The big finish to our Game of the Year festivities is choosing and ranking our ten favorite games of the year. You can listen to the full podcast where we narrow down and rank these games or simply read the results below. These rankings are made in fun based on the games we had time to play this year. It shouldn’t be viewed as an effort to make a definitive ranking as much as a way for us to share our enthusiasm and for you to learn about games you might have overlooked.

One of the best parts of the Game of the Year festivities is not just picking our top ten games but also being able to shine a line on a host of other titles through unique awards. You can listen to the full podcast where we debated these awards or simply read the results below. These awards are handed out in fun based on the games we had time to play this year.

Big cuts at Ubisoft for games in development, will that also mean big cuts in staffing? Plus, Life is Strange gets a conclusion, Marathon gets a date, Tomb Raider really is getting a series, God of War gets a Thor, Ball X Pit gets an update, and more! This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

While it feels hyperbolic to label any year the “year of the indie game,” 2025 might have actually been the first year where indies and smaller, side projects won out for me over traditional AAA blockbusters. I often lament that somewhere over the years we lost the experimental and just plain weird games that once made the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast generations so memorable.

I’ll be the first to admit it: I am not a “played-every-major-release-this-year” kind of gamer. While I may not play everything, I always make time when my favorite franchise releases something new. The Pokémon franchise has been with me for most of my life, and 2025 gave us something truly special with Pokémon Legends: Z-A. A return to Lumiose City, a reimagining of Kalos through its iconic urban space, and, most importantly, a brand-new slate of Mega Evolutions.

AKA: Games I played the most when I could have been studying 2025 Megabonk Risk of Rain 2 meets Vampire Survivors and somehow becomes more addictive? Developer Vedinad had the bold and unforgivable audacity to release their monstrosity Mega bonk into the world the same semester I start grad school. RUDE, I know! So much replayability, so little time. Still, Megabonk is a game I am delighted I picked up.

It's time for our Game of the Year 2025 festivities! A celebration so big that it takes us two episodes to cover it all. For day two we're whittling down a list of thirty titles into our top ten of the year! Who will make it and who will go home bitter plotting their revenge? Guns of Fury, Sektori, Blippo+, Dispatch, Blue Prince, Split Fiction, and more battle it out. This week's crew includes Mario Sanders, Christina Ivey, and Justin Young.

2025 might be the best year of my video game playing life when it comes to the quality of the games I played. Recently, I streamed a countdown of my 100 favorite games and games I played for the first time in 2025 had some strong representation. Is there a near 100% likelihood that the cause of that was due to the fact that I didn’t play a ton of terrible N64 games in 2025?

Howdy, Pardner. I made a point of taking notes on the games I played this year in preparation for writing this list - the following is adapted (in the order i played them) from those notes, new thoughts from thinking back on each game, and anything useful from the reviews I wrote on Steam, all of which I would someday love to adapt to a video format.

It's time for our Game of the Year 2025 festivities! A celebration so big that it takes us two episodes to cover it all. First up, the awards! Join us as we debate and award Best Retro Bone, Most Disappointing Game, Best Game with Friends, Adaptation of the Year, and more! This week's crew includes Mario Sanders, Christina Ivey, and Justin Young.

Racing Game of the Year: Kirby Air Riders I’m sorry, Sonic Racing Crossworlds; I think you’re equally fun to play. I’m sorry, Mario Kart World; the Moo Moo Meadows cow is still iconic. But on top of being a Kirby fan in general, the Nintendo Directs for this game built up so much hype for me—I even saved them to playlists because I think they’re a great example to show to future students about how to build excitement and show off a product with humor and well-timed reveals—and the game fully delivered.

It's holiday break for schools and that means whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, or another holiday, you'll probably be spending lots of time with family and friends. If you're like us, usually some of those you gather with are not near as big of game players. That can make picking something appropriate difficult, but fear not! For the latest episode of the podcast…

Netflix is maybe buying Warner Brothers and that means Mortal Kombat? Call of Duty is shifting gears after sales disappointment? Capcom thinks Mega Man is ready for the big leagues? Postal's public relations is funnier than anything in the game? All of this plus LEGO Party, And Roger, and more! Plus, we pick the best games to play with friends and family over the holidays. This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

Saudi Arabia takes a big bite out of Electronic Arts, Roblox puts their foot in their mouth, Epic wants you to forget its cheating ways, Far Cry comes to TV, dating in virtual reality, a Sonic cinematic universe, The Game Awards predictions, and more! Plus we talk Hollow Knight: Silksong and more titles. This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

Big news as Steam announces their new console the Steam Machine along with an updated Steam Controller and the VR Steam Frame headset. Plus we talk keeping old games relevant, PlayStation's State of Play Japan, Rockstar's nefarious firings, and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer, Plus, we discuss some classic 16-bit titles, Fortnite, and Lumines Arise! This week's crew includes Mario Sanders and Justin Young.

Nintendo has lots of good news to report, plus some teasing for new feature films. Plus, Steam Deck adds a much requested feature, Saints Row returns from the grave maybe, Animal Crossing gets a glow up, consumers love remakes, and more! Plus, we talk Grooveyard, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, and Wreckreation. This week's crew includes Mario Sanders and Justin Young.

It's been another one of those weeks for Xbox with Halo: Campaign Evolved, Forza taking a break, and Xbox going the way of Microsoft Office? But we also need to talk about Pokémon Legends Z-A, Shadow Labyrinth, Amazon's seeming exit from game development, and the odds of Jack Black getting an EGOT! This week's crew includes Frankie Kimmell, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

It's spooky season and that means haunted hayrides and haunted houses, macabre movies and gruesome games! For the latest episode of the podcast, our Big Question posed what are the five best games to play for Halloween? Our answers are below along with some honorable mentions to get you in the right frightful mood. 1. Costume Quest An RPG set at Halloween?

The Switch 2 is the biggest launch ever? Kirby has a lot to say? Atari is throwing an old rival a bone? Scarface is in some legal trouble? Angry Birds is running out of steam? Ubisoft is censoring games before they exist? All of this and some discussion of Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Ball x Pit, CloverPit, and more! This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

Electronic Arts is selling to Saudi Arabia? Xbox is raising prices on everything? Nightdive Studios is remastering their remasters? Halo has something to share? Rock Band is saying farewell? All of this plus some Blippo+ channel surfing! This week's crew includes Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

Xbox is raising prices again but what does this mean for the game industry at large? Japan is censoring Dying Light. Kojima is knocking on OD's door. All this and some Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Megabonk, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds talk! This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

Nintendo dumped plenty of news on us this week so we sift through Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's motorcycle, Donkey Kong Bananza's slight DLC, Super Mario Galaxy's triumphant return, Mario Tennis Fever's adventure, and more! Plus, we talk Atari's original Adventure and its legacy. This week's crew includes Mario Sanders and Justin Young.

There's a big Nintendo Direct coming, so we have some thoughts on what we might see in the way of Super Mario Bros.' 40th anniversary. We also chat the Acclaim games reveal, Forza Horizon going to Tokyo, Wolfenstein finishing the trilogy, Hollow Knight: Silksong's monstrous launch, and more! This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.

Acclaim rises from the dead, Skate shows proof of life, Nintendo says no thanks to third parties, Halloween goes single player, Mortal Kombat goes digging through the dregs of the franchise, and more! Plus, lots of wrestling talk. This week's crew includes Mario Sanders and Justin Young.

We're back from out summer hiatus with lots of news out of Gamescom, the return of Bubsy, Sonic and Pac-Man teaming up, Kirby and friends going karting, and more! Plus, a bit of wrestling talk. This week's crew includes Christina Ivey, Mario Sanders, and Justin Young.