Game of the Year 2025 predictions: Which games are the frontrunners? (Ranked list)

Every year, The Game Awards crowns a single title as Game of the Year, and it’s usually one of the biggest talking points in gaming. Last year, Astro Bot shocked a lot of people by taking home the top prize, proving that smaller, charming games can beat out the heavy hitters. This year, the situation feels even more wide open.

GTA 6, which everyone assumed would dominate, has been delayed to a 2026 release. That leaves the door wide open for other games to make their case. Instead of one clear favorite, we’ve got several strong contenders.

Here’s our ranked list of frontrunners so far. We’re starting with the weaker contenders and building up to the strongest candidate. And since this year's The Game Awards aren’t until December, the list will surely change as new games launch and the momentum shifts.

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Game of the Year 2025 frontrunner predictions (Ranked list)

7) Hollow Knight: Silksong

Few games have carried as much anticipation as Silksong. After making fans wait for years, Team Cherry finally delivered a follow-up to one of the most beloved indie titles ever made. It’s already being called one of the best indie sequels of all time.

Hollow Knight Silksong (Image via Team Cherry)

But here’s the reality: Indie titles almost always struggle to win GOTY at The Game Awards. They get nominated, earn good reviews, and fans rally around them, but when the voting body leans toward good storytelling and big budgets, the smaller titles usually lose out. Unless Silksong explodes into a cultural event that crosses over into mainstream gaming, it’s probably destined to be “just” a nominee.

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6) Split Fiction

Hazelight built its reputation on co-op games, and Split Fiction proves they haven’t lost their touch. The game is clever and engaging, and pushes the boundaries of cooperative storytelling. For players who enjoy sharing their adventures with a friend, there’s nothing else quite like it in 2025.

Split Fiction (Image via Electronic Arts)

That said, it hasn’t sparked the same kind of buzz that It Takes Two did when it won GOTY back in 2021. While the design is impressive, it doesn’t linger in the memory the way a great narrative-driven adventure does. It’s well-made, but in a crowded year, it feels more like a respected nominee than a true frontrunner.

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5) Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

If you’re into hardcore RPGs, Deliverance 2 is probably your dream game. It’s gritty, realistic, and throws you headfirst into medieval life in a way most RPGs don’t even attempt. The attention to detail is staggering; everything from combat to dialogue feels grounded in history. For many players, it’s a refreshing break from the usual fantasy tropes.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Image via Deep Silver)

The downside is the game's complexity. This is not an easy title to just pick up and play. It demands time, patience, and a willingness to deal with some clunky mechanics. Critics have praised its ambition but also noted that it can be exhausting. In other words, it might be too much of a “gamer’s game” to win over a wide range of voters.

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4) Donkey Kong Bananza

Nintendo surprised everyone with Donkey Kong Bananza. Not only did it revive DK as a proper leading character, but it also turned him into the face of the brand-new Switch 2. The game is fun, colorful, and full of smart destruction mechanics that give it a fresh identity within Nintendo’s library. It has been generally well-received and has serious momentum thanks to the novelty of the new hardware.

Donkey Kong Bonanza (Image via Nintendo)

Still, history isn’t on its side. Platformers rarely get the respect they deserve at The Game Awards. Astro Bot managed to break the trend last year, but it feels unlikely that voters would crown two family-friendly platformers in back-to-back years. That doesn’t mean Bananza won’t stay in the conversation, though, as it’s too polished and popular to be ignored altogether.

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3) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

This one is the biggest surprise of the year. Coming from a smaller studio, Clair Obscur looks and feels like a massive blockbuster RPG. It combines gorgeous art design with emotional storytelling and solid gameplay, creating an experience that has impressed both critics and players alike. It’s the kind of underdog story that voters sometimes love to reward.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Image via Kepler Interactive)

However, smaller games often lose their steam once the big fall releases roll around. If Clair Obscur wants to stay in the race, it’ll need to keep players talking about it for months to come.

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2) Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Love him or hate him, Kojima knows how to make games people talk about. Death Stranding 2 is every bit as weird and ambitious as the original, but this time it feels more polished and accessible. The scale is bigger, the performances are stronger, and the visuals are jaw-dropping. It’s exactly the kind of high-profile title the folks at The Game Awards often celebrate.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Image via Kojima Productions)

But that reputation cuts both ways. Some critics feel like it’s the “expected” pick, the safe choice from one of gaming’s most famous names. So, if the voting body wants to celebrate something newer or riskier, Death Stranding 2 could easily lose out to a fresher voice.

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1) Doom: The Dark Ages

Doom: The Dark Ages has everything you’d expect from Id Software: some fast, brutal, and entertaining gameplay. However, instead of just rehashing what worked in Doom Eternal, this game leans into a medieval twist, giving the franchise a new coat of paint while maintaining its identity.

Doom: The Dark Ages (Image via Id Software)

What makes it a plausible GOTY contender is how it balances pure gameplay with spectacle. Critics have praised it for being both inventive and faithful to what makes Doom special. On top of that, it’s a rare case where a shooter actually feels like it has the momentum to push past the narrative-driven blockbusters at The Game Awards.

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This year’s Game of the Year race is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Of course, it’s only September. More heavy-hitters are on the way, and the conversation will shift as we get closer to December 2025. This list will be updated as the year goes on, so keep an eye out for new contenders and possible dark horses.

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