2025 is coming to a close, and the Shacknews Staff has assembled an amazing list of games, people, studios, and other awesome things that shaped the year. Leading up to the Shacknews Game of the Year 2025 announcement on December 31, the staff got together to celebrate some other games worthy of praise for a number of reasons. Each award includes a deliberation video, if you want to get a look at the heated debates and intense staff votes. Games released between January 1, 2025 and December 8, 2025 are eligible for Shacknews Awards 2025 consideration, with games released after December 9, 2025 eligible for awards in 2025. Please take a look.
Game that should be on Nintendo Switch 2 2025 – Doom: The Dark Ages
Doom and the Nintendo Switch have been no strangers to one another. The 2016 Doom revival and its sequel, Doom Eternal, were both ported to Nintendo’s last handheld hybrid capably by the team at Panic Button. With more powerful hardware now available, it’s fair to hope the same treatment can be given to Doom: The Dark Ages. While a souped-up PC or 4K TV are preferable, the series’ latest installment works just as well on-the-go. The soothing sounds of violence and metal music still hit the spot while wearing headphones on a plane or at the doctor’s office. So, please, whether it be Panic Button or anybody else willing to take up the task, can we please rip and tear some more?
Doom: The Dark Ages is available on Steam, Xbox, and PS5 platforms.
Best Add-On of 2025 – Helldivers 2 – ODST Warbond
Ever since Helldivers released, Xbox players have been longing to drop from orbit like an ODST from Halo 2. The soldiers were somewhere between a marine and the mighty SPARTAN-IIs. But outside of Halo 3: ODST and its impeccable Firefight, players never got to actually jump into hell. That is, until the crossover made in heaven was delivered: the Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST Warbond.
This special promotion saw Helldivers 2 come to the Xbox platform and team up with the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST). The Warbond let players unlock ODST and Recon armor, the silenced pistol and SMG from the fourth installation of a Halo game, a skin that made a vehicle look like a Warthog, and much more.
For any players who grew up playing Halo and admiring the ODSTs, this crossover should warm the cold cockles of your heart. It warms ours. Now, we just need to see the Covenant or Flood added to Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 is available on PS5, Xbox, and Steam platforms.
Best Video Game Music of 2025 – Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World’s music library could fill your playlist for about an entire day and then some. The Mario Kart orchestra assembled over 200 songs worth of nods and celebrations of nearly every musical point of the entire Super Mario universe, and it’s an incredible collection of tracks. It’s not just getting things like Pauline’s Jump Up, Super Star! or a beautiful rendition of Rainbow Road. It’s the numerous deep cuts, leaning into every aural corner of Mario’s universe and bringing those memories back in a thick soundtrack that satisfied whether you’re in the middle of a race or wandering the open world Free Roam mode. For that, Mario Kart World wins the Shacknews Award for Best Music of 2025.
Mario Kart World is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 platform.
Best Sound Design of 2025 – Battlefield 6
When it comes to sound design, Battlefield 6 nails all of the important elements. The large audioscapes sound epic, with explosions rattling across warzones, distant gunshots ringing in the air, and rumbling vehicles spewing out hellfire. But the precise audio environments are equally important. Footsteps tell the tale of an enemy position, the buzz in the air alerts you to a drone, and the comms in your ear immerse you in the combat.
You can enjoy Battlefield 6 without paying too close attention to the audio, but the game rewards those who have a keen ear. It offers a higher skill ceiling, whereby players can tailor their builds with suppressors and crouch-walking to take their foes by surprise.
Then there’s the fun element, which doesn’t necessarily give you extra details, but it does make it feel like you’re actually in combat with your friends. By switching your Voice Chat to In-World, your teammates sound like they’re speaking through radios, with more reverb added based on distance. It’s a small thing, but it adds so much to the immersion as you’re making callouts and pushing points with your squad.
From the weapons and equipment to vehicles and team chatter, every single bit of audio in Battlefield 6 sounds awesome. Congratulations to Battlefield 6 for winning the Shacknews Best Sound Design of 2025 award.
Battlefield 6 is available on PS5, Xbox, and Steam platforms.
Best Water of 2025 – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Back in 2018, we created the Best Water category to celebrate what Rare achieved with Sea of Thieves. Since then, we’ve paid special attention to how water is used in each video game. Is it something to look at and swim through or are there mechanics to it beyond being a visual? In the case of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, water is a blessing and a curse.
Water in Death Stranding 2 plays an important role in Sam’s journey. The dreaded timefall rain remains a constant threat that will damage your equipment but there are also hot springs with their restorative effects and buffs.
But a big part of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is moving between locations. This has always been a keystone of the series and now, thanks to water, the routes across land are not as reliable as before. You might set out on a trek only to be caught in a deluge, which in turn will create rising water and flash floods that will literally sweep you away or cover once navigable routes. When the floods come, it’s a moment of panic and reflection, as you watch the power of nature in this supernatural world.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is available on the PS5 platform.
Best Gore of 2025 – Doom: The Dark Ages
In case you’ve been hiding under brimstone since 1993, the Doom franchise is a showcase for blood and guts. After all, Doom 2016 made “rip and tear” a catchphrase for a reason. Doom: The Dark Ages is no exception. Glory kills and gibs, headshots and heavy-duty weapons that reduce enemies to pulp—Doom: The Dark Ages carries forward the gore from its predecessors and turns it up to 11. Add to that the game’s striking, hellish art style, and you’ve got one good-looking and grisly rip-and-tear experience.
Doom: The Dark Ages is available on Steam, Xbox, and PS5 platforms.
