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When you check the best games of 2025 on Metacritic, you’ll see titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Split Fiction. This highlights how impressive this year is so far, especially since many top games come from indie or smaller studios.
As we finish the first half of 2025, a major Japanese outlet decided to ask its audience about the Game of the Year so far, revealing some surprising gaps.
Both Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 And Monster Hunter Wilds Missing From “Game Of The Year So Far” Poll
The Japanese news site Game Spark recently asked its readers which games are in the running for Game of the Year. Surprisingly, the favorite was Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, praised by players as “A real improvement from the last game, with more content and easier gameplay.”
Other popular games included Elden Ring Nightreign, The Alters, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Raidou Remastered (which received a score of 2.5/5). It’s a good list, but two expected titles were missing.
First is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a game that clearly shows its Japanese RPG roots. It didn’t appear at all in the Game Spark article, even though RPGs are very popular in Japan. Notably, many Japanese developers praised Clair Obscur, making its absence even more intriguing.
One possible reason for its absence could be its higher visibility in the West, as it was released on Xbox Game Pass, which is less popular in Japan. Still, you’d expect some acknowledgment of the title.
More surprising than Clair Obscur’s omission is that of Monster Hunter Wilds. While the game has faced criticism and negative reviews on PC, its reviews on that platform may not represent the broader audience in Japan.
Monster Hunter is a well-loved series in Japan, often referred to as MonHun. So, for it not to be included on this list is quite unexpected. Instead, titles like Warriors: Abyss, Shadowverse: Beyond, and Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time got recognition.
Expectations may change by the year’s end, but it’s certainly an unusual outcome.
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