This year’s lineup for The Game Awards is finally out, and it landed with that familiar thud of surprises, snubs, and a whole lot of indie love. Honestly, if there’s one thing The Game Awards keeps reminding us every year, it’s that smaller studios can punch just as hard as the big franchises.
The nominees dropped during a livestream on Monday, and right away, you could tell 2025 wasn’t a quiet year. Not even close. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades 2, and the eternally-waited-for Hollow Knight: Silksong all secured spots in the coveted Game of the Year category, which, let’s be real, fans had been predicting (or begging for) since January.
They join Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 to round out the six giants going head-to-head for the ultimate trophy at The Game Awards. And if you’ve been watching the early buzz, you already know Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is basically running the table this year with a massive 12 nominations. Meanwhile, Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yōtei popped up all over the ballot too — seven times each — like the show simply couldn’t avoid them.
Now that the list is public, the next phase kicks off: the endless debates, the voting, the fan campaigns, and of course the jury work behind the scenes. The panel for The Game Awards will now comb through categories like Best Narrative, Best RPG, and everything in between, while fans get their own vote in — at least until December 10, before the chatter becomes the show itself.
And speaking of the show: the 2025 edition of The Game Awards goes live on December 11, streaming right into living rooms at that usual prime-time slot. It’s one of those nights where the mix of orchestra music, world premieres, and half-panicked acceptance speeches feels oddly comforting.
Below is the full rundown of nominees, the categories everyone will be arguing about for the next month — and probably long after The Game Awards wraps for the year.
Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Best Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Audio Design
- Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Silent Hill f
Best Game Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades 2
- Split Fiction
Best Multiplayer
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Elden Ring: Nightreign
- Peak
- Split Fiction
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Silent Hill f
Best Performance
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Jennifer English
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Ben Starr
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Charlie Cox
- Ghost of Yotei – Erika Ishii
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Troy Baker
- Silent Hill f – Konatsu Kato
Best Score & Music
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Action
- Battlefield 6
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Hades 2
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Best Action/Adventure
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
Best Family Game
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Lego Party
- Lego Voyagers
- Mario Kart World
- Sonic Racing Crossworlds
- Split Fiction
Best Fighting Game
- 2XKO
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
- Virtua Fighter 5 REVO
Best Independent Game
- Absolum
- Ball X Pit
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Mobile Game
- Destiny Rising
- Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Sonic Rumble
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- Wuthering Waves
Best Ongoing Game
- Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- Marvel Rivals
- No Man’s Sky
Best RPG
- Avowed
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Outer Worlds 2
Best Sports/Racing
- EA Sports FC 26
- F1 25
- Mario Kart World
- Rematch
- Sonic Racing Crossworlds
Best Strategy/Sim
- Civilization 7
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
- Jurassic World Evolution 3
- The Alters
- Tempest Rising
- Two Point Museum
Best VR/AR
- Alien: Rogue Incursion
- Arken Age
- Deadpool VR
- Ghost Town
- The Midnight Walk
Best Adaptation
- A Minecraft Movie
- Devil May Cry
- Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
- The Last of Us Season 2
- Until Dawn
Community Support
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- No Man’s Sky
Debut Indie
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Despelote
- Dispatch
- Megabonk
Games for Impact
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
- South of Midnight
- Wanderstop
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- Brawk
- Chovy
- Forsaken
- Kakeru
- Menard
- Zywoo
Best Esports Team
- Gen.G (League of Legends)
- NRG (Valorant)
- Team Falcons (Dota 2)
- Team Liquid PH (MLBB)
- Team Vitality (CS2)
Content Creator of the Year
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- MoistCr1tikal
- Sakura Miko
- The Burnt Peanut
Most Anticipated Game
- 007 First Light
- Grand Theft Auto 6
- Marvel’s Wolverine
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher 4