The Game Awards 2025 Nominees Revealed: Predictions & Snubs

Game of the Year 

• The nominees for this category include:
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

It was surprising to see Donkey Kong Bananza appear in this category. Throughout the year, there wasn’t much buzz around it, and it feels odd to see it land a GAME OF THE YEAR nomination while other titles seemed more deserving.
Most fans appear split between Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Expedition 33, with many already calling this one of the toughest GOTY matchups in years. I’ll admit my bias, because I think Hollow Knight: Silksong deserves the win. Still, my prediction is that Clair Obscur will take this category. 

Best Game Direction

This award honors creative vision and innovation in how a game is directed. It covers pacing, worldbuilding, tone, camera decisions, structure, mechanical design, and how well all of them come together.

Nominees:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Split Fiction

Split Fiction showing up in this category raised even more questions about why it still failed to appear on the Game of the Year list. Ghost of Yōtei was an expected pick thanks to its bold direction and strong atmosphere. Death Stranding 2 is a Kojima project, and that alone makes its presence here feel inevitable.
E33 is a very strong contender for the number 1 spot, but Split Fiction feels like the standout. Its pacing, worldbuilding, and mechanics come together in a way that makes it the most deserving choice in this category.

Best Narrative

Nominees:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Silent Hill f

Death Stranding 2 earned attention for being clearer and more consistent in its storytelling than the first game, but Silent Hill f landed an even stronger impression than both DS1 and DS2. Even so, the one that shines the most in this category is Clair Obscur. Its biggest weakness is the rushed pacing at the end, but the overall narrative still stands out. Clair Obscur feels like the most likely winner here.

Best Art Direction

Nominees:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

I’ll say it right away. The only game that truly deserves the win here is Silksong. Everything from the boss design to the environments stands out. Each area feels unique because the artistic direction gives every zone and boss its own identity. Hades II also deserves recognition, but its roguelike structure makes some areas feel a bit less memorable visually. Clair Obscur’s character designs lean more generic, almost like a less striking version of Lies of P. In my opinion, Silksong is the clear winner in this category.

Best Score and Music

Nominees:

• 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 

While I love the soundtracks for Silksong and Hades, there’s no question that this category will come down to Death Stranding and Clair Obscur. Both have expressive, memorable music that stays with you long after playing. What gives Clair Obscur an edge is its use of classical elements, including those almost playful accordion moments, which create a more unique experience compared to the more tech style in Death Stranding.

Best Audio Design

Nominees:

• Battlefield 6
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Silent Hill f

While I think E33 deserves the score and music award, Silent Hill f feels like the rightful winner here. Its unsettling audio design and carefully crafted sound effects create a delightfully creepy atmosphere that nails the feeling of unease. Still, a lot of people felt Arc Raiders was snubbed and deserved a spot in this category. The sliding-down-the-stairs sound alone was too satisfying to overlook.

Best Performance

Nominees:

• Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Voice of Verso)
• Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Voice of Gustave)
• Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Voice of Maelle)
• Erika Ishii, Ghost of Yōtei
• Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill f
• Troy Baker, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Many people, myself included, find it odd that Clair Obscur landed three nominations in this category. It feels unfair to take up that much space, especially when the voice acting was mediocre and even unintentionally goofy at times. Performances from Death Stranding 2 should have been recognized instead. Even the expressive gibberish in Silksong would have made more sense than some of the picks here. But ultimately, the Winner here should be Jennifer English; her performance as Maelle was truly captivating.

Innovation in Accessibility

This category highlights features that help more players enjoy games through accessibility options and hardware support.

Nominees:

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Atomfall
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• EA Sports FC 26
• South of Midnight

Based on player feedback, South of Midnight earned praise for accessibility features that genuinely opened the game to more people. Doom’s nomination also drew attention, since meaningful accessibility improvements in shooters have been long overdue. South of Midnight is the clear winner here because it supports a wide range of needs, from motor and visual accessibility to pacing adjustments and guided navigation.

Games for Impact

This award recognizes titles with messages, themes or emotional experiences tied to social meaning.

Nominees:

• Consume Me
• Despelote
• Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
• South of Midnight
• Wanderstop

Despelote earned praise for its grounded emotional storytelling, while Consume Me stood out for its unusual take on heavy themes. South of Midnight continued to build its reputation for strong tone and messaging. Wanderstop became a favorite for delivering its meaning through subtle design rather than direct exposition, and it feels like the most deserving winner in this category.

Best Debut Indie Game

Nominees:

• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Despelote
• Dispatch
• Megabonk

For Best Debut Indie Game, Despelote earned praise for its grounded and emotional tone, while Dispatch stood out as one of the more ambitious first releases of the year. Clair Obscur, appearing in this category, sparked the same argument seen in Best Indie, with many players questioning whether a game of its scale and publisher backing should qualify as a debut indie at all. Blue Prince and Megabonk both gathered support, especially from players who appreciate smaller teams, retro-inspired design, and clearer definitions of what indie development should represent. Ultimately, the win here should go to Blue Prince, since it feels like a true indie release that delivered fresh puzzles and a standout art style.

Other categories and nominations

If you’re planning to look beyond the major awards, here are the remaining categories and their nominees. These areas don’t need full breakdowns, but they’re still important parts of the show and round out the full list of what players will be voting on:

Best Independent Game

• Absolum
• Ball x Pit
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Mobile Game

• Destiny: Rising
• Persona 5: The Phantom X
• Sonic Rumble
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby
• Wuthering Waves

Best VR / AR

• Alien: Rogue Incursion
• Arken Age
• Ghost Town
• Marvel’s Deadpool VR
• The Midnight Walk

Best Action Game

• Battlefield 6
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• Hades II
• Ninja Gaiden 4
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Best Action / Adventure

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Split Fiction

Best RPG

• Avowed
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• The Outer Worlds 2

Best Fighting

• 2XKO
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage

Best Family

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• LEGO Party!
• LEGO Voyagers
• Mario Kart World
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• Split Fiction

Best Sim / Strategy

• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
• Tempest Rising
• The Alters
• Two Point Museum

Best Sports / Racing

• EA Sports FC 26
• F1 25
• Mario Kart World
• Rematch
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

Best Ongoing

• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• No Man’s Sky

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• No Man’s Sky

Best Multiplayer

• PEAK
• ARC Raiders
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• Destiny: Rising

Best Adaptation

• A Minecraft Movie
• The Last of Us Season 2
• Fallout
• Arcane Season 2
• Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Recut

Most Anticipated Game

• Half-Life 3
• The Witcher 4
• Elden Ring: Nightreign
• Fable
• Project M

Content Creator of the Year

• Quackity
• Kai Cenat
• Ironmouse
• Sykkuno
• TheGrefg

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike 2
• DOTA 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

• brawk
• Chovy
• f0rsakeN
• Kakeru
• MenaRD
• Zyw0o

Best Esports Team

• Gen.G
• NRG
• Team Falcons
• Team Liquid PH
• Team Vitality

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