The 2025 Community-Voted GOTYee Award Winners

Dec 31

2025 has been an incredible year for us. Not just because of all the great games that came out, but because just over a year ago we started to use BlueSky.

BlueSky has been an absolute game changer – before now, we didn’t really have an active “community” to even think about attempting something like this.

But while we’re getting ready to present our third annual DG GOTYee awards, this year we’re adding a special new category – voted on by the amazing gamers over on BlueSky who put up with us and our shenanigans.

DearGamers' 2025 Community GOTY graphic showing golden laurels and a golden GOAT medallion

Here’s how it worked: We asked you guys to shout out your top 10 games of the year – up to 10 new 2025 games and even 10 pre-2025 games too! To recognize the release of 2025’s best, we tallied every shout out to compile YOUR top 10 games.

…well top 11 because there were MULTIPLE ties.

Thank you to everyone who participated, we can’t wait to see what games we’ll all be celebrating together next year!

Check out the 2025 top 10 (ish) community-voted games below, along with a complete list of the whopping 120 2025 games that got at least 1 vote, and the 124 non-2025 games taking home honorable mentions:

The Community Top 10 for 2025

DearGamers presents... 2025 GOLDEN GOATs as voted by the DearGamers community: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Silksong/Ghost of Yotei, Donkey Kong, Blue Prince/Death Stranding 2/Silent Hill f, Trails in the Sky, Dispatch/Split Fiction

In descending order from #1: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong & Ghost of Yotei (tie), Donkey Kong Bananza, Blue Prince & Death Stranding 2 & Silent Hill f (tie), Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, Dispatch & Split Fiction (tie)

All 120 2025 games that got at least one vote!

(In alphabetical order)

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Absolum
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Ambrosia Sky
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and Roger
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Arc Raiders
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As I Began to Dream
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Assassin's Creed Shadows
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Avowed
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BallxPit
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Battlefield 6
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Blue Prince
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Borderlands 4
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Citizen Sleeper 2
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
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Constance
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Consume Me
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Croc: Legend of the Gobbos
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Cronos the New Dawn
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Crown Gambit
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Death Stranding 2
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Deltarune
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Despelote
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Digimon Story Time Stranger
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Discounty
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Dispatch
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Donkey Kong Bananza
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DOOM: The Dark Ages
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Dragon Quest I&II HD2D
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Drop Duchy
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Duck Detective II: The Ghost of Glamping

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Dune: Awakening
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Dynasty Warriors Origin
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Easy Delivery Co.
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Echoes of the End
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Elden Ring Nightreign
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Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
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Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
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Eteral Strands
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Expelled!
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Fatal Fury City of the Wolves
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Final Fantasy Tactics: TIC
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Genokids
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Geo Mythica
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Ghost of Yotei
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Gigasword
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Hades II
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```
Hollow Knight: Silksong
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```
Hotel Barcelona
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```
Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
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Hypogea
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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
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I'm on Observation Duty 8
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Is this Seat Taken?
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Jump Ship
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Keeper
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Kemono Teatime
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Kingdom Come Deliverance II
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Kingdomes of the Dump
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Kirby Air Riders
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Koira
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Labyrinth of the Demon King
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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
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Lonely Moutains: Snow Riders
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Look Outside
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Lost in Random: The Eternal Die
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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
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Luto
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Mafia: The Old Country
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Mario Kart World
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Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater
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Metroid Prime 4
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MLB the Show 25
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Monster Hunter Wilds
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Morsels
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My Little Puppy
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Mycopunk
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Ninja Gaiden 4
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Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
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Oblivion Remastered
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Octopath Traveler 0
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Once Upon a Katamari
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Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac
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Peak
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Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo
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Pokemon Legends: Z-A
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PowerWash Simulator 2
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Promise Mascot Agency
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Quartet
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Rematch
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Rue Valley
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Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma
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Saga Frontier 2 Remastered
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Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker
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Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution
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Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
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Shrine's Legacy
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Silent Hill f
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Sniper Elite Resistance
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Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
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South of Midnight
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Split Fiction
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Star Overdrive
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Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar
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Suikoden I Remaster
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Sword of the Sea
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The Alters
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The Curse of the Demon Tree
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The Drifter
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The First Berserker: Khazan
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The Outer Worlds 2
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The Rogue Prince of Persia
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The Seance of Blake Manor
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Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
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Trails through Daybreak II
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Two Point Museum
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Unbeatable
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Wander Stars
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Wanderstop
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Wuchang Fallen Feathers
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Xenoblade Chronicles X: DE
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Yooka-Replaylee
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…and all 124 pre-2025 backlog champion honorable mentions!

