The Best of 2025
THE Best in
Gaming & Esports
Celebrating creators and competitors who shape the gaming landscape through innovation, storytelling, and competitive excellence.
2025 Edition
The Best Gaming & Esports of the Year — 2025 Edition
Celebrating exceptional studios, publishers, and esports organizations driving innovation in interactive entertainment and competitive gaming.
| Brand |
|---|
Sony Interactive Entertainment / PlayStation Japan Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei - cinematic exclusives defining PS5's peak era |
Tencent Games China Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile dominance - world's largest gaming company by revenue |
Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios United States Xbox Game Pass with 34M subscribers - $68.7B Activision Blizzard integration complete |
Nintendo Japan Switch 2 launch - 3.5M units in 4 days, fastest-selling console ever + Mario Kart World |
Sandfall Interactive France Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - GOTY winner with record 11 Game Awards nominations |
FromSoftware Japan Elden Ring Nightreign - roguelike battle royale innovation with 250+ hour engagement |
Supergiant Games United States Hades II - expanded Greek mythology roguelike with enhanced combat depth |
EA Sports United States College Football 25 - $200M in 4 days with NIL program, top-selling game of 2024 |
NetEase Games China Where Winds Meet and Naraka: Bladepoint - mobile revenue leader with global IP partnerships |
HoYoverse China Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail - long-tail monetization excellence |
Roblox Corporation United States UGC platform ecosystem - creator payout structure with international growth |
Epic Games United States Fortnite Creative platform - 609M+ players with Unreal Engine 5 dominance |
Valve Corporation United States Steam platform leadership - PC gaming distribution with Steam Deck innovation |
Activision Blizzard United States Call of Duty franchise - consistent multiplayer dominance with Warzone integration |
Riot Games United States League of Legends and Valorant - esports ecosystem with global tournaments |
Bandai Namco Japan Tekken 8 - critical acclaim revitalizing 30-year fighting franchise |
Square Enix Japan Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - emotional storytelling with evolved combat (92 Metacritic) |
Capcom Japan Monster Hunter Wilds - narrative-driven expansion with mainstream accessibility |
Konami Japan Suikoden I & II HD Remaster - classic JRPG preservation with quality-of-life updates |
Sega Japan Persona franchise expansion - JRPG excellence with cultural impact |
Atlus Japan Metaphor: ReFantazio - politically charged democracy narrative (94 Metacritic) |
2K Games United States NBA 2K and sports simulation - annual franchise innovation with microtransaction integration |
Take-Two Interactive United States GTA VI delayed to 2026 - industry-reshaping anticipation and strategic positioning |
Ubisoft France Assassin's Creed Shadows - Japanese setting with dual-protagonist gameplay |
CD Projekt Red Poland Cyberpunk 2077 redemption arc - post-launch recovery with Phantom Liberty expansion |
Bethesda Game Studios United States The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered - classic RPG modernization |
Obsidian Entertainment United States The Outer Worlds 2 - sci-fi RPG continuation with enhanced storytelling |
Larian Studios Belgium Divinity reveal - 'biggest game ever' surpassing Baldur's Gate 3 scope |
Insomniac Games United States Marvel's Wolverine - highly anticipated superhero action adventure |
Naughty Dog United States The Last of Us legacy - cinematic narrative excellence continuing IP expansion |
Santa Monica Studio United States God of War Ragnarök impact - Norse mythology conclusion with critical acclaim |
Sucker Punch Productions United States Ghost of Yotei - PS5 showcase with boundary-pushing open-world samurai combat |
Team Asobi Japan Astro Bot - PS5 exclusive 3D platformer celebrating PlayStation history (94 Metacritic) |
Warhorse Studios Czech Republic Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - realistic medieval RPG with uncompromising vision |
Team Cherry Australia Hollow Knight: Silksong - long-awaited metroidvania sequel defining indie excellence |
LocalThunk Canada Balatro - indie roguelike deckbuilder, 3.5M+ copies sold at $15 (90 Metacritic) |
DoubleTap Studios United States Blue Prince - revolutionary roguelike puzzler with room-mapping mechanics |
Remedy Entertainment Finland Control: Resonant - narrative-driven psychological thriller continuation |
Hideo Kojima / Kojima Productions Japan Death Stranding 2: On The Beach - visionary auteur storytelling with star-studded cast |
Monolith Soft Japan Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - remastered JRPG with graphical upgrades |
Nippon Ichi Software Japan Disgaea 7 Complete - tactical RPG with absurd damage numbers and all DLC |
Game Science China Black Myth: Wukong - Chinese mythology Soulslike, 20M+ copies with UE5 visuals |
Krafton South Korea PUBG Mobile evolution - battle royale innovation with mobile esports dominance |
Garena / Sea Group Singapore Free Fire - Southeast Asian mobile gaming leader with esports integration |
miHoYo China Zenless Zone Zero - urban fantasy action RPG expanding anime-game convergence |
Perfect World China MMORPG expertise - immersive online experiences with global distribution |
Embracer Group Sweden 130+ studio portfolio - SEK 37B revenue despite restructuring challenges |
