Awards for individual genres are amazing, and recognition for one game conquering a whole field of gameplay. However, this is the big one. There have been so many elite contenders for the 2025 Game of the Year accolades, and Insider Gaming has selected the one deemed the best.
12 months of video game releases have led to this big moment. Top-level developers have worked hard, and publishers have put their faith in games in the hope of being acknowledged as the best. 2025 has emptied wallets and consumed hours with amazing Roguelikes, RPGs, Action-Adventure games, and more.
Insider Gaming has crowned a winner.
Best Game Of 2025 Winner—Hollow Knight: Silksong
It’s a testament to numerous games that a few releases could be in this spot. If you can overlook the dastardly difficulty of Hollow Knight: Silksong and ignore the elitist conversation of a AAA game needing to be GOTY, then Silksong is a worthy winner, and the Insider Gaming team has spoken!
This year has seen Silksong go from being barely a figure in the shadows to receiving a launch date soon after it reemerged at Gamescom 2025 in August. It’s rare for an indie game to have the levels of hype it did, but that’s exactly what happened. It single-handedly took the Steam, Xbox, and eShop stores offline once downloads went live, due to demand, and decimated the original’s all-time peak player count in minutes.
It’s one of the highest-rated games of 2025, and it’s a breathtaking adventure from start to finish. You’ll struggle to find indie games this beautiful and carefully manicured—there are no ugly edges to be found. The gameplay and depth of quests and things to do have been greatly expanded, and every locale feels unique. Combat is a steep learning curve, but there’s nothing wrong with that, and owners will receive the Sea of Sorrow DLC for free.
Silksong suddenly ended up being one of the year’s most anticipated games, and in Insider Gaming’s opinion, the best, without question.
Insider Gaming Game of the Year 2025 Runner-Up—Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
So many turn-based RPGs successfully execute one or more aspects of a game: Gameplay, Story, Performances, Music, and Art. Very few dare to tackle them all head-on and nail it! Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wasn’t as hyped as Silksong was, but it emerged as one of the most must-play RPGs of the modern era.
Yes, Sandfall Interactive’s first game was created by world-class developers with years of AAA experience. It didn’t mean Clair Obscur would work by any means. The odd design choice here and there could maybe have used some more work, and the AI controversy does leave the slightest of sour tastes in the mouth.
Nevertheless, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an easy runner-up. With other games like Hades 2, Blue Prince, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 all delivering their own serving of excellence, respect needs to be put on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s name.
This is one of the best games in years.
It’s likely many of you would swap our winner and runner-up around—or omit Hollow Knight: Silksong altogether! If you have thoughts or your own winner, head to the Insider Gaming Discord Server to discuss them.
Check out more fun Insider Gaming content, including the thought that Fortnite has to be considered the best free-to-play game ever, and all games added to PlayStation Plus in 2025.
