Sam’s 2025 Game of the Year Tier List

This will be my sixth Game of the Year Tier List, and looking back on previous lists I’ve done, this one was probably the hardest to organize. It’s not that I felt the same way about every single game I played in 2025, but I do think the difference between this year’s best games and its Just Fine games is particularly narrow, especially compared to prior years.

Fellow editor David Silbert has joked many times over the past few months that 2025 is “The Year of the 9s” as so many of his favorite titles this year would be scored around 9/10, but no higher or lower. While I’m not 100% aligned with him on this view, we’re not that far apart either. I’m not sure I played anything that I’d call an all-time great, nor would I say anything was especially terrible or disappointing (with one exception). 2025 had a ton of good-to-great and great-to-excellent experiences, and I rarely felt major gaps between quality releases. If anything, I might even say it’s “The Year of the 8s,” not because there weren’t many games above an 8/10, but probably because about half of the games I played hovered around that score.

Overall, I’d say 2025 was a good year for new releases, far from the best or the worst. I’d also contend it was better than 2024, at least in terms of the quantity of great experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s games, but I also hope 2026 ups the ante a little bit.

The Rules

With all that in mind, please enjoy my 2025 Game of the Year Tier list. After all that’s happened this past year, let’s remember to have some fun. Here are the parameters:

• Every game I played this year, including notable remakes/remasters (but not ports), will be placed on a list according to several quality tiers. 
• Each tier will list games in alphabetical order, and the best game in each tier will receive special honors (save for the lowest two tiers and the penultimate tier).
• The lowest tier (Anti-Game of the Year) and highest tier (Game of the Year) will obviously each contain only one game.

(For transparency, here are some notable 2025 games I have not played, as of writing: Absolum, Arc Raiders, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Battlefield 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Consume Me, Despelote, Dispatch, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Goodnight Universe, Hades II, Keeper, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Monster Hunter Wilds, Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, The Outer Worlds 2, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, The Séance of Blake Manor, Sektori, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Split Fiction.)

The worst game I played this year, period.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

The Switch 2 has had a mostly great launch year as far as I’m concerned. But its cheap tutorial game that wasn’t bundled in, though? That one kind of sucked. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has a lot of great information on what Nintendo’s new console is capable of (as well as a couple of fun mini-games), but lacks any kind of personality or character and failed to keep my attention for more than an hour or so. A bizarre miss from a company that normally excels at launch window tech demos.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2 (obviously)

This tier includes my (other) least favorite games of the year. These games aren’t necessarily bad (all include some notably positive qualities), but none of them deserve to be honored too far above being “not terrible.”

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

I liked what Snow Riders was going for: a downhill skiing experience with intentionally janky controls where the biggest challenges lie in simply not crashing. Still, I found the gameplay just a little too frustrating and the fail-states just a little too demoralizing. A valiant effort, sure, but one I do not wish to revisit.

Platforms: PC, Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

An earlier draft of this tier list had the latest Metroid game two full tiers higher than it is now, and that’s because this game had a lot going for it early on. Sure, some of the companion dialogue is annoying (especially for a Metroid game, which is supposed to be about loneliness and isolation), and the open world wasn’t especially compelling, but the level design, controls, and visuals were good enough for me to look past most of that. Some elements Metroid Prime 4: Beyond were particularly excellent, including the Zelda-like dungeon design of areas like Volt Forge and Ice Belt, as well as some truly impressive boss fights that tested both my skills and my mettle.

However, I reached a point in the final quarter of the game that was largely tedious, linear to a fault, and completely lacking in intrigue. After trudging through the slog, I just wanted to plow through whatever was required to beat the final boss, completion be damned. Unfortunately, Beyond then tasks the player with the most absurdly boring of fetch quests imaginable (of course during which Galactic Federation trooper Myles McKenzie is constantly telling you exactly what to do as if it isn’t plainly obvious), followed by yet ANOTHER fetch quest I previously thought was optional but is apparently mandatory to even face the final section of the game. These late-game foibles were so baffling and so fundamentally unenjoyable that it made me question whether any of the things I liked before were actually good or just a balm for an otherwise messy experience that completely lacks artistic cohesion.

