Throughout the years, GameSpot has handed the Game of the Year award to a variety of fantastic games, which includes big names like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Red Dead Redemption, Soul Calibur, Journey, and more. Each still stands out as some of the finest in the medium and are well worth revisiting today despite their age--if only to experience how each revolutionized games as we know them.

Our latest Game of the Year announcement got us thinking about the past and every game we've ever awarded the prestigious title of GameSpot's Game of the Year to. Take a trip down memory lane with us as we recount some of the best games we've highlighted since our site's formation. You can also see our pick for Game of the Year 2025 at the end of this feature.

2025 featured a whole bunch of fantastic games from a variety of genres, including platformers, RPGs, a roguelike puzzler, and more. The choice for Game of the Year wasn't easy, and our top 10 best games of 2025 were each individually fantastic in their own ways.