These 14 games make a case for a broader 2025 Game of the Year conversation: not an official nominee list, but an editorial argument that racing, puzzle, co-op, mobile sports simulation, and expansion content deserve attention alongside familiar action adventures and RPGs. Some later received recognition from specific awards; that does not make all 14 formal nominees.
What “contender” means here
This is a case for consideration, not a ranking based on shared scoring or testing. The games span distinct genres, formats, and play styles, so the useful question is what each brings to the conversation. The platform notes below reflect the source article’s 2025 list, not a live storefront check; confirm current availability before buying.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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DOG MAN: Misson Impawsible - PlayStation 5 | $23.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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WWE 2K25 - PlayStation 5 | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business – PlayStation 5 | $28.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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VGC: The 2025 Guide to Video Games: The 2025 Guide to Video Games | $14.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2025 | $6.48 | Buy on Amazon |
Story-led games and unusual narrative forms
Avowed
Avowed makes its case as a focused action RPG, pairing spell-based combat with dialogue choices that matter. Its story’s engagement with crisis and authoritarianism gives the adventure a thematic edge. The original list names Windows PC and Xbox Series X.
Despelote
Julián Cordero’s memoir follows childhood in Quito during Ecuador’s qualification run for the 2002 World Cup. Football is part of the setting, but the game’s appeal is also its personal, place-specific view of growing up. The original list names PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
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#1 Best Overall
- 50 Exciting Levels: Explore iconic locations from the Dog Man universe, including the City Hall, Giant Marshmallow Factory, and the Police Station. Each location offers platforming and puzzle-solving challenges.
- Teamwork: Switch between Dog Man and his Supa Buddies, each with their own special abilities, to overcome obstacles and defeat bosses. o Dog Man: Digs underground and glides through the air. o Li’l Petey: Hacks gadgets and fits into small spaces. o 80-HD: Pushes heavy objects and jumps long distances.
- Fun Gadgets: Unlock new gadgets and abilities as you progress, like a grappling hook, rocket boots and power gloves to navigate through the levels. Puzzles and Bosses: Use your brain to solve puzzles and defeat unique bosses. Each boss fight requires clever use of your team’s abilities.
- Humor and Action: Enjoy funny dialogue, amusing interactions, and non-stop action that keeps you engaged in Dog Man’s world. Rewards and Collectibles: Revisit levels with new gadgets to find secret areas, and rescue the missing Comic Club members.
- Art Style: Great animations inspired by the books, with comic-style sound effects that add a fun, cartoonish touch to the action.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
This game brings visual-novel storytelling together with tactical RPG battles in a high-stakes science-fiction story. Its stated 100 distinct endings make the branching narrative a central part of the pitch. The original list names Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.
And Roger
And Roger is a short narrative game that uses disorientation and interaction to convey a difficult medical experience. Its subject and approach are best encountered without spoilers. The original list names Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.
Koira
A forest journey with a puppy gives Koira a gentler narrative frame. Music-centered communication sits alongside stealth and puzzles, making companionship and exploration part of how the game plays. The original list names PS5 and Windows PC.
Rank #2
- RULE BEYOND THE RING: In a franchise first, step outside the ropes and onto The Island for Xbox Series X|S/PlayStation 5—an immersive, WWE-themed world filled with epic arenas, challenges, and live events. Fight to join the Bloodline with “The Original Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns, as you upgrade and customize your MySUPERSTAR through multiple storyline chapters.
- 2K SHOWCASE: THE BLOODLINE'S DYNASTY: The all-new Showcase, hosted by “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman, celebrates one of the most historic family dynasties in wrestling. Relive legendary showdowns or dream matches between The Bloodline and WWE Superstars and Legends.
- EXPANDED GAMEPLAY - Intergender wrestling makes its long-awaited debut in the WWE 2K franchise Additional features include the return of chain wrestling, Underground and Bloodline Rules match types, barricade diving, and more.
- MyGM GOES WORLDWIDE - Take your show on the road with MyGM, now featuring online multiplayer. Draft WWE Superstars and Legends to your show’s roster and lead your brand through multi-week seasons.
Games built around systems, movement, and challenge
Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening puts survival on Arrakis at the center of its design. Water scarcity, sandworms, and resource gathering make the setting shape the player’s decisions rather than serving as backdrop alone. The original list names Windows PC.
