Spotify has released its extravagant year-end list on December 3 for 2025, but with a few twists.
Spotify Wrapped now has features like Wrapped Party and Listening Age. They’re supposed to be fun, new additions to make Wrapped something you can share with friends. Instead they feel very competitive and even judgemental.
Wrapped Party: Competition Disguised As Fun
Wrapped Party is a mobile-only feature where you can compete, I mean “play” with up to 9 friends.
Spotify hands out quirky little awards based on your habits, like Most Obsessed Fan or The Eternal Optimist Award. These update every time you join a new session like it’s trying to keep you hooked on the randomness of it all.
Comparing your listening data with others while dissecting why you streamed certain tracks is the only thing you can do in a Wrapped Party. It’s not like either of you can go back and change your listening habits or add anything new to it. So what’s the point of even adding something like this?
Listening Age: The Feature No One Asked For
Then there’s Listening Age, which might be the most baffling addition this year. It basically tells you how “old” you are based on what you listen to most.
Are you a fan of 80s hair metal? Congratulations, you have the musical taste of a middle-aged man! If you spent the whole year keeping track of every new release, then apparently you’re at least 18 or younger.
It feels like Spotify is low-key shaming you for liking what you like. That’s none of their business and who are they to judge? Spotify Wrapped is supposed to be fun, not a judgment zone.
From Reflection To Performative
Spotify Wrapped always had a social element because people love posting their results, but that was voluntary. You shared because you wanted to. Now the app itself is actively steering you toward sharing, competing, and measuring your listening habits to other people.
With Wrapped Party, sharing with your friends is expected. With Listening Age, judgment is implied.
The gamification of Spotify Wrapped is sad. It was a cute review of the music you love. It took you back to a specific mood or memory. Now it’s true to morph into yet another thing you compare against others.
Spotify Wrapped shouldn’t make you wonder how your taste compares to your friends. It should make you remember what you loved most this year.
That’s the whole point.
