In Kraków, we found out the best Polish games of 2025. Cronos: The New Dawn takes the top spot

Although this year’s results have been dominated by two titles, there is still no shortage of contenders for the title of Game of the Year. A saturated market makes it increasingly difficult to stand out, but Polish developers are showing that this maturity does not have to mean stagnation. Creativity and drive remain key. And looking at European releases from recent months, it is hard not to get the impression that Poland remains one of the leaders in game development on the continent.  

Jakub Mirek, DD Awards coordinator

You might think that if the nominees include titles from your favourite genres: RPGs, survival horror games, and all manner of shooters, then choosing the winners should be nothing but pleasure. But the opposite is true. This year, I myself appreciated, for example, the surprising quality of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, a game whose commercial success proves just how much room there still is for open-world RPGs with extensive character customisation options. Ultimately, however, Cronos: The New Dawn deservedly won in as many as three categories, the crowning achievement of Bloober Team’s development to date and a game that fits perfectly with the needs of today’s market. The Alters also made a huge impression on the judges. Since This War of Mine, the designers at 11 bit studios have been able to surprise us with an unconventional perspective, this time in the context of survival on a hostile planet. This is certainly not, pun intended, a clone of established solutions. A true clash of the titans took place in the Best Foreign Game category. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 faced a tough battle against Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Both RPGs play to their strengths brilliantly, but it was the emotional impact of ‘Expedition’ – something almost unheard of today – that, in our opinion, deserved the highest accolade.

Grzegorz Bobrek, To Znowu Oni, DD Awards juror