This year was absolutely overflowing with amazing games, but from our readers’ perspective, there was one very, very clear winner for game of the year. We used ranked positional voting – the Borda count method – to gather the results. Readers sent us their top five games of the year and 73% or respondents ranked Clair Obscur in their top five.

You can find your top 10 list below, as well as an additional 40 games. Thanks to everyone who sent us their top five list!

Sword of the Sea

50. The Roottrees Are Dead
49. Atomfall
48. Keeper
47. Mafia: The Old Country
46. Hell is Us
45. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
44. Absolum
43. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
42. Sword of the Sea
41. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

The Alters

40. Ninja Gaiden 4
39. Lies of P: Overture
38. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
37. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
36. The Alters
35. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
34. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
33. Cronos: The New Dawn
32. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
31. Digimon Story Time Stranger

South of Midnight

30. South of Midnight
29. Deltarune Chapters 3+4
28. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
27. Peak
26. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
25. Assassin's Creed Shadows
24. Monster Hunter Wilds
23. Elden Ring Nightreign
22. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
21. Ball x Pit

Split Fiction

20. Pokémon Legends: Z-A
19. Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
18. Mario Kart World
17. Borderlands 4
16. Avowed
15. Doom: The Dark Ages
14. Silent Hill f
13. The Outer Worlds 2
12. Battlefield 6
11. Split Fiction

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

10. ARC Raiders
9. Blue Prince
8. Dispatch
7. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
6. Donkey Kong Bananza
5. Ghost of Yōtei
4. Hollow Knight: Silksong
3. Hades II
2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the latest game to grace the cover of Game Informer, and to write that cover story, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to visit Square Enix's Shibuya offices and play the game, interview the team behind it, and even check out the dolls foundational to this remake's unique aesthetic. While the dolls were out, we captured some exclusive video of each, giving you a close-up look of Reimagined's party members: Hero, Maribel, Kiefer, Ruff, Aishe, and Sir Mervyn. 

Alongside that, we spoke to Reimagined director Masato Yagi about the decision to create a doll-like visual style and the diaorama-esque aeshetic of Estard and the surrounding world. But before that, check out this exclusive video about the dolls: 

When I ask Yagi how the team landed on these dolls, going so far as to pay a local Japanese doll studio, Studio Nova, to create them, he says it's about Akira Toriyama's art in the original game. 

"The reason or factor [for] the doll-and-handcrafted aesthetics is that when you look at the original character designs from Akira Toriyama, when compared with other Dragon Quest character designs, the characters of Dragon Quest VII are drawn in a shorter scale," Yagi says. "I think that really matched the unique aesthetics of the storytelling of Dragon Quest VII. The doll [visual look] really meshed well together [with that art and aesthetic of DQVII]."

Yagi adds, "The original story of Dragon Quest VII involved, as you know, the protagonists – as they move forward with their progress and their adventures, more islands [to explore and visit] are revealed; there are more areas that they can explore. I think that system just kind of made sense and just fits well with the diorama aesthetic, too." 

 

You can see firsthand how these doll aesthetics work in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined when it launches on February 5 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC. 

In the meantime, check out this article breaking down everything in the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined issue of Game Informer, and be sure to subscribe here if you haven't yet to access the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined cover story, our deep dive into Dragon Quest history with creator Yuji Horii, and so much more.

Do you like the doll aesthetic? Let us know in the comments below!

It's that time of the year again – snow is falling (in some places), stores are busier than ever, decorations overtake lawns, and the temperatures beg you to stay inside and enjoy some video games. Like every year, Steam is answering the call with its annual Steam Winter Sale and the 2025 edition promises discounts on some of the year's biggest games when it goes live this Thursday, on December 18, at 10 a.m. PT.

Though we don't know exact pricing discounts just yet, if you're familiar with this yearly sale, you know the discounts can be quite steep. Steam released a trailer highlighting some of the games that will be on sale. If you were waiting to purchase some of the year's biggest and best releases, this might be your moment because the Steam Winter Sale 2025 includes discounts on Dispatch, Hades II, Elden Ring Nightreign, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Borderlands 4, and more. 

