With a new Nintendo console freshly released and the other platforms now firing on all cylinders, 2025 sent us a firehose of excellent games to cover. Despite our best attempts, there just aren't enough hours in a day or days in a year to play everything. However, we still managed to grab hold of a few real gems as the deluge washed over us. And it's to those games that we present the 2025 edition of the Geek to Geek Media Game of the Year Awards.
Note: We selected our winners via a poll of the entire Geek to Geek Media gaming staff. Any games our staff members played released between Dec-09 2024 and Dec-09 2025 were considered for awards.
Best Action Game
Hollow Knight Silksong
No game should be able to bear the weight of Silksong‘s seven years of hype, but the Hollow Knight sequel delivered. While the wild difficulty and a few punishing mechanics will frustrate some folks, there is no arguing with the action. The combat and platforming are both incredibly precise, with level design that walks the line between challenging and punishing. Individual rooms become battlegrounds that you overtake enemy by enemy across multiple attempts, finally landing that last jump and bumping straight into a boss who smashes the life out of you in one blow so that you have to start all over and it's excellent. It's too hard and unforgiving and mean and I love it.- Troy Dunham
Other games nominated: Ninja Gaiden 4, Earthion, Blade Chimera, Absolum, Fast Fusion
Best Platformer
Donkey Kong Bananza
Nintendo games enter the “Best Platformer” category with a head start, but Donkey Kong Bananza earned this spot. Instead of a game that felt like Mario Odyssey with extra potassium, tearing through the landscape in Bananza made for a super fresh take on collectathons. It may not have the precision gameplay DKC fans were hoping for, but for pure joy DK can’t be beat! – Troy Dunham
Other games nominated: Hollow Knight Silksong, Blade Chimera, Yooka-Replaylee
Best Adventure Game
Blue Prince
Most adventure games are all about learning the lay of the land. Where can I find the items I need? Which doors have I yet to unlock? Blue Prince throws all that right out the window by blending Rogue-like elements with traditional adventure game concepts. With an ever-changing map, you have to rewire your brain a bit to get your head around this one, but that's also what makes Blue Prince stick with you. – Jay Caplan
Other games nominated: South of Midnight, Death Stranding 2, Pipistrello & the Cursed Yoyo, Tormented Souls 2, Unbeatable
Best Action RPG
Ghost of Yotei
A good sequel is typically one that does the same thing as the first, only bigger and better. Think Terminator 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, or Spider-Man 2 (the Sam Raimi one). That’s why when I found out Ghost of Yotei would have a different main character, a completely different story, take place in a different time period, and be set in a different region of medieval Japan, I wasn’t confident that it would resonate with me the same way that Ghost of Tsushima had. To my delight, Ghost of Yotei delivered one of my favorite gaming experiences of 2025. The gameplay, the visuals, the low-fi music, the characters, and the emotional story have stuck with me all year. – Kenny Tuttle
Other games nominated: Monster Hunter Wilds, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Hades 2, Dune Awakening, Elden Ring Nightrein
Best Tabletop RPG
Starfinder 2nd Edition
Starfinder Second Edition was definitely the game that took most of my attention this year. My D&D/Dragonbane group swapped completely over, and we all loved it. We had tried the first edition, and it didn't stick with us collectively, but when SF adopted the Pathfinder Second Edition base game system, everything clicked. The group went all-in on science-fantasy. We moved from the playtest to release, and the published version is solid with tight math, fun classes, and a truly interesting setting. If you were ever on the fence whether or not to give Paizo's second flagship title a look, now's the best time to do it. All three core books are out now. You can check out all my Starfinder coverage here. – BJ Keeton
Other game nominated: Daggerheart
Best Spooky Game
Silent Hill f
Silent Hill f is the first notable original entry in the legendary survival-horror series in well over a decade, and Taiwanese developer NeoBards knocked it out of the park with a game as focused on social commentary as it is on intense combat. Set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill f does not shy away from gender politics, with teenage protagonist, Hinako, navigating her own societal expectations and desires with as much urgency as she puts into avoiding otherworldly monstrosities. One of the reigning kings of survival horror is back and better than ever! – Steve Wittkamp
Other games nominated: Tormented Souls 2, House of Necrosis
Best Puzzle Game
Is This Seat Taken?
