2018 Patron Game of the Year!

It's Celeste for me-- that game has me obsessed and attempting speed runs, which I otherwise never do (although I'm not quite as big on the storytelling/mental health angle as the mechanics/design). I wasn't nearly as fond of the big three as others were.

rkhc

My personal Goty is The Messenger

SuperSushiii

2018 was the year of Spider-Man 🙏🙌

JDelValle21

Yakuza Kiwami 2 was top 20. Yakuza 6 and Valkyria Chronicles 4 were top 30. Shenmue I & II only got 9 votes. I don't think Taiko no Tatsujin was even nominated.

TurboChickenMan

It did at least manage 37 votes during nomination.

TurboChickenMan

My personal game of the year is GoW, but my favorite of the year is Spider-Man :)

g0g2151

Nothing made me as purely joyful as Spider-Man did. From that incredible first scene that throws you into the action of swinging, to the engrossing story with fantastic performances, everything about Spider-Man feels cohesive and magical. It's a game I've dreamt of and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Kate Bishop

Brewster: "None of the above!"

Estaban

It's Celeste for me but I'm also happy if God of War or Red Dead 2 wins too!

Ryan Hegarty

Hollow Knight is my game of the year. Hallownest absorbed me like no other game world this year (RDR2 being a close second of course). The sense of exploration and challenge was so perfectly executed. It hurts hearing community personalities complain they found the initial exploration constraints too much. I think so many people either slept on this one or just gave up too soon.

JoeS9ty

Spider-man is my game of the year as it's the game that brought me the most joy in 2018. Gameplay above all, you just embody Spiderman and that's a feeling I've been chasing since Spiderman 2 on PS2.

POKEY CLYDE

I voted for Monster Hunter, but where the heck were games like Valkyria Chronicles 4, Shenmue 1 and 2 HD, Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Taiko no Tatsujin? Chaaat?

Minamik

My 2018 GOTY must be The Evil Within because I didn't like any game that actually released in 2018 so instead I went back and played games that fell under my radar of previous years. There were still good games though, but nothing felt like the next big thing to me.

Lunk

Oh and Ashen of course! Man, talk about a late 2018 release that's getting snubbed in the GOTY talks. Excellent, EXCELLENT game.

William

Same here.

William

Great selection of games although I'm disappointed that Detroit and Forza Horizon 4 didn't make the list. I just wanted to give a shout-out to Timespinner and The Messenger as well.

William

That's definitely not an objective standpoint. I straight up do not like RDR 2, and I'm not alone in that. The gameplay is trash. Regardless of how amazing any other part of that game is, it's definitely not the objective GOTY. Agree on the awesomeness of the list though! :)

Dafydd Gape

From a objective standpoint RDR 2 is easily the GOTY, but Octopath Traveler is just too much fun and I love its battle mechanics, plus, Dragon Quest XI could learn a lot from that game especially in terms of difficulty and the value of currency. Btw, awesome list, really varied.

Gungnir

I have never seen a more diverse GOTY list, which is a win in itself! I personally adore Astro Bot. It is my Game of the Year. I played it at my brother’s, who has a PSVR, and now I own a VR headset myself for pc! :) I understand comparing this game to God of War or Smash Bros. and defending it is challenging to say the least. But the amount of joy I felt playing Astro Bot is… is… indescribable. It’s so incredibly unique, and I just felt so happy playing. I just cannot not vote for this game.

Henk Groenendijk

I started God of War over the weekend, and am about six hours in. While the emotional story is great and the combat is a nice change, I still pick Astro Bot. If a game is getting called the greatest since Super Mario 64, and Astro Bot deserves it, that GOTY material in my book.

DCGX

People, please play GRIS... like, immediately!

Veniamin Klein

Astro Bot/GoW are my goty. RIP Astro Bot, I hope the allies give you justice.

Mr_Cid

God of War, but it was a fantastic year and you're all Games of the Year in my book. Yes, you.

