Not one but two contenders made it to Hades 2's highest rated game of the year earlier this month. As more reviews for these competitors have poured in, their combined scores have dropped, and Supergiant's sequel once again stands alone.
As we rush towards the climax of what has been an amazing year for great video games, big and small, I've lost count of how many times the title of the top-rated game of 2025 has changed hands. Blue Prince, Split Fiction and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have all led the pack at various times throughout the year.
When Hades 2 settled on a score of 94, I assumed the race was over. It was the most unexpected of contenders, Arc Raiders, and a dark horse I hadn't even heard of until it matched Supergiants' score, The Seance of Blake Manor, getting 94s right next to it. Unfortunately for the two unlikely disruptors, neither has managed to maintain their grip on the 94 points just like Hades 2 has.
Where did the Arc Raiders go?
Especially Arc Raiders, which, while still incredibly popular and pulling in close to half a million concurrent players on Steam alone, is now down to 17th place in OpenCritic's Game of the Year rankings. The extraction shooter now has an 89, an aggregate score that has dropped significantly in part due to a scathing Eurogamer review that criticized its use of AI voice generation.
The Seance of Blake Manor hasn't experienced as steep a descent as Arc Raiders. Just two points lower as more reviews have been published, it is currently still the fourth highest rated game of the year, nestled neatly between Expedition 33 and Donkey Kong Bananza. I'm sure if developer Spooky Doorway had been offered that spot before the Blue Prince-like release, it would have blown your mind.
While 89 is an incredibly impressive score for an online multiplayer game – one of the highest ever – there are clearly Arc Raiders fans who think it deserves better. There's even a campaign to try and make sure it wins Game of the Year over current predecessor Clair Obscur at The Game Awards. That's not really how it works, and even if it has an outside chance of getting a nomination, it's highly unlikely that the campaign will prevail.
So, for now, the highest rated game of the year is, once again, the sole property of Hades 2, and it may well stay that way, even though I've said it before. The only game left at the 2025 release that I can see challenging Melinoe for that crown is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but between you and me, Samus' next 3D outing is giving me high 80s vibes rather than mid 90s.
