GOTY 2025 from Eurogamer Portugal readers

Another year has passed, which means the time has come for a new celebration of video games. Readers’ votes to choose the Best Games of 2025 are a special moment that highlights not only the great releases of the year, but also the fantastic contribution of the Eurogamer Portugal community. Throughout these 12 months, our readers have been with us, sharing opinions, debating perspectives and demonstrating a contagious passion for the world of video games. It is thanks to this constant interaction that we have managed to create a vibrant space where critical analysis and enthusiasm meet, making this annual election a true tribute to the players.

In a year marked by independent productions, which increasingly represent an important part of our habits as players, titles such as Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Dispatch, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Lumines Arise, and Despelote emerged in particular prominence. Your role is essential in keeping the passion for this art alive, especially at a time when many large publishers are experiencing unexpected adversities.

In addition to these games, we have works such as Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Split Fiction, produced by indie producers with the support of giant publishers, which have sparked immense passion over the last few months. We live in an era in which the term indie has evolved and no longer represents what it meant in previous generations.

For mega publishers and producers, great popularity represents great responsibility, but the search for a balance between obtaining financial results and satisfying the enthusiasm of players does not always go in the best way. Here are the growth of indies, with their bold productions through which they explore exciting concepts, with the ability to refresh the industry.

Nintendo won with its Switch 2, but also with titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, while Sony fascinated its players with Ghost of Yotei. Microsoft Gaming changed its stance towards rival consoles and released a wide variety of titles to become one of the main multi-platform publishers.

The time has come to join us on this journey to discover the Best Games of 2025 and the Game of the Year for Eurogamer Portugal Readers:

20 – Blue Prince

• Studio: Dogubomb
• Publisher: Raw Fury
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Innovative”

19 – Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

• Studio: Konami
• Publisher: Konami
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “because this game is cool, ok yes”

User comments: “Just because”

18 – Absolutely

• Studio: Guard Crush Games
• Publisher: Dotemu
• Platforms: PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC,

User comments: “Creative, addictive, attractive gameplay”

17 – Ninja Gaiden 4

• Studio: Team Ninja e Platinum Games
• Publisher: Microsoft Gaming
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “I love the fighting system and game dynamics”

16 – Mafia: The Old Country

• Studio: Hangar 13
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Cool game with a good story!!!”

User comments: “good game fails in open world aspects and the conclusion could be better”

15 – Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

• Studio: Retro Studios
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch

User comments: “I’m a fan of the series and I waited a long time to play this title. Some aspects surprised me and others not so much, but it’s still Metroid and you can feel it.”

14 – Arc Raiders

• Studio: Embark Studios
• Publisher: Embark Studios
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “A cooperative shooter with a stunning visual style and extremely dynamic combat. The mix of retro sci-fi and frenetic action creates an experience unlike anything else. It brings team spirit and real strategy, which makes it addictive. It is one of the most promising games of 2025 in terms of rhythm, atmosphere and cooperation.”

User comments: “Because it made me believe that games are fun to play again. I have little to play because of my personal life, but this game made me surrender to spending hours on the PC.”

13 – Assassin’s Creed: Shadows

• Studio: Ubisoft
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Xbox Series,

User comments: “Ubisoft finally got what the fans wanted right, with gameplay reminiscent of the good times of Assassin’s, stealth at the highest level, and the fact that it has 2 protagonists that can rotate between them at any time makes it one of the great games of 2025…”

User comments: “Just because!”

12 – Battlefield 6

• Studio: Battlefield Studios
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Return to the origins of the Battlefield series, bringing back the fun and immersion of combat. Each game seems to be a trailer cutscene.”

User comments: “Best multiplayer in recent years without a doubt. Here we have an FPS to last in the future and that will occupy many hours online!”

11 – Silent Hill F

• Studio: Neobards
• Publisher: Konami
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Excellent plot, gameplay and soundtrack. Replay value was above average”

User comments: “As a traditional Silent fan I was apprehensive about this new vision for the franchise. But the new setting captivated me from the first presentation and was indeed a pleasant surprise.”

10 – DOOM: The Dark Ages

• Studio: id Software
• Publisher: Bethesda Game Studios
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Dynamic combat, impeccable soundtrack.”