Steven Godfrey

God of War - Astro Bot should get a special mention.. just finished it and it was freaking fantastic. Honestly could go toe to toe with a similar Mario title

ArcticFlamingo

Racing Games are like comedies: no matter how good they are, they never get any awards love

GW Fawkes

Dragon Quest XI is my GOTY. Been slowly getting through the game; exploring, crafting and soaking in the world. My game save is 70 hours and I just got to the Yggdrasil Tree... if anyone here hasn't played DQXI I'd suggest checking it out :D

Shane Forker

Forza Horizon 4 doesn't get a look in at all? Shame. Guess it will have to be God of War..

Oliver Higgins

And mine too. At least you can vote for it here (if you haven't already): <a href="https://forums.easyallies.com/topic/5215/let-s-vote-for-out-goty-2018" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://forums.easyallies.com/topic/5215/let-s-vote-for-out-goty-2018</a>

Alexander Zyryanov

Red Dead Redemption 2 for me.

Thomas Cooper

How does Detroit get snubbed by every gaming outlet? It's easily my GotY.

Chad Kowalski

This reads like a list of games I didn’t get to play this years except for two...

Richard Goetz

I would be curious if we created a poll for second place too

Bdun912

If you didnt like a single one of these games you might want to start thinking about how you approach games, maybe?

Well, one game certainly is going to win this by a landslide.

P.Visser

Wow. Not a single game to vote for. I guess I'll vote for Astro Bot, since it's the only game I'll had no issues with, but of course it's not the GotY.

Alexander Zyryanov

Agreed!! SotC remake was amazing. Saw the original but never played it.

Old Hunter Zerah

Fire wall Zero deserves better

Tristen Luu

Feel bad not having played Celeste, Monster Hunter, and DQXI. Plan to eventually, but still confident voting for Spidey, which represented the purest fun for me. Wish I could vote for God of War and Spidey simultaneously, tho.

Cloisterance

DQXI deserves better

Zack Carmichael

Voted for Red Dead 2, but have yet to play God Of War. Time to make it my top priority for 2019!

Johan

God of War is my actual GOTY, but it seems to have things well in hand, as does Red Dead, so I'm gonna kick my vote to Tetris Effect instead.

Matt Karwoski

I gave my werehogs to Dragon Quest XI baby!

David Curtis

God of War.

Star Tsurugi

Tetris wins game of the year all years in every incarnation.

Gaspard

I mean, at the moment 1st and 2nd are pretty clear-cut. Third is a crap-shoot, but it's not really worth going through two more rounds of voting just for third place.

Samuel Cardwell

My actual game of the year is the Shadow of the Colossus remake, but God of War was second for me.

Ben Campos

Hey Kyle, maybe have a round 2 and 3? Round 2 will have the second place winner, and round 3 will have the third? In lieu of only having one vote and Gow clearly absorbing all the votes.

Michael Rymar

Ill hand in my vote to MHW. Similar to GOW, monster hunter world made the biggest turnaround in gaming for 2018! While gow, rdr2's concept remain the same, the concept of monster hunting had never been this popular until that game hit the shelves.

Danni-H4

We Happy Few is my game of the year. Sadly not many people will agree with me.

Montagu Studios

Honestly maybe I just need to check out the post game, but celeste was terrible in my opinion. It's too bad The Messenger has been so overlooked because it's not trying to tell an emotional story.

Kaleb

Alas, Valkyria Chronicles 4, one of the more unique games of 2018, did not make the list. I get it. But still: more people should play that game. It is an SRPG worth your time!

Bram

For me it's Celeste and nothing else comes close. God of War was definitely enjoyable though.

