My favorite game of 2025 wasn't even nominated for GOTY, but you should definitely play it

game award Game of the Year, and my personal GOTY, has announced its 2025 nominees for the first-person roguelike puzzle game. Blue Princewas not nominated. The list of Game Awards 2025 nominees is particularly stacked, and it's hard to argue that the six games nominated for the top prize don't deserve it.

The Game Awards are 6 games nominated for Game of the Year in 2025 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Banana, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksongand Kingdom Come: Redemption 2. Campaign 33 In the eyes of many, the critically-acclaimed turn-based RPG broke the record for the most nominations at a single game awards ceremony with 12. Blue Prince It wasn't nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, but it's still something I think everyone should play, even if they don't consider themselves fans of puzzle games.

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The game withdraws from award nominations

A Game Award nominee has withdrawn their game from consideration after determining that it does not fit the criteria for its nominated category.

Blue Prince is a puzzle game where players explore a vast estate with the ultimate goal of reaching the elusive Room 46 using a limited number of steps. The catch is that the layout of the mansion changes every day and transforms based on the rooms players choose. Some rooms are dead-ends and some have negative effects that make it difficult to reach Room 46, but others give players perks and useful items that make their journey a little easier. On average, most people “beat” Blue Prince In 15-20 hours or less, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Blue Prince Great because it can be a normal-length game and leave you feeling satisfied, but it has enough puzzles and mysteries that it can also be a great 100 hour+ adventure. It's the latter for me, and it's one of my most played games of the entire year. I was totally fascinated Blue Prince And I recommend it to everyone I can.

Blue Prince has a higher critic score than some of the GOTY nominees

I am certainly not alone in my love Blue Prince. Blue Prince It received an overall rating of 92 on review aggregate site Metacritic, making it the third-highest rated new game of the year when discounting re-releases such as the Switch 2 versions. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Hades 2 and Campaign 33 But they are ahead with 95 and 92 points respectively Blue Prince is ahead of DK Banana (91), Silksong (90), and Kingdom Come: Redemption 2 (88). I personally scored Blue Prince A perfect 10. The Game Awards GOTY nominees aren't the only list of the highest-rated games in any given year, and so it's still not entirely surprising. Blue Prince was not nominated.

Blue Prince isn't nominated for Game of the Year, but it is up for other awards

Blue Prince It didn't receive a GOTY nod, but it has been nominated for other awards at the Game Awards. Blue Prince Nominated for Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game, though Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Nominated in those categories as well. It is very likely Campaign 33 The game will sweep the prize and Blue Prince It won't win Best Independent Game or Best Debut Indie Game, but being nominated at all is still a testament to its quality. Personally, I think so too Blue Prince Appreciable for outstanding art direction.

Blue Prince Won Best Indie Game of the Year at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards.

You don't even need to buy Blue Prince to play it

At the time of this writing, and possibly until April 2026 or maybe beyond, you don't even have to buy. Blue Prince Play it completely. The game normally retails for $29.99, and is worth every penny, but it's also easily available to play through an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PlayStation Plus Extra subscription. Blue Prince It was a rare day one game for both Game Pass and PS Plus simultaneously when it released earlier this year, and it's easily one of the best games to grace any subscription platform in 2025. If you've signed up for one of these services, great, but if not, you can sign up for Game Pass Ultimate for $29.99 and check them both out. Blue Prince and GOTY nominated Clair Obscur: Expedition 33While PS Plus Extra also has its fair share of heavy hitters available.

Blue Prince is not a co-op game, but you still have to play it with a friend

Blue Prince is a single-player game, but I think playing it as a “cooperative” game would dramatically improve the experience. The way my wife and I played, we took turns running, and whoever's turn it was wasn't on notebook duty. We filled an entire notebook full of clues, ideas, and reminders as we played, and when we said “Ah-ha!” It was very satisfying. Moments together. playing Blue Prince Having a partner means sharing the burden of figuring out the game's intricate puzzles and strategizing with someone to come up with a plan to beat the game. Taking turns also reduces the frustration of a bad run, as you don't risk having two bad runs back to back.

Sports Awards 2025 Will be on Thursday, December 11th.