(In alphabetical order)

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8 Bit Adventures 2
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A Short Hike
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Alan Wake 2
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Alice Madness Returns
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ANNO: Mutationem
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Astro Bot Rescue Mission
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Atelier Escha & Logy
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Balatro
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Baldur's Gate 3
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Beyond Shadowgate
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Biomutant
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Black Myth: Wukong
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Blasphemous 2
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Blood Omen
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Breath of Fire III
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Bugsnax
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Chained Echoes
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Chibi Robo
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Chrono Trigger
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Cobalt Core
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Coffee Talk
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Crash Bandicoot
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Crypt Custodian
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Danganronpa
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Danganronpa 2
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Dark Souls III
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Dave the Diver
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Dead Island 2
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Death Stranding
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Donkey Kong Country
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DOOM Eternal
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Dragon Quest III HD2D
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Dragon Quest VIII
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Drakengard
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Dredge
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Drova - Forsaken Kin
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Earthbound
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Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
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Fantasian Neo Dimension
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Felvidek
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Final Fantasy
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Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster)
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Final Fantasy II (Pixel Remaster)
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Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
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Fuga Melodies of Steel
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Funko Fusion
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Ghost Trick
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Gris
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Hades
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Helldivers 2
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Hollow Knight
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Honkai Star Rail
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ICO
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Jet Set Radio Future
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Katana ZERO
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King's Field III
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King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

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Kingdom Hearts
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Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
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Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
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Lies of P
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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
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Lil Gator Game
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Lunar 1 & 2 Remaster
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Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
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Mario Kart DS
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Metal Gear Rising: Revengence 
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Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

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Metaphor: Refantazio
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Monster Party
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Okami
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Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
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Persona 3 Reload
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Pikuniku
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Pinball FX
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Pokemon White
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Punishing: Gray Raven
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Quarterstaff
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Red Dead Redemption
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Resident Evil III: Nemesis
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Roboquest
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Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
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Sea of Stars
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Seti
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Shadow of the Colossus
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Shadow Tower
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Shallow Sea
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Silent Hill 2 Remake
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SSX Tricky
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Super Mario RPG
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Super Mario Strikers
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Tend
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Tetris Forever
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The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
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The Curse of Monkey Island
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The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures
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The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
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The Messenger
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The Secret of Monkey Island
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The Wolf Among Us
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Toem
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Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
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Trails from Zero
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Trails of Cold Steel
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Trails through Daybreak
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Trails to Azure
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Tunic
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Uncharted 4
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Unicorn Overlord
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Vampire Survivors
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Virgo Vs the Zodiac
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We Love Katamari
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World of Horror
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Xenoblade Chronicles
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Xenoblade Chronicles 3
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Yakuza 0
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Yakuza 5 Remastered
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Yakuza Kiwami
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Yeah You Want those Games?! 1+2
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Ys Seven
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Ys X Nordics
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And that’s a wrap! THESE are the games that helped make your 2025 special. Thank you again to everyone that participated, and hopefully we’ll be back here this time next year with an equally incredible list of games to celebrate.

Michaela Criscione

The 2025 Community-Voted GOTYee Award Winners

The Community Top 10 for 2025

All 120 2025 games that got at least one vote!

…and all 124 pre-2025 backlog champion honorable mentions!

My Personal Top 10 JRPGs *OF ALL TIME*

My Personal Top 10 JRPGs OF ALL TIME