Eurogamer has published its annual readers’ list of the top 50 games of 2025, a published survey assembled from the votes of thousands of players across PC and console ecosystems. The feature once again frames the year through a community lens, balancing blockbusters with smaller projects that left a distinctive mark. A notable aside in the write-up jokes about a supposed coveted GOTY, acknowledging that the community’s Game of the Year earned more points than the No.2 and No.3 combined, before playfully noting that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, while receiving some votes, did not crack the Top 50. The humor aside, the results lay out a year of remarkably varied tastes and a remarkably crowded field for end-of-year discussion.
At the very top of the list, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sits in the No. 1 slot, marking a bold entry that Eurogamer readers embraced as a standout of 2025. Following closely are Hades 2 in second place and Blue Prince in third, illustrating a year that blended tight action-RPG design with intricate worldbuilding and puzzle-led discoveries. In fourth place, Hollow Knight: Silksong is celebrated for its precision in movement and a world that feels both welcoming and perilous, while Donkey Kong Bananza rounds out the top five with a joyous, high-energy romp that leans into pure, unpretentious fun.
The poll’s spread reads like a cross-section of 2025’s gaming landscape. It features a mix of deeply personal indie experiences, long-running franchises reimagined for contemporary platforms, and ambitious new titles that push mechanics in unexpected directions. The top five is followed by a broad roster that includes strategy-focused narratives, genre-blending experiments, and large-scale action-adventures that span PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo hardware. The list shows that players rewarded both highly polished remasters and titles that dared to take risks with pacing, tone, or structure.
As with previous years, the list is generous with both praise and passionate critique, reflecting a community that treats games as a shared cultural conversation as much as a hobby. Readers emphasize the emotional pull of certain stories, the elegance of tight combat systems, and the way a game’s art direction or sound design can transform an evening in. Mixed among the familiar giants are smaller experiences that feel like discoveries, each contributing to a year that felt unusually adventurous in what it allowed players to feel and do within virtual worlds.
The top tier is representative of a year in which platform variety mattered as much as developer pedigree. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, for instance, is lauded for reinventing JRPG-style turn-based combat in a way that remains accessible while offering a depth of build variety and character motivation that fans responded to with enthusiasm. Hades 2 continues Supergiant’s tradition of tight combat pacing, rewarding risk-taking, and storytelling that threads through run-based progression, while Blue Prince earns praise for its layered puzzles and worldbuilding that many readers describe as among the best ever seen in a roguelike setting.
Rounding out the top five, Hollow Knight: Silksong is repeatedly described as the culmination of Team Cherry’s precision and atmosphere, with critics noting its motion, responsiveness, and musical cohesion as defining strengths. Donkey Kong Bananza earns its place through unadulterated playfulness and a design philosophy that prioritizes joy over difficulty, a counterpoint to a year filled with more abrasive or experimental titles.
Beyond the podium, the list maps a spectrum of genres that captured reader attention. Strategy fans found strong case studies in titles like Clair Obscur’s measured pacing and Picto/Lumina systems, while action-adventure and narrative-driven games show a willingness to experiment with structure and pacing. Notable entries such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 highlight world-building ambition, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows showcases a return to a more expansive, stalker-leaning design ethos. On the other end, games like Arc Raiders and Split Fiction illustrate a thriving ecosystem for multiplayer and co-op experimentation that still feels fresh in a crowded market.
The Eurogamer community also echoed a strong appreciation for titles that blend genres or redefine accessibility. Contenders such as Silent Hill f push horror into new tonal territories, while Dead Stranding-like moments in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach continue to explore grief and resilience through unusual storytelling devices. The results underscore a year in which developers experimented with friction and reward in ways that sparked both praise and conversation among readers.
Images accompany the coverage to capture the year’s mood and the poll’s energy. The collage of readers’ voices and game art offers a visual companion to the list and the accompanying commentary.
Eurogamer notes that the top 50 list is just one part of a broader conversation about 2025’s games. The site also teased an upcoming Eurogamer staff-driven Top 50 list for 2025, promising a different mix of critical and personal perspectives. Readers are encouraged to join the discussion in the comments and to continue dissecting which games defined the year and why they resonated with so many players.
The breadth of titles on the list—ranging from the densely tactical to the irresistibly playful—suggests that 2025 was a year when the medium emphasized accessibility, creativity, and a willingness to challenge traditional design boundaries. For fans, the poll functions not only as a ranking but as a snapshot of what fans valued most: memorable moments, tactile feedback, and a sense of discovery that could be shared with others online. For industry observers, it’s a map of trends worth watching in the years ahead: the ongoing appeal of strong, character-driven narratives; the endurance of ambitious indie projects within a crowded marketplace; and the continued evolution of games that blend TV-like pacing or cinematic ambition with interactivity.
In summary, Eurogamer’s readers’ top 50 games of 2025 presents a year in gaming defined by diversity and daring. The No. 1 pick, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, anchors a list that harmonizes narrative depth with mechanical clarity, while the rest of the rankings demonstrate the community’s appetite for both refinement and risk. As the site prepares its own staff rankings and readers debate the results in the comments, the year’s games stand as a testament to an industry that remains as much about shared experiences as it is about cutting-edge technology.