We Should Never Settle on What 'Game of the Year' Means
The challenge of discovering innovative games remains the video game industry's biggest fundamental issue. Despite worrisome era of business acquisitions, escalating profit expectations, workforce challenges, extensive implementation of artificial intelligence, digital marketplace changes, evolving audience preferences, salvation often revolves to the mysterious power of "achieving recognition."
That's why I'm more invested in "honors" like never before.
With only several weeks left in the year, we're firmly in GOTY period, a time when the minority of players not enjoying the same multiple free-to-play shooters every week play through their library, debate development quality, and realize that even they won't experience everything. We'll see detailed best-of lists, and anticipate "you overlooked!" responses to those lists. A player general agreement voted on by press, influencers, and followers will be revealed at industry event. (Industry artisans weigh in next year at the DICE Awards and GDC Awards.)
This entire recognition serves as entertainment — there are no accurate or inaccurate choices when it comes to the greatest titles of this year — but the stakes do feel greater. Any vote made for a "GOTY", be it for the grand main award or "Excellent Puzzle Experience" in fan-chosen awards, opens a door for a breakthrough moment. A moderate experience that received little attention at release may surprisingly find new life by rubbing shoulders with higher-profile (i.e. heavily marketed) blockbuster games. After 2024's Neva popped up in the running for recognition, I know without doubt that many people quickly wanted to read coverage of Neva.
Historically, award shows has made minimal opportunity for the variety of games published annually. The challenge to address to consider all feels like a monumental effort; nearly eighteen thousand releases came out on digital platform in the previous year, while just 74 releases — including new releases and live service titles to smartphone and virtual reality specialized games — were included across the ceremony finalists. When popularity, discussion, and platform discoverability influence what players choose annually, there's simply impossible for the framework of honors to properly represent a year's worth of releases. Nevertheless, potential exists for enhancement, assuming we accept it matters.
The Expected Nature of Annual Honors
Earlier this month, a long-running ceremony, one of video games' oldest recognition events, published its finalists. While the decision for Game of the Year itself happens early next month, you can already observe the trend: This year's list made room for deserving candidates — major releases that garnered recognition for refinement and scope, hit indies celebrated with blockbuster-level hype — but in numerous of categories, there's a noticeable concentration of recurring games. Across the incredible diversity of visual style and gameplay approaches, the "Best Visual Design" creates space for two different sandbox experiences set in feudal Japan: Ghost of Yōtei and Assassin's Creed Shadows.
"Suppose I were creating a 2026 Game of the Year ideally," a journalist wrote in online commentary that I am enjoying, "it must feature a PlayStation open world RPG with strategic battle systems, companion relationships, and RNG-heavy roguelite progression that embraces risk-reward systems and has basic building development systems."
Industry recognition, in all of official and community iterations, has become foreseeable. Several cycles of nominees and honorees has created a formula for the sort of high-quality 30-plus-hour experience can earn GOTY recognition. We see experiences that never reach top honors or even "significant" technical awards like Creative Vision or Narrative, frequently because to innovative design and unique gameplay. Many releases published in a year are expected to be limited into genre categories.
Notable Instances
Hypothetical: Would Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, a game with review aggregate marginally below Death Stranding 2 and Ghosts of Yōtei, reach highest rankings of annual top honor category? Or even a nomination for superior audio (since the soundtrack stands out and merits recognition)? Unlikely. Best Racing Game? Sure thing.
How exceptional must Street Fighter 6 have to be to achieve top honor recognition? Will judges look at unique performances in Baby Steps, The Alters, or The Drifter and recognize the most exceptional acting of 2025 absent major publisher polish? Can Despelote's short play time have "sufficient" plot to warrant a (justified) Best Narrative recognition? (Furthermore, should annual event benefit from Excellent Non-Fiction category?)
Similarity in preferences throughout multiple seasons — among journalists, within communities — reveals a method increasingly biased toward a specific lengthy experience, or smaller titles that landed with sufficient attention to qualify. Problematic for a sector where discovery is crucial.
