The Poncies
UCP Game of the Year 2025
Platform Dominance Award
This aware is for the platform that appeared most often in the top ten games list played in 2025 provided by each presenter
3rd - PC
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2nd -
Playstation 5
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Winner -
Nintendo Switch 2
Platform Diversity Award
This award goes to the presenter that had the most different consoles on their top ten games played in 2025
4th - Scotty
'Nintendo loyalty card was fully punched here'
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3rd - George
'Old ass consoles'
2nd - Seb
'Xbox, PS4, PC'
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Winner -
RGT
'Switch 2, Switch, PS5, PS3 (yes, in 2025) and even the legacy console'.'This dude timetraveled'
Elder Gamer Aka Shame Award
This award goes to the presenter with the oldest games featured on their list of the top ten games played in 2025
4th - Seb
​'The least guilty, which is myself, uh, at almost entirely current year releases'
3rd - Scotty
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2nd - RGT
'PS3 game in 2025, diabolical'
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Winner-
George
'50% of his list is basically historical preservation at this point'.
'George's video games over the past six months have been so old, it's not even been Pong, it's been actual table tennis'
I Swear it's Important Award
Award given based on blind faith!
This game was submitted, not because anyone played it, but because one person specifically said, I swear, 'based on the game that I the first game that I played, I gotta say the second one's gotta be a beggar at this point.' So I swear it's important award. Didn't actually play it himself, but you know, submitted it anyways. Quote unquote, pure faith-based placement was on the list.
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Winner -
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
The Most Defended Game Award
This award is given to the game that was most desperatly defended for being on a presenters top ten list for 2025, probably because it's actually a bit rubbish
'The person who submitted this vote pleaded with their heart for this game to be better than what it was. They were prepared for violence to stand on business for the winner, so passionate about writing about it almost made me want to buy the console'
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Winner -
Pokemon Legends Z-A
The Oldest Game That People Probably Should Have Given Game of the Year to the First Time Around Award
This award is given to the game that...I mean, do i really have to explain, i think the title says it all.
'We champion that game like nobody else on this show, and for good reason, it's a high watermark for the franchise from a connoisseur's point of view...we value quality. You can't tell that from the camera, you can't tell that from the recording equipment, and I'll be honest with you, you can barely tell it from the script, but it's a hallmark of what we live for. The winner, quite right getting upon team 2025'
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Winner -
Grand Theft Auto IV
Indie Champion Award
This award was created to make sure Seb won something, as the excellent host he is, I don’t blame him one bit
'He said “What if I only played games that emotionally challenged me or tried something
stupidly ambitious?”
And then did exactly that.'
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Winner -
Seb 'The King of the Indies'
UCP Game of the Year 2025
Four Controllers. One Crown. Zero Objectivity.
Every year, the gaming industry pretends objectivity exists.
Every year, we show up and remind everyone that taste is chaos, memory is selective, and at least one person is still playing a game that came out when Obama was president.
This year, The Unofficial Controller Podcast did things the honest way:
Four hosts.
Four Top 10 lists.
A clean point system.
No committee politics. No sponsored nonsense. Just vibes, passion, and a little bit of delusion.
10
Persona 4
Total Points - 8
'Persona 4 made the list because nostalgia is undefeated, and because sometimes a PS2 game still hits harder than modern releases.
Also: George and his wife bonding over it? Automatic bonus points.'
9
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Total Points - 8
'Scott hasn’t played it.
Didn’t matter.
Faith carried this one.'
8
Cyberpunk 2077 (Switch 2)
Total Points - 9
'Cyberpunk crawled, fell, got patched, stood up, and now runs surprisingly well... on a Nintendo device of all things.
Redemption arc unlocked.'
7
Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar
Total Points - 9
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6
Witcher 3 (Switch 2)
Total Points - 9
'The draw distance of about 2 metres but it gave switch owners a massive RPG to play'
5
Pokemon Legends Z-A
Total points - 9
'Pokémon finally doing something interesting again.'
4
No Man’s Sky
Total points - 10
'This is less a video game and more a lifestyle choice. At this point, No Man’s Sky isn’t winning awards—it’s collecting child support from every
comeback story that came after it.
George put 150 hours into this thing this year alone, which means:
He doesn’t visit planets, He moves in. Longevity won here. Not hype.'
3
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Total points - 17
'This is the game that makes JRPG fans stand up and point at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t just modernize the genre—it reframes it. Turnbased combat mixed with parries and dodges. Performances that actually matter. A world dripping with melancholy, purpose, and “you’re not ready for what comes next” energy. It didn’t need to be on all four lists. It just needed to hit hard where it landed. And it did.'
2
Ball X Pit
Total points - 21
This is the “who invited this guy?” game that showed up, took its shoes off, and stole the spotlight. Ball X Pit is proof that indie devs are still allowed to cook. A roguelike that understands addiction, momentum, and that “one more run” disease better than most AAA studios understand their own franchises.
It was: 1 for RGT, Top 6 for Sebastion mid-pack for Scott and yet? It climbed all the way to 2 overall, because consistency beats chaos. This is the people’s champion.
UCP Game of the Year
Hades II
Total points - 21
'Let’s be real: this wasn’t close. Hades 2 is that sequel that makes you look back at the first game and say, “Yeah, you were great... but I see why you had to die.” Supergiant didn’t just iterate—they ascended. More systems. More boons. More characters. Fully realized 3D models. Combat feels smoother, meaner, and somehow more stylish. It respects your time while still ruining your sleep schedule. This game didn’t win because everyone agreed on everything. It won because everyone respected it, even if it wasn’t their personal number 1.
That’s real power.'
This wasn’t about agreeing. It was about what stuck. And when the dust settled, Hades 2 stood tall—not because it was perfect, but because it earned respect from every corner of the room. That’s how you win Game of the Year.
The Unofficial Controller Podcast,
Where taste is loud, bias is honest, and the math doesn’t lie.