Best Headshot of 2025 – Sniper Elite: Resistance
When it comes to a good headshot in a video game, we here at Shacknews like to think back on some classics. CEO/EIC/EIEIO Asif Khan offers up the perfect example of the Gears of War headshot. With a successful reload, the Longshot will obliterate an opponent’s head with a crunchy smash, like that of a watermelon being popped. To that end, there aren’t a lot of games that manage to hit the same satisfying crunch, except, of course, for the legendary headshots in Sniper Elite.
In Sniper Elite: Resistance, the team at Rebellion has once again nailed what it means to have the best headshot in a video game. Time slows down, you get an x-ray view of the Nazi’s cranium, and you see the damage of the bullet as it passes through skin, muscle, grey matter, bone, and fascist thoughts. It’s satisfying, rewarding, and ensures the player keeps taking down those Nazis, one bullet at a time.
Best Cameo of 2025 – The Simpsons (Fortnite)
The Simpsons in Fortnite was the perfect example Epic Games putting all of its effort and resources into a high-profile collaboration. Not only did we get cosmetics for characters like Homer, Marge, and Ned Flanders, but Fortnite itself got a Simpsons makeover. The entire battle royale map was turned into a cell-shaded animated world with iconic Springfield locations that players could explore. Various weapons and items based on the Simpsons were introduced to the loot pool, and we were even treated to a Fortnite version of the iconic Simpsons intro every time we dropped in. While it’s easy to feel cynical about a lot of Fortnite’s crossovers these days, the Simpsons event fired on all cylinders.
Fortnite is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo eShop, Google Play, Apple App Store, and Epic Games Store.
Best Online Presentation of 2025 – Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2
After years of speculation and rumors, Nintendo finally pulled back the curtain on its next console on April 2, 2025. This Direct presentation taught us nearly everything we needed to know about the Switch 2, from its magnetic Joy-Cons to Mouse Mode controls and game-sharing capabilities, there was a lot to learn. Perhaps the most surreal moment was when Nintendo broke down the console’s graphical and performance capabilities, revealing the Switch 2’s support for 4K resolution and up to 120 FPS gameplay.
The Switch 2 reveal Direct also gave us our first looks at Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, two games that would go on to be some of our 2025 favorites.
Watch the April 2, 2025 Nintendo Direct – Nintendo Switch 2 reveal here.
Best NPC of 2025 – Chase (Dispatch)
When you meet Chase in Dispatch, he’s a cynical, bitter man. A person angry with the cards life has dealt him, and who takes that frustration out on the people around him. Chase gives Robert, Invisigal, and the entire Z-Team a hard time early on, and is the biggest critic of SDN’s plan to rehabilitate former villains. However, as the episodes go on, we peel back the layers on this tortured character.
In addition to being an excellently-written character, Chase is also voiced brilliantly by Jeffrey Wright in his second video game role. The decorated actor brings all of the emotional complexity required to pull off a character like Chase, emerging as a highlight in a game full of highlight performances. We’ll avoid spoilers here, but some of Dispatch’s most memorable moments revolve around Chase, and it’s impossible to imagine this narrative having the same impact without him.
Dispatch is available on PS5, Steam, and is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in January.
Pop! Goes the Culture! Presents Best Adaptation of 2025
Fallout Season 2 builds on everything the first season established, continuing the arcs of Lucy, The Ghoul, and Maximus as they venture to a new location. Like the first season, the show gives us more glimpses at the past, offering political intrigue as we learn more about how the world became an apocalyptic wasteland.
Fallout continues to be the gold standard for video game adaptations. It perfectly translates the imagery and iconography that fans of the source material love, but carves its own path by using original characters to explore the world in a way the games never did.
Here are the rest of the Shacknews Awards that will be announced going into the Game of the Year 2025 reveal on December 31, 2025.
Fallout is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Here are the remaining Shacknews Awards that have yet to be announced. We will be updating this article every evening with the latest winners leading up to the Game of The Year 2025 announcement on December 31, 2025.
Shacknews Top 25 Games of the Year 2025
Shacknews Game of the Year 2025
Person of the Year 2025
Do it for Shacknews Award 2025
Best Developer of 2025
Best Publisher of 2025
Modojo @ Shacknews Mobile Game of the Year 2025
Best PS5 Game of 2025
Best PC Game of 2025
Best Expansion of 2025
Best Fighting Game of 2025
Best Graphics of 2025
Best Narrative Game of 2025
Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game of 2025
Best Xbox Game of 2025
Shacknews Top 25 Indie Games of the Year 2025
Indie Game of the Year 2025
Best RPG of 2025
Best Open World Game of 2025
Best Racing Game of 2025
Most Overlooked Game of 2025
Best Co-Op Game of 2025
Most Improved Game of 2025
Best Strategy Game of 2025
Best Remake of 2025
Best Art Style of 2025
Best FPS Game of 2025
Best Mod of 2025
Best Gaming Accessory of 2025
Best Horror Game of 2025
Best Sports Game of 2025
Best Early Access Game of 2025
Best Cozy Game of 2025
Best Comeback of 2025
Best Strand Game of 2025
Outstanding Achievement in Accessibility 2025
Best Multiplayer Game of 2025
Best VR Game of 2025
Best Trendsetter of 2025
Best Hardware of 2025
Esports Hero of 2025
Biggest Surprise of 2025
Best Voice Actor of 2025
Best Old School Throwback of 2025
Quietest Lobby of 2025
Best Video Game Pet of 2025
Best Nintendo Switch 2 Port of 2025
Best PC Port of 2025
Best Action-Adventure Game of 2025
Best Platformer of 2025
Best Puzzle Game of 2025
Best Ongoing Game of 2025
Best Free-to-Play Game of 2025
Keep up with all of the winners on our topic page for The Shacknews Awards 2025. Check out the full list of nominees to get caught up.
