TheSixthAxis Alternative Game of the Year Awards 2025

2025 has been a reasonably quiet yr on the earth of video video games with little in the way in which of scandals or surprises. Gone are the times of Large Enemy Crabs or Microsoft fully flubbing an Xbox launch. Nonetheless we now have spent not less than an hour collating and debating these very particular awards that are to be offered by Geoff Keighly as quickly as we will drag him away from counting the tens of millions of {dollars} he makes yearly from presenting three hours of adverts.

The Most Botched Recreation Launch Award

When the trailer for Mindseye landed it received the eye of lots of people, myself included. An enormous open world motion recreation with driving, explosions, and many gun play? Sure, please! However alarm bells began to ring when a really restricted variety of YouTubers received to preview the sport per week earlier than it launched and so they got here away totally unimpressed. These alarm bells tuned into the honking of a bin lorry slowly reversing into your own home when Construct a Rocket Boy determined to not ship out any assessment codes.

After they opinions did arrive they weren’t good and Mark Gerhard, co-CEO of Construct a Rocket Boy, claimed {that a} “third celebration” (he means his former employers, Rockstar Video games) had made a “concerted effort to trash the sport and the studio”. Quite than repair the sport submit launch, administration as a substitute determined to fireside 300 staff.

The Most Inevitable Recreation Delay Award

Talking of Rockstar, if in case you have been enjoying video video games for any size of time you’ll know that Grand Theft Auto video games by no means come out on time and at all times get delayed not less than twice. True to type, Grand Theft Auto VI was delayed not as soon as, however twice in 2025, with Rockstar first pushing it back to May 2026, after which once again until November 2026.

The Most Hated Overview Award

Who would have thought the sport that received you most riled up this yr can be a kid-friendly Pokémon recreation? We didn’t, however after we awarded Pokémon Legends: Z-A a well-deserved ten out of ten some of you determined to inform us we received it improper. Did they depart a useful remark right here on the positioning? No, they discovered the reviewer’s honeymoon images on Instagram and posted abuse there as a substitute. Keep elegant.

The Worst Promotional Trope Award

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. The Elder Scrolls VI. Past Good & Evil 2. Fable. The record of video games which can be revealed with CGI trailers earlier than barely a line of code has been written grows yearly and it’s immensely irritating. There isn’t any have to announce your recreation 5 years earlier than it comes out apart from to impress shareholders. Cease it.

Within the case of Destiny of the Outdated Republic, Arcanaut Studios was based by Casey Hudson this yr and he reckons they’ll handle to ship by 2030. We’ll see you within the Most Inevitable Recreation Delay Award class in just a few years.

The Greatest Xbox Award

This yr, Microsoft actually pulled it out of the bag and made PlayStation the perfect place to play Xbox video games. You won’t have anticipated this in 2020, however in 2025, the PS5 can play all of Sony’s exclusives and now just about the entire current (former) Xbox exclusives as properly. The Xbox fanboys have been incandescent with rage, however Microsoft have been very pleased with Forza Horizon 5 and different Xbox video games topping the PlayStation charts, month after month.

Though it is not sensible to the rabid Xbox followers the choice makes excellent enterprise sense, the Xbox Collection X|S consoles dropped to fourth within the US lately, behind PS5, Change 2, and the NEX Playground.

The Shirley Bassey Award

Valve have announced the Steam Machine, a brand new PC in a console-like field that’s designed to go underneath your TV in the lounge.

Similar to the did ten years in the past.

The Most Ridiculous Video Recreation Title Award

A packed class this yr with sturdy contenders within the form of DDinosaur with Double D’s which is EXACTLY what you suppose it’s, and FUBUKI ～zero in on Holoearth～ HOLOLIVE ALTERNATIVE. Nevertheless there’s one clear winner and it insists on being in all caps. Effectively completed to BRAZILIAN DRUG DEALER 3: I OPENED A PORTAL TO HELL IN THE FAVELA TRYING TO REVIVE MIT AIA I NEED TO CLOSE IT.

The Most Pointless PS4 Remaster Award

This award is returning for a second yr, however for a distinct purpose. Final yr The Last of Us Part 2 got a PS5 version which was clearly pointless when the PS4 model already had a free replace to run at higher body charges on PS5. This yr Sony determined to take the marginally polished PC model of Days Gone and shove it again on PS5. Did anybody discover? No.

The Most Apparent Rip-Off, Like, Evs, Award

When Tencent revealed Light of Motiram it was very clear that it was “impressed” however Sony’s Horizon video games however when Sony received the legal professionals concerned we came upon there was much more to it. It seems Tencent had, on quite a few events, pitched a Horizon recreation to Sony and had been turned down each time. Quite than surrender they modified just a few issues and voila, Gentle of Motiram.

Sony and Tencent have now reached an out of courtroom settlement and Gentle of Motiram has been faraway from Steam and can not might be launched. Who might have predicted that?

The “U OK HUN” Award

Somebody over at Ubisoft social media appears to be having a breakdown and is posting all kinds of bizarre “joke” posts on Fb. We will’t inform if they’re making an attempt to be humorous or if it’s a cry for assist.

The Half-Life 3 Award

Awarded for the second yr in a row to all these high tipsters on the web who have been 100% satisfied that Half Life 3 can be introduced, this time as an unique for the brand new Steam Machine boxes.

It wasn’t.

And that’s a wrap! One other sturdy yr in a variety of hotly contested classes, and