As we inch ever closer to the end of another loop around the sun, debates over which game should win the (always objective, totally never up-for-debate) Game of the Year title are heating up. Popular Twitch streamer and former FPS pro player Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek has even waded into the discourse, loudly campaigning for his audience to rally around Arc Raiders so it can topple arguable frontrunner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Speaking during a recent livestream, Grzesiek gushed about the newly released extraction shooter before moving on to its chances at a GOTY win. There's been a lot of heavy hitters released this year - between Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2, and Donkey Kong Bananza - but there's one game in particular that Grzesiek sees as tough competition.
"We gotta make sure that this game wins game of the year, by the way," he says about Arc Raiders. "Do not let that Expedition game win game of the year. Do not let it. Absolutely do not. We all have to band together to make [Arc Raiders] win."
"Do not let that Expedition game win GOTY... we all have to band together to make this game win"Shroud thinks ARC Raiders deserves Game of the Year pic.twitter.com/0eP5jbp4bJNovember 5, 2025
Grzesiek kind of goes off the rails from there: "Us multiplayer gamers are the minority, okay? We are the minority, being multiplayer gamers, but I believe we can win. I believe. We just need to tell everybody."
Multiplayer games don't usually win GOTY from big award ceremonies, sure - although, we with good taste at GamesRadar+ correctly picked Helldivers 2 for GOTY 2024. But calling multiplayer gamers a minority seems a little hyperbolic considering how much time and money live service titles suck up.
"I've never voted for anything ever, but I think I'm going to vote this year for this game," he continued. Or, maybe, he won't, since Grzesiek also thinks that "all awards are rigged anyway."
Grzesiek isn't alone in loving Arc Raiders above everything else this year - it's one of the best-rated multiplayer games of all time and is courting huge player numbers. Still, most commentators online didn't exactly agree with his rant.
"Just because he said that I'm making multiple accounts and voting for Expedition 33," one fan wrote. "FPS player thinks FPS game should win GOTY, shocker," another tweeted. Guys, how about we all expand our genre palettes and simply play Megabonk, huh?
Fixed it for ya, Shroud👍 https://t.co/RlGwWgLRju pic.twitter.com/o8hxgVbnqnNovember 5, 2025
Here's how to get a free loadout in Arc Raiders and how to claim Arc Raiders Twitch Drops.
