The winners in each category will be honored at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, which will be taking place on Wednesday, March 19. This celebration of the top games from the past year, as well as the developers who created them, takes place each year at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). The GDC, now in its 39th edition, will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 17 - 21. The GDCA is held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards). All GDC 2025 pass holders will be available to attend these award shows. Those at home can also tune in via the official GDC Twitch channel.

The Game Developers Choice Awards is the leading video game awards that are nominated by, voted on, and decided by video game developers within the industry. This year, the GDCA nominations are led by Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment) and Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science), each of which received seven nominations total. Both are nominated for the highly coveted Game of the Year Award alongside Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix) and Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero). Indie hit Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode) also received a high degree of praise, earning nominations in five categories. 

Astro Bot, developed by Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is a 3D platforming title that was released alongside PlayStation’s 30th anniversary and is a love letter to the many iconic characters and worlds from PlayStation’s wide roster of franchises. It has been praised by fans and critics alike for its unique and energetic level design, incredible soundtrack, smart integration with the PlayStation 5’s hardware and charming aesthetics. 

Black Myth: Wukong, developed and published by Game Science, is an action role-playing game rooted in Chinese mythology and inspired by the literary classic ‘Journey to the West.’ The game features skill-based combat and challenging gameplay that fans of the “soulslike” subgenre have come to appreciate.  

Also leading the pack for category nominations is Animal Well, developed by Billy Basso and published by Bigmode. The Metroidvania title involves puzzle-solving and exploration, encouraging the player to think outside of the box to find solutions forward. 

Any video game that was released and made publicly available during the 2024 calendar year is eligible for free nomination for the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards. All nominees and winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only organization, composed of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.

In addition to the categories listed below, the Audience Award welcomes the GDC audience to cast their vote for their favorite game of the year from all 18 of this year’s GDCA finalists. The public can cast their vote from the Audience Award ballot here.

The complete list of nominees for each category of the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, including honorable mentions, are as follows:

Best Audio

• Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)

Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Teams SA / KONAMI)

Best Debut

• 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
• Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
• Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
• Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
• Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Honorable Mentions: Manor Lords (Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse), Mullet Madjack (HAMMER95 / Epopeia Games), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Best Design

• Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• Lorelai and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development / Nintendo), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Innovation Award

• Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Honorable Mentions: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper /Panic), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Best Narrative

• 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
• Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / Critical Reflex)

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios), Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)

Best Technology

• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
• Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/ Bigmode), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Threyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Demonware /Activision), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Studios Inc / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Visual Art

• Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
• Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)

Social Impact

• 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios)
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix)
• Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games), Distant Bloom (Ember Trail / Kina Brave), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios / Electronic Arts)

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)

Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)