The end of the year is usually a happy time for most people. This is because you have extra free time to spend time with your loved ones and indulge in hobbies and interests away from adult responsibilities. Some might say this is the most wonderful time of the year for gamers!
With the holiday season in full swing, we ran Game Rant's poll to ask our valued readers which games they would run most on their gaming systems. Options had a ton of highly rated titles this year, and the results were both strange and surprising!
Six of the ten highest-rated games of 2025 weren't even nominated for GOTY.
The 10 highest-rated games of 2025 include six titles nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025.
Clair Obscur was the most popular holiday game, but it didn't win the polls!
It definitely doesn't get dusty. Claire Obsker: Expedition 33’s success and some not-so-positive recent news, the folks at Sandfall are truly enjoying the fruits of their labor during the game’s post-GOTY second wind. However, it wasn't #1 in a recent poll on Game Rant.
What are the highest-rated games of 2025 during the holidays?
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Other (2025 games not included in this vote) — 40% / 322 votes.
- Claire Obsker: Expedition 33 — 20% / 160 votes,
- ARC Raiders — 18% / 146 votes.
- Battlefield 6 — 10% / 81 votes.
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None (no time to play this year) — 5% / 42 votes.
- hades 2 — 5% / 39 votes.
- blue prince — 3% / 22 votes
It wasn't actually any of the games listed that took #1 this week! This isn't necessarily a shock, as 2025 has been quite the year for gaming, and here are some of our top picks. Ghost of Yotei, death stranding 2, kingdom Come: Salvation 2, And a surprise hit let go They will all fall under the “Other” banner. Despite the success and acclaim, even Claire Obsker You can't compete with a team like that!
It's no surprise that the TGA Game of the Year took first place among the named options, but what was a little unexpected was how close the competition was against the extraction shooter. ARC Raiders. Another surprise hit of the year, it continues to dominate the player base and will certainly benefit from recent updates to keep players engaged.
Unfortunately, many of our readers didn't make time to play the game this year, but there was plenty of genre to round out the results. Most players flocked to the three remaining games. Battlefield 6Best-selling game of the year, followed by best action game of the year, Hades 2. Last but not least: blue princeIt was recently named King of the Indie Game Awards.
With 2025 almost in the rearview mirror, we look to the future for gamers and what the next year holds in store. With so many titles already scheduled for release, we want to know. What 2026 release are you most looking forward to?