My disappointment with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is not a result of a particular lifelong fandom of the franchise (I only really got into it in the last decade or so), nor is it simply disagreeing with certain design decisions and creative risks. It’s that, after all is said and done, I genuinely don’t understand what the folks at Retro and Nintendo were thinking when designing this game this way. Nintendo games — particularly when it comes to their top-tier legacy franchises — rarely feel this discombobulated and tedious. I saw some signs of greatness in Metroid Prime 4, but I question whether the people who made it saw those same signs.

Platforms: Switch, Switch 2

Rematch

Mechanically, Rematch is a fairly sound experience. It strips virtual soccer down to its gaming essence, refuses to overcomplicate the controls, and adds a ton of visual and sonic flare to the proceedings. Unfortunately, despite presenting itself in many ways as a fresh alternative to AAA sports titles, Rematch actually suffers from many of the same pitfalls: microtransactions, minimal/nonexistent single-player options, and unreliable online play. 

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Named after NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth’s confusing description of a decent-but-not-excellent football player, this category is for games that are somewhere between slightly above average and flat-out good. Every game on this list is worth a try, but no masterpieces are to be found here.

Ball x Pit (Literally Pretty Good GOTY)

While my love for Ball x Pit didn’t last for too long, as its inherently repetitive nature and largely pointless cozy elements turned it into somewhat of a slog after a while. Still, at its best it’s a total blast, as the merging of Arkanoid and Vampire Survivors creates something continuously fun and addicting. I just wish the excited feeling I had after the first few crazed hours of killing zombie blocks lasted longer. Unfortunately, at a certain point the game is testing your patience more than your mettle.

Platforms: PC, Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Blue Prince

I imagine many who played Blue Prince are a little surprised this game is in such a low tier. Truth be told, Blue Prince is one of the most fascinating games of the year, with a novel approach to roguelike mechanics that expertly make the mystery of this mansion all the more scintillating. Unfortunately, I personally have a difficult time with games that involve time loops (especially ones that are also detective/search-type experiences) so my interest in this title waned pretty quickly. I still want to give Blue Prince its flowers, though, at the very least because it’s such a clever idea.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4

I liked this game when I played it earlier this year, but I am choosing not to write more about it at this time as I am currently boycotting Xbox products in accordance with the BDS movement’s demands to get Microsoft to terminate its contract with the Israeli Defense Force. For more information on this boycott, click here.

Platforms: PC, Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Wizordum

A nice indie throwback to first-person fantasy action games like Heretic, Wizordum’s delightful pixel art and fast-paced combat make it one of this year’s hidden gems. I had a great time throwing fireballs at goblins and looking for random keys in labyrinthine sewers and dungeons, but at the same time, nothing I did in Wizordum felt especially new or interesting. The game is absolutely worthy of your time (as it was of mine), but it’s still a good imitator above all else.

Platforms: PC

This tier, formerly known as “Solid As Heck,” includes games that are very good and worth your time and emotional investment, but I would not say are anywhere near being classics. Like this tier’s namesake, the games on this list are like a solid diner burger; not life-changing, but hits the spot.

Doom: The Dark Ages (Diner Burger GOTY)

I liked this game when I played it earlier this year, but I am choosing not to write more about it at this time as I am currently boycotting Xbox products in accordance with the BDS movement’s demands to get Microsoft to terminate its contract with the Israeli Defense Force. For more information on this boycott, click here.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

I liked this game when I played it earlier this year, but I am choosing not to write more about it at this time as I am currently boycotting Xbox products in accordance with the BDS movement’s demands to get Microsoft to terminate its contract with the Israeli Defense Force. For more information on this boycott, click here.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

South of Midnight

I liked this game when I played it earlier this year, but I am choosing not to write more about it at this time as I am currently boycotting Xbox products in accordance with the BDS movement’s demands to get Microsoft to terminate its contract with the Israeli Defense Force. For more information on this boycott, click here.

