While I can’t say I’m surprised Hades 2 put up high review scores yesterday after its final 1.0 release, that raises questions about what exactly is even taking up the spaces in this year’s GOTY list, which is one of the most crowded I can remember. But Hades 2? It’s just done something wild.
In this totally insane year for high-scoring, extremely good games, Hades is now the #1 new game (we are not counting Zelda Switch 2 version) of all of 2025. That means it has just beat out the former #1 and possible GOTY frontrunner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Here’s the new list of highest-scored games in 2025:
- Hades II – 94 (that’s Switch 2, which has the most reviews in, it’s a 95 on PC)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 93
- Blue Prince – 92
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – 92
- Split Fiction – 91
- Donkey Kong Bananza – 91
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beath – 89
- Monster Hunter Wilds – 88
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – 88
That is a nearly unprecedented list of scores in a single year. Six major games over a 90 is something that rarely happens, and it stands to reason that could end up being the shortlist by itself. I’d say Blue Prince may be on the bubble, maybe replaced by Death Stranding, but we’ll have to see how The Game Awards voting body swings. I can remember earlier this year when I thought Blue Prince was an absolute shoe-in for GOTY. I still love it, but boy, things can change.
What’s the frontrunner now? Hades 2? I don’t think you can say that based on a split of 1-3 points compared to other top games. These things are rarely decided entirely by what had the highest scores (though very, very often the winners have over a 90). My gut tells me that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is still the frontrunner as it just excels in so many categories, and came from absolutely nowhere, that I think that even with recency bias fading, it’s going to be the top choice. Though perhaps I’m biased because it is my top choice (granted I start Hades II today and Ghost of Yotei soon after).
I am genuinely having trouble thinking of a year this stacked in terms of releases in a decade. I think you have to go back to the 2000s to top it. 2004, for instance, had World of Warcraft, Halo 3, Half-Life 2 and GTA: San Andreas. But that was 21 years ago (2007, 2008 are also good contenders), and 2025 is turning out to be an all-timer.
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