The best games that dominated our conversations, social media, and shitposts throughout the year.
This award is less about the game, and more about the community surrounding it. This is to celebrate the year’s of shiposts, memes and silly talk surrounding the games community that has either got us engaged, lmao’d and following where the inside jokes go.
The social media algorithm is less worse than it was last year, so 2025 has made us see the thriving community that’s still active in combating the Dead Internet Theory. Fans still posting art, silly post, engage in discourse and most importantly, share the love of their fave games. No marketing effort can be the effort of a strong, organic spread via word of mouth.
Past Winners: Helldivers 2 (2024) Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon (2023), Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (2022), Resident Evil Village (2021), Like A Dragon (née Yakuza) series (2020), Untitled Goose Game (2019)
Best Meme Generator Nominees
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer (2025)
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby
How The Winner Is Decided (Deliberations Summary)
The much-love Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had one roller coaster ride in the court of public opinion. From its explosive launch and early raving reviews, it catapulted itself into an early GOTY contender. Though soon after, fans of the RPG clearly inspired by JRPGs are obscured by the hype and treated this as the most important RPG release to ever existed. Then the glazers went quiet until the game (more or less deservedly) sweeped the awards season which then spawned a new wave of anti-glazers who would nitpick just about anything to try and bring this game down only to show how petty and salty these posts are. And then it takes another turn when the generative-AI allegations hit. Just like the game’s story, following Expedition 33 through socials through its twists and turns has been compelling.]
On a more lighthearted side, fans of FromSoftware games are happy with Elden Ring: Nightreign, especially now that it has pre-built player characters. The Revenant has become a clear favourite on socials, the little gremlin dual-wielding giant swords, with art emphasising her (mostly fan-projected) gremlinness was a highlight of the year. And with the recent DLC release, fans love seeing some new assets being added to this spin-off that makes good use of existing assets. Love to watch them leave, eh?
Sonic fans are consistent in their devotion, and with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds being good, there’s a lot of buzz throughout the pre-release period, and after launch. From meme strategies to fan-made banter, there’s a lot to discover from the constant social posts by Sonic fans. It’s business as usual, but still cool to see happen even to a racing game.
Speaking of racing game, Tokyo Xtreme Racer (2025) hits hard on the new generation of fans who may not have experienced the cult-hit series before. You literally can farm for aura. One of the happy incidents where linguistic evolution made the young ones appreciate things of yore.
Though of all the five shortlisted nominees, there’s a clear front runner. The team here is well aware of the impact of the horse girl racing game has made to horseracing industry. A new wave of race fans have now gone to horse race tracks, in cosplay. Waves of younger folks now tune in to livestreams of horse races.
If Formula 1 had its big boom thanks to Drive To Survive, the media that exposed the sport to a wider, younger fans and turning them into fans, then the horse racing world has found its Drive To Survive,.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is horse racing’s Drive To Survive moment.
Best Meme Generator Winner
Congratulations to Umamusume: Pretty Derby for winning Best Meme Generator! When the social posts actually spills over beyond gaming and has helped give rise to a niche sport, with such instances happening the world over (including in Malaysia, shout out to the Umamusume fans that went over Selangor Turf Club in cosplay), we just couldn’t see it go to any other game this year. Hopefully the uncles and aunties aren’t too overwhelmed that a bunch of ACG fans are currently hyper fixated with horses.
And yes, we are aware it is a bit messed up that a gacha game is getting players to be invested in a sport that’s built around betting. Spend your money responsibly, folks.
Check out the Gamer Malaya and Gamer Matters Game Of The Year Awards 2025 hub for full list of awards.