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S

Yooka-Replaylee

While it still isn’t the new Banjo-Kazooie everyone wanted, Yooka-Replaylee is a solid do-over of the original Yooka-Laylee, one that surpasses its predecessor in every discernible way. The 2017 platformer had its moments but had too many undeniable flaws. The 2025 remake, on the other hand, is awesome at its best and mostly cromulent at its worst. Its collectathon-focused gameplay loop still grows stale over time, just like it did in the original, but Replaylee’s highs are as high as they could ever be.

Platforms: PC, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Now we’re talking! All of these games are really, really good, and I would recommend them to just about anyone. Maybe none of them are quite GOTY material, but they’re all pretty damn great.

Ghost of Yotei

Sucker Punch’s latest open-world revenge simulator mostly excels at what it sets out to achieve. Ezo looks gorgeous, not just through photorealistic graphics but through expert art direction and landscape architecture. The combat shines in moments of chaos and calm precision alike. The plot is fairly trite and cliché, yet also well-paced and teeming with some truly incredible moments.

Unfortunately for Yotei, it was basically a game I’ve already played many times, one that has few major flaws but also takes basically no risks. It is the logical endpoint of the checklist world game — a well-crafted adventure destined for oblivion once the industry at large moves on to the next big trend for single-player games. I had a great time with Ghost of Yotei, even if it confirmed for me that it’s time for AAA gaming at large move on from this kind of experience.

Platforms: PlayStation 5

Kirby Air Riders (Super Rad GOTY)

Sakurai, you’ve done it again, you crazy bastard.

In all seriousness, the folks over at Sora have managed to take a GameCube cult classic (one that didn’t sell well or get great reviews) and update it for modern tech, add a ton of new bells and whistles to it, all to create something borderline magical. Kirby Air Riders may appear like a copycat of Mario Kart and Mario Party simultaneously, but it’s actually like neither of those: It’s a vehicular combat sport where chaos reigns supreme. And let me tell you, folks, I yearn for the chaos.

Much like its 2003 predecessor, Riders takes joy in presenting contradictions. Its gameplay is surprisingly deep, complex, and varied, yet the player only uses the left stick and two buttons, as many attacks and abilities happen automatically. The cutesy, adorable Kirby aesthetic covers everything, yet the main plot of its single-player Road Trip mode involves battles with shadow machines and some kind of mechanical space god. There’s an inherent randomness to every City Trial, yet I still feel like I need to hone my skills to get ahead.

Ultimately, that’s the beauty of Kirby Air Riders: It’s a pretty, manic, and unpredictable experience where I still feel like I have control, and no amount of failure dissuades me from going back. The fact this game exists at all is a damn-near miracle; the fact that it’s this much of a success would have seemed like an impossibility just one year ago. Genuinely, seriously, one of the most fun games I’ve played this year.

Platforms: Switch 2

Mario Kart World

I understand that not everyone loved Mario Kart World as a launch title. I also understand why many prefer Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for classic kart racing. Still, I appreciate that Nintendo took kind of a big swing with World, even if not all of its ideas fully landed.

Even though I think Free Roam left a lot to be desired, I had a blast looking for P-Switches and Peach Medallions, and would gladly return to that mode if Nintendo added anything else. Knockout Tour is a revelation, and honestly has become my preferred way to experience Mario Kart online. And while the standard courses may not achieve the same level of variety as MK8D, they’re still a delightfully refreshing take on the formula as a whole. It might not have been the game every fan wanted, but it’s absolutely something the series needed.

Platforms: Switch 2

Sword of the Sea

Giant Squid’s latest effort is as vivacious and effervescent as I’d expect from the folks behind Abzu and Journey. Gliding through desert worlds on my so-called “hoversword,” I adored the way Sword of the Sea combines elements of skating and snowboarding games with the lightness of an indie walking simulator, making every single action feel simultaneously light and heavy. Every part of its world is gorgeous, and repopulating a desert wasteland with glorious marine life and bright ocean waves never failed to amaze me during my brief but memorable playthrough. Even when I think these kinds of conflict-free “vibey” games have largely run their course, along comes something like Sword of the Sea to remind me why this genre feels so special in the first place.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5

This tier is named after former MLB star Curtis Granderson, who had about as good a career a baseball player could have without any real chance of making the Hall of Fame. All of these games are awesome, but just miss being in the GOTY discussion.

