The Game Awards 2025 are almost here, and Geoff Keighley has officially dropped the full list of nominees ahead of the big show on December 11. And this year?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is absolutely dominating the field with a record-breaking 12 nominations, the most any game has ever received in Game Awards history.
Sony Interactive Entertainment also comes in swinging as the most-nominated publisher, racking up 19 total nominations across its lineup.
This year’s Game of the Year contenders include a mix of heavy hitters, long-awaited sequels, and artistic standouts:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
From narrative categories to score, performance, and technical achievements, Clair Obscur shows up everywhere and Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Death Stranding 2 aren’t far behind.
Below is the full official list of nominees across all categories, from Game Direction and Art, to Esports, Indie, Accessibility, and Adaptation. Scroll through and see which games made the cut this year.
The Game Awards 2025 Full List of Nominees 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/Kepler 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
Check out the full list of nominees on the official Game Awards website.
With over 130 global media outlets and creators participating in the judging process, the 2025 lineup feels stacked, competitive, and one of the strongest selections we’ve seen in years.
So the real question now is simple:
Who’s taking home Game of the Year?
Let us know what you think. is Clair Obscur untouchable this year, or is a surprise win coming?