Steam Unveils Its 2025 “Best Of” List: Award Winners Fall Behind in the Charts
Steam has released its highly anticipated “Best of 2025” list, showcasing the titles that defined the past year. Based on gross revenue and peak concurrent player counts, the charts provide a clear snapshot of industry trends and what players actually spent their time on. The data was compiled as of December 15, 2025, with a final update scheduled for January 15, 2026. However, the current picture already reveals a striking disconnect between award show darlings and player favorites.
The Gap Between Critics and Players
The most notable takeaway from the list is the stark contrast between The Game Awards (TGA) results and Steam’s data. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which took home the prestigious “Game of the Year” award at TGA, failed to crack the top 12 (Platinum tier) on Steam’s “Most Played” list. In the revenue-based “New Releases” chart, it only managed a spot in the Gold tier (ranks 13-24). In contrast, among the TGA Game of the Year nominees, only Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Hollow Knight: Silksong managed to hold their ground in the upper echelons of the most-played rankings. This highlights a widening gap between what critics celebrate and where players actually invest their time.
The Top Earners of 2025
The Platinum tier of the “New Releases” list, ranked by gross revenue, was dominated by blockbuster AAA titles and long-awaited sequels. As expected, some of the year’s most talked-about releases—Elden Ring Nightreign, Battlefield™ 6, and Borderlands 4—claimed their spots at the very top. The years-in-the-making Hollow Knight: Silksong and the remastered classic The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered also earned Platinum status among the highest-grossing titles. Other Notable New Releases in Platinum:
- Dune: Awakening
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
- EA SPORTS FC™ 26
The Most-Played Games by Player Count
The “Most Played” list, determined by concurrent player counts, tells a different story—one dominated by free-to-play competitive giants and timeless classics. Evergreen titles like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and Apex Legends™ held firm in the Platinum tier. Meanwhile, 2025’s fresh contenders Marvel Rivals and Delta Force made a swift entrance into the big leagues. Indie darlings Stardew Valley and Terraria proved that age is just a number. Despite being years old, they maintained their player bases well enough to secure a spot in the Platinum tier—a rare feat for single-player and co-op experiences. Steam’s 2025 charts paint a picture of a remarkably diverse year where players showed equal enthusiasm for next-gen FPS experiences like Battlefield 6 and cozy classics like Stardew Valley.