Ghost of Yotei Dominates PlayStation Blog Awards 2025: A Fan-Driven Victory Lap

The people have spoken, and they really, really like roaming the Japanese countryside as a badass warrior. Who knew?

While industry critics and juries have their place, there’s something special about a fan vote. It cuts through the noise of “prestige” debates and gets straight to what people actually enjoyed playing on their couches on a Friday night. And this year, for the PlayStation Blog Game of the Year Awards, that honor goes overwhelmingly to Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei.

If you’ve been following the awards season drama, you know it’s been a bit of a tug-of-war between Yotei and the other darling of the year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. But when it came down to the PlayStation community casting their ballots—nearly 1.5 million of them—Atsu’s journey clearly struck a chord that resonated louder than anything else.

A Clean Sweep for Sucker Punch

It wasn’t just a narrow victory; it was a landslide. Ghost of Yotei didn’t just take home the Platinum Trophy for Best PS5 Game; it scooped up a total of seven Platinum awards. That is wild dominance.

We’re talking wins for Best Graphical Showcase and Best Art Direction, which feels right. I mean, have you seen the way the light hits the snow in this game? I spent half my playthrough in Photo Mode just trying to capture the vibe of Mount Yotei. It’s a game that demands you stop and stare, and clearly, fans appreciated that visual feast.

The audio team at Sucker Punch deserves a raise, too, snagging Best Audio Design. The crunch of snow underfoot, the whistle of the wind, the clash of steel—it all creates an atmosphere you can practically breathe.

Atsu Takes the Crown

Perhaps the most heartening win is for Best New Character. Stepping into the shoes of a new protagonist after Jin Sakai was always going to be a tall order. Jin was beloved. But Atsu has carved out her own legacy, taking the Platinum for Best New Character over some stiff competition. It proves that Sucker Punch knows how to write compelling heroes who feel grounded, human, and totally capable of taking down an army single-handedly.

The game also won for Best Accessibility Features and Best Use of DualSense, proving that it’s not just about looking pretty; it’s about feeling good to play for everyone.

The Full List of Winners

While Ghost of Yotei was the star of the show, it wasn’t the only game getting love. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 put up a valiant fight, snagging Best Story and Best Soundtrack—honestly, well deserved. And shout out to Kojima Productions for taking Studio of the Year (Death Stranding 2 hype is real, folks).

Here is how the community voted across the board:

Best PS5 Game

• Platinum: Ghost of Yotei
• Gold: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Silver: Death Stranding 2
• Bronze: Arc Raiders

Best New Character

• Platinum: Atsu (Ghost of Yotei)
• Gold: Hornet (Hollow Knight: Silksong)
• Silver: Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
• Bronze: Hinako (Silent Hill f)

Best Graphical Showcase

• Platinum: Ghost of Yotei
• Gold: Death Stranding 2
• Silver: Battlefield 6
• Bronze: Arc Raiders

Best Art Direction

• Platinum: Ghost of Yotei
• Gold: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Silver: Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Bronze: Silent Hill f

Best Audio Design

• Platinum: Ghost of Yotei
• Gold: Death Stranding 2
• Silver: Battlefield 6
• Bronze: Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Accessibility Features

• Platinum: Ghost of Yotei
• Gold: Battlefield 6
• Silver: Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Bronze: Split Fiction

Best Use of DualSense

• Platinum: Ghost of Yotei
• Gold: Death Stranding 2
• Silver: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Bronze: Battlefield 6

Best Story

• Platinum: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Gold: Ghost of Yotei
• Silver: Death Stranding 2
• Bronze: Silent Hill f

Best Soundtrack

• Platinum: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Gold: Ghost of Yotei
• Silver: Death Stranding 2
• Bronze: Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Rerelease (Remaster)

• Platinum: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• Gold: Days Gone Remastered
• Silver: Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered
• Bronze: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Best Multiplayer Experience

• Platinum: Battlefield 6
• Gold: Arc Raiders
• Silver: Marvel Rivals
• Bronze: Split Fiction

Best Ongoing Game

• Platinum: Genshin Impact
• Gold: Marvel Rivals
• Silver: Fortnite
• Bronze: Honkai: Star Rail

Best Expansion

• Platinum: Lies of P: Overture
• Gold: Helldivers 2: Heart of Democracy
• Silver: Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji
• Bronze: Indiana Jones and The Great Circle: Order of Giants

Best Sports Game

• Platinum: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• Gold: Forza Horizon 5
• Silver: EA Sports FC 26
• Bronze: REMATCH

Best Independent Game

• Platinum: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Gold: Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Silver: Dispatch
• Bronze: Ready or Not

Best PSVR2 Game

• Platinum: Alien: Rogue Incursion
• Gold: Hitman: World of Assassination
• Silver: The Midnight Walk
• Bronze: Zombie Army VR

Best PS4 Game

• Platinum: Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Gold: Elden Ring: Nightreign
• Silver: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• Bronze: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Studio of the Year

• Platinum: Kojima Productions
• Gold: Sandfall Interactive
• Silver: Sucker Punch
• Bronze: Team Cherry

Most Anticipated Game of 2026 and Beyond

• Platinum: Marvel’s Wolverine
• Gold: Resident Evil: Requiem
• Silver: 007: First Light
• Bronze: LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

Why This Matters

Look, award shows are fun, but the PlayStation Blog awards are unique because they are 100% community-driven. There’s no jury of “experts” here. This is just gamers voting for what they loved. Seeing Ghost of Yotei take the top spot confirms that single-player, narrative-driven adventures are still the heartbeat of the PlayStation ecosystem.

Sucker Punch took a risk moving away from Jin Sakai. They took a risk exploring a new era. And based on these results—and the reported sales figures chasing down the original’s success—that risk paid off big time.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go see if I can actually beat that one boss in Elden Ring: Nightreign or if I should just go back to taking pretty pictures in Yotei.