Ian Barker

Not surprised to see GoW getting the love. My vote is for RDR2 though. The soundtrack, story, world and characters are far and away better than anything else I played this year and possibly ever. RDR2 hit me at such an important time in my life and it's themes hit me in such a deeply personal way that I can't imagine giving the vote to anything else. That being said I can't think of a better game for Red Dead to lose to than God of War which re-vitalized a beloved franchise in a fresh and engaging way while still paying it's love and respect to the games that started it all.

Allen Griffin

Is it possible to not display voting percentages in these polls? I feel sometimes it skews the results towards the one that gets an early lead.

hsapin

Kinda wish everyone got 3 votes or something. With GoW being the obvious winner, it's kinda hard to see any clear disparity among the rest of the top 10. I would have been very interested to see how people who picked GoW would have split their other 2 votes if they had the option. Looking forward to seeing the Allies' picks on Tuesday!

Ben Fitter

no the missing smh

Jacob K

Another great year for games 🙂

Dário

Spider-Man was my GOTY with God of War as a close second. I just had so much fun playing as Spider-Man.

Terrance Cinderkin Addison

Oh boy

Yui

Love and respect but I think it’s funny you say it’s more guided, when in RD2 there is a literal line that takes you to the place you need to go and if you deviate just a bit you fail.

Colin Cooper

You guys got Hollow Knight nominated again? That’s all I could really ask for 😭 ezaLR

ZatVunDoot

Damn, almost half to Kratos. A phenomenal game, really appreciated it in so many ways. Still, though, the hours I rode in Arthur Morgan's boots weigh more this time around. What. a. journey. The immersion. The epilogue. Beautiful.

Ville Ranto

Aw, Yoku's Island Express didn't make the cut. :( Guess I'll vote for Smash Bros then.

MarziiBarks

Putting Astro Bot up against God of War is such a crazy thing to see. Happy that it made it to this list, but I had to choose GoW.

Scott Garrod

For me it is Celeste thus far out of the games I've played. Glad to see it made the list.

Simon Wallace

I personally voted for Dragon Quest XI it was amazing but so was God of War so I have no problem with that winning.

strawhatninja

Just Shapes & Beats got snubbed.

Daniel Rona

Yeah, I hate to be in the God Of War camp, but it is GOTY for me personally. Spiderman is a very close second and only lost out to the boss battles feeling samey in the way you played all of them.

Anthony Stevens

The rest of the top 30 (as of very early this morning) are: Shadow of the Colossus (remastered) Detroit: Become Human Hitman 2 Dragon Ball FighterZ Return of the Obra Dinn Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yoku's Island Express Spyro Reignited Trilogy Assassin's Creed Odyssey Into the Breach Yakuza 6 Dead Cells Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch) Beat Saber The Messenger The Missing Pokémon Let's Go Gris Valkyria Chronicles 4

TurboChickenMan

Hollow Knight retroactively became my 2017 GOTY, because that's how years work.

Tyler Travis

RDR2 is the GOTY easily but GOW will win. It’s a more guided easier experience to enjoy.

NowHoldOnaMinute

Was Detroit Become Human number12? That's pretty alright. Detroit, A Way Out, and Astro Bot were my fun games from last year (swimming in 7s, and a 10). Although I just started Astro Bot last week and haven't finished it yet, since I got a PSVR for Christmas. I have also been playing/ed Horizon Zero Dawn, Dragon Quest Builders, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, and Tales from the Borderlands from years previous. Picked up God of War for au$25 and will be playing that next. Also intend on playing Tetris Effect and maybe Dragon Quest XI. Not interested in RDR2. I finished Dream Drop Distance for the first time in Nov, and I am so ready for Kingdom Hearts 3. I myself have been waiting since the release of KH2. 😁

Emmie Turner

I've only played one game on that list, so I don't see fair to vote. Hollow Knight, I'll play you soon, I promise! Maybe I'll vote the next year!

Toño

Spider-Man was my childhood and I love him dearly, along with Insomniac's game. Aside from a few gripes, it's a fantastic game, but it doesn't come close to how masterfully crafted GoW is. GoW is easily my GotY, but it stings a bit seeing Spidey getting so little love in this poll :/ at least get him up to 2nd place!

