2025 has been a weird year for me in games. I played just shy of 20 new releases, and focused on my Xbox gamerscore. With that done, and my 2026 plans coming together, I am ready to share my "GOTY Shortlist":

⭐️Despelote
⭐️Dispatch
⭐️Ghost of Yotei
⭐️Sword of the Sea

These #WorldCup2026 groups are 🔥. Can't wait until March to see the last teams in!

Yesterday I also played Goodnight Universe, a new indie from Before Your Eyes devs @nicedreamgames.com I loved their prior work, and Goodnight is just as great. Unique story with solid writing and performances told via gameplay hooks and mechanics you don't see elsewhere.

My votes are primarily a tool to show who I think will win. There's a couple that I'm iffy on (fighting, sound, family) and my Games for Impact vote is 10000% biased. #thegameawards

#Keeper is a gorgeous, wonderful, and unique game. I'm not going to say much, to avoid spoiling the latter two acts, but if you're a fan of art-driven experiences, it is a must-play.

All of the photos here are my screenshots. Beautiful.

A note about my future in #Xbox achievement hunting:

Yes, I am aware of the #XboxGamePass price hike. No, I don't like it. There is a good amount of value in the product over the next 3 months for me to justify the Nov 4th increase, but in 2026? I may go down to Premium and adjust on a seasonal basis depending on release dates.

It is done. Way ahead of schedule. Now to contemplate my next steps.

First up? Sleep. 😩

As I inch towards my 3 million #Xbox Gamerscore goal, I am contemplating my future with this hobby. No decision has been made, but I am entertaining--seriously this time--the thought of retirement from hardcore achievement hunting.

I am over 1 million GS for 2025 so far.

Played two of my most hyped indies of 2025 this weekend:

- Herdling: Chill vibes in gameplay & presentation in a bite-sized package.👏👏 @okomotive.ch

- Sword of the Sea: @giantsquidstudios.com's best. @awintory.bsky.social's best score. Paced *perfectly*, & fun skills to experiment/explore with.

As part of my reintegration into a more normal gaming schedule, I'm mapping out the rest of 2025 the best I can (1st image is upcoming releases, 2nd is earlier releases). This is not a complete list... and it obviously doesn't take into account the hunt for 3 million gamerscore:

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is a fun indie, and a recent addition to Game Pass, too!

It's about a snake who finds himself in... Limbo... and he learns that he is meant to help souls find closure. Mix of puzzles, combat, and a witty, often thoughtful story. I enjoyed it! 👍

Been playing some indies..

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a fun sequel that has tons of charm and is bite-sized at ~2 hours.

To a T is super awkward, but that's the point. Story pacing is meh, but it is too unique to ignore the subtle meta and physical humor it has in spades.

I mean, I can see it. 😏

I'm not sure if I'll go for the completion due to time restrictions w/ other games I want to play (although it'll probably only take another couple hours for the challenge levels), Tempopo by @witchbeam.com.au is a puzzle game available on Game Pass, and is a fun way to pass time.

Y'all want some GRAPHS? I'm +308,890 for 2025 and sitting at a grand Xbox #gamerscore total of 2,272,845 as of this post (and will probably go up a couple thousand today to get to 2.275m).

Easily going to be my best year ever, as my total in 2024 was +555,540.

Update on #Wanderstop. It's really good and finished strong. Easy to recommend for fans of unique narratives and even cozy gamers.

Just don't expect the deepest cozy game mechanics, which is fine by me.