The Game Awards 2025 Nominees Revealed

The Game Awards has unveiled its nominees for 2025, selected by a jury of over 150 media publications and creator outlets from around the world. Leading the pack this year is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with 12 nominations. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei follow with eight nominations each, while Hades II earned six nominations. Hollow Knight: Silksong received five nods, and Split Fiction picked up four.

Among publishers, Sony Interactive Entertainment topped the list with 19 nominations across its games. Kepler Interactive came in second with 13 nominations, while Electronic Arts and Microsoft each secured 10. Fans can cast their votes in all categories through the official website. Voting remains open until December 10 at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET.

The ceremony will take place on December 11 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The show will feature the awards presentation, new game announcements and trailers, musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra conducted by Lorne Balfe, and additional surprises.

Full List of Nominees

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver)

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight / Electronic Arts)

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment / Konami Digital Entertainment)

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

Best Score and Music

For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

Best Audio Design

Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.

• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment / Konami Digital Entertainment)

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

• Benn Star in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Charlie Cox in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Erika Ishii in Ghost of Yotei
• Jennifer English in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Konatsu Kato in Silent Hill f
• Troy Baker in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Innovation in Accessibility

Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
• Atomfall (Rebellion)
• DOOM: The Dark Ages (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
• EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada / EA Romania / Electronic Arts)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios)

Games for Impact

For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.

• Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia / AP Thomson / Hexacutable)
• despelote (Julian Cordero / Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (DON’T NOD Montreal / DON’T NOD)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Ongoing Game

Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.

• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers II (Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best Community Support

Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.

• Baldur’s Gate III (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers II (Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best Independent Game

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

• Absolum (Guard Crush Games / Supamonks / Dotemu)
• BALL x PIT (Kenny Sun / Devolver Digital)
• Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

Best Debut Indie Game

For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.

• Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• despelote (Julian Cordero / Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
• Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
• Megabonk (vedinad)

Best Mobile Game

For the best game playable on a mobile device.

• Destiny: Rising (NetEase Games)
• Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio / ATLUS / Perfect World Games / SEGA)
• Sonic Rumble (SEGA)
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames)
• Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)

Best Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality

For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.

• Alien: Rogue Incursion (Survios)
• Arken Age (VitruviusVR)
• Ghost Town (Fireproof Games)
• Marvel’s Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games / Oculus Studios)
• The Midnight Walk (MoonHood / Fast Travel Games)

Best Action Game

For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.

• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios / Electronic Arts)
• DOOM: The Dark Ages (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• NINJA GAIDEN 4 (Team NINJA / Xbox Game Studios)
• SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance (Lizardcube / SEGA)

Best Action/Adventure

For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames / Bethesda Softworks)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight / Electronic Arts)

Best Role-Playing

For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.

• Avowed (Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver)
• Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)
• The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios)

Best Fighting

For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

• 2XKO (Riot Games)
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK Corporation)
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse / Atari)
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)

Best Family

For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.

• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
• LEGO Party! (SMG Studio / Fictions)
• LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studios / Annapurna Interactive)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team / SEGA)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight / Electronic Arts)

Best Simulation/Strategy

Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.

• The Alters (11 bit studios)
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix)
• Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Frontier Developments)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (Firaxis Games / 2K)
• Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks / 3D realms)
• Two Point Museum (Two Point Studios / SEGA)

Best Sports/Racing

For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

• EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada / EA Romania / Electronic Arts)
• F1 25 (Codemasters / Electronic Arts)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
• REMATCH (Sloclap / Kepler Interactive)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team / SEGA)

Best Multiplayer

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.

• ARC Raiders (Embark Studios)
• Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Elden Ring Nightreign (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
• PEAK (Aggro Crab / Landfall)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight / Electronic Arts)

Best Adaptation

Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium.

• A Minecraft Movie
• Devil May Cry
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
• The Last of Us Season 2
• Until Dawn

Most Anticipated Game

Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.

• 007 First Light (IO Interactive)
• Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games)
• Marvel’s Wolverine (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom)
• The Witcher IV (CD Projekt RED)

Content Creator of the Year

For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community.

• Caedrel
• Kai Cenat
• MoistCr1TiKaL
• Sakura Miko
• The Burnt Peanut

Best eSports Game

For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.

• Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
• DOTA 2 (Valve)
• League of Legends (Riot Games)
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
• VALORANT (Riot Games)

Best eSports Athlete

The eSports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct, irrespective of game.

• brawk – Brock Somerhalder (VALORANT)
• Chovy – Jeong Ji-hoon (League of Legends)
• f0rsakeN – Jason Susanto (VALORANT)
• Kakeru – Kakeru Watanabe (Street Fighter)
• MenaRD – Saul Leonardo (Street Fighter)
• Zyw0o – Mathieu Herbaut (Counter-Strike 2)

Best eSports Team

Recognizing a specific eSports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct.

• Gen.G (League of Legends)
• NRG (VALORANT)
• Team Falcons (DOTA 2)
• Team Liquid PH (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
• Team Vitality (Counter-Strike 2)

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