The Game Awards 2025: Winners and Nominees by Category
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This list is regularly updated to match what’s trending and in-demand among gamers.
The Game Awards 2026 takes place on December 10, and before this year’s nominees drop, it’s worth looking back at how last year played out. Short version: it was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s night. Sandfall Interactive’s debut RPG won nine trophies, including Game of the Year, and set a new all-time record. Here’s every category, nominee, and winner from The Game Awards 2025.
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Key Takeaways
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, becoming the first-ever debut game to take the top prize.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 set a new all-time record with nine total wins from thirteen nominations, breaking The Last of Us: Part II‘s previous record of seven.
- The Game Awards 2025 featured 29 main award categories, covering everything from Game of the Year and Best Narrative to Best Indie and esports, plus the separately fan-voted Players’ Voice award.
- The ceremony drew a record 171 million global livestreams, an 11% increase over 2024, cementing its place as gaming’s biggest annual event.
Who Won Game of the Year 2025?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, beating five other nominees to become the first debut game in the show’s history to take the top prize. Developer Sandfall Interactive walked away with nine total awards, a new all-time record.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Winner
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s win came after a night that saw it sweep nearly every craft category it was nominated in, including Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. Its emotional storytelling and distinctive turn-based combat set it apart in a field that included Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s long-awaited platforming precision and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II‘s grounded historical realism.
The win also marked a milestone for the category itself: 2025 was the first year the Game of the Year nominee slate included a 50/50 split between AAA and independent releases.
The Game Awards 2025 Winners and Nominees by Category
Best Game Direction
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – WINNER |
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
| Ghost of Yōtei |
| Hades II |
| Split Fiction |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took home Best Game Direction, continuing its sweep through the night’s craft categories. Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2 both leaned on atmosphere and scale, while Hades II and Split Fiction impressed with tighter, more refined pacing, but the jury sided with Clair Obscur‘s ambition.
Best Narrative
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – WINNER |
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
| Ghost of Yōtei |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II |
| Silent Hill f |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Narrative for its meditation on memory and mortality, edging out Kingdom Come: Deliverance II‘s grounded medieval realism and Silent Hill f‘s psychological horror.
These stories belong among the standout list of the best story games.
Best Art Direction
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – WINNER |
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
| Ghost of Yōtei |
| Hades II |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s painterly visual style secured Best Art Direction, beating out Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s hand-drawn charm and the surrealist realism of Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2.
Best Score and Music
| Lorien Testard – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – WINNER |
| Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
| Toma Otowa – Ghost of Yōtei |
| Darren Korb – Hades II |
| Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight: Silksong |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 claimed Best Score and Music, adding another win to its record night over Hades II‘s rhythm-driven combat score and Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s ambient melodies.
Together, they offer some of the most memorable music in recent years, a strong entry into the collection of top video game soundtracks this year.
Best Audio Design
| Battlefield 6 – WINNER |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
| Ghost of Yōtei |
| Silent Hill f |
Battlefield 6 took Best Audio Design, its realistic soundscapes edging out Silent Hill f‘s use of silence and distortion for horror and Clair Obscur‘s layered, painter-like atmosphere.
Best Performance
| Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) |
| Charlie Cox (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) |
| Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei) |
| Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) – WINNER |
| Konatsu Kato (Silent Hill f) |
| Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle) |
Jennifer English won Best Performance for her role as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with two of her co-stars, Ben Starr and Charlie Cox, also nominated in the category. This adds a ninth trophy to the game’s record-breaking night over a field that included three of her own castmates.
Player’s Voice
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| Dispatch |
| Genshin Impact |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong |
| Wuthering Waves – WINNER |
The only fully fan-decided category at The Game Awards, Best Player’s Voice went to Wuthering Waves after a multi-stage vote that narrowed 30 games down to 10, then to five finalists, before fans cast the deciding ballot.
Innovation in Accessibility
DOOM: The Dark Ages won Innovation in Accessibility, recognized for bringing thoughtful accessibility tools to a genre not always known for them.
Games for Impact
| Consume Me |
| Despelote |
| Lost Records: Bloom & Rage |
| South of Midnight – WINNER |
| Wanderstop |
South of Midnight took Games for Impact, standing out for how it handled its themes with care alongside fellow nominees Despelote and Wanderstop.
Best Ongoing Game
| Final Fantasy XIV |
| Fortnite |
| Helldivers II |
| Marvel Rivals |
| No Man’s Sky – WINNER |
No Man’s Sky won Best Ongoing Game, rewarded for years of consistent updates that kept the community engaged well past launch.
Best Community Support
| Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER |
| Final Fantasy XIV |
| Fortnite |
| Helldivers II |
| No Man’s Sky |
Baldur’s Gate 3 won Best Community Support, recognized for how closely the studio listened to players and updated the game accordingly.
