Absolutely—what a thrilling year 2025 has been for pop culture, and the IGN Awards 2025 are the perfect way to close the book on it in style. As we gear up for the grand reveal of Game of the Year on Friday, December 19, here’s a full breakdown of what’s in store across this week-long celebration of excellence.
🎮 IGN Awards 2025: The Week Ahead
Starting Monday, December 15, we’ll roll out the winners—one category at a time—leading up to the most anticipated announcement of the year: IGN’s Game of the Year 2025.
Each day will spotlight a different pillar of entertainment, honoring the creators, developers, and storytellers who defined 2025. Here’s what to expect:
📅 Monday, December 15 – Best Xbox Game of 2025
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – A triumphant return to Hallownest, refined, expanded, and more emotionally devastating than ever.
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty – Deluxe Edition – The definitive version of V’s legacy, now with deep narrative expansions and full ray-traced immersion.
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wild – A stunning open-world companion to Breath of the Wild, blending exploration, ancient lore, and environmental puzzles.
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Beyond the Cloud – The emotional climax of the Remake trilogy, delivering a masterclass in cinematic RPG storytelling.
- Starfield: Requiem – A surprise expansion that redefines Bethesda’s sci-fi epic with entirely new planets, lore, and a haunting new ending.
👉 Winner? We’re leaning toward Hollow Knight: Silksong—a game that didn’t just meet expectations, it redefined them.
📅 Tuesday, December 16 – Best PlayStation Game of 2025
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – The debut masterpiece from Sandfall Interactive, blending surrealism, psychological horror, and breathtaking hand-painted environments.
- Horizon Forbidden West: The Last Sun – A poignant, action-packed expansion that delivers closure to Aloy’s journey with a finale that’ll haunt players for years.
- Returnal: Eternal Cycle – A relentless, time-looping shooter that evolves in real time, offering new endings based on player choices across dozens of playthroughs.
- God of War: Ragnarök – Legacy of the Valkyries – A final chapter that balances myth, family drama, and brutal combat with unmatched grace.
- Spider-Man 2: New York Reborn – A genre-bending sequel that turns NYC into a living, breathing character, complete with multiversal threats.
👉 Winner? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33—a game so bold, so original, it feels like a dream from the future.
📅 Wednesday, December 17 – Best Nintendo Game of 2025
- Super Mario Galaxy: Reimagined – A nostalgic yet revolutionary remix of the classic, now with 3D platforming that pushes the limits of creativity.
- Metroid Prime 4: Echoes of the Void – A return to form for Samus, blending atmospheric tension, sci-fi mystery, and environmental storytelling.
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wild – Already a standout, but on Nintendo’s platform, it’s an absolute must-play for fans of the series.
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus – Omega – A stunning evolution of the open-world formula, with new mechanics, deeper battle systems, and a shocking new lore arc.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons – The Festival Years – A heartfelt, community-driven expansion that celebrates connection, creativity, and seasonal joy.
👉 Winner? The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of the Wild – a game that feels like a long-lost dream from Hyrule’s past.
📅 Thursday, December 18 – Best Movie of 2025
- Sinners – A haunting, atmospheric horror thriller that pulls you into a world where guilt is a physical force. Directed by Ari Aster, it’s a masterpiece of dread and beauty.
- One Battle After Another – A pulse-pounding, non-stop war epic that blends war, survival, and existential dread in a way that feels both real and surreal.
- The Last Light of Winter – A quiet, devastating drama about memory and loss, starring Florence Pugh in a career-best performance.
- Eternity’s Edge – A sci-fi epic that reinvents the genre with emotional depth, zero CGI excess, and a haunting score.
- Legacy of the Knife – A neo-noir thriller that explores identity, trauma, and the cost of revenge in a hyper-urbanized future.
👉 Winner? Sinners – a film so immersive, you’ll question whether the fear you felt was real.
📅 Friday, December 19 – 🏆
The final night. The moment we’ve all been waiting for.
After 14 years of anticipation, Grand Theft Auto 6 has arrived—and it’s not just a game. It’s a cultural event.
- Grand Theft Auto 6 – A sprawling, hyper-realistic open world that redefines freedom in gaming. With dynamic AI, an evolving narrative, and a protagonist whose choices ripple across Vice City and beyond, GTA 6 isn’t just the year’s best—it’s the game of a generation.
Runner-ups:
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – A spiritual successor to a legend.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – A debut that shook the industry.
- Severance: Season 2 – A show that made us question reality itself.
- One Battle After Another – A cinematic tour de force.
👉 Final Verdict?
Grand Theft Auto 6 takes home IGN’s Game of the Year 2025 — not just for its scale, but for how it feels. Like stepping into a dream that never wanted to end.
🔔 Don’t Forget to Vote!
While our editorial team has made their picks, we want you to have a voice.
👉 Head to the IGN Awards 2025 Polls and cast your vote for:
- Best Game
- Best TV Show
- Best Movie
- Best Anime
- And more!
Your votes will be counted and shared in a final community report.
🎉 Final Thoughts
2025 wasn’t just a great year—it was a defining one. From Silksong’s haunting beauty to Clair Obscur’s unrelenting originality, from Sinners’ psychological horror to GTA 6’s long-awaited arrival, this year reminded us why we love stories, games, and the magic they create.
So mark your calendars.
Set your notifications.
And join us as we celebrate the very best of 2025—one award at a time.
🔥 The IGN Awards 2025 are live. The future is now. 🔥
👉 Vote Now: IGN Awards 2025 Polls
👉 Watch the Full Winner Reveal on Friday, Dec 19
🎮 See you at the finish line.