Devolver Digital United States Indie publishing excellence - quirky, innovative titles with creative freedom |
Annapurna Interactive United States Narrative indie curation - artistic game experiences with critical acclaim |
Dream Games Turkey Royal Match - mobile puzzle game with art design and player retention excellence |
Scopely United States $3.5B Niantic acquisition - Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now portfolio |
Niantic United States Location-based AR gaming - Pokémon GO continuing cultural phenomenon |
Mythical Games United States Blockchain gaming with player-owned economies - Web3 integration with engaging gameplay |
Gearbox Software United States Borderlands 4 - looter shooter with diverse skill trees and Licensed Parts system |
Bungie United States Destiny 2 live-service - ongoing content updates with seasonal model |
BioWare Canada Dragon Age and Mass Effect legacy - RPG storytelling with choice-driven narratives |
Rocksteady Studios United Kingdom Suicide Squad franchise - superhero action with live-service elements |
Crystal Dynamics United States Tomb Raider series continuation - action-adventure icon preservation |
PlatinumGames Japan Character action excellence - Bayonetta franchise with stylish combat |
Retro Studios United States Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - first-person adventure returning after years |
Rare United Kingdom Everwild development - unique multiplayer experience from legendary studio |
1047 Games United States Splitgate - innovative portal shooter combining fast combat with mechanics |
Improbable United Kingdom Metaverse infrastructure - large-scale virtual world simulation technology |
Razer Singapore Viper V3 Pro mouse - 8000 Hz polling rate with Snap Tap keyboard technology |
Logitech G Switzerland Gaming peripherals - professional-grade hardware for competitive play |
Corsair United States High-performance PC components - gaming hardware and streaming equipment |
SteelSeries Denmark Esports audio and peripherals - pro-level gaming accessories |
NVIDIA United States GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs - AI-powered graphics and DLSS technology |
AMD United States Radeon graphics innovation - competitive GPU performance with FSR technology |
Discord United States Gaming communication platform - 270M+ users with community integration |
Twitch United States Live streaming dominance - 10M+ monthly visitors for esports and gaming content |
YouTube Gaming United States Creator monetization platform - competing streaming service with massive reach |
T1 South Korea League of Legends dynasty - Faker's legacy with mobile esports expansion (PUBG Mobile, Wild Rift) |
Team Liquid Netherlands Multi-title esports excellence - Dota 2, CS2, Valorant with fan membership innovation |
FaZe Clan United States Lifestyle esports brand - content creation, streetwear, and competitive gaming fusion |
100 Thieves United States Esports meets fashion - Call of Duty and Valorant success with streetwear culture |
G2 Esports Germany European esports powerhouse - CS2, League of Legends with luxury brand partnerships |
Fnatic United Kingdom 200+ championships legacy - most successful esports brand with 30+ game titles |
Cloud9 United States North American esports leader - League of Legends, CS2, Valorant dominance |
TSM (Team SoloMid) United States Content creator empire - esports teams across multiple titles with influencer focus |
Evil Geniuses United States Legacy esports organization - Dota 2, CS2 with championship pedigree |
Gen.G South Korea Global esports franchise - League of Legends, Valorant with cross-cultural appeal |
ESL FACEIT Group (Savvy Games) Saudi Arabia Esports World Cup in Riyadh - record viewership establishing Saudi Arabia as esports hub |
PlayVS United States High school esports platform - 3,000 schools, 28.62% user growth, Nintendo partnership |
DraftKings United States Fantasy sports and betting - vertically integrated gaming and esports betting |
PrizePicks United States Fantasy esports platform - real-money betting on athlete performance and esports |
FaceIT United Kingdom Competitive gaming infrastructure - tournament platform merged with ESL |
Eneba Lithuania Digital game marketplace - buy/sell platform for games and in-game items |
GameSquare Canada Gaming audience platform - Code Red esports talent agency and GCN media |
Sina E-Sports China Asian esports infrastructure - tournament organization with player analytics |
Dapper Labs Canada Blockchain gaming - NBA Top Shot NFTs and Flow blockchain for games |
Immutable Australia NFT gaming solutions - blockchain infrastructure for play-to-earn games |
Enjin Singapore Gaming NFT platform - digital asset creation for blockchain games |
The Pokémon Company International Japan Trading card and game franchise - cross-platform Pokémon ecosystem management |
Wizards of the Coast United States Magic: The Gathering Arena - digital card game with esports integration |
Riot Forge United States League of Legends universe expansion - single-player narrative games |
NetherRealm Studios United States Mortal Kombat franchise - fighting game excellence with cinematic storytelling |
Arc System Works Japan Guilty Gear and anime fighters - 2D fighting game artistry with competitive depth |
Selection Standards
Excellence Criteria
Our industry-specific criteria ensure that only the most deserving receive THE Best distinction in Gaming & Esports.
01
Game design innovation
02
Technical achievement
03
Community engagement
04
Esports excellence
05