This week, the crew wraps up their 2025 Game of the Year series by debating a variety of award categories. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for the reveal of the Crossplay Conversations Top 10 Games of 2025!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 2:50 - The Luke Lewis Chill Out With a Coffee on a Rainy Weekend Afternoon Award

• 25:11 - Hooper’s Puzzle Paradise Award

• 41:51 - Claire’s Creatively Cozy Award

• 57:40 - Best Music

• 1:12:05 - Best Visuals Technical

• 1:30:52 - Best Visual Art Direction

• 1:36:59 - Spoilers: The Drifter

• 1:37:45 - End of Spoilers: The Drifter

• 1:42:35 - Best Narrative

• 2:00:15 - Our Top 10 Games of 2025 Reveal Video

• 2:15:51 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• CantPause on Instagram

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **

This week, the crew kicks off their 2025 Game of the Year series by debating a variety of award categories. From the vast puzzle rooms of the Mount Holly Estate in Blue Prince to branching narratives of Dispatch and so much more, there’s a game here for everyone. Let’s close out 2025 in style. Stay tuned for the next episode for the reveal of the Crossplay Conversations Top 10 Games of 2025!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 4:20 - Best Gameplay Loop

• 42:41 - Most Underrated Game

• 1:17:07 - The Business Boy’s 2025 Bit of Bad Business

• 1:58:11 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

This week, Jacob and Luke give their thoughts on the 2025 Indie Game Awards! Please note that this episode was recorded before the IGA Team announced that they would be retracting awards for Debut Game, Game of the Year, and one of the Indie Vanguard recipients. If you would like to learn more about the process for the decision you can view the statement by the IGA Team below:

Episode Resources:

• IGA Eligibility Statement: https://www.indiegameawards.gg/faq

• Our Blue Prince Review & Spoilercast: https://youtu.be/In647FS-reU?si=jb7dIcWAdHqIcIJ-

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 1:47 - Icebreaker Question: How are you enjoying playing Expedition 33?

• 8:56 - The GOTY category

• 11:38 - Indie Game Awards overall thoughts and breaking down our highlights of the night

• 13:47 - The Indie Vanguard Class of 2025

• 16:12 - Double Aggro Crab win!!17:20 - Solo Development19:24 - Best Narrative

• 24:03 - Bite-Sized

• 26:29 - Gameplay Design30:53 - Best Visuals

• 32:43 - Best Music

• 36:47 - Emotional Impact

• 41:05 - Showcase Award Categories and Community Picks

• 46:49 - Our Crossplay Conversations Game of the Year Awards

• 52:57 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia **

This week, Joseph and Luke give their thoughts on the 2025 Game Awards! From award winners to game announcements, the crew unpacks their reactions.

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 1:11: Ice Breaker Question: What are your overall thoughts on the Game Awards 2025?

• 5:25: Breaking down the winners

• 31:42 - Announcement highlights

• 1:04:42 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-51cd63 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Crossplay Conversations: A Video Game Podcast.

This week, Jacob and Luke dive into five 2025 indie games that you may have missed as they prep for Indie Game Awards!

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:40 - Icebreaker: What’s a trend in gaming that you think 2025 will be remembered for?
• 9:40 - Tall Trails
• 15:05 - Discounty
• 20:00 - The King is Watching
• 25:10 - Megabonk
• 29:45 - Absolum
• 34:00 - Housekeeping & Outro

We only have 2 shows left for 2025! Tentatively, here's what we have left:

• 12/16 - The Game Awards 2025 Debrief
• On or before 12/23 - The Indie Game Awards 2025 Debrief

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-51cd63 for 40% off for 4 months, and support Crossplay Conversations: A Video Game Podcast.

This week, the crew gives their review on five recent fall releases including: Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II, Ball x Pitt, Keeper, and Sword of the Sea! Get those wishlists ready and prepare for some good game discussion as the crew prepares for Game of the Year voting.

Games Discussed During Today’s Episode:

• Hollow Knight Silksong

• Hades II

• BALLxPIT

• Keeper

• Sword of the Sea

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro

• 1:55 - Ice Break Question: What’s your gaming game plan going into the end of 2025?

• 11:55 - Hollow Knight: Silksong

• 20:12 - Hades II

• 30:39 - Game Awards GOTY Predictions

• 38:08 - Ball x Pitt

• 45:45 - Keeper

• 53:11 - Sword of the Sea58:57 - Outro

Additional Episode Resources:

• Support Jacob and the crew via Extra Life: https://www.extra-life.org/participants/561753

• Check out Joseph’s New CantPause Video: https://youtu.be/gzMEdUrzRNc?si=JFxbnZ7eWc_sZ_UG

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social

• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social

• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social

• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social

• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast

• Left Behind Game Club

• The LukeWarmGames Podcast

• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

• Video Game Trivia

This week, the crew builds a list of the 16 best games to play during the month of October! From horrific scares to a cozy fall vibe, this discussion has a game for everyone. Pour a hot beverage, sit back, relax, and let’s get spooky.

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:34 - Ice Breaker Question: What video game would you like to dress up as for Halloween?
• 7:01 - How do we fare with spooky games?
• 10:07 - Defining our list approach/format
• 12:11 - Building the list
• 54:04 - Narrowing it down to the top 16
• 1:18:21 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast

This week, Joseph, Claire and Luke finally dive deep on Blue Prince! This is a no-holds-barred spoiler-filled chat! If you're looking for something lighter about Blue Prince, check out our Game of the Year So Far show (Ep. 48)!

Find Timestamps for this Episode Below:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:00 - Icebreaker: Where is Blue Prince on your GOTY list?
• 7:00 - Final Spoiler Warning
• 7:10 - Hour/Day Counts
• 16:20 - The Post-Game Approach
• 26:00 - The Story of Blue Prince
• 31:30 - Joseph's Story Speedrun
• 43:30 - The "Does X Matter" Section
• 51:45 - Ah-Ha Moments
• 1:05:30 - Optimizing our Runs
• 1:09:45 - The Final Exam
• 1:16:15 - Outro

Find us on BlueSky for show updates and more:

• Podcast: @crossplayconvos.bsky.social
• Jacob: @jacob.bsky.social
• Luke: @lukewarmlewis.bsky.social
• Joseph: @th3hoopman.bsky.social
• Claire: @clairebearrose.bsky.social

Check out our other shows:

• Player Player Podcast
• Left Behind Game Club
• The LukeWarmGames Podcast
• Cutscenes: A Video Game Movie Podcast