The 26th annual Game Developer Choice Awards has announced its finalists, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 receiving eight nominations across nine categories.
Sandfall Interactive’s turn-based RPG featured in the Game of the Year category, alongside Hollow Knight: Silksong, Blue Prince, Donkey Kong Bananza, Split Fiction, and Ghost of Yōtei.
Ghost of Yōtei received five nominations in total, including Best Narrative, Best Audio, Best Visual Art, and Best Technology.
Donkey Kong Bananza followed close behind with four nominations, while Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was recognised in three categories.
The finalists were selected by the GDCA-specific International Choice Awards Network, an invitation-only organisation of leading game creators.
The GDCA ceremony will take place on March 12 during this year’s GDC Festival of Gaming at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center from March 9 to March 13, 2026.
The 28th annual Independent Games Festival awards ceremony will be held on March 11. Both ceremonies will be streamed for free on Twitch.
Here are the full list of nominations:
Game of the Year
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
Best Debut
- Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun & Friends/Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch (Adhoc Studio)
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Split Fiction
Best Design
- Ball x Pit
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Split Fiction
Best Visual Art
- Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Dotemu, Supamonks/Dotemu)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
- Keeper (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)
Best