Sword of the Sea
Sword of the Sea draws on skateboarding and snowboarding for its movement, with visual design and a score by Austin Wintory among its stated attractions. The original list names PS5 and Windows PC.
Öoo
This compact puzzle-platformer makes bomb blasts a tool for movement as well as problem-solving. That simple premise gives it a distinct mechanical hook. The original list names Windows PC.
Rank #3
- ROBOCOP IS BACK ON DUTY TO SETTLE UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Experience an all-new scenario set in a tower in chaos. OmniTower.
- FIGHT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP FLOOR: Following RoboCop's decisive victory over Detroit's gangs, a new chapter unfolds in this standalone extension set after the events of RoboCop: Rogue City.
- FACE A DEADLIER CLASS OF CRIMINALS: Prepare to take on a new breed of enemies. OmniTower is packed with high-tech threats - explosive drones, mercenaries in jet packs, androids armed with katanas and more.
- RESTORE ORDER WITH JUSTICE SERVED COLD: When it’s too late to shout "freeze", you can rely on RoboCop’s arsenal to to cool down enemies' ambitions. Choose from a wide range of powerful weapons to serve Justice, including the iconic Auto-9 or the all-new Cryo Cannon. Or destroy mercenaries in hand-to-hand combat with spectacular finishing moves.
- PLAY AS ALEX MURPHY: Experience unique missions with familiar faces which reveal more of the storyline of Unfinished Business. Gameplay blends nervous action and investigation, where your choices can decide the fate of citizens.
Tokyo Xtreme Racer
Tokyo Xtreme Racer represents racing and early-access releases in the broader GOTY discussion. The source article praises its retro-inspired presentation, street-racing atmosphere, and nocturnal setting; those are editorial assessments, not a common test result. The original list names Windows PC.
Co-op and social play
Peak
Peak turns climbing into unpredictable co-op, with teamwork and comic mishaps central to the experience described by the source article. It is a reminder that a game’s appeal can come as much from the stories friends create together as from a conventional solo campaign. The original list names Windows PC.
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Elden Ring Nightreign reshapes familiar Elden Ring combat into faster, shorter cooperative runs, with changing conditions and recurring updates. That shift in format makes it a notable example of a large action-RPG world being reworked around social play. The original list names PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
R.E.P.O.
This social co-op horror game sends players to search for valuables while communicating around monsters that can hear them. The tension comes from coordination under threat, not just from encountering enemies. The original list names Windows PC.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sports simulation and expansion content count, too
Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Umamusume: Pretty Derby brings sports-simulation structure and horse-racing themes to its global release. Character training, race strategy, and connections to real-life racehorses distinguish it from the more common console action and RPG contenders. The original list names Android, iOS, and Windows PC.
Lies of P: Overture
Lies of P: Overture is an expansion, not a standalone game, and the source argues that expansion content can merit awards consideration. Its prequel story, characters, weapons, enemies, and setting form the basis of that case. The original list names PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Best Value
How the awards record differs from this editorial list
Later recognition was specific to each award. Japan Game Awards 2025 lists Elden Ring Nightreign, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, and The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- among its Award for Excellence recipients; it names Metaphor: ReFantazio separately as Grand Award. Japan Game Awards 2025 award results.
Xbox Wire’s recap lists Avowed as a Best RPG nominee at The Game Awards 2025. That is one title in one category, not evidence that all 14 games were nominated. Xbox Wire’s 2025 nominees recap.
PlayStation Blog reported nearly 1.5 million votes across 19 categories for its own 2025 awards. It wrote: “This year’s voting saw nearly 1.5 million votes cast across the awards’ 19 categories, with your choices, and your choices only, deciding which games would earn the coveted top spots and accompanying trophies.” That figure describes PlayStation Blog’s awards vote, not general industry participation. PlayStation Blog’s 2025 awards results.
Check platforms and editions before buying
The platform information above records what the 2025 source article listed; it is not confirmation of current availability. Check the game’s official store page for your platform and region before purchase.
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A physical Elden Ring Nightreign release is documented in FromSoftware’s 2025 announcement: the Japanese packaged standard edition was for PS5 and PS4, alongside download editions. The announcement also describes a physical Collector’s Edition with the game, an approximately 25 cm statue, a 40-page hardcover art book, a steelbook, character cards, and digital content codes. This establishes the product and its announced contents, not current stock or a US-region listing. FromSoftware’s 2025 announcement.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