Here are the other games mentioned in the Steam Winter Sale 2025 trailer: 

• Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Borderlands 4 – Our Review
• Dune: Awakening
• Dying Light: The Beast – Our Review
• The Last of Us Part II Remastered
• Rematch
• Slime Rancher 2
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – Our Review
• Megabonk
• Digimon Story Time Stranger
• R.E.P.O.
• Assassin's Creed Shadows – Our Review
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2 – Our Review
• RV There Yet?
• Escape from Duckov
• Dispatch – Our Review
• Deltarune
• Elden Ring Nightreign – Our Review
• Hades II – Our Review
• Drive Beyond Horizons

The Steam Winter Sale 2025 begins Thursday, December 18, at 10 a.m. PT and will run through January 5. 

What games are you hoping to pick up? Let us know in the comments below!

Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim has received a Presidential Commendation award for his contributions to the country's video game industry. Automaton (via Daum) reports that Kim was recognized "for his achievements in enhancing the country's global competitiveness in the game industry through Shift Up," which is the Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke studio that he leads as CEO, as noted by IGN. 

The Korea Content Awards is hosted by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and aims to honor individuals and groups that contribute to the country's content development, whether that be games, movies, TV, or something else. Automaton writes that Kim accepted the award in person, thanking the Shift Up development team and the studio's fans. He also spoke about Shift Up's ongoing work on a sequel to Stellar Blade and other projects. 

"This Presidential Commendation is thanks to the development team and fans who believed in and supported Shift Up," Kim reportedly said after accepting the award. "We will continue to do our utmost to further showcase the competitiveness of Korean games on the global stage." 

Speaking of that sequel, Shift Up's latest financial earnings reveal the team aims to release its sequel to Stellar Blade before 2027, indicating it could be on the way next year. We'll have to wait and see, though, if that actually happens. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's Stellar Blade review. 

[Source: Daum via Automaton, IGN]

Did you play Stellar Blade? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

Hollow Knight: Silksong developer Team Cherry has revealed that the game will get a free nautical-themed expansion sometime next year, adding new areas, bosses, tools, and more. Plus, the team announced that Silksong has sold more than seven million copies, noting that this number doesn't include the "millions more" playing it via Xbox Game Pass. 

That's an exciting update from Team Cherry as the developer looks to close out the year, but it also announced that it's working on a Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Hollow Knight that will launch in 2026 and be free to all owners of Hollow Knight on Nintendo Switch. "Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch 2 Edition incorporates all the updates and enhancements that Silksong received on the platform: High frame-rate modes, higher resolutions, and many additional graphical effects," a blog post reads. 

Check out the Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow teaser below: 

Additionally, Team Cherry says it is updating all versions of the original Hollow Knight for current platforms, adding features and fixing bugs, with PC players able to experience many of these updates right now via public beta branches. "That includes full 16:10 and 21:9 aspect ratio support for those of you with Steam Decks or ultrawide monitors," the post reads. You can read the complete list of fixes here. 

Finally, Team Cherry's end-of-year update includes details on new Silksong mini figs available for preorder now. 

"Beyond Fangamer's excellent items, the Hollow Knight games will also be popping up in various sales across the holiday break," the post concludes. "Keep an eye out to grab a discounted copy, whether that's for a friend, a family member, or for yourself. That's it! But for a tiny team, that feels like a lot! And we've even more plans for 2026 that we're keeping under wraps. For now, though, Team Cherry will be taking a few weeks to rest and prepare before the big year to come." 

Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC sometime in 2026. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's Hollow Knight: Silksong review, and then read Game Informer's list of the top 10 Nintendo Switch 2 games. After that, read Game Informer's review of Hollow Knight. 

Am I grasping at straws, or is this Sea of Sorrow teaser an homage to The Little Mermaid? Let me know in the comments below!