GamingTrend’s 2025 “Trendsetter” Awards

It's that time again. Time to recognize what games were just too good over the course of 2025. There were plenty of standouts, but below are our picks for the best games this year. Take a look, and read our reviews as well! If you want to know more about our gaming recommendations, check out our holiday guide bookmarked below.

GamingTrend 2025 holiday gaming gift guide — The video games edition!

Our recommendations for your best holiday gift purchases

GamingTrendDavid Burdette

Game Of The Year

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Split Fiction

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review — A monolithic achievement

Sandfall Interactive drops an award-worthy turn-based RPG on their first try

GamingTrendDavid Burdette

You probably had an inkling that we’d give Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 our Game of the Year award. Good job, you guessed right. Expedition 33 is an unexpected masterpiece, perfectly weaving narrative, gameplay, and soundtrack into a beautiful experience we still can’t believe is real. That first trailer from the Xbox Summer Showcase in 2024 looked too good to be true… turns out, it was better than anyone could have imagined.

Best Narrative

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Mafia: The Old Country
• Split Fiction

We’ve had an embarrassment of riches in regards to great narratives this year. While the depth of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II came close, Expedition 33’s tale of loss and grief tugs at your heartstrings with a pull we can’t explain. There are twists that you don’t see coming, but not just for shock value. Every second with this group of characters carries meaning, and the way Sandfall Interactive delivers it is nothing short of astounding.

Best Multiplayer

• ARC Raiders
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Peak
• Split Fiction

ARC Raiders review — Razed on the Rust Belt

It’s better for newbies, but still very much an extraction shooter

GamingTrendDavid Burdette

We could hand this award to several of these titles, but ARC Raiders surprised us this year. Extraction shooters are still vying to be the “next big thing” in multiplayer. ARC Raiders managed to not only put the genre on the map, it did so in a way that made it more approachable to the casual audience while having an ambience completely unique to itself. What Embark has done is no small feat, and they’re impressing everyone who gives the game a try.

Best Art Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• South of Midnight
• Sword of the Sea

People describe art styles as “painterly”, but in the case of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it takes on a whole new meaning. The art direction is a blend of realistic, decidedly French, and a soft pallet of colors. Each landscape is as alien as it is beautiful, and the character animations are absolutely magnificent. The use of heavy chiaroscuro (contrast of light and dark) makes everything pop. Combined with a bizarre art style, there’s simply nothing like it.

Best Audio Design

• Battlefield 6
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Silent Hill f
• Sword of the Sea

Battlefield 6 review — The objective was clear, and well executed

Battlefield is back in a big way!

GamingTrendCassie Peterson

Battlefield 6 has some of the best weapon handling and vehicle sounds in any game, period. Not only do they have a solid impact thud, bullets sound realistic as they whiz past your head at high velocity. As a combat vet, I can speak from experience – the DICE team has truly outdone themselves with audio design. If you aren’t normally one who plays the campaign, do yourself a favor and play this one. It’s predictable, but wow does it showcase big set pieces and some incredible audio to boost it to the next level.

Best Soundtrack

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• South of Midnight

Could it really be anyone else? As incredible as every nominee is (and each one of these is award-worthy), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s soundtrack is the backbone of the game. The story of how Lorien Testard, composer for Expedition 33, came to the game is mind-boggling – a music-maker found by a small indie game looking for a composer on Reddit and SoundCloud. His soundtrack shouldn’t be possible, proving that great talent can be discovered in the unlikeliest of places. In summation, add Expedition 33’s music to your playlist.

Best Performance

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Charlie Cox, Ben Starr, Jennifer English)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Troy Baker, Jonathan Roumie, Léa Seydoux, Elle Fanning, Norman Reedus)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Erika Ishii)
• Hades II (Judy Alice Lee, Amelia Tyler, Logan Cunningham)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Tom McKay, Luke Dale)

This may have been our hardest award to present. There have been so many outstanding performances this year, and it made it impossible to nominate only six. With that in mind, we combined our captivating casts by game, and even with the star power across each one, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 still rises to the top. Featuring three separate performers that convey the themes of Expedition 33 so brilliantly, it was impossible not to recognize them as the best of the best.

Best Indie

• Blue Prince
• Chantey
• Hades II
• Old Skies
• Rosewater

Hades 2 review — Stopping time

A sequel fit for the gods

GamingTrendDavid Flynn

Hades II is an incredible game that takes what the original did well and somehow makes it even better.  The art, voice work, soundtrack, and wonderful story are masterful. Lightning rarely strikes twice, but Hades II does everything you’d want in a sequel and more, bringing a deeper and more ambitious storyline than its wonderful predecessor. Even if you have to run this on easy, don’t miss out on this one – the story and over 21,000 lines of dialogue to bring it to life are sublime.

Best Remake/Remaster

• Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remake
• FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
• Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater
• Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
• Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles review — “Blood is the price of progress! It is the ink in which history’s pages are writ!”

