Famitsu's "Extremely Popular Game Awards 2025" results are in! 1st place goes to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, 2nd to Ghost of Yōtei, and 3rd to Urban Legend Dismantlement Center! The titles that captivated 191 game creators and gaming celebrities the most this year have been announced.
The results for the "Extremely Popular Game Awards 2025" were officially published in the combined January 8/15, 2026 issue (released December 25, 2025) of the game magazine Weekly Famitsu, published by KADOKAWA Game Linkage. The awards aim to select the titles most loved by gaming industry professionals in 2025.
The "Extremely Popular Game Awards 2025" invited 191 game creators and well-known gaming enthusiasts (including voice actors, talents, etc.) to vote. Each participant selected their top five most captivating games of the year, with points awarded based on ranking. The final rankings were determined by the total points accumulated by each title.
Looking back, the past winners were: 2018 - Marvel's Spider-Man, 2019 - Death Stranding, 2020 - Ghost of Tsushima, 2021 - Resident Evil Village, 2022 - Elden Ring, 2023 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and 2024 - Dragon Quest III: The Journey into the Legend.... Below, we reveal the top five titles for this year's "Extremely Popular Game Awards 2025".
"Extremely Popular Game Awards 2025" TOP 5
1st: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Publisher: Kepler Interactive
- Release Date: April 24, 2025
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
- (Physical version in Japan published by SEGA)
2nd: Ghost of Yōtei
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Release Date: October 2, 2025
- Platform: PS5
3rd: Urban Legend Dismantlement Center
- Publisher: Shueisha Games
- Release Date: February 13, 2025
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC
4th: Donkey Kong Bananza
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release Date: July 17, 2025
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
5th: Mario Kart World
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release Date: June 5, 2025
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Weekly Famitsu Editor-in-Chief Hiroko Saga's Comments
This year marks the 11th iteration of the "Extremely Popular Game Awards," with the top honor going to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This title has also won numerous awards overseas and can undoubtedly be called a defining game of 2025.
The game was developed by the French studio Sandfall Interactive, with a core team of only about 30 people. In an era where game development scale continues to grow, creating such a widely acclaimed work with a relatively small team brings a breath of fresh air to the industry.
Similarly, the 3rd place title, Urban Legend Dismantlement Center, is also an indie game developed by a small team and has undoubtedly been a major topic of conversation in Japan this year.
It's important to clarify that this is not to say "AAA titles aren't fun." The 2nd place title, Ghost of Yōtei, is a masterpiece from Sony Interactive Entertainment that fully leverages the PS5's capabilities. The awe inspired by exploring the vast, beautiful land of Ezo (Hokkaido), combined with smooth and comfortable gameplay, is an experience unique to this title.
The "Extremely Popular Game Awards" ranking perhaps reveals a trend: unique characteristics and play experience are becoming more valued than sheer development scale. We hope that 2026 will also see the birth of many unique games that continue to ignite the passion of us gamers.
Magazine Information
This issue of *Weekly Famitsu (Combined Jan 8/15, 2026)* not only fully reveals the top 20 rankings and platform-specific charts for the "Extremely Popular Game Awards 2025" along with the detailed selections of all 191 voters but also introduces several highly anticipated upcoming games, including:
- CODE VEIN II
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Sieve
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 2nd
- Arcade Archives: Space Invaders
- Hyrule Warriors: Seal of the Ancients
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Title: Weekly Famitsu Combined January 8/15, 2026 Issue
Release Date: December 25, 2025 (Thursday)
Price: 710 yen (tax included)