Best Independent Game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Independent Game, beating the strong indie games that included Hollow Knight: Silksong and Blue Prince.
Best Debut Indie Game
| Blue Prince |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – WINNER |
| Despelote |
| Dispatch |
| Megabonk (withdrawn from consideration by its developer ahead of the ceremony) |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also won Best Debut Indie Game, which marked Sandfall Interactive‘s first-ever release with back-to-back indie wins.
Best Mobile Game
| Destiny: Rising |
| Persona 5: The Phantom X |
| Sonic Rumble |
| Umamusume: Pretty Derby – WINNER |
| Wuthering Waves |
Umamusume: Pretty Derby won Best Mobile Game, with its character-training and horse-racing gameplay standing out in a field that included more narrative-driven titles like Persona 5: The Phantom X.
Best VR/AR Game
| Alien: Rogue Incursion |
| Arken Age |
| Ghost Town |
| Marvel’s Deadpool VR |
| The Midnight Walk – WINNER |
The Midnight Walk took Best VR/AR Game, its atmospheric horror approach winning out over a field split between action, comedy, and exploration.
Best Action Game
Hades II won Best Action Game, its stylized combat and flow edging out DOOM: The Dark Ages‘ brutal momentum and Battlefield 6‘s scale.
Best Action Adventure Game
| Death Stranding 2: On the Beach |
| Ghost of Yōtei |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong – WINNER |
| Indiana Jones and the Great Circle |
| Split Fiction |
Hollow Knight: Silksong won Best Action Adventure Game after years of anticipation, its precision platforming winning out over the atmospheric scale of Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2.
Best RPG
| Avowed |
| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – WINNER |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II |
| Monster Hunter Wilds |
| The Outer Worlds 2 |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best RPG, beating Kingdom Come: Deliverance II‘s grounded realism and The Outer Worlds 2‘s expansive world-building.
Best Fighting Game
| 2XKO |
| Capcom Fighting Collection 2 |
| Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – WINNER |
| Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection |
| Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage |
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves won Best Fighting Game, its modern take on the classic series beating out legacy collections like Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection.
Best Family Game
| Donkey Kong Bananza – WINNER |
| LEGO Party |
| LEGO Voyagers |
| Mario Kart World |
| Sonic Racing CrossWorlds |
| Split Fiction |
Donkey Kong Bananza won Best Family Game, its revival of Nintendo’s classic platforming formula winning out over strong multiplayer entries like Mario Kart World.
Best Sim / Strategy Game
| The Alters |
| Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles – WINNER |
| Jurassic World Evolution 3 |
| Sid Meier’s Civilization VII |
| Tempest Rising |
| Two Point Museum |
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles won Best Sim/Strategy Game, its tactical depth beating out grand strategy heavyweight Sid Meier’s Civilization VII.
The versatility of the top strategy games wins here.
Best Sports / Racing Game
Mario Kart World won Best Sports/Racing Game, its playful approach to racing beating out realism-focused entries like EA Sports FC 26 and F1 25.
Best Multiplayer Game
Arc Raiders won Best Multiplayer Game, its co-op extraction gameplay winning out over Battlefield 6‘s large-scale combat and Split Fiction‘s two-player design.
For players who enjoy playing together, the best multiplayer game category offers diverse options.
Best Adaptation
| A Minecraft Movie |
| Devil May Cry (Series) |
| Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (Series) |
| The Last of Us: Season 2 (Series) – WINNER |
| Until Dawn |
Adaptation nominations reflect game‑to‑other‑media crossovers and reimaginings.
The Last of Us: Season 2 won Best Adaptation, continuing the franchise’s strong reception across both games and television.
Most Anticipated Game
| GTA 6 – WINNER |
| 007 First Light |
| Marvel’s Wolverine |
| Resident Evil Requiem |
| The Witcher IV |
Grand Theft Auto VI won Most Anticipated Game, unsurprisingly, given the scale of excitement surrounding Rockstar’s next entry.
Content Creator of the Year
| Caedrel |
| Kai Cenat |
| MoistCr1tikal – WINNER |
| Sakura Miko |
| THE BURNT PEANUT |
This nomination list shows how creators continue to shape gaming culture beyond titles and studios.
MoistCr1TiKaL won Content Creator of the Year, recognized for his ongoing influence across gaming content and community engagement.
Best Esports Game
| Counter-Strike 2 – WINNER |
| DOTA 2 |
| League of Legends |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Valorant |
Counter-Strike 2 won Best Esports Game, underlining its continued dominance in competitive gaming.
Competitive players have a solid selection of the most popular esports games to follow.
Best Esports Athlete
| brawk (NRG – Valorant) |
| Chovy (Gen.G – League of Legends) – WINNER |
| f0rsakeN (Paper Rex – Valorant) |
| Kakeru (Street Fighter) |
| MenaRD (Street Fighter) |
| Zyw0o (Team Vitality – Counter‑Strike 2) |
Chovy won Best Esports Athlete, recognized for his individual mastery in League of Legends‘ competitive scene.
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) – WINNER |
Team Vitality won Best Esports Team, capping off a strong competitive year in Counter-Strike 2.
The Game Awards 2025: Biggest Wins and Surprises
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominated the night with nine total awards from thirteen nominations, the most any game has ever won at the show, breaking The Last of Us: Part II‘s previous record of seven.
Record-Breaking Sweep
- First-ever debut game to win Game of the Year
- Nine wins from thirteen nominations, a new all-time record
- Swept nearly every craft category: Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and more
Notable Upsets
- Battlefield 6 beat out Clair Obscur and Silent Hill f for Best Audio Design
- No Man’s Sky topped newer live-service games like Marvel Rivals and Fortnite for Best Ongoing Game
- Wuthering Waves won the fan-voted Best Player’s Voice over both Clair Obscur and Hollow Knight: Silksong
A Long-Awaited Win
Hollow Knight: Silksong missed Game of the Year but still claimed Best Action Adventure Game, a smaller prize that carried extra weight given how long fans waited for the game itself.
The Game Awards 2025: Ceremony Recap
The Game Awards 2025 took place on December 11, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, hosted by Geoff Keighley for the twelfth consecutive year. The show streamed live across Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, X, and, for the first time, Amazon Prime Video, alongside a record number of platforms across China, South Korea, and Japan.
The broadcast set a new all-time viewership record with an estimated 171 million global livestreams, up 11% from 2024’s previous high of 154 million. Twitch alone drew over 1.8 million peak concurrent viewers, with more than 16,500 creators co-streaming the show. Fan voting also hit a record 123 million authenticated votes, including ballots cast for Best Player’s Voice.
Beyond the awards themselves, the night featured a live performance from Evanescence and a run of major reveals, including new looks at Star Wars, Resident Evil, and Tomb Raider titles. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 became the first-ever debut game to win Game of the Year, closing out the night with a record nine total wins.
Potential Game Awards 2026 Candidates
The official nominees won’t arrive until November, but awards season has already started picking favorites. The Golden Joystick nominations dropped in late September, and a handful of names keep coming up. These are the games we expect to hear on nomination day.
007: First Light
IO Interactive’s Bond origin story is the one to beat right now. It tied for the most Golden Joystick nods, and both Patrick Gibson (Bond) and Lennie James are up for performance awards.
Watch it in: Best Performance, Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Action/Adventure
Resident Evil Requiem
Capcom’s latest has become a fixture of early best-of-2026 lists. Survival horror plus two-protagonist storytelling is exactly the kind of game TGA juries like to reward.
Watch it in: Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Audio Design, Best Action/Adventure
Big Walk
This is the surprise of the season. House House, the team behind Untitled Goose Game, matched 007’s nomination count with a co-op walking game. A game about walking going toe-to-toe with James Bond is exactly the kind of upset we want to see.
Watch it in: Best Independent Game, Best Multiplayer, Best Audio Design
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Rebel Wolves’ vampire RPG comes from ex-Witcher 3 developers, and it shows. Three Golden Joystick nods include Best Storytelling.
Watch it in: Best RPG, Best Narrative
Mewgenics
It’s the strangest name on the list, in the best way. Edmund McMillen’s cat-breeding roguelike picked up three nods and plenty of critic love.
Watch it in: Best Independent Game, Best Sim/Strategy
Saros
Housemarque followed Returnal with another gorgeous, punishing bullet-hell. Its nominations lean heavily on craft: Visual Design and Audio Design.
Watch it in: Best Art Direction, Best Audio Design, Best Action
Dark Horses
Nioh 3, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Pokémon Pokopia are all strong enough to sneak into genre categories, from action and horror to Best Family.
What About GTA 6?
This is the biggest question of the year. GTA 6 has won Most Anticipated Game two years running, and it launches November 19. Last year’s eligibility cutoff was November 21, so if TGA keeps a similar window, Rockstar makes it by days. Nothing is official yet, though.
Keep in mind: these are predictions, not nominees. The real shortlist comes from a jury of 100+ media outlets, so expect at least one surprise.
FAQs
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025, becoming the first-ever debut game to take the top prize. It also set a new record with nine total wins across the night.
GOTY stands for Game of the Year. It’s the highest honor awarded at The Game Awards, given to the title that made the most impact across storytelling, design, direction, and overall player experience.
The Game Awards 2025 took place on December 11, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, streamed live on Twitch, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video for the first time.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won nine awards at The Game Awards 2025, including Game of the Year, Best Narrative, and Best RPG, breaking The Last of Us: Part II‘s previous record of seven wins.
The Game Awards 2026 will take place on Thursday, December 10, 2026, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will stream live across major platforms.
