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 - Avianos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43:15
We're joined by Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games), Star St. Germain (Aconite), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Avianos, the 12th game in the UFO 50 collection. "In a time when birds rule, an epic war rages between t…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Kick Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:33
We're joined by John Axon (Capy Games) and Hayden "Docky" Scott-Baron (Planet Coaster) to discuss Kick Club, the 11th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Sports are fighting over who is best! Let's all play together!" Next w…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Devilition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:57
We're joined by Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games) to discuss Devilition, the 10th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Build and detonate chain reactions to drive the demon horde out of town!" Next week: Kick Club http://discord.…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Attactics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:20
We're joined by Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Attactics, the ninth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Carefully arrange your troops for maximum advantage in this game of realtime…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Planet Zoldath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:27
We're joined by Marc Flury (Thumper) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Planet Zoldath, the eighth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Brave the wilds of Planet Zoldath in search of the intergalactic treasure map!" Next w…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Velgress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:47
We're joined by Derek Lieu (derek-lieu.com) and Colin Northway (Fantastic Contraption) to discuss Velgress, the seventh game in the UFO 50 collection. "The space pirate Alpha is trapped in the deep pit known as Velgress.…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Mortol [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:11
We're joined by Aaron "ix" Kearsley (speedrunner), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Mortol, the sixth game in the UFO 50 collection. "How many people will lay down their lives to save…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Magic Garden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:02
We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Stuffed Wombat (Mosa Lina), and XanaGear (youtube.com/xanagear) to discuss Magic Garden, the fifth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Stop the jealous witch Cloverana from sabot…
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:55
In the first installment of a new Into the Depths series, we dive into the brilliant Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and we're celebrating…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Paint Chase [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:29
We're joined by Frank Lantz (The Beauty of Games) to discuss Paint Chase, the fourth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Rev your engines and color your way to victory in the local paint racing competition!" Next week: Magic…