Final Fantasy Tactics has always been a deeply personal game for me. I’ve beaten it… well, when you read the rest of this review, it’ll become clearer how many times, and every time I find some nuance in the story that I hadn’t seen on the previous

GamingTrendRon Burke

It’s a challenge, bringing a classic back to life.  It’s an even harder challenge to do it for a game that came out nearly 30 years ago.  The Square Enix team took a careful approach to Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, bringing it to life for a new audience, while preserving all of the best aspects of what has made it a beloved foundational game all these years. With punishing difficulty, this game isn’t for the faint of heart, but you can always ask the guy who has beaten this several dozen times how to proceed – I won’t steer you wrong.

Best VR

• Alien: Rogue Incursion
• Arken Age
• Deadpool VR
• HITMAN - World of Assassination
• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow review

“Well since I’m in here I might as well pick up something for myself.”

GamingTrendRon Burke

Thief is the bedrock of the stealth genre.  Arguably few games have ever managed to hit the atmospheric and frankly creepy tone the original two Thief games did, even its subsequent sequels.  Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow not only manages to manifest the feel of the original, being able to pull off a pickpocket in real life, flip a switch physically, or otherwise truly inhabit the world is something altogether different.  This is another shining example of what VR is capable of delivering.

Best Live Service

• ARC Raiders
• Dune: Awakening
• Fortnite
• Helldivers II
• Marvel Rivals
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2

It's a subjective choice, but the cadence of Marvel Rivals has been nothing short of marvelous. They shortened the seasons to provide quicker content access, have provided a ton of new maps, events, and heroes, and each of those heroes have made their mark on the game. Post-Overwatch, there hasn't been a hero shooter find it's footing, let alone dominate. Marvel Rivals has.

Most Accessible

• Madden NFL 26
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• Sword of the Sea
• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow

Assassin’s Creed Shadows review — The art of kintsugi

Perfectly imperfect

GamingTrendRon Burke

Accessibility is an iterative process, and the Ubisoft team has been working hard to expand on it in every single title they’ve released in the last decade.  More options to let everyone play come with each game, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows was full to bursting. Almost no matter what you need to be able to enjoy this game, you’ll find it in the options menu.  Hats off to the team for recognizing that gaming comes in all shapes and sizes.

Best Action

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• The First Berserker: Khazan
• Hades II
• The Rogue Prince of Persia
• Silent Hill f
• Split Fiction

Hades II is a game that punishes you fairly.  When you die, you know exactly why you did.  There’s no ambiguity – you botched your run, and now you’ll do another.  It doesn’t hold your hand, but instead carefully guides you through slowly building your power, eventually beating each boss in turn.  There are few games that give you that “YES!” moment when you finally crush a boss, but Hades II does exactly that.  It also has a robust set of toggles to allow it to be more accessible to audiences who don’t necessarily thrive on difficulty, but might like to experience the fantastic storyline and voice work.  Supergiant Games outdoes themselves again.

Best Action/Adventure

• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Borderlands 4
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

This was a challenging category as you are very spoiled for choice.  All of the games on this list have fantastic action/adventure roots, but as amazing as all of them are, it was the dual story of Naoe and Yasuke that won us over.  Representing several big gambles, Assassin’s Creed Shadows builds on the gameplay of its predecessors, while offering some of the best power curve growth we’ve seen in the series to date.  Light on the modern-day elements,  Shadows puts you in the world of ancient Japan and asks you to live there.  I personally have spent over 150 hours there so far, and I suspect you might too. 

Best RPG

• Avowed
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Lies of P: Overture
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• The Outer Worlds 2

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II review — A knight in shining armor

I’ll never forget my first interaction on Kickstarter. A little game made by Warhorse Studios called Kingdom Come: Deliverance – a medieval RPG – needed support. Given my affinity for not only RPGs but the historical nature of the game, I backed it instantly, and the rest is history. Now, almost

GamingTrendDavid Burdette

While some may bemoan our choice to rebuff an Expedition 33 win here, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s deep systems are remarkable. You can truly be whatever you want to be in this game, a stealth archer, a brash swordsman – imagine it in this medieval world and you can make it happen. The dialogue is so reactive, with NPCs remembering what you said and acting upon it, even later in the game. These NPCs even have daily routines they follow, and notice what you’re up to; like if you stink from not taking a bath, or noticing you wearing a stolen item and taking that knowledge to the local guard. Given this level of immersion, KCD2 deserves this award.

Best Fighting/Sports/Racing

• Capcom Fighting Collection 2
• Madden NFL 26
• Mario Kart World
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds review — Rolling around at the Speed of Sound

Got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow!

GamingTrendAdam Moreno

In a world with a plethora of cart racers, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds found a way to be faster than Sonic Speed. The idea of traveling through multiple stages in one stage while also trying to collect red rings keeps things interesting even playing the same main track multiple times. And what’s better than having multiple franchises all under one roof? With a solid online gaming experience and so much DLC coming out consistently, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds should be around for a while!

Best Family

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• LEGO Party! 
• Mario Kart World
• Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

LEGO Party review — Finding out who’s a stud and who’s a brick

There’s no party like a LEGO Party!

