 for next year, for instance. Basically you have a full year after the initial patches.

Tombstone said:
#6 - If you are miserable enough to somehow felt that you went 12 months without playing anything decent,
Click to expand...

I am one of those saddos who has not picked up a new game this past year. Anno 117 has caught my eye but I'm waiting for the bugs to be ironed out. I still play my stalwarts of Command & Conquer 3 and Sniper Elite 4 with some Freespace 2 and Far Cry thrown in. As noted in another thread, I just can't play fast FPSs like Borderlands anymore, never mind the competitive stuff.
 
E33, Blue Prince a close second but E33 gonna mop up again.

Also lol at mentioning Civ VII :P
 
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Given that AFAIK i have only played ONE game which was released this year then i guess it has to be

Ark Raiders.

(I have played other games but not ones released this year!)

Note not knocking this years releases... its just given the state games release in, as well as the often hugely inflated RRP, i tend to only buy games once they have been out for some time.
 
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Quartz said:
I would humbly suggest that next year you lengthen this to the past 15 months, otherwise just-released games don't stand a chance. I'm thinking of Anno 117 for next year, for instance. Basically you have a full year after the initial patches.
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Its a tough one, you have to have a cutoff point somewhere, the calendar year is a nice clean cutoff. As you say it does mean that some games who opt to release late in the year and require patching before they shine miss out but I suppose thats their fault for releasing needing patches. Though I have to say I've immensely enjoyed Anno 117 so far (big Anno fan), but like I say there has to be a cutoff point and even if the cutoff is 15 months instead, what happens to a game that doesnt get its fixes til 16 months and so miss out and if you make it 16 months, what happens to those who dont get their fixes to 17 months and so on. There are past games which missed out on my own GOTY because they werent GOTY quality in their release year, but whose patches and fixes have been so good that if they released today with their fixes in place would be a contender for my GOTY (things like No Mans Sky and Cyberpunk come to mind) but a lacking release has to just be accepted as a lacking release, even if later its awesome.
 
In the minority I’m sure but for me, BL4.

Still playing it and have been since launch. It possibly helps that I’ve only a few hours a day at most to play it. Finally hit level 50 cap on my first VH last night.
 
HRL said:
In the minority I’m sure but for me, BL4.

Still playing it and have been since launch. It possibly helps that I’ve only a few hours a day at most to play it. Finally hit level 50 cap on my first VH last night.
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I really enjoyed, and still do, BL4. For me its the best BL game, for a while I had it tied with BL2 as my favourite BL game but its slightly nudged ahead now (though I prefer the vault hunters from BL2)
 
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