Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and PlayStation lead The Game Awards 2025 nominations
Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, and Ghost of Yotei are the most nominated games
The nominees for The Game Awards 2025 have been revealed.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is up for 12 awards, making it the most nominated game in the awards’ history, followed by PlayStation titles Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei with eight nominations each, and Hades 2 with six.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is The Game Awards’ most nominated publisher in 2024 with 19 nominations, followed by Kepler Interactive with 13 nominations, and Microsoft and Electronic Arts with 10 each.
The nominees for Game of the Year are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
Titles up for the Best Independent Game award are Absolum, Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Actors nominated for Best Performance include Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, and Jennifer English for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Erika Ishii for Ghost of Yōtei, Konatsu Kato for Silent Hill f, and Troy Baker for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
Best Score and Music nominations go to Christopher Larkin for Hollow Knight: Silksong, Darren Korb for Hades II, Lorien Testard for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Toma Otowa for Ghost of Yōtei, and Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell for Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.
Best Art Direction nominees are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades II, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
The Game Awards 2025 nominees were announced by host and producer Geoff Keighley during a live stream on Monday, and were chosen by a voting jury of media publications, including this website, VGC.
There are 27 awards up for grabs in total (see the full list of nominees below), with the winners set to be determined by a blended vote between the voting jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%).
From today until December 10 at 6 pm PT, fans can vote for their winners in all categories via online voting on www.thegameawards.com.
The Game Awards will stream live from its traditional venue of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, featuring new game announcements and musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra.
Last year’s event broke The Game Awards’ viewership record with an estimated 154 million livestreams, according to Keighley, who said viewership for the 2024 show was up 31% compared to the previous year.
The Game Awards 2025 Nominations
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
