The Game Awards 2025 nominees announced

The Game Awards has announced its nominees for 2025, as selected by a global jury of more than 150 media publications and creator outlets.

This year’s nominees are led by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which received 12 nominations, followed by Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei at eight nominations each, Hades II at six nominations, Hollow Knight: Silksong at five nominations, and Split Fiction at four nominations. Sony Interactive Entertainment is The Game Awards 2025’s most nominated publisher, with 19 nominations across its combined portfolio, followed by Kepler Interactive with 13 nominations, and Electronic Arts and Microsoft with 10 nominations each.

Users can vote now in all categories via authenticated online voting on official website. Voting will end on December 10 at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Game Awards 2025 will air live on December 11 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California with awards, world premiere announcements and trailers, musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra led by conductor Lorne Balfe, and other surprises.

Get the full list of nominees below.

Game of the Year

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

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.

Games for Impact

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

Best Ongoing Game

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

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.

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.

Best Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality

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

Best Action Game

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

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.

Best Fighting

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

Best Family

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

Best Simulation / Strategy

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

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.

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.

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.

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)