Yahtzee Croshaw, the rapid-fire game critic formerly behind The Escapist’s Zero Punctuation and now running Fully Ramblomatic at Second Wind, dropped his annual Best, Worst, and Blandest awards for 2025 on December 31. As always, the British-Australian humorist held nothing back in his signature style, skewering the year’s most disappointing releases while celebrating the games that actually delivered. If you’ve been following gaming discourse throughout 2025, some of these picks will validate your suspicions, while others might raise eyebrows.
The Worst List Features Big Names
Yahtzee’s worst list for 2025 included some surprising AAA casualties. Split Fiction from Hazelight Studios, the co-op specialists behind It Takes Two, landed in the bottom five despite impressive gameplay and visuals. Yahtzee specifically called out the dialogue, stating that every word coming out of the protagonists’ mouths made him want to recoil. Given that Yahtzee is himself an author with around 15 published works to his name, his criticism of video game writing carries particular weight, even if his own novels feature admittedly awkward conversations.
The new Borderlands game also made an appearance in the negative categories. Yahtzee described it as mind-numbingly one-note and poorly optimized, struggling to even think of interesting ways to complain about it. He noted it’s nearly an anagram of “bored slander,” which he called precisely fitting. This aligns with broader critical consensus that Borderlands 4, while mechanically sound, failed to capture the magic of earlier entries with bland storytelling and technical issues plaguing the co-op experience.
Split Fiction’s Dialogue Problem
The Split Fiction criticism is particularly noteworthy because it represents a continuing issue with Hazelight’s writing. Yahtzee had previously delivered a Semi-Ramblomatic episode focused primarily on his dislike for the game’s dialogue. While It Takes Two won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021, many players found its Marvel or Whedon-esque banter grating. Split Fiction apparently doubles down on that style without the amusing badness that at least made It Takes Two’s terrible writing entertaining.
Community reactions to Yahtzee’s Split Fiction placement were mixed. Some agreed completely, noting they struggled to enjoy the two main characters in It Takes Two and found Split Fiction considerably more tolerable despite weak writing. Others had the opposite experience, finding Split Fiction dull where It Takes Two was at least amusingly bad. The consensus seems to be that Hazelight excels at co-op gameplay mechanics but desperately needs better writers.
The Blandest Category Returns
Yahtzee’s unique “Blandest” category highlights games that aren’t offensively bad but are aggressively mediocre and forgettable. These are the games that inspire neither passionate defense nor heated criticism, just shrugs and “it was fine, I guess” responses. For 2025, this category likely included several high-profile releases that played it safe to the point of invisibility.
The Borderlands placement potentially straddles both worst and blandest categories. Being simultaneously boring and poorly executed is almost impressive in its own right. When a game in a franchise known for over-the-top chaos and humor becomes tedious, something has gone fundamentally wrong with the creative direction.
What Made The Best List?
While specific details about Yahtzee’s top five games for 2025 weren’t fully revealed in available sources, his annual lists typically champion games with strong gameplay design, original storytelling, and respect for the player’s intelligence and time. Given 2025’s releases, likely candidates would include titles that innovated within their genres or executed classic formulas with exceptional craft.
Yahtzee has consistently stated he reviews gameplay design more than any other aspect, with original storytelling coming second. He rarely gets impressed by cutting-edge physics or amazing graphics when the underlying game isn’t essentially fun to play. This philosophy means his best lists often feature indie darlings and AA gems over massive AAA blockbusters that prioritize spectacle over substance.
The Annual Tradition Continues
| Year | Series Name | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-2023 | Zero Punctuation | The Escapist |
| 2023-Present | Fully Ramblomatic | Second Wind |
| Annual Event | Best, Worst, Blandest Awards | Every December 31 |
Yahtzee’s annual awards have become a gaming tradition dating back to his Zero Punctuation days at The Escapist. Even after the dramatic split that saw him and several colleagues leave to form Second Wind in 2023, the format continues unchanged. The rapid-fire delivery, crude stick-figure animations, and brutally honest criticism remain intact under the Fully Ramblomatic banner.
The awards carry weight because Yahtzee established credibility over nearly two decades of consistent, thoughtful criticism. He coined the term “PC Master Race” (originally as satire), influenced countless video essayists with his format, and maintained editorial independence even when reviewing games from major publishers. His reviews prioritize whether games are actually fun to play over whether they’re technically impressive or commercially successful.
Why These Lists Matter
In an era where many gaming outlets hesitate to truly criticize big-name titles, Yahtzee’s willingness to call out mediocrity and bad design provides valuable counterbalance. His position as an independent creator at Second Wind, free from the advertising relationships that complicate traditional gaming journalism, allows for genuine honesty that mainstream publications often can’t match.
The Blandest category particularly serves an important function. Gaming discourse tends to focus on extremes, the masterpieces and disasters, while ignoring the vast middle ground of acceptable but uninspired games. By highlighting blandness as worthy of criticism, Yahtzee pushes back against the “it’s fine” mentality that allows mediocrity to flourish in a risk-averse industry.
The Dialogue Problem In Gaming
Yahtzee’s specific callout of Split Fiction’s dialogue highlights a broader issue in game writing. As gaming budgets balloon and production values increase, writing quality hasn’t kept pace. Many AAA games feature dialogue that would be rejected from mid-tier television shows, yet somehow makes it into products costing $70 and hundreds of millions to produce.
