Here’s Every Game Nominated for ‘The Game Awards’ 2025

Every December former video game journalist Geoff Keighley, alongside a panel of industry judges, present the best games that dropped in the year that was: that’s right, The Game Awards are back, and airing 11 December, 2025.

While the awards are the main draw for the gaming industry at large, viewers tend to tune in for Keighley’s tendency to drop massive announcements and trailers for upcoming games—last year saw the reveal of The Witcher 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Interstellar: The Heretic Prophet, for example. Who knows what they’ve got in store for us this year?

Still, it’s worth celebrating some of the amazing games that came out in 2025. Indie darling Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has 12 nominations across multiple categories, while Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has 7. Representing our local makers is Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong, with 5 nominations—including the big one, Game of the Year.

If you want to have your say in the voting process, you can head to The Game Awards‘ website, sign up, and vote for what you think are the best of 2025.

While we’ll definitely update this story with winners (and trailers) once the show is done and dusted, for now, check out the nominees below:

‘The Game Awards’ 2025 Award Categories

Game of the Year

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

Best Game Direction

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

Best Narrative

• 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

Best Art Direction

• 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 & Music

• Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Darren Korb, Hades II
• Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yotei
• Woodkid and Ludvig Forssel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Best Audio Design

• Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios/EA
• 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

Best Performance

• Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Erika Ishii, Ghost of Yotei
• Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill F
• Troy Baker, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Innovation in Accessibility

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

Games for Impact

• Consume Me, Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Hexacutable
• Despelote, Julian Cordero/Sebastian Valbuena/Panic
• Lost Records: Blood & Rage, Don’t Nod Montreal/Don’t Nod
• South of Midnight, Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios
• Wanderstop, Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive

Best Ongoing

• Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix
• Fortnite, Epic Games
• Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Marvel Rivals, NetEase Games
• No Man’s Sky, Hello Games

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios
• Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix
• Fortnite, Epic Games
• Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• No Man’s Sky, Hello Games

Best Independent Game

• Absolum, Guard Crush Games/Supamonks/Dotemu
• Ball X Pit, Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital
• Blue Price, Dogubomb/Raw Fury
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive
• Hades II, Supergiant Games
• Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry

Best Debut Indie Game

• Blue Price, 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

• Destiny: Rising, NetEase Games
• Persona 5: The Phantom X, Black Wings Game Studios/Sega
• Sonic Rumble, Ravio Entertainment/Sega
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Cygames Inc.
• Wuthering Waves, Kuro Games

Best VR / AR Game

• 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

• Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios/EA
• Doom: The Dark Ages, id Software/Bethesda Softworks
• Hades II, Supergiant Games
• Ninja Gaiden 4, Platinum Games/Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Lizardcube/Sega

Best Action / Adventure

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

Best RPG

• 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

• 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

• Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo
• Lego Party!, SMG Studios/Fictions
• Lego Voyagers, Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive
• Mario Kart World, Nintendo
• Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Sonic Team/Sega
• Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios/EA

Best Sim/Strategy

• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Square Enix
• Jurassic World Evolution 3, Frontier Developments
• Sid Meier’s Civilisation VII, Firaxis Games/2K
• Tempest Rising, Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms
• The Alters, 11 Bit Studios
• Two Point Museum, Two Point Studios/Sega

Best Sports/Racing

• EA Sports FC 26, EA Canada/EA Romania/EA
• F1 25, Codemasters/EA
• Mario Kart World, Nintendo
• Rematch, Sloclap/Kepler Interactive
• Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Sonic Team/Sega

Best Multiplayer

• ARC Raiders, Embark Studios
• Battlefield 6, EA
• Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment
• PEAK, Aggro Crab/Landfall
• Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios/EA

Best Adaptation

• A Minecraft Movie, Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros
• Devil May Cry, Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix
• The Last of Us: Season 2, HBO/PlayStation Productions
• Until Dawn, Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions

Most Anticipated Game

• 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

• Caedrel
• Kai Cenat
• Moistcr1tikal
• Sakura Miko
• The Burnt Peanut

Best eSports Game

• Counter-Strike 2, Valve
• DOTA 2, Valve
• League fo Legends, Riot
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Moonton
• Valorant, Riot

Best eSports Athlete

• 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

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