I’m normally a cozy gamer, preferring to unwind with farming and a good romance. However, some of my top picks this year surprised me. I’ll do almost anything for a good adventure or a solid mystery, and there were plenty of powerful narratives across a range of genres that captured my attention this year.
This is just one of a series of Game of the Year lists picked by the team at TheGamer, so check back in a couple of weeks for our final combined list. Or take mine as gospel. Your choice.
10
InZoi
When Inzoi released, I was ecstatic to have yet another game I could essentially play dollhouse with, especially when driving mechanics were added as a beta-feature. Throughout the year, there have been steady updates for seasonal holidays and free DLC to keep me coming back.
I love the levels of customization and narrative direction within each Zoi’s life. From discovering I could accidentally take someone else’s kid home (before adoption was added) to pursuing my dreams of becoming a KPop star, I’m forever grateful to have such a vibrant competitor to The Sims.
9
Oblivion Remastered
Despite my obvious love for The Elder Scrolls and my notion that it would top my Game of the Year chart, it’s sadly sitting lower on the totem pole. My hopes for a remake were met with a shallow, re-skinned rerelease with all the same issues that its original game had.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a fabulous addition to any gaming library and I spent dozens of hours delving back into the world of Tamriel. But there were other titles that impacted me more without relying on nostalgia to carry them.
8
Date Everything!
My partner and I set up date nights where we’d try to find all the romance candidates in the house, my brother sent me texts throughout his run about how he kept finding men instead of women, and my friends were all reveling in the absolute chaos of dating your furniture alongside abstract concepts.
With such a vivacious and diverse voice cast, there’s quite literally something for everyone. Dorian still holds a special place in my ace heart, but man if I didn’t fall head over heels for xxXShadowl0rd420Xxx.
7
Slime Rancher 2
I didn’t expect to fall in love with this one so quickly. Regrettably, I never played the predecessor, but I enjoyed corralling slimes and merging them into adorable monstrosities with vicious appetites nonetheless.
To be fair, I spent most of my time just collecting the bat slimes to watch them eat fruit and smile at me, but I did manage to progress far enough to realize there was a plot. The Grey Labyrinth still baffles me, but at least I found so many colorful slimes to take home.
6
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Classic Harvest Moon games are where I really developed a love for video games. I’m always looking for a title to give me that same nostalgic feeling of playing those gems but with the comfort and convenience of modern design conventions.
Running a busy market stall each weekend gave me new life, throwing all my crops on the table and wildly ringing a bell to gain the attention of the passersby. Forget the nature sprites; I just want to ruin the economy single-handedly with flowers and honey.
5
Arc Raiders
Multiplayer games aren’t my forte, and I try to avoid PvP encounters whenever possible. Thankfully, Arc Raiders managed to create a pretty friendly environment in solo matches. However, the biggest appeal to me was the rubber ducks.
I will take down as many Rocketeers and Leapers as it takes to collect as many rubber ducks as I possibly can. So far, I’m at 16, but I want to reach 100. Oh, and there’s a rooster named Scrappy, and he is my son.
4
Where Winds Meet
There’s nothing better than a free, open-world RPG in today’s world of expensive video games, let alone one that’s this heavy on roleplaying. Not only can you embrace your role in 10th-century China, but you can convince the local farmer that you’re from the future or that you already completed that long-winded fetch quest you definitely didn’t do.
Mostly, though, I’m here for the aesthetics. The only monetization is in the cosmetic banners, and I’ll be darned if I don’t want to be the prettiest warrior doctor in the jianghu. I also can’t stop stealing horses.
3
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Earlier in the year, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage gripped me with a sapphic fervor. As someone who grew up being the chubby ginger friend and moved far from home as a teen, I resonated immediately with Swann Holloway. Stepping back into the ‘90s was like a fever dream, and I wholly embraced it.
For weeks, I only played ‘90s hits and vibed in my old tees while reclining in my chair to try and win Nora’s heart. This coming of age story brought me back to a place where anything was possible, and added a paranormal vibe on top of it.
2
Dispatch
There’s no way Dispatch wouldn’t be on my list, not with such a star-studded cast and a well-written narrative from Telltale and Critical Role alums to back it up. Robert Robertson III and the chaos that unfolded around him became the only jokes my partner and I parroted back to each other all day.
We fought over which of us made the better choices (me, obviously) and whether Robert Robertson was meant to be with Invisigal or Blonde Blazer (agree to disagree). At the end of the day, we both agree that Joel Haver as Waterboy is a gift to humanity.
1
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Having heard about this game only days before its release, I immediately knew it was something special. Arthurian legends in an open-world felt like taking something old and giving it new life. I spent hours exploring the wilds and was determined to help Arthur Pendragon no matter what the plot tried to tell me.
I’m also a sucker for a good romance, and having an entire questline devoted to saving a fledgling blacksmith and crafting a weapon together to showcase your dedication to each other truly made my heart melt. I’d slay countless trolls just to see Beor smile at me again.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
- Released
-
May 23, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
-
Questline
- Publisher(s)
-
Awaken Realms
