Everybody's Top 10 Games Of 2025 (And Your Turn To Vote For GOTY!) (Patreon)

We're all drowning in great games released in 2025, so here are some more recommendations! We've rounded up Top 10 lists from all of the cohorts, regulars, friends of the show, and industry guests. We hope you enjoy this huge list!

We also want YOUR input! We're creating a hivemind list of the best games of 2025, please click here and submit your Top 10 so we can share the big list on an upcoming episode of The MinnMax Show.

You don't have to enter 10 games, just fill out as many as you can with your own current ranking.

The focus for this ranking will be games that released in 2025. For the purpose of this poll: Early access titles, expansion passes, new DLC, remasters and remakes, etc are all eligible.

Edit your response as many times as you like. As long as the submission window is open you can use the same link to edit your response. Reorder, add, or remove as much as you like.

You have until January 6th to submit your Top 10

If this is your first time clicking a link to a post on Patreon, welcome! Take a look around, this is the site we've asked you to visit thousands of times throughout MinnMax's history. Find a tier that's right for you if you enjoy what we're building at MinnMax.

Also, just a reminder that MinnMax's final GOTY debate is airing on January 1st to the public but you can unlock an early version that includes "The Pissy Zone" post-debate hour-long airing of grievances if you jump up to the $10 Backstage Pass tier. That tier also includes hundreds and hundreds of hours of extended/bonus MinnMax content.

Catch up on our Game of the Year podcast content so far...

The MinnMax Awards - https://youtu.be/jZqJiLwhX4c

Game of the Year Debate Part 1 - https://youtu.be/5LSlLzgQGFs

Above: Windswept

Janet Garcia - MinnMax Cohort

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Silksong

Keep Driving

Split Fiction

Despelote

And Roger

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

Windswept

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home

Ghost of Yōtei

Above: Inventorix

Jeff Marchiafava - MinnMax Cohort

Baby Steps

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The Roottrees Are Dead

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Cauldron

Aotenjo: Infinite Hands

Arc Raiders

Merge Maestro

Inventorix

Donkey Kong Bananza

Above: Lumines Arise

Kyle Hilliard - MinnMax Cohort

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Ghost of Yōtei

Donkey Kong Bananza

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Blue Prince

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Lumines Arise

Dispatch

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Above: Grimshire

Haley MacLean - MinnMax Cohort

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Blue Prince

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Ghost of Yotei

The Alters

Grimshire

The Drifter

Arc Raiders

Dispatch

Above: Whisper of the House

Sarah Podzorski - MinnMax Cohort

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Blue Prince

Grimshire

Road to Empress

Peak

Whisper of the House

Elden Ring: Nightreign

The Roottrees are Dead

Seance of Blake Manor

Silent Hill f

Above: Rhythm Doctor 

Ben Hanson - MinnMax Cohort

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Despelote

Split Fiction

Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater

Hades II

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor 

Lumines Arise

Rhythm Doctor 

Donkey Kong Bananza

Above: Stray Children

Kelsey Lewin - MinnMax Cohort

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Stray Children

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

Monster Hunter Wilds

Consume Me

Blue Prince

Umamusume: Pretty Derby

Hades II

Despelote

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Above: Skin Deep

Leo Vader - MinnMax Cohort

Keep Driving

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Consume Me

Promise Mascot Agency

The Alters

Despelote

Arc Raiders

Skin Deep

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Rematch

Above: Dead Letter Dept.

Jacob Geller - MinnMax Cohort

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Consume Me

Despelote

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Silent Hill f

Dead Letter Dept.

Hades II

Sektori

Above: The Roottrees Are Dead

Charles Harte - Game Informer associate editor, recurring guest, former MinnMax video editor

Hades II

Blue Prince

Ghost of Yōtei

Dispatch

The Roottrees Are Dead

Is This Seat Taken?

Monster Train 2

Mario Kart World

South of Midnight

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Above: Jurassic World Evolution 3

Alanah Pearce - MinnMax Guest Cohort, Narrative Director, Actor

Blue Prince (but after reaching room 46)

Blue Prince

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Dispatch

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Ghost of Yōtei

Jurassic World Evolution 3

Peak

Dead Take

Above: Donkey Kong Bananza

Kyle Bosman - MinnMax Guest Cohort, Delayed Input, Streamer

DONKEY KONG BANANZA

Above: Despelote

Suriel Vazquez - Former MinnMax Cohort, Writer, Freelancer

Despelote

Consume Me

Elden Ring Nightreign

Hades II

Hollow Knight: Silksong

And Roger

Silent Hill f

Lumines Arise

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Above: LEGO Party!

Dan Ryckert - Giant Bomb, recurring guest

Hades II

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Blue Prince

Donkey Kong Bananza

LEGO Party!

Ghost of Yōtei

Above: Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

Ronnie - Ben's old friend, recurring guest

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Hades II

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Donkey Kong Bananza

Split Fiction

Arc Raiders

Peak

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders

Civilization VII

Mario Kart World

Above: The Alters

Grant - Ben's old friend, recurring guest

Clair Obscur Expedition 33

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Hollow Knight Silksong

Blue Prince

Arc Raiders

Hades 2

Donkey Kong Bananza

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

The Alters

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Above: Star of Providence

Ross Pfund - Star Wars expert, recurring guest

Blue Prince (My #1 by a million miles, BTW. Absolutely loved everything about it!)

