The Game Awards 2025, hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, celebrated a standout year for the industry by honoring achievements across a wide range of categories. The event placed particular attention on Sandfall Interactives Clair Obscur Expedition 33, which became the evening’s defining success. The studio’s debut RPG earned nine awards, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and Best Narrative.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33s reach stretched well beyond the headline categories. It also won Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best RPG, Best Independent Game, and Debut Indie Game, giving it a presence in both creative and technical areas. Jennifer English received Best Performance for her work in the game, completing a set of honors that reflected broad acclaim. The title appeared throughout nearly every major category, consistently showing up among the winners and nominees in direction, storytelling, and artistic design.
Several other games were recognized within their own genres. Hades 2 won Best Action Game, while Hollow Knight Silksong earned Best Action or Adventure Game. Donkey Kong Bananza took home Best Family Game, and Umamusume Pretty Derby won Best Mobile Game. Doom: The Dark Ages received the Innovation in Accessibility award, and South of Midnight was honored in the Games for Impact category. In competitive spaces, Arc Raiders won Best Multiplayer Game, and Counter Strike 2 was named Best Esports Game, helping define the evening’s focus on multiplayer and esports achievements.
The ceremony also acknowledged titles with ongoing communities. No Man’s Sky earned Best Ongoing Game, showing its continued support from both players and judges. Baldur’s Gate 3 won the Community Support award. In the adaptation category, The Last of Us season 2 was named Best Adaptation, reflecting its influence beyond the medium. The Players Voice award went to Wuthering Waves, highlighting high engagement from the audience.
The Game Awards 2025: Winners and Nominees
- Game of the Year
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
- Best Art Direction
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Death Stranding 2 On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Audio Design
- WINNER: Battlefield 6
- Nominees: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Silent Hill f
- Best Game Direction
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades 2, Split Fiction
- Best Multiplayer
- WINNER: Arc Raiders
- Nominees: Battlefield 6, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Peak, Split Fiction
- Best Narrative
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Silent Hill f
- Best Performance
- WINNER: Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Nominees: Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), Charlie Cox (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei), Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), Konatsu Kato (Silent Hill f)
- Best Score & Music
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong
Genre and Specialty Awards
- Best Action
- WINNER: Hades 2
- Nominees: Battlefield 6, Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden 4, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
- Best Action/Adventure Game
- WINNER: Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Nominees: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Split Fiction
- Best Family Game
- WINNER: Donkey Kong Bananza
- Nominees: Lego Party, Lego Voyagers, Mario Kart World, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Split Fiction
- Best Fighting Game
- WINNER: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- Nominees: 2XKO, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, Virtua Fighter 5 REVO
- Best Independent Game
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Absolum, Ball X Pit, Blue Prince, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Mobile Game
- WINNER: Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- Nominees: Destiny Rising, Persona 5: The Phantom X, Sonic Rumble, Wuthering Waves
- Best Ongoing Game
- WINNER: No Man’s Sky
- Nominees: Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, Fortnite, Helldivers 2, Marvel Rivals
- Best RPG
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Avowed, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, The Outer Worlds 2
- Best Sports/Racing Game
- WINNER: Mario Kart World
- Nominees: EA Sports FC 26, F1 25, Rematch, Sonic Racing Crossworlds
- Best Strategy/Sim Game
- WINNER: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
- Nominees: Civilization 7, Jurassic World Evolution 3, The Alters, Tempest Rising, Two Point Museum
- Best VR/AR Game
- WINNER: The Midnight Walk
- Nominees: Alien: Rogue Incursion, Arken Age, Deadpool VR, Ghost Town
- Best Adaptation
- WINNER: The Last of Us season 2
- Nominees: A Minecraft Movie, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell Deathwatch, Until Dawn
Community and Industry Awards
- Community Support
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Nominees: Final Fantasy 14, Fortnite, Helldivers 2, No Man’s Sky
- Debut Indie Game
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Nominees: Blue Prince, Despelote, Dispatch, Megabonk
- Innovation in Accessibility
- WINNER: Doom: The Dark Ages
- Nominees: Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Atomfall, EA Sports FC 26, South of Midnight
- Games for Impact
- WINNER: South of Midnight
- Nominees: Consume Me, Despelote, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, Wanderstop
- Best Esports Game
- WINNER: Counter-Strike 2
- Nominees: Dota 2, League of Legends, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Valorant
- Best Esports Athlete
- WINNER: Chovy
- Nominees: Brawk, Forsaken, Kakeru, Menard, Zywoo
- Best Esports Team
- WINNER: Team Vitality (Counter-Strike 2)
- Nominees: Gen.G (League of Legends), NRG (Valorant), Team Falcons (Dota 2), Team Liquid PH (Mobile Legends Bang Bang)
- Content Creator of the Year
- WINNER: MoistCr1tikal
- Nominees: Caedrel, Kai Cenat, Sakura Miko, The Burnt Peanut
- Most Anticipated Game
- WINNER: Grand Theft Auto 6
- Nominees: 007 First Light, Marvel’s Wolverine, Resident Evil Requiem, The Witcher 4
- Players’ Voice
- WINNER: Wuthering Waves
- Nominees: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, Genshin Impact, Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Game Changer Award
- Girls Make Games
Alongside the awards, the show included several notable reveals. These included a teaser for Larian Studios’ next Divinity project, the announcement of Total War Warhammer 40000, and confirmation of a new Mega Man entry.
