Game awards 2025 recap: If you didn’t stay up last night to watch Geoff Keighley’s annual spectacle, you missed the biggest upset in The Game Awards history. For months, the narrative was clear: 2025 was supposed to be the battle of the titans. We had Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Capcom’s juggernaut Monster Hunter Wilds.
But when the envelope was opened for Game of the Year, neither of them walked away with the statue.
Instead, a AA turn-based RPG from a French studio nobody knew two years ago took the crown. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is your 2025 Game of the Year.
Here is why this matters, who got snubbed, and why the “GTA VI Delay” was the secret MVP of the night.
1. The Winner: Why ‘Clair Obscur’ Won It All
- Developer: Sandfall Interactive
- Release Date: April 24, 2025
- Genre: Turn-Based RPG
In an era of 100-hour open-world bloated maps (looking at you, Ubisoft), Clair Obscur dared to be focused. It launched back in April to quiet critical acclaim, but its “slow burn” word-of-mouth is what carried it to the podium.
The “Secret Sauce”: It perfected the “Active Turn-Based” system. It felt like Persona 5 had a baby with Dark Souls—stylish, punishing, and requiring reflex-based parries during turn-based combat.
Why it won: The voters are tired of “Content Slop.” Clair Obscur offered a tight 30-hour narrative about the “Paintress” erasing people by age—a haunting, beautiful story that stuck with players way longer than the sheer spectacle of its competitors. It’s a victory for art direction over graphical fidelity.
2. The Snubs: Kojima and Capcom Walk Away Empty-Handed (Mostly)
The silence in the Peacock Theater was palpable when Death Stranding 2 lost.
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (June 2025): It swept the technical awards (Best Audio, Best Performance for Elle Fanning), but it was likely “too Kojima” for the broad voting body. The “walking simulator” meme is dead, but the game was arguably too esoteric for the top prize.
- Monster Hunter Wilds (Feb 2025): The “People’s Champion.” It won Best RPG and Best Multiplayer, which it deserved. But let’s be honest—Monster Hunter is comfort food. It doesn’t push the medium forward narratively, which is usually a requirement for the GOTY statue.
3. The “Elephant in the Room”: The GTA VI Delay
The biggest news wasn’t an award; it was a lack of one.
Rockstar Games confirmed weeks ago that Grand Theft Auto VI has slipped to November 19, 2026.
The “Raza Rant” Take: This delay actually saved the show. If GTA VI had launched this year, it would have sucked the oxygen out of the room. Its absence allowed games like Clair Obscur and Ghost of Yōtei to shine.
However, the industry is terrified. 2026 is now effectively “The Year of GTA.” If you are a developer, move your game to Q1 2026 or push it to 2027. Do not launch near November 19.
4. Other Notable Winners
- Best Indie: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (Nostalgia wins).
- Best Action: Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software simply does not miss).
- Best Narrative: Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch proved Jin Sakai wasn’t the only Ghost who could carry a franchise).
The Verdict
2025 will be remembered as the year the “AA” game struck back. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proved you don’t need a $300 million budget to win hearts; you just need a soul.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to replay Expedition 33 on New Game Plus to see what I missed.