GamingTrendCassie Peterson

LEGO Party! is just so darn fun. It’s hard to exist in the shadow of the ultimate party game in Mario Party, but LEGO Party! manages to be an original in a genre that lacks it. With a ton of amazing mini-games and cosmetics galore, this four-person, multi-platform, cross-play title is a great choice for family and friends.

Best Strategy/Simulation

• The Alters
• FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
• Roadcraft
• Two Point Museum

The Alters review — No man is an island, entire of himself

How much are we as people the product of our decisions? Choosing to play in a band and bailing out on college might give you a completely different life experience than knuckling down and grinding out a career as a research scientist. Sure, you’re the same person, but these

GamingTrendRon Burke

It’s hard to describe The Alters. It’s strategy, it’s action, it’s hard sci-fi, it’s a management sim, and it’s chock full of ethical and moral dilemmas.  Do you clone the version of yourself that chose a different path in life?  Would they be different with a single changed choice?  The Alters explores that as you try to escape a rapidly dying world.  While all of the games on this list were worthy, The Alters is so different and tries so many novel things that it’s hard to ignore.  Even the elements that are familiar from other games are executed in a completely new way.  Don’t look at the screenshots and think this is a base simulator – it’s so much more than that.

Best PlayStation Game

• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Sword of the Sea

Ghost of Yōtei review — When a tale becomes legend

Sucker Punch delivers an award-worthy sequel

GamingTrendDavid Burdette

Ghost of Yōtei is a fantastic sequel. Instead of thinking “how can we go bigger”, Sucker Punch figured out how to use what they’d learned and make a more personal story. Atsu earns your love over the course of the story, with a wonderful supporting cast that makes the narrative all the more endearing. Packed with plenty of meaningful side quests, and sporting a spectacular evolution of their combat, Ghost of Yōtei is the best choice for Best PlayStation Game.

Best Xbox Game

• Avowed
• Keeper
• South of Midnight

South of Midnight review — Unraveling the mysteries behind Stigma

A perfect combination of music and interactive storytelling.

GamingTrendCassie Peterson

From sound design to performance and direction; South of Midnight had a vision and executed it at a high level. The platforming is intriguing, using all of the special abilities you pick up along the way, all based in southern legend and lore. The characters are loveable and easy to cheer for from start to finish. Xbox took their time with this game and it really showed as the game ran smoothly on launch. Sometimes slow and steady does win the race.

Best Nintendo Game

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Hades II
• Mario Kart World

Donkey Kong Bananza Review — One Big Leap for DK and friends!

He’s bigger, faster, and stronger too -- He’s the first member of the D.K. crew!

GamingTrendAdam Moreno

Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters who hasn’t had the best track record in the last couple decades. Bananza, however, brings back the classic Donkey Kong feelings in a brand new way combining elements of Donkey Kong 64 with the Donkey Kong Country titles. Music became a centerpiece of the character once again providing us with some fun moments between DK and Pauline while also giving us some emotional connection moments between the two. Nintendo pulled out all the stops providing the Mario Odyssey “vibes” but making it iconically DK.

Best Gear

• 8BitDo Ultimate Controller with Charging Dock
• CRKD Gibson Les Paul Blueberry Burst Pro Edition guitar controller
• Gunnar Eyewear
• Maono PD200W Hybrid microphone
• Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL 8K gaming keyboard
• Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro 8K gaming mouse
• Status Audio Pro X earbuds
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite gaming headset
• Turtle Beach Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded wireless modular controller

CRKD Gibson Les Paul Blueberry Burst Pro Edition guitar controller review — Rockstar

This might be the perfect gaming instrument

GamingTrendDavid Burdette

This is a tough category, as it’s hard enough to even narrow down the nominees due to the amount of high-quality gear we review throughout the year. All here are deserving of recognition, but CRKD made their rendition of the legendary Gibson guitar controller stand out. It’s more than a looker; the functionality and feature set the Blueberry Burst Pro Edition contains is phenomenal. You won’t find a better instrument controller on the market.

Best Hardware

• Insta360 Wave and Insta360 Link 2
• ModRetro Chromatic
• MOZA AB6 Flight Simulator bundle
• NVIDIA GeForce 5000 series
• Pimax Crystal Lite VR Headset
• Razer Blade laptop series
• XREAL One AR glasses

GeForce RTX 5090 review — somewhere between 30% and 300% better!

The start of a new card generation is always exciting. It’s not just that the cards are faster, they also bring a whole bevy of new features that push them beyond their base capabilities. The GeForce RTX 5090 is going to set the gaming world on fire, there’s

GamingTrendRon Burke

NVIDIA continues to drive this industry. Graphical improvements, new techniques and software, new render paths and innovations – NVIDIA has delivered mind blowing technology in both hardware and software with every iteration.  While the lower end of the NVIDIA GeForce 5000 series of cards were a bit of a wet squib, the mid to high are right in the sweet spot of price to performance ratio that cannot be ignored.

Thank you for checking out our 2025 awards!