The Marvel or Whedon style of quippy, self-aware banter has infected gaming dialogue to a detrimental degree. Every protagonist needs to be a wisecracking smartass, every tense moment needs undercutting with humor, every sincere emotion needs deflating with ironic distance. It worked for Joss Whedon in Buffy because he’s a genuinely talented dialogue writer. Most game writers attempting to copy that style lack the skill to pull it off, resulting in insufferable characters spouting cringeworthy lines.
Borderlands Loses Its Way
The Borderlands franchise landing in Yahtzee’s negative categories represents a fall from grace for the looter-shooter pioneer. The original Borderlands essentially created the genre, combining Diablo-style loot systems with first-person shooting in ways that felt revolutionary in 2009. Borderlands 2 refined the formula with Handsome Jack, one of gaming’s most memorable villains.
But by Borderlands 3 in 2019, the cracks showed. The humor felt dated, the technical issues frustrated players, and the writing couldn’t match Borderlands 2’s peaks. Borderlands 4’s 2025 release apparently continued that decline, offering competent shooting and looting wrapped in a boring open world plagued by bugs, performance problems, and storytelling that fails to justify the player’s time investment.
The Author Criticizing Writers
There’s delicious irony in Yahtzee, whose own novels feature admittedly awkward dialogue, criticizing game writing so harshly. However, his self-awareness about his limitations actually strengthens rather than weakens his criticism. He understands how difficult good dialogue is to write, which makes his standards for what constitutes acceptable writing in commercial games appropriately high.
With approximately 15 published works including the Jam series and Differently Morphous novels, Yahtzee brings an author’s perspective to game criticism that most reviewers lack. He knows the difference between dialogue that serves character development and plot advancement versus dialogue that exists purely to fill dead air with quips. When he says Split Fiction’s writing is bad, he’s making that judgment from a position of understanding the craft.
Community Reactions
Reddit discussions about Yahtzee’s 2025 awards showed the typical split between those who agree with his assessments and those defending their favorite games. Split Fiction defenders argued the gameplay excellence outweighs writing problems, while critics countered that bad dialogue in a story-focused co-op game fundamentally undermines the experience regardless of mechanical quality.
The Borderlands placement drew less controversy, with many players acknowledging the series has struggled to evolve beyond its original formula. Some noted they couldn’t even finish Borderlands 4 despite enjoying previous entries, citing repetitive mission design, uninspired environments, and technical issues that made co-op more frustrating than fun.
The Importance of Honest Criticism
Gaming needs critics willing to call out mediocrity even when it comes wrapped in impressive production values. Too many reviews treat big-budget releases with kid gloves, citing the hard work of development teams as justification for inflated scores. Yahtzee’s approach recognizes that respecting developers means honest assessment of their work, not empty praise.
His criticism that giving undeserved praise is “the cruellest possible thing you can do to an artist” reflects a philosophy more gaming criticism should embrace. Artists improve through honest feedback identifying weaknesses, not through reassurance that everything they create is perfect. The industry benefits when critics maintain standards rather than lowering them to accommodate every release.
FAQs
Who is Yahtzee Croshaw?
Benjamin “Yahtzee” Croshaw is a British-Australian game critic, author, and developer known for his rapid-fire video game reviews. He created Zero Punctuation for The Escapist from 2007-2023, then launched Fully Ramblomatic at Second Wind.
What games were on Yahtzee’s worst list for 2025?
Confirmed inclusions are Split Fiction from Hazelight Studios and the new Borderlands game. Yahtzee criticized Split Fiction’s dialogue and Borderlands for being mind-numbingly one-note and poorly optimized.
Why did Split Fiction make the worst list?
Despite having good gameplay and visuals, Yahtzee found every word from the protagonists’ mouths insufferable. He had previously dedicated an entire Semi-Ramblomatic episode to criticizing the game’s dialogue.
What is the Blandest category?
Yahtzee’s unique category for games that are neither offensively bad nor particularly good, just aggressively mediocre and forgettable. These games inspire shrugs rather than passionate reactions.
When did Yahtzee leave The Escapist?
Yahtzee and several colleagues left The Escapist in 2023 to form Second Wind, an independent creator-owned platform. He continues making similar content under the name Fully Ramblomatic.
Has Yahtzee written books?
Yes, Yahtzee has published approximately 15 novels including the Jam series and Differently Morphous books. He acknowledges his own dialogue can be awkward, which gives perspective to his criticism of game writing.
Why does Yahtzee’s opinion matter?
With nearly two decades of consistent criticism, editorial independence, and an author’s understanding of storytelling craft, Yahtzee offers honest assessments free from advertising relationships that compromise mainstream gaming journalism.
What does Yahtzee prioritize in reviews?
Gameplay design and original storytelling are his top priorities. He rarely gets impressed by cutting-edge graphics or physics when the underlying game isn’t fun to play.
Will there be more Fully Ramblomatic episodes?
Yes, Fully Ramblomatic continues as a weekly series at Second Wind, maintaining the same format and style as Zero Punctuation with new reviews throughout 2026.
Conclusion
Yahtzee Croshaw’s Best, Worst, and Blandest awards for 2025 continue his tradition of unflinchingly honest game criticism. While Split Fiction and Borderlands taking spots in the negative categories might sting their defenders, these assessments come from a critic who understands both game design and storytelling craft. The awards serve as a reminder that impressive production values and recognizable IP don’t automatically translate to quality experiences. In an industry that increasingly prioritizes safe, focus-tested mediocrity over genuine creative vision, having critics willing to call out blandness and bad writing remains essential. Whether you agree with every placement or not, Yahtzee’s annual lists spark necessary conversations about what gaming should aspire to be rather than settling for what it currently is. And in 2025, a year packed with high-profile releases that played it safe, that perspective feels more valuable than ever.