Avowed

I liked this game when I played it earlier this year, but I am choosing not to write more about it at this time as I am currently boycotting Xbox products in accordance with the BDS movement’s demands to get Microsoft to terminate its contract with the Israeli Defense Force. For more information on this boycott, click here.

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Hall of Curtis Granderson GOTY)

Clair Obscur understands that grief isn’t simply a strong emotion you feel in times of loss; It’s all-consuming and lingers within you forever, in some form or another. From the first Gommage you witness in Lumiere all the way through to the epic grand finale, the game surrounds you with visual and physical manifestations of what grief does to a person, to a group of friends, to a family. 

Every part of Clair Obscur underscores this message. Grief is hard and hits you in frequent, unexpected ways, much like how the world’s ghastly foes thrust multi-pronged attacks at you that you must parry in order to survive. Arranging Pictos and Luminas properly allows the player to approach enemy encounters in any way they like, but you still need to skillfully time your button presses and counters. In a similar vein, one can combat grief through all kinds of approaches, but you still need to learn how to live normally regardless of what you do. Of course, the melancholy nature of its unforgettable original score adds a layer of bleakness all around, but never in an overwhelming sense; the beauty of the compositions also implies a faint sense of hope that things will get better eventually, even if all seems hopeless now.

Were it not for annoying late-game difficulty spikes and a messy third act, Clair Obscur might have been at the top of this list. Still, it’s a phenomenal achievement on its own, and probably the best RPG of 2025.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

Admittedly, I haven’t actually played the second game in this remake collection just yet. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the spruced-up version of the original Dragon Quest. Much like the other DQ titles I’ve played, the original thrives on a basic plot sprinkled with some truly divine and unforgettable moments, an easy-to-understand combat system that consistently tests your mettle the more you progress, and a gorgeous world teeming with plenty of towns and caves to explore.

Unlike its successors, however, DQ1 tasks you with a solo mission.

That’s right: the first Dragon Quest is a party of one. The hero you inhabit must perform all of the duties of an RPG party by himself, which forces you to really dive into your entire set of abilities and spells. Instead of establishing firm roles for your entire party, you constantly have to adapt to new settings, new enemies, and new challenges. It’s a type of experience I’ve never had in a turn-based RPG before, but it’s one I truly admire and would recommend to basically anyone.

It’s possible I dislike the remake of Dragon Quest II and therefore regret including it in this tier. If I’m being honest, though, DQ has quickly become one of my most beloved gaming franchises, and I genuinely have a hard time believing I won’t fall in love with DQII as well. I know Alex would have.

Platforms: PC, Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

The cream of the crop. While none of these games are my *actual* GOTY of 2025, each is phenomenal and could have easily been the winner in a different year.

and Roger

Games like and Roger typically elude me. It’s not that I inherently dislike visual novels, but rather that I rarely feel strongly drawn to them. I am so glad (and so sad) I gave this one a shot, though.

Without spoiling too much: and Roger explores a type of mental affliction rarely covered well in games (if at all) and, if we’re being honest, often handled clumsily in other media. In this case, however, developer TearyHand puts the player through multiple twists and turns before arriving at the game’s core subject late in the roughly hourlong experience, masterfully playing with your expectations and making you think it’s about something else entirely before laying the hammer down towards the end.

At the risk of sounding too dramatic, I do truly believe the simple puzzles and basic inputs of and Roger allow for its thorny subject matter to hit way harder. It’s a kind of experience one can only have in a video game; I empathize with a character who’s suffering from something I can’t truly understand largely by performing the same basic tasks they do without really knowing why. Seriously, I can’t recommend this game enough, even if its ending is fairly heartbreaking.

Platforms: PC, Switch

Hollow Knight: Silksong

I joked for years with the other Punished Backlog editors that Silksong would never actually come out. The first Hollow Knight was one of the best games of its generation, yet it made no sense to me why developer Team Cherry would take so many years to make a sequel when there was a playable build of it at E3 in 2019. What was taking them so long?

Obviously, I am the fool, as Silksong not only released several months ago, but rapidly became one of my favorite games of 2025. And honestly? I’m glad they took as much time as they did, because I’m not sure it could have been a whole lot better than it is.

The kingdom of Pharloom teems with rich detail, where you see recent and ancient history everywhere you look. The combat system offers so much more variety and opportunity for the player than its predecessor, and the platforming gauntlets (yes, even at Mount Fay) are tough as nails but worth every attempt. The soundtrack never fails to establish the exact right atmosphere for every part of the map, and the boss fights — even the hardest, most frustrating ones — all convey a certain narrative gravity in the moment, like I’m fighting for the fate of Pharloom itself by killing a giant fly. 

I’ve already covered most of my thoughts on Silksong for the site, but the only thing I’ll add is that I’m genuinely stunned at how much more I like it than its predecessor. Sure, the original Hollow Knight felt more novel at the time, but Silksong’s worlds and inhabitants feel so much more alive, its structures feel more grand, and its stakes feel even higher.

Also, I’d fucking DIE for Sherma. 

Platforms: PC, Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Game of the Year: Donkey Kong Bananza

Once again, I am a little embarrassed about the inevitability of some of my opinions. “Oh, Nintendo’s big new platformer for its new console is about one of your favorite characters, Sam? Is it going to be your game of the year automatically, you big doofus?”

Yes, reader. Yes, Donkey Kong Bananza is my favorite game of 2025, and there was never a doubt that it would be. You got me all figured out.

Tongue-and-cheek nonsense aside, I adored my time with Bananza. Its synthesis of perfectly sharp platforming gameplay with deeper-than-expected destruction mechanics makes for an experience that allows for multiple gameplay styles and approaches, and its surprisingly affecting story and characters (even the demure DK himself, who still conveys emotion through grunts and facial expressions) add even further motivation to see and do everything. There is rarely a dull moment in Bananza, as searching every crevice for extra Banandium gems, fossils, and gold didn’t get old for me (at least not until I attempted to 100% the game, which did actually get a little old once I got to about 900/1,000 gems).

Moreover, what really stood out to me about Bananza is how it bears little to no resemblance to previous Donkey Kong games at all, yet still doesn’t feel out of place in the franchise. It’s not as gloomy and atmospheric as the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy, but still maintains their level of charm and emphasis on finding secrets. It’s not as character-laden as Donkey Kong 64, but still introduces plenty of new faces to the Kong family. It’s also clearly a far cry from the original arcade titles, yet features plenty of lovely callbacks to them, recognizing their impact on video gaming as a whole whilst showcasing how much things have changed. Part of the appeal of the Donkey Kong games is how much variety there is, and Bananza has expanded what it means to be a DK game for the better.

To be frank: I didn’t feel completely good about naming Bananza my GOTY when I started writing this tier list. It certainly has its flaws (some layers are certainly a lot more interesting and fun than others, let’s put it that way), and I wouldn’t have said it was definitively better than every other game below it. 

That said, as I started writing this blurb and reminiscing on my time with Bananza, a big smile came across my face, and all I want to do is play it again. I want to return to my second save file and re-experience some of my favorite layers and challenges. I want to hear Pauline sing again and unlock the Ancient Bananza powers again. I want to climb to the top of every building and punch my way down. I want to smash through walls in search of gold I’ll never spend. I don’t quite feel that way about anything else on this list, so it really says something that I strongly feel that way about Donkey Kong Bananza. That, more than anything, warrants its placement atop my Game of the Year Tier List.

Platforms: Switch 2

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As always, I want to thank fellow editors David Silbert and Amanda Tien for being amazing all the time (and patient about my lack of SEO knowledge), as well as all the great writers at The Punished Backlog for all their great work this year. I also thank you, dear readers, for your support (and your clicks)!

What are your favorite games of 2025? Let me know in the comments!