For many, the end of the year is a happy time filled with family, friends, and the chance to relax and enjoy hobbies. And for gamers, it’s often the best time of year!
As the holidays are here, we asked Game Rant readers which games they were most excited to play. We presented a bunch of popular, highly-rated games from this year, and the results were pretty interesting!
Clair Obscur Was The Most Popular Holiday Game, But Didn’t Win The Poll!
Image via Sandfall Interactive
Following the mixed reception to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Studios is benefiting from a surge in popularity after the game received its ‘Game of the Year’ awards. However, it didn’t win our recent Game Rant reader poll.
Which highly-rated 2025 game will you be playing the most over the holidays?
- Other (a 2025 game not on this poll) — 40% / 322 votes.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — 20% / 160 votes,
- ARC Raiders — 18% / 146 votes.
- Battlefield 6 — 10% / 81 votes.
- None (no time to play games this year) — 5% / 42 votes.
- Hades 2 — 5% / 39 votes.
- Blue Prince — 3% / 22 votes
You won’t believe it, but the biggest game this week wasn’t even on the list! Honestly, it’s not that surprising. 2025 was just an incredible year for gaming – titles like Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and that amazing surprise hit, Dispatch, were all vying for the top spot. Even a huge game like Clair Obscur, which has been getting tons of praise, couldn’t quite compete with that lineup!
It’s not surprising that the TGA Game of the Year won first place, but it was a close competition with ARC Raiders. Another popular game from this year continues to be a hit with players, and recent updates have likely helped keep them hooked.
Although many of our readers weren’t able to play games this year, we still received responses across a variety of genres. The most popular title was Battlefield 6, which was also the best-selling game of the year. It was followed by Hades 2, named the best Action Game of the Year. Finally, Blue Prince rounded out the top three, having recently won the Indie Game Awards.
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re starting to look ahead to what 2026 will bring for video games. There are already a lot of exciting games announced, and we want to know: which 2026 release are you most excited about?
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2025-12-29 23:10