User comments: “When people say that 1-person story games are dead, a game of this caliber appears, with a high rotation all the time, a good variety of enemies, an intense and brutal exchange of fire, the doom franchise is present with quality and its own identity at a level that only it is capable of bringing…”

9 – Split Fiction

• Studio: Hazelight
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Simply the best co-op game ever, a succession of very different and fun stages makes the game creative and unforgettable…”

User comments: “Split-Fiction is, by far, my GOTY. After It Takes Two, I thought it was impossible to do something so grand and incredible that would surprise us every moment. I was wrong. They elevated the game and did something I never imagined. It’s one of the most original and incredible that this generation has to offer. A game capable of leaving us awestruck at all times, with different mechanics and perspectives, beautiful and diverse scenery, fantastic and perfect soundtrack for each situation, very well-crafted plot done. It motivates cooperation and there’s nothing better to play with a partner. I have Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it’s a fantastic game and it’s in my top of the best this year, but the gameplay level didn’t capture me as much, and that made the difference in choosing my GOTY. “

8 – Dispatch

• Studio: AdHoc Studio
• Publisher: AdHoc Studio
• Platforms: PS5, PC

User comments: “Incredible story and remarkable characters!!! It really deserves it, play dispatch if you love telltale games.”

User comments: “If I have to explain why this title is one of the best, it’s because we have a huge problem: Great fun, what more do you want in the world of video games?”

7 – Hades II

• Studio: Supergiant Games
• Publisher: Supergiant Games
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch 2

User comments: “They are all beautiful”

User comments: “Hades II deserves the 5th position on GOTY because it expands on everything that made the original legendary, with ambition and mastery. Supergiant shows once again that style, identity and gameplay can coexist in almost perfect harmony.”

6 – Hollow Knight: Silksong

• Studio: Team Cherry
• Publisher: Team Cherry
• Platforms: PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One

User comments: “Because it elevated the metroidvania genre, something that only the first game had achieved, as well as having more perfections than mistakes.”

User comments: “Silksong turns the impossible into reality: what was already perfect just got better. Team Cherry proves again that genius does not depend on scale, but on vision and artistic mastery.”

5 – Pokémon Legends: Z-A

• Studio: Game Freak
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch

4 – Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

• Studio: Warhorse Studios
• Publisher: Deep Silver
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “It was one of those games that when I finished, I found myself wanting more, even if they were more side quets. I had the same feeling with CP2077. That alone, at least for me, means they did things well.”

User comments: “For me it’s the best game really, Expedition 33 may even have a more concise story and better pacing, KCD2 has incredible writing, where most of the sidequests could easily be main missions in many AAA games. The performance of the actors is also sensational, it’s a game that makes you laugh, without trying to tell jokes, the combat was very difficult at the beginning for me, but I felt like I was improving and evolving along with Henry, it’s also very rewarding to explore the map, Every corner of the map, besides being visually beautiful, has hidden secrets.”

3 – Ghost of Yōtei

• Studio: Sucker Punch
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PS5

User comments: “Great continuation of the acclaimed ghost of tsushima, they managed to take all the good things they had and raised the bar to another level… the protagonist’s engaging story leaves no one indifferent…”

User comments: “It was so far the only game that kept me hooked from start to finish, all the way to Platinum, without playing any other game during my journey in Yotei.”

2 – Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

• Studio: Kojima Productions
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Platforms: PS5

User comments: “I don’t know of any game with the emotional “load” like DS2, in addition to the graphics and gameplay, which are also excellent! Perfect soundtrack!”

User comments: “Kojima being Kojima with a whole new exciting story with brilliant moments, compared to the first it contains much more action. Diversity of the map (floral areas such as deserts, snow) and the graphic aspect is probably one of the best ever made for consoles.”

1 – Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33

• Studio: Sandfall Interactive
• Publisher: Kepler Interactive
• Platforms: PS5, PC, Xbox Series

User comments: “Soundtrack, although the characters’ movements are quite stale”

User comments: “I confess, I was never very interested in RPGs, especially turn-based. I remember playing FF8 on PlayStation, and having advanced a lot without knowing how. Since then, I haven’t been able to pick up anything else until I found out about Clair Obscure. I picked it up on GamePass, it was total immersion. A fantasy world inspired by French Renaissance culture. Charismatic characters and a narrative that takes the imagination to a lucid reality. I ended up buying the game, I recommend it.”