The pitch for Is This Seat Taken? is perfectly simple: take the kind of word-problem logic puzzles you probably remember from school, dress them up in charmingly simple art, and string just enough of them together to make a satisfying campaign. The final product looks a treat and moves along at a satisfying clip, especially with visual cues to make sure you’re never stuck for long. It’s a perfect little snack of a game before bed or over morning coffee, just like a good puzzle should be. – Aaron Petersen
Other games nominated: Word Play, Blue Prince
Most Pleasant Surprise
Ball x Pit
Is it a shmup? Is it a city-builder? Is it a Rogue-like? Yes? No? We don't know, but frankly, we don't care because Ball x Pit got us hooked! This bizarre genre mashup was something we didn't know we needed, which makes it our Most Pleasant Surprise of 2025. The only thing that makes us hesitant to recommend it to friends is that we have no idea if you're supposed to pronounce the ‘x' or not. – Jay Caplan
Other games nominated: Peak, A Game About Digging a Hole
Best Multiplayer Game
Peak
Even the developers behind Peak were surprised at how well this game captured everyone’s attention this year. But looking from a distance, it’s perfectly plain how: the mechanics smartly dovetail a dozen different survival systems in one easy-to-understand stamina bar, and the fresh-daily levels and regular updates make a compelling case for troupes of friends to keep coming back. There’s a reason why four Geek to Geek staffers latched onto this game independently of each other! – Aaron Petersen
Other games nominated: Mario Kart World, Abiotic Factor, RV There Yet, Fast Fusion, Elden Ring Nightrein, Dune Awakening
Best Writing/Narrative
South of Midnight
Depending on where you grew up, the supernatural creatures of South of Midnight are either interesting new video game monsters or the boogeymen your parents used to keep you in line as a child. Regardless of your prior history, or lack thereof, with Two-Toed Tom, Huggin' Molly, etc, the way South of Midnight uses these Southern cryptids to tell a more grounded family story makes for a captivating tale. On top of that, the delivery of this narrative via both strong voice acting and original folk song lyrics is truly masterful. – Jay Caplan
Other games nominated: Clair Obscur Expedition 33, Dispatch, Citizen Sleeper 2, Unbeatable, Lock & Key, Silent Hill f
Best Retro Throwback
Earthion
The Sega Genesis was released over 35 years ago, but somehow, developers are still finding ways to push the platform to new limits. With Earthion, Yuzo Koshiro's studio, Ancient Corporation, delivers one of the best shmups of the current decade, while staying within the limitations of classic 16-bit hardware. The game provides not only explosive action but also a soundtrack full of sweet FM Synth jams. Check this one out if you have any nostalgia for the action games of yesteryear! – Jay Caplan
Other games nominated: Tormented Souls 2, Blade Chimera
Best Soundtrack
Unbeatable
December in particular has been very kind to rhythm game lovers, but the long-in-development Unbeatable has been the headliner. Its indie-rock soundtrack is a perfect fit for its rebellious story while standing on its own as an album, and DLC tracks featuring artists like Vocaloid producer Jamie Page and Celeste’s Lena Raine sweeten the deal. Unbeatable has got the juice and then some – it’s not every day you get a rhythm game that thrives on a fully original soundtrack! – Aaron Petersen
Other games nominated: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Mario Kart World, South of Midnight, Earthion, Ninja Gaiden 4, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2
Jam of the Year
Ninja Gaiden 4 – “Justice (Is The End We Crave)”
While Ninja Gaiden 4 features a lot of great metal and EDM tracks, “Justice (Is The End We Crave” is the one that stood above the rest. Its hard-driving instrumental coupled with Victor Borba's passionate vocals make it a great background track for Yakumo and Kagachi's fateful duel, but also an excellent rock song on its own merits. In our staff poll, this track won easily, even capturing the votes of several staff members who've never played a Ninja Gaiden game. – Jay Caplan
Other tracks nominated: Donkey Kong Bananza – “Kong Bananza”, Unbeatable – “Waiting”, South of Midnight – “Huggin' Molly”
Game of the Year
(also Best Turn-Based RPG)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
As its title suggests, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is all about the contrast between light and darkness. The game's chiaroscuro-focused narrative handles this balance perfectly, with every sublime victory achieved by the expedition team tempered by tragedy. Even the game's timing-based combat mechanics seem to reinforce this philosophy, allowing persistent players to pry success from the brink of defeat with a few well-timed dodges or parries. It's a truly special RPG experience driven by a motley crew of protagonists and their need to honor “those who came before.” – Steve Wittkamp
Other games nominated: South of Midnight, Peak, Hollow Knight Silksong, Hades 2, Silent Hill f, Donkey Kong Bananza
This year, we had the narrowest margins for award wins in the six years that Geek to Geek Media has been doing Game of the Year round-ups. The diversity of excellent titles was truly overwhelming! We hope you enjoyed going through the best of 2025 with us and invite you to share your own favorite games in the comments below.
Happy New Year from all of us here at Geek to Geek Media!