151: Games of the Year 2025

151: Games of the Year 2025

Author: The Secret Lives of Games January 8, 2026 Duration: 3:55:10

The gang's all here to count down our favorite "games" of "2025", alongside a bevvy of great picks from previous guests and listeners. Happy new year!


Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
 

Our GOTY Picks (SPOILERS!):

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Rob

5. Many Nights a Whisper - Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour

4. Blue Prince - Dogubomb

3. Skat - German Trick Taking Game

2. UFO 50 - Mossmouth

1. Caves of Qud - Freehold Games

 

Zach

Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry

Pokemon Legends: Z-A - Game Freak

Dragon Warrior IV - Chunsoft

(Bonus: CorgiSpace - Adam Saltsman)

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64) - Lucasarts

1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land - HAL Laboratory

 

Doug

5. Don't Rank Cuomo - Robert Yang

4. Harold Holt Video Series (first episode) (YouTube uploads)  - James Ward

3. Baby Steps - Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy

2. Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers - Kart Krew

1. Slice & Dice - Tann

 

Nick

Tall Trails - Brady Soglin

Magical Athlete - Takashi Ishida - updated design by Richard Garfield

The Attraction - Palace Games San Francisco

Hot Streak - Jon Perry

1. Öoo - NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi

 

Sarah

5. Consume Me - Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, et al.

4. Blue Prince - Dogubomb

3. Slice & Dice - Tann

2. Tiny Bookshop - neoludic games

1. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes - Simogo

 

Laura

The Roottrees are Dead - Evil Trout Inc.

Type Help - William Rous

Monkey Around: the Wiggle and Giggle Game - Peaceable Kingdom

despelote - Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena

Death Wears White - Guillaume Montiage/Asmodee

 

Andy

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo

Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry

Hot Streak - Jon Perry

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach - Kojima Productions

The Old King's Crown - Pablo Clark

 

Other picks from guests and listeners:

UFO 50 - Mossmouth

Consume Me - Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, et al.

Öoo - NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi

Hollow Knight: Silksong - Team Cherry

Blue Prince - Dogubomb

Clues By Sam - Ad Artis Oy

Magical Athlete - Takashi Ishida - updated design by Richard Garfield

Complex 629 - Lillex Studios

Donkey Kong Bananza - Nintendo

Final Fantasy V - Square Enix

Baby Steps - Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy

Puzzmo Crosswords - Puzzmo Team & Collaborators

Numberblocks RPG (developed in Izzy Kestrels mind)

Lost Cities - Reiner Knizia

Deadlock - Valve

Hexadecipad NES Tetris Tournament - Patrick LeMieux and Stephanie Boluk

Star Waspir (from UFO 50) - Mossmouth

Lumines Arise - Enhance, Monstars

Outer Wilds - Mobius Digital

Zexion - Gallant Leaf

PEAK - Landfall 

Writing essays 

Elden Ring Nightreign - FromSoftware

Unfair Flips - HEATHER FLOWERS

DISCOPUP - Parry Mechanics

OVER/UNDER - Sam Sorenson

Type Help - William Rous

Rain World - Videocult

Snekburd - Werxzy

2025 Pico-8 Advent Calendar - organized by Kevin Thompson and bikibird

Mol Hunt for 2025 Season of De Mol - TSLOG Discord

Q-UP - Everybody House Games

Many Nights a Whisper - Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour

Vantage - Stonemaier Games

The Old King's Crown - Pablo Clark

Hot Streak - Jon Perry

Cave Noire - Konami

Judo (martial art)

Retro handheld hobby

Clair Obscur | Expedition 33 - Sandfall Interactive

Skin Deep - Blendo Games

Peekaboo

The Séance of Blake Manor - Spooky Doorway

Minni & Max (from UFO 50) - Mossmouth

Patapon - Pyramid, Japan Studio

Promise Mascot Agency - Kaizen Game Works

10S Forever - owch

 

Miscellaneous Honorable Mentions:

Perfect Dark (N64) - Rare

ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS Cyberpunk 2077

Party House of the Day (mod of UFO 50) - Mossmouth

Cairn - The Game Bakers

 

Other topics discussed this episode:

Why We're Boycotting Xbox (and Maybe You Should Too) - People Make Games

Cosmic Encounter - Fantasy Flight Games

Upcoming games packed with hidden secrets! – FuryForged

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective - Space Cowboys

Klaverjas - Dutch Trick-taking Game

129: Reinforcing Worldbuilding through Gameplay with Spoils

despelote - Official Nintendo Switch Trailer

Immersipedia



https://eggplant.show/ 

https://discord.gg/tslog

https://www.patreon.com/tslog


Ever wonder what really happens between the initial spark of an idea and the final product you play? The Secret Lives of Games pulls back the curtain, offering a rare, unvarnished look at the creative journey. Each episode is built around a candid conversation with a game creator, moving far beyond simple promotion to explore the messy, beautiful, and often surprising realities of their work. You’ll hear about the late-night breakthroughs, the frustrating dead ends, and the personal philosophies that shape the games we love. This podcast is less about reviews or news and more about understanding the human effort behind the pixels and code. It’s for anyone who’s curious about the art and craft of game development, whether you’re a seasoned player, an aspiring designer, or simply fascinated by creative processes. Listen in for genuine stories about problem-solving, narrative design, artistic choices, and the intricate process of building interactive worlds. These are the detailed, behind-the-scenes discussions that reveal how games truly come to life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Secret Lives of Games
Podcast Episodes
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Elfazar's Hat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:27
We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Colin and Sarah Northway (Northway Games) to discuss Elfazar's Hat, the 43rd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Elfazar is hailed as a gre…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Night Manor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35:26
We're joined by Star St. Germain (Aconite), Madison Karrh (Birth), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Night Manor, the 42nd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Trapped in a nightmare where you must use your wits to sur…
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Sidequests Special) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:30:03
In this bonus installment of our current Into the Depths series, we continue diving into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015. Doug and Rob - jo…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Lords of Diskonia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05:41
We're joined by Trent Kusters (League of Geeks), John Axon (Capybara Games), and Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok) to discuss Lords of Diskonia, the 41st game in the UFO 50 collection. "War has come to Land of Disks, and…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Grimstone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18:06
We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Trent Kusters (League of Geeks) to discuss Grimstone, the 40th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Praise Biggan, the four of you survived the saloo…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Star Waspir [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:01
We're joined by Jay Ma (Into the Breach), Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Zatoichi (Juggler/UFO 50 Enthusiast) to discuss Star Waspir, the 39th game in the UFO 50 collection. "You are…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Rakshasa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49:00
We're joined by Tonda Ros (Blue Prince) and doseone (Enter the Gungeon) to discuss Rakshasa, the 38th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Even death won't stop Jangi from avenging the destruction of his village by demons!" N…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Valbrace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:26
We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Carolyn Petit (Kotaku), Xanagear (youtube.com/xanagear), and Glove (UFO 50 Historian/ska podcaster) to discuss Valbrace, the 37th game in the UFO 50 collection. "No knight has ever…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Hyper Contender [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40:11
We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), and Alex Jaffe (Riot Games) to discuss Hyper Contender, the 36th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The daring, desperate, and indebted fight for money i…
146: Ascending the Ranks with Jeff Dubbin (Competitive Lost Cities) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:07:17
Rob, Nick, Doug, and Andy chat with Jeff Dubbin, a lawyer and (at the time of recording and publication) Board Game Arena's top-ranked international player of Reiner Knizia's Lost Cities. Lost Cities is a two-player card…