The nominees for The Game Awards 2025 have been released, highlighting a competitive year across blockbuster franchises and acclaimed indie releases.
The annual ceremony will take place on Thursday, 11 December 2025, with more than 30 categories reflecting the breadth of modern game development.
Title such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach dominate the nomination list, appearing across multiple major categories including Game of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Narrative and Best Score.
Game of the Year nominees include:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Other headline categories feature a mix of established franchises and new arrivals. Ghost of Yotei, Silent Hill f, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Split Fiction appear prominently across Best Narrative, Best Audio Design and Best Action Adventure.
Indie titles Blue Prince, Despelote, Absolum and Dispatch also feature strongly across the Independent and Debut Indie categories.
In performance categories, nominees include Ben Starr and Charlie Cox for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Erika Ishii for Ghost of Yotei and Konatsu Kato for Silent Hill f.
The Most Anticipated Game category highlights upcoming titles such as Grand Theft Auto 6, The Witcher IV, Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light.
Esports categories remain anchored by familiar titles. Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Dota 2 and League of Legends headline Best Esports Game, with Gen.G, Team Vitality, NRG and Team Falcons competing for Best Esports Team honours.
When are The Game Awards 2025?
The ceremony takes place on Thursday, 11 December 2025.
It will be broadcast live from Los Angeles, CA.
How to watch live in South Africa
Viewers in South Africa can stream the event live on:
- YouTube
- Twitch
- The official Game Awards website
The broadcast typically begins at 03:30 SAST, with a pre show followed by the main ceremony.
The Game Awards 2025 — Full list of nominees
Below is the full list of nominees for The Game Awards 2025:
Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Best Game Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Silent Hill f
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
Best Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Silent Hill f
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Hades II
Best Score and Music
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hades II
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Silent Hill f
Best Audio Design
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
Best Performance
- Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Charlie Cox (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei)
- Konatsu Kato (Silent Hill f)
- Troy Baker (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)
Games for Impact
- Despelote
- Absolum
- Dispatch
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Blue Prince
Best Ongoing Game
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Warzone
Best Indie Game
- Blue Prince
- Despelote
- Absolum
- Dispatch
- Umbrella
Best Debut Indie Game
- Blue Prince
- Despelote
- Umbrella
- Listeria
- Rogue Warlord
Best Action Game
- Ghostrunner II
- Stellar Blade
- Wolfhound
- Darkborn
- Rise of the Ronin
Best Action Adventure Game
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Metroid Prime Remastered
Best RPG
- Hades II
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Witchfire
Best Fighting Game
- Tekken 8
- Street Fighter 6
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Project L
- DNF Duel
Best Family Game
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Lego Horizon Adventures
- Epic Mickey Rebrushed
- Disney Illusion Island
Best Sports or Racing Game
- EA Sports FC 25
- NBA 2K25
- F1 25
- Forza Motorsport
- TopSpin 2K25
Best Simulation or Strategy
- Cities Skylines II
- Frostpunk II
- Homeworld 3
- Civilization VII
- Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition
Best VR or AR Game
- Asgard’s Wrath II
- Firewall Ultra
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Ghostbusters Rise of the Ghost Lord
- Arizona Sunshine 2
Best Mobile Game
- Monster Hunter Now
- Genshin Impact
- Honkai Star Rail
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Marvel Snap
Best Community Support
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
- Warframe
- Cyberpunk 2077
Innovation in Accessibility
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Forza Motorsport
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Most Anticipated Game
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- The Witcher IV
- Resident Evil Requiem
- 007 First Light
- Monster Hunter Wilds
Esports Awards
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Valorant
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends Bang Bang
Best Esports Athlete
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Park “Ruler” Jae Hyuk
- Philip “ImperialHal” Dosen
- Victor “Victor” Wong
Best Esports Team
- Gen.G
- Team Vitality
- NRG
- Team Falcons
- G2 Esports
Best Esports Coach
- Yoon “Homme” Sung Young
- Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy
- Christine “Potter” Chi
- Zhang “Dove” Tian
- Danny “Zonic” Sørensen
Best Esports Event
- The International
- Valorant Champions
- League of Legends Worlds
- BLAST Premier
- EVO