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Donkey Kong Bananza

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Hades II

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

The Roottrees Are Dead

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Star of Providence

Above: The Cabin Factory

Jeff Cork - PR Manager, former Game Informer senior editor

Ghost of Yōtei

Diablo IV

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Assassin's Creed Shadows

The Cabin Factory

Once Upon A Katamari

CloverPit

Silent Hill f

LEGO Party!

The Binding of Isaac

Above: Thronefall

Ben Reeves - Former Firaxis Narrative Designer, former Game Informer senior editor

The Alters

The Roottrees are Dead

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Dispatch

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Thronefall

Civilization VII (He worked on this, to be fair)

The Séance of Blake Manor

Hades II

Donkey Kong Bananza

Above: Nurikabe World

Jason Schreier - Bloomberg Reporter

Blue Prince

The Roottrees Are Dead

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Dispatch

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

Avowed

Nurikabe World

The Seance of Blake Manor

Strange Jigsaws

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Above: Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

Brendon Bigley - Into The Aether cohost, Wavelengths

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Blue Prince

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

Q-UP

Sektori

Consume Me

Mario Kart World

Hades II

Ball x Pit

Peak

Above: News Tower

Chris Plante - Post Games

Baby Steps

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Despelote

Wanderstop

Sektori

Promise Mascot Agency

The Roottrees Are Dead

Blippo+

News Tower

Blue Prince

Honorable Mentions: Kaizen: A Factory Story, Peak, Skin Deep, Citizen Sleeper 2, Absolum, Q-UP, The Seance of Blake Manor, Skate Story, Angeline Era

Above: And Roger

Jill Grodt - The Indie Informer

Blue Prince

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

The Séance of Blake Manor

Keep Driving

And Roger

Ball x Pit

Promise Mascot Agency

Silksong

Hades 2

The King is Watching

Above: Wendigo Blue

Jason Oestreicher - MinnMax paternity leave video editor, Former Game Informer/Giant Bomb

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Ghost of Yōtei

Absolum

Donkey Kong Bananza

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hades II

Monster Hunter Wilds

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Wendigo Blue

EllieJoyPanic - Streamer

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Elden Ring Nightreign

Blue Prince

33 Immortals

Bloodborne (because I played it more than most games this year 🙂)

Honourable mention: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which I started and it blew me away but I haven’t had the emotional capacity to go back to yet. Act 2 awaits in 2026!

Above: Fulcrum Defender

JJ Bersch - Blank Check Researcher

1. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

2. Despelote

3. Hades II

4. Baby Steps

5. Q-UP

6. Hollow Knight Silksong

7. Sektori

8. Kirby Air Riders

9. Fulcrum Defender (on Playdate)

10. Donkey Kong Bananza

Above: The King Is Watching

Knoebel - Social Media News Hound

1. Hollow Knight Silksong

2. Dispatch

3. Clair Obscur Expedition 33

4. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

5. Consume Me

6. The King Is Watching

7. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

8. South of Midnight

9. Blue Prince

10. Sword of the Sea

Above: Ghost Town

Ryan Payton - Camouflaj Founder, creative director

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 Ver.

Lumines Arise

Ghost Town

Donkey Kong Bananza

Above: Wednesdays

Tri Nguyen - Senior Combat Designer at Giant Skull, generous Give To The Max donor

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Wednesdays

Despelote

And Roger

No, I'm Not a Human

Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs

Lies of P: Overture

The Seance of Blake Manor

Sektori

Above: Metal Garden

Neill (tetracycloide) - MinnMax Discord Mod

Absolum

Blue Prince

Eternal Strands

The Alters

Avowed

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Split Fiction

BALL x PIT

Dispatch

Metal Garden

Above: South of Midnight

Ian T. Clark - MinnMax Discord Mod

Dying Light: The Beast

Ghost of Yōtei

Donkey Kong Bananza

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Days Gone Remastered

South of Midnight

Holow Knight: Silksong

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Above: Heavy Spoilers RPG

Interrotta - MinnMax Discord Mod

Ghost of Yotei

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Split Fiction

Heavy Spoilers RPG: The true identity of the final enemy is the hero’s father

Dragon Quest I+II HD Remake

Acecraft: Sky Hero

Above: Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Sgt. Grumbles - MinnMax Discord Mod

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Despite what you've heard this is an incredible game with a compelling story and incredibly fun turn based battle system.

Hades II - What if Supergiant made their first sequel? What if it was an improvement on every aspect of the first game? You'd have this.

Donkey Kong Bananza - My steak is too juicy, my lobster too buttery, the camera isn't the best and still I couldn't stop smiling.

Peak - All it takes is hearing your friend's echoey scream followed by silence to realize just how great of a game this is.

Split Fiction - Look they get a huge boost by being cooperative games so you're always hanging out with someone you like, but they use that well and the last hour of this game is the most fun I've had all year.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor - Vampire Survivor with more obvious goals and more skill trees, good way to lose several hours of your day.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach - If you ignore the story this is a great game about completing little tasks efficiently.

Thanks so much for supporting MinnMax in 2025! You're welcome to share your Top 10 for the yaer in the comments below or better yet click here and submit your Top 10 to our big communal list that we'll be sharing in early January on The MinnMax Show! We've got a Best Of MinnMax 2025 video dropping on Monday, so hope you're ready for that. Thank you!