The Game Awards 2025 has just dropped its full list of nominees, officially kicking off the public voting phase for one of the industry’s most closely watched annual events. This year’s lineup spans many different genres and platforms, giving nods to established studios right alongside ambitious new teams. The announcement sets the scene for the upcoming ceremony, where the winners will be chosen by combining jury decisions with fan votes.
The Game of the Year category features several major contenders, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
Best Game Direction presents another tight race, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach appearing again. They are joined by Ghost of Yotei, Hades II, and Split Fiction.
Players focused on story will find an equally detailed selection in Best Narrative, where the nominees are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Silent Hill f. Meanwhile, Best Art Direction honors games celebrated for their visual design, featuring Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, Hades II, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
In the technical fields, Best Score and Music spotlights individual composers, such as Christopher Larkin for Hollow Knight: Silksong, Darren Korb for Hades II, Lorien Testard for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Toma Otowa for Ghost of Yotei, and Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell for Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Best Audio Design includes nominees ranging from Battlefield 6 to Silent Hill f, showing the wide variety of sound-driven experiences released in 2025.
The performance category recognizes voice and character work, with nominees Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, Erika Ishii, Jennifer English, Konatsu Kato, and Troy Baker. Several of these performances have already gotten a lot of community attention, and this recognition confirms their impact. Innovation in Accessibility reflects the ongoing dedication to inclusive design, with nominees like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Atomfall, Doom: The Dark Ages, EA Sports FC 26, and South of Midnight.
The awards continue with Games for Impact, shining a light on titles such as Consume Me, Despelote, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, South of Midnight, and Wanderstop. Best Ongoing and Best Community Support recognize the long-term commitment of studios managing ever-evolving live service games, with familiar names like Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite, Helldivers 2, and No Man’s Sky appearing across both categories.
Independent development remains a vital part of the show. Best Independent Game includes Absolum, Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Best Debut Indie Game highlights Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Despelote, Dispatch, and Megabonk. The strong presence of major indie titles across multiple categories confirms the continued influence of smaller teams in shaping the medium.
Mobile and VR fans also have their own dedicated sections. Best Mobile Game features releases such as Destiny Rising, Persona 5: The Phantom X, Sonic Rumble, Umamusume Pretty Derby, and Wuthering Waves. Best VR/AR includes Alien: Rogue Incursion, Arken Age, Ghost Town, Marvel’s Deadpool VR, and The Midnight Walk.
Genres like Action, Action-Adventure, RPG, Fighting, Family, and Sim/Strategy all have their own nominee sets, showing the range of games released this year. Noteworthy inclusions span from Doom: The Dark Ages in Best Action to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in Best Action-Adventure, and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII in Best Sim/Strategy. Sports and racing titles such as EA Sports FC 26 and Mario Kart World also secured their spot, completing the more traditional competitive categories.
Best Multiplayer recognizes Arc Raiders, Battlefield 6, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Peak, and Split Fiction. Best Adaptation highlights this year’s cross-media projects, with nominees including A Minecraft Movie, Devil May Cry, The Last of Us Season 2, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, and Until Dawn. Most Anticipated Game looks ahead to the coming year with attention on 007: First Light, Grand Theft Auto VI, Marvel’s Wolverine, Resident Evil: Requiem, and The Witcher IV.
Content creation and esports are also represented through dedicated categories. Content Creator of the Year includes Caedrel, Kai Cenat, MoistCr1TiKaL, Sakura Miko, and The Burnt Peanut. Esports categories cover games, athletes, and teams, with nominees like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Chovy, ZywOo, Gen.G, and Team Falcons.
GAME OF THE YEAR
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight Silksong
- Kingdom Come Deliverance II
BEST GAME DIRECTION
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Split Fiction
BEST NARRATIVE
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Kingdom Come Deliverance II
- Silent Hill f
BEST ART DIRECTION
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight Silksong
BEST SCORE AND MUSIC
- Christopher Larkin Hollow Knight Silksong
- Darren Korb Hades II
- Lorien Testard Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Toma Otowa Ghost of Yotei
- Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
BEST AUDIO DESIGN
- Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Silent Hill f
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
- Assassins Creed Shadows
- Atomfall
- Doom The Dark Ages
- EA Sports FC 26
- South of Midnight
GAMES FOR IMPACT
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Lost Records Bloom and Rage
- South of Midnight
- Wanderstop
BEST ONGOING
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- Marvel Rivals
- No Mans Sky
BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT
- Baldurs Gate 3
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- No Mans Sky
BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
- Absolum
- Ball x Pit
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight Silksong
BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Despelote
- Dispatch
- Megabonk
BEST MOBILE GAME
- Destiny Rising
- Persona 5 The Phantom X
- Sonic Rumble
- Umamusume Pretty Derby
- Wuthering Waves
BEST VR AR
- Alien Rogue Incursion
- Arken Age
- Ghost Town
- Marvels Deadpool VR
- The Midnight Walk
BEST ACTION
- Battlefield 6
- Doom The Dark Ages
- Hades II
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Shinobi Art of Vengeance
BEST ACTION ADVENTURE
- Death Stranding 2 On The Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Hollow Knight Silksong
- Split Fiction
BEST RPG
- Avowed
- Clair Obscur Expedition 33
- Kingdom Come Deliverance II
- The Outer Worlds 2
- Monster Hunter Wilds
BEST FIGHTING
- 2XKO
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- Fatal Fury City of the Wolves
- Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection
- Virtua Fighter 5 REVO World Stage
BEST FAMILY
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Lego Party
- Lego Voyagers
- Mario Kart World
- Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
- Split Fiction
BEST SIM STRATEGY
- The Alters
- Final Fantasy Tactics The Ivalice Chronicles
- Jurassic World Evolution 3
- Sid Meiers Civilization VII
- Tempest Rising
- Two Point Museum
BEST SPORTS RACING
- EA Sports FC 26
- F1 25
- Mario Kart World
- Rematch
- Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
BEST MULTIPLAYER
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Peak
- Split Fiction
BEST ADAPTATION
- A Minecraft Movie
- Devil May Cry
- The Last of Us Season 2
- Splinter Cell Deathwatch
- Until Dawn
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
- 007 First Light
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- Marvels Wolverine
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher IV
CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- MoistCr1TiKaL
- Sakura Miko
- The Burnt Peanut
BEST ESPORTS GAME
- Counter Strike 2
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends Bang Bang
- Valorant
BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE
- brawk Brock Somerhalder
- Chovy Jeong Ji hoon
- f0rsakeN Jason Susanto
- Kakeru Kakeru Watanabe
- MenaRD Saul Leonardo
- Zyw0o Mathieu Herbaut
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
The wide variety of nominees across all categories shows just how lively the industry remained throughout 2025. With voting now open, players and fans get to help decide which titles will take home awards during the upcoming ceremony.
