Dethroning Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction, this surprise roguelike has instantly become the best-rated game of the year

Taking a closer look at a photo in Blue Prince in a dark room, and using a magnifying glass to read some handwriting on it — (Image credit: Raw Fury)

We're not even half way through 2025 but it's already stacked with possible game of the year contenders between the likes of Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction, and now, out of almost nowhere, a new indie just stormed into the race as the year's best-rated game.

Blue Prince didn't come completely out of the, ahem, blue - the creators of Inscryption and Balatro have been singing its praises and it's even showed up in a few high-profile game showcases here and there. But I think it's fair to say not many people were expecting it to become 2025's best-reviewed game so far.

YouTube

Watch On

On Metacritic, the puzzle game has an average score of 93 based on 32 critic reviews, 100% of which are positive, most of which are glowingly so. That means Blue Prince has stolen the crown away from co-op blockbuster Split Fiction and remastered puzzler The Talos Principle Reawakened, which both comes close with a still impressive average rating of 91. Monster Hunter Wilds and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 round out the top five with an 88 metascore.

Article continues below

In case you've never heard of Blue Prince and can't imagine what a 'roguelike puzzler' even is, well, the setup seems pretty unintimidating. You're called to claim your inheritance in a massive manor, but to do so, you need to find the 46th room in the manor that only has 45. So, you need to explore, find secrets, and gather clues across several runs while the layout might change every time.

GamesRadar's Blue Prince review was just as enthusiastic, and said the game "feels truly unique in how it takes a simple premise and fills it with multiple threads of mystery to pull at. This exploration roguelike is like nothing else I've played, and became a puzzle obsession I just couldn't shake across multiple runs where I always felt like I was discovering something new. Even after credits, the mysteries of Mt. Holly continue to surprise me."

Blue Prince is out now on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass.

Interested? Check out our top Blue Prince starting tips.