Ahlgreen

no The Missing? yall fake

Kit Snow

God of War all the way for me.

Mylène Laperle Vanasse

I clicked my entry and then see God of War having like 50% of the vote lol. This poll isn't even close

Saad Shaikh

Nah. Don't fall into group think. If you enjoy something great. Just because a lot of people like something doesn't mean it's good.

Tom Smith

God of War, no contest

Brogan Trull

didn't play any one of them so I'll pass on the vote

Tim Albers

Celeste, Dragon Quest 11, and Smash are the only games I've played. I'd say Celeste edges out for top game out of this for me. Though I do feel the messaging and what the game was "about" was pretty on the nose. Would have picked Into the Breach if it made it.

Shweep

God of War. Free.

Dominíc Brown

All of these games are great, but none are as special to me as Tetris Effect was. Playing that in VR made for one of the most amazing video game experiences I have ever had

Brendan Wims

Fist of the north star should be on here.

John

I know Hollow Knight first came out in 2017, but I only got around to playing it at the start of 2018. It's probably not gonna win, but I gotta give it my vote on principle as I think it's one of the best games ever made.

faqsimil

Looking at this list I realised how few games I played this year. My GOTY ends up being God of War simply because I only played 2 games on this list.

Simon Andersson

RDR2 for me. Despite it's serious flaw that it lacks mission freedom. God of War, while amazing, dropped the ball on enemy and boss variety. Something that is a staple for the series. Hitman 2 a close third, but not on the list.

I hope you're doing well today

It's so hard to choose between GoW, RDR2, Spider-Man and Smash. But I think I'm gonna have to go with Spider-Man, because I had various semi-major issues with the other 3 and I had very few, if any, with Spider-Man.

Logan Tawse

I hope VR gets it's own category. GoW was absolutely my GotY but Astrobot is like the Mario 64 of next gen. Such a good game.

danny betkowski

I could vote for all of them, great list through and through!

Sebastian Hall

That’s fine, different strokes for different folks. 😬👍

Eric Jackson

No Kiwami 2 :(

Varun Kachhwaha

Go Smash

Youngster Skaymore

Because Kyle said people are allowed vote for it, since it was released for Switch this year and many people played it there this year.

RedVIII

Hollow Knight? I don’t think that should be eligible

Youngster Skaymore

Spider-Man of course

Maxwell-Grant Borthwick

I hate the term overrated, because to me what it means is that everyone that rated the game that way was wrong? I know people don't mean it that way but it always irks me when people say things are overrated. It's possible to give an opinion without disregarding other ones.

Varun Kachhwaha

This is a year where I don't really see one definite winner. God of War, Red Dead, Spider-Man, Smash Bros, Celeste and even Tetris Effect would all deserve the win in my opinion.

RedVIII

I think I'm the only person that has played God of War and didn't like it.

Doosty

Omg Tetris Effect and Astro Bot made the list!! I’m so happy!

Megan Linart

1. God of War 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 3. Dragon Quest XI

Dennis M.

Why is Hollow Knight up for 2018 when it was released in 2017?

Jeff Kendall

That's a fair list. It shows you how smart this community is.

UziSuicide666

I mean gotta hand it to God of War.

Ken Lutz

God of war is slightly overrated. Still amazing though.

Tom Smith

Honestly shocked Octopath made the cut.

Tanner Methven

Gotta give one to my boy Astro Bot

Rurmelly

Look into your hearts, vote Celeste <3

Jesse.P

Wtvr happens, Celeste is the GOTY of my heart.

hellsfoxes

RIP Hitman 2. I'm miffed that Hollow Knight is on here. It's a 2017 game.

David

Isn’t GOTY really truly about the games we played along the way? (jk it’s Spider-Man 😎🕷)

TAHK0