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Every December former video game journalist Geoff Keighley, alongside a panel of industry judges, present the best games that dropped in the year that was: that’s right, The Game Awards are back, and airing 11 December, 2025.
While the awards are the main draw for the gaming industry at large, viewers tend to tune in for Keighley’s tendency to drop massive announcements and trailers for upcoming games—last year saw the reveal of The Witcher 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Interstellar: The Heretic Prophet, for example. Who knows what they’ve got in store for us this year?
Still, it’s worth celebrating some of the amazing games that came out in 2025. Indie darling Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has 12 nominations across multiple categories, while Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has 7. Representing our local makers is Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong, with 5 nominations—including the big one, Game of the Year.
If you want to have your say in the voting process, you can head to The Game Awards‘ website, sign up, and vote for what you think are the best of 2025.
While we’ll definitely update this story with winners (and trailers) once the show is done and dusted, for now, check out the nominees below:
Further Reading
‘The Game Awards’ 2025 Award Categories 
‘Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’ (2025) | Image: Kojima Productions Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo Hades II, Supergiant Games Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver
Best Game Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch Production/Sony Interactive Entertainment Hades II, Supergiant Games Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios/EA
Best Narrative
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
‘Hollow Knight Silksong’ | Image: Team Cherry Best Art Direction
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 & Music
Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong Darren Korb, Hades II Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yotei Woodkid and Ludvig Forssel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Best Audio Design
Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios/EA 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
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
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft Atomfall, Rebellion Doom: The Dark Ages, id Software/Bethesda Softworks EA Sports FC 26, EA Canada/EA Romania/EA South of Midnight, Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios
Games for Impact
Consume Me, Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Hexacutable Despelote, Julian Cordero/Sebastian Valbuena/Panic Lost Records: Blood & Rage, Don’t Nod Montreal/Don’t Nod South of Midnight, Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios Wanderstop, Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive
No Man’s Sky | Image: Hello Games Best Ongoing
Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix Fortnite, Epic Games Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment Marvel Rivals, NetEase Games No Man’s Sky, Hello Games
Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix Fortnite, Epic Games Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment No Man’s Sky, Hello Games
Best Independent Game
Absolum, Guard Crush Games/Supamonks/Dotemu Ball X Pit, Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital Blue Price, Dogubomb/Raw Fury Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive Hades II, Supergiant Games Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
Best Debut Indie Game
Blue Price, 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
Destiny: Rising, NetEase Games Persona 5: The Phantom X, Black Wings Game Studios/Sega Sonic Rumble, Ravio Entertainment/Sega Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Cygames Inc. Wuthering Waves, Kuro Games
Best VR / AR Game
Alien: Rogue Incursion, Survios Arken Age, VitruviusVR Ghost Town, Fireproof Games Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Twisted Pixel Games/Oculus Studios The Midnight Walk, MoonHood/Fast Travel Games
Doom: The Dark Ages | Image: ID Software Best Action Game
Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios/EA Doom: The Dark Ages, id Software/Bethesda Softworks Hades II, Supergiant Games Ninja Gaiden 4, Platinum Games/Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Lizardcube/Sega
Best Action / Adventure
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios/EA
Best RPG
Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Warhorse Studios/Deep SIlver Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios
Best Fighting
2XKO, Riot Games Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Capcom Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, SNK Corporation Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, Digital Eclipse/Atari Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega
Donkey Kong Bonanza | Image: Nintendo Best Family
Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo Lego Party!, SMG Studios/Fictions Lego Voyagers, Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive Mario Kart World, Nintendo Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Sonic Team/Sega Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios/EA
Best Sim/Strategy
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Square Enix Jurassic World Evolution 3, Frontier Developments Sid Meier’s Civilisation VII, Firaxis Games/2K Tempest Rising, Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms The Alters, 11 Bit Studios Two Point Museum, Two Point Studios/Sega
Best Sports/Racing
EA Sports FC 26, EA Canada/EA Romania/EA F1 25, Codemasters/EA Mario Kart World, Nintendo Rematch, Sloclap/Kepler Interactive Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Sonic Team/Sega
‘Elden Ring: Nightreign’ | Image: FromSoftware Inc. Best Multiplayer
ARC Raiders, Embark Studios Battlefield 6, EA Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment PEAK, Aggro Crab/Landfall Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios/EA
Best Adaptation
A Minecraft Movie, Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros Devil May Cry, Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix The Last of Us: Season 2, HBO/PlayStation Productions Until Dawn, Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions
Lucia & Jason in Grand Theft Auto VI | Image: Rockstar Most Anticipated Game
007 First Light, IO Interactive Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar Games Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom The Witcher IV, CD Projekt Red
Content Creator of the Year
Caedrel Kai Cenat Moistcr1tikal Sakura Miko The Burnt Peanut
Best eSports Game
Counter-Strike 2, Valve DOTA 2, Valve League fo Legends, Riot Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Moonton Valorant, Riot
Best eSports Athlete
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
Gen.G, League of Legends NRG, Valorant Team Falcons, DOTA 2 Team Liquid PH, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Team Vitality, Counter-Strike 2