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All the nominees for The Game Awards 2025 have been unveiled, but any potential new video game announcements remain a complete mystery.
We’re less than a month away from The Game Awards 2025 and while the main attraction is and always will be the fancy new game reveals, it is still an awards show and people are going to be thrilled or outraged at whatever is nominated for the various categories, let alone what wins.
The nominee selection process involves dozens of outlets from around the world, including us, who will then vote on the final short list you see below, before organiser and host Geoff Keighley unveils the winners on December 12.
The biggest talking point will, of course, be the six choices for Game Of The Year, which are about what you’d expect, with arguably one obvious favourite to take home the award on the night.
What are the nominees for Game of the Year 2025?
The nominees for Game of the Year 2025 are:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
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Most of these games have been nominated in multiple other categories too, with Clair Obscur receiving no less than 12 nominations, which makes it the most nominated game in the history of The Game Awards.
Clair Obscur, Silksong, and Hades 2 are also up for Best Independent Game, which is bad news for the remaining nominees, which consist of Blue Prince, Absolum, and Ball x Pit.
The Game Awards 2025 - full list of nominees
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 2 (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 2 (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 2 (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 2 (Supergiant Games)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
BEST SCORE AND MUSIC
Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
Darren Korb, Hades 2
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 14 (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 14 (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 2 (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 2 (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 2 (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 7 (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 6 (Rockstar Games)
Marvel’s Wolverine (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom)
The Witcher 4 (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
When is The Game Awards 2025?
The Game Awards 2025 is scheduled to take place on Friday, December 12 at 1am GMT. So, Thursday night, basically. If this is your first time tuning in to the event, yes, it always runs this early in the morning, and we’ll be covering the biggest announcements as they happen.
At the time of writing, there’s nothing to indicate what sort of games will be announced during the event. The only thing known for sure is that the cast of Amazon’s Fallout TV show will be in attendance, so there’ll likely be another trailer for the second season, and perhaps those rumours of a Fallout 3 remaster will be proven true.
As for theories, GTA 6 fans will no doubt hope to see a third trailer for that, following its second delay, while the recent announcement of the Steam Machine has fanned the flames of a potential Half-Life 3 reveal. Although in both cases they are perhaps more likely to be announced separately by the publishers.
It will also have been a whole year since the reveal of Naughty Dog’s next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and The Witcher 4, so perhaps we could see updates on those.
When it comes to entirely new announcements, it’s always difficult to tell what could be shown. After all, would any of us have guessed that last year’s show would debut new sequels for Ōkami and Onimusha?
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