Honoring the video game industry’s most innovative games, studios and creatives of 2025, this year’s impressive list of nominees includes 102 different games, individuals, teams and productions spanning a multitude of gaming genres and platforms. 

This year’s Game of the Year nominees are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Interactive; Death Stranding 2: On The Beach from Kojima Productions; Donkey Kong Bananza from Nintendo; Hades II from Supergiant Games; Hollow Knight: Silksong from Team Cherry; and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II from Warhorse Studios.

Over the past year, a number of beloved video games and franchises have crossed over into television and film. The following films and streaming shows are nominated for Best Adaptation: A Minecraft Movie, Devil May Cry, The Last of Us: Season 2, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, and Until Dawn.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is The Game Awards’ most nominated publisher in 2025 with 19 nominations across its combined portfolio, followed by Kepler Interactive with 13 nominations, and Electronic Arts and Microsoft, both with 10. The nominees for The Game Awards are selected by a global jury of over 150 media publications and creator outlets from around the world. 

This year’s show will stream live on Prime Video for the first time and will once again stream for free across more than 30 digital video platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Steam, X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, TikTok Live and many more. The Game Awards 2024 broke viewership records with an estimated 154 million global livestreams, up 31% over 2023’s record-setting showcase, which reached 118 million livestreams. In addition, more than 15,000 individual content creators and online influencers co-streamed the show to their audiences, helping make The Game Awards one of the largest livestream events in the world. 

From today through December 10th at 6 pm PT, fans will be able to help choose the winners in all categories via authenticated online voting on the official TGA website.  In China, fans can vote for their favorites on a variety of platforms including Bilibili.

The Game Awards will air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 11, 2024, with awards, world premiere new game announcements, and musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe. Tickets to attend The Game Awards in-person can be purchased on AXS.com. 

The full list of The Game Awards 2025 nominees can be found below:

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 EPD/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 Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/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 Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
• Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI) 

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC, LEVELED UP BY SPOTIFY

• Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Darren Korb, Hades II
• Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yōtei
• Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, 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 Yōtei (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 Yōtei
• 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 (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal/Don’t Nod)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
• Wanderstop (Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive)

BEST ONGOING 

• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/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 Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME

• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
• Megabonk (Vedinad)

BEST MOBILE GAME

• Destiny: Rising (NetEase Games)
• Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio/Sega)
• Sonic Rumble (Rovio Entertainment/Sega)
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames Inc.)
• Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)

BEST VR/AR 

• 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)

BEST ACTION 

• 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 Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• 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)
• The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
• Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)

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)

BEST FAMILY 

• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• LEGO Party! (SMG Studio/Fictions)
• LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive)
• Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST SIM/STRATEGY

• The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
• FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix)
• Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Frontier Developments)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (Firaxis Games/2K)
• Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms)
• 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 EPD/Nintendo)
• Rematch (Sloclap/Kepler Interactive)
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)

BEST MULTIPLAYER

• Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
• Battlefield 6 (Electronic Arts)
• Elden Ring Nightreign (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
• Peak (Aggro Crab/Landfall)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight/EA)

BEST ADAPTATION

• A Minecraft Movie (Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros)
• Devil May Cry (Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix)
• The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO/PlayStation Productions)
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix)
• Until Dawn (Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions)

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 of 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