We’ve learned the winners of the Golden Joysticks and The Game Awards, but we still don’t know what game will be crowned as the GAMIVO Game of the Year ‘25. It’s only up to you, so vote now and help your favorite game win.
Table of Contents:
Voting
You can vote in the poll below. We’re waiting for your votes until January 7, 2026.
Rules
Like in 2024, we asked the members of our incredible community at the Bonus Level group to choose the best games of 2025 that should get a chance in a race for the GAMIVO Game of the Year title. With their help, we create a list of 12 video games. Now, we’re waiting for your votes, because it’s only up to you which game will get the title!
Meet the nominees
Blue Prince
- Developer: Dogubomb
- Release date: April 10, 2025
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, macOS
This genre-defying puzzle adventure combines roguelike mechanics, strategic planning, and first-person exploration. Players step into the shoes of Simon, a young man tasked with navigating his late uncle’s mysterious mansion, Mt. Holly, to uncover its ultimate secret: Room 46. Each in-game day resets the mansion’s layout, challenging players to strategically draft room tiles, manage limited resources, and solve intricate puzzles. The game thrives on its layered mysteries, offering a blend of exploration, strategy, and narrative discovery. Its cel-shaded visuals and atmospheric soundtrack enhance the immersive experience, while the ever-changing mansion ensures no two runs are alike. Blue Prince is a masterclass in blending genres, delivering a deeply rewarding and endlessly intriguing gameplay loop.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Developer: Sandfall Interactive
- Release date: April 24, 2025
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 seamlessly mixes turn-based RPG with real-time combat elements. Players join Expedition 33, a group of volunteers on a perilous journey to stop the mysterious Paintress, a being responsible for the annual Gommage, which erases individuals above a certain age. The game features a dark fantasy Belle Époque world and a richly layered narrative exploring themes of grief and mortality. Its combat system blends traditional turn-based mechanics with quick-time events and parries, offering a dynamic and challenging experience. With stunning art direction, a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, and intricate world-building, Clair Obscur is a heartfelt homage to classic JRPGs, reimagined for modern audiences.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Developer: Kojima Productions
- Release date: June 26, 2025
- Platforms: PlayStation 5
The latest game from the one and only Hideo Kojima is a bold sequel that expands on the original’s unique blend of action-adventure and sci-fi storytelling. Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia, players reprise the role of Sam Porter Bridges, tasked with reconnecting humanity through the Chiral Network amidst evolving threats like ghost mechs and natural disasters. The game introduces enhanced stealth-action mechanics, dynamic environmental challenges, and a robust skill tree, offering players diverse approaches to combat and exploration. With a star-studded cast, including Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, the game delves into themes of connection, grief, and the impact of technology. Its cinematic storytelling and innovative gameplay make it a standout experience.
Dispatch
- Developer: AdHoc Studio
- Release date: October 22, 2025 (episodes 1 & 2)
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
Dispatch is an episodic adventure game created by AdHoc Studio, a developer founded by former Telltale Games and Ubisoft employees. The game is set in an alternate Los Angeles where superpowers are common. Players step into the shoes of Robert Robertson III, a retired superhero turned dispatcher for a team of reformed villains. The game masterfully combines narrative-driven choices with management mechanics, as players assign heroes to missions while navigating their personalities and abilities. Its witty writing, engaging dialogue trees, and quick-time events create a dynamic storytelling experience. Dispatch’s standout feature is its ability to balance humor with heartfelt moments, supported by a star-studded voice cast.
Donkey Kong Bananza
- Developer: Nintendo EPD
- Release date: July 17, 2025
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Donkey Kong Bananza redefines the 3D platformer genre with its destructible environments and open-world exploration. Players join Donkey Kong and a young Pauline on a journey to the planet’s core to uncover a wish-granting artifact. The game emphasizes creative destruction, allowing players to smash terrain to uncover secrets and solve puzzles. Its vibrant, layered levels are filled with collectibles, challenges, and dynamic mechanics like animal transformations. Critics praise its innovative gameplay, nostalgic nods to Donkey Kong’s history, and visually stunning design.
Ghost of Yotei
- Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
- Release date: October 2, 2025
- Platforms: PlayStation 5
Ghost of Yotei is an open-world action-adventure game that refines the samurai fantasy established by Ghost of Tsushima. The latest Sucker Punch title takes players to Ezo (modern-day Hokkaido) and follows Atsu, a fiery and brash protagonist on a revenge-driven quest against the Yotei Six, a group of outlaw samurai. The narrative delves into themes of justice and vengeance, offering a more human and emotionally charged story. The game excels in its fluid and satisfying combat system, featuring a diverse arsenal of weapons like dual katanas, a kusarigama, and firearms, each tailored to different enemy types. The cinematic visuals, inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s samurai classics, and the inclusion of cultural elements like the Ainu traditions, enrich the immersive experience.
Hades 2
- Developer: Supergiant Games
- Release date: September 25, 2025
- Platforms: PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
The long-awaited sequel to the roguelike dungeon crawler from Supergiant Games builds on the award-winning formula of its predecessor. Players assume the role of Melinoë, the immortal daughter of Hades, as she battles the Titan of Time, Chronos, in a mythic world steeped in Greek lore and witchcraft. The game introduces new characters, locations, and challenges while retaining the fast-paced, tactical combat and narrative depth that defined the original. With every setback, Melinoë returns to the crossroads to craft incantations and grow stronger, supported by the Olympian gods’ boons. The ever-shifting Underworld and its interconnected storylines ensure endless replayability, making Hades 2 a compelling evolution of the roguelike genre.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Developer: Team Cherry
- Release date: September 4, 2025
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, macOS, Linux
Some developers make players wait so long for sequels to their hit games that the expectations rise so high that the game, when it is finally released, can’t meet them. Fortunately, it’s not the case with the new chapter in the Hollow Knight saga. Silksong is a Metroidvania adventure that follows Hornet, a fierce and agile protector, as she journeys through the mysterious kingdom of Pharloom. Captured and taken to this unfamiliar land, Hornet must ascend to the kingdom’s peak to uncover its secrets and her destiny. The game builds on the atmospheric exploration and challenging combat of its predecessor, introducing new tools, abilities, and over 150 unique enemies.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Developer: Warhorse Studios
- Release date: February 4, 2025
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X
Another great sequel among nominees for the GAMIVO Game of the Year title. The open-world action RPG set in the 15th-century Kingdom of Bohemia continues the story of Henry, a man-at-arms seeking justice and navigating the turmoil of a civil war. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 expands on its predecessor with a larger world, enhanced combat mechanics, and deeper role-playing elements. Players can influence the story through choices in dialogue and actions, with skills like oratory and intimidation shaping interactions. The game’s historical authenticity, from its detailed medieval landscapes to its complex political intrigue, creates a richly immersive experience for fans of narrative-driven RPGs.
Megabonk
- Developer: vedinad
- Release date: September 18, 2025
- Platforms: PC, Linux
Megabonk is a chaotic 3D roguelike survival game that redefines the bullet-heaven genre. Players choose from 20 unique characters, each with distinct abilities, and battle through endless waves of enemies using over 70 weapon combinations. The game emphasizes fast-paced combat, strategic build creation, and exponential power scaling, offering a perfect blend of chaos and strategy. With its vibrant visuals, addictive gameplay, and a progression system featuring hundreds of quests, Megabonk delivers an endlessly replayable experience. Interestingly, Megabonk was nominated for Best Indie Debut at The Game Awards. However, its creator asked to remove it from the list since it’s not their first release.
Silent Hill f
- Developer: NeoBards Entertainment
- Release date: September 25, 2025
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X
After a successful Silent Hill 2 remake, survival horror fans received a completely original adventure. Silent Hill f is set in the 1960s in the fictional Japanese town of Ebisugaoka. The story follows high school student Hinako Shimizu as she navigates a fog-shrouded town overrun by grotesque monsters. Combining psychological horror with Japanese folklore, the game explores themes of identity, trauma, and transformation.
Split Fiction
- Developer: Hazelight Studios
- Release date: March 6, 2025
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch 2
A cooperative action-adventure game from Hazelight Studios follows the way paved by It Takes Two. It combines platforming, puzzle-solving, and narrative-driven gameplay. Players control Mio and Zoe, two struggling authors trapped in a simulation that merges their sci-fi and fantasy stories. The game thrives on its imaginative level design, with each stage introducing unique mechanics and challenges, from gravity-defying cyber ninjas to colossal fantasy bosses. Its split-screen co-op format emphasizes collaboration, communication, and creativity, making it a standout in the genre.
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