Let's Never Settle on What 'Game of the Year' Means
The challenge of discovering innovative games persists as the gaming industry's biggest fundamental issue. Even in stressful era of corporate consolidation, escalating profit expectations, labor perils, extensive implementation of artificial intelligence, platform turmoil, shifting audience preferences, hope in many ways revolves to the elusive quality of "breaking through."
That's why I'm more invested in "honors" more than before.
Having just several weeks left in the calendar, we're firmly in GOTY period, a time when the small percentage of enthusiasts not enjoying similar several no-cost competitive titles weekly tackle their unplayed games, debate the craft, and understand that they as well won't experience all releases. We'll see exhaustive best-of lists, and anticipate "you overlooked!" responses to those lists. An audience broad approval chosen by journalists, streamers, and enthusiasts will be revealed at The Game Awards. (Industry artisans weigh in next year at the interactive achievements ceremony and Game Developers Conference honors.)
This entire recognition is in entertainment — there are no correct or incorrect selections when naming the top games of this year — but the significance do feel greater. Any vote selected for a "annual best", whether for the prestigious GOTY prize or "Excellent Puzzle Experience" in fan-chosen honors, opens a door for a breakthrough moment. A moderate game that flew under the radar at launch may surprisingly find new life by competing with more recognizable (i.e. heavily marketed) major titles. Once the previous year's Neva appeared in the running for an honor, I know without doubt that tons of gamers suddenly wanted to read analysis of Neva.
Historically, award shows has established limited space for the breadth of releases published every year. The hurdle to address to evaluate all appears like an impossible task; nearly numerous releases came out on digital platform in last year, while merely 74 titles — from latest titles and ongoing games to mobile and VR platform-specific titles — were represented across The Game Awards selections. While commercial success, conversation, and platform discoverability determine what people play every year, there's simply no way for the scaffolding of honors to do justice a year's worth of releases. Still, there exists opportunity for improvement, assuming we accept its significance.
The Familiar Pattern of Annual Honors
Recently, the Golden Joystick Awards, one of interactive entertainment's most established awards ceremonies, revealed its nominees. While the selection for Game of the Year proper occurs early next month, you can already notice the trend: 2025's nominations made room for deserving candidates — massive titles that have earned praise for polish and scope, popular smaller titles welcomed with AAA-scale excitement — but throughout multiple of honor classifications, there's a noticeable concentration of familiar titles. In the incredible diversity of visual style and mechanical design, excellent graphics category creates space for multiple sandbox experiences taking place in ancient Japan: Ghost of Yōtei and Assassin's Creed Shadows.
"Suppose I were designing a 2026 Game of the Year ideally," an observer wrote in online commentary I'm still enjoying, "it should include a PlayStation exploration role-playing game with mixed gameplay mechanics, companion relationships, and randomized procedural advancement that leans into chance elements and features modest management base building."
Award selections, in all of organized and informal forms, has become predictable. Years of finalists and victors has created a formula for which kind of polished lengthy title can achieve award consideration. We see experiences that never achieve main categories or including "significant" technical awards like Direction or Narrative, frequently because to creative approaches and unique gameplay. The majority of titles launched in a year are destined to be relegated into specialized awards.
Notable Instances
Consider: Would Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, a title with a Metacritic score only slightly below Death Stranding 2 and Ghosts of Yōtei, achieve the top 10 of The Game Awards' GOTY category? Or maybe consideration for excellent music (as the soundtrack stands out and deserves it)? Unlikely. Top Racing Title? Certainly.
How exceptional does Street Fighter 6 require being to earn top honor consideration? Might selectors consider unique performances in Baby Steps, The Alters, or The Drifter and acknowledge the greatest performances of 2025 lacking AAA production values? Can Despelote's short length have "enough" narrative to merit a (earned) Top Story honor? (Also, should annual event benefit from Excellent Non-Fiction award?)
Similarity in choices across multiple seasons — on the media level, within communities — reveals a system more biased toward a certain lengthy experience, or independent games that landed with sufficient a splash to check the box. Concerning for an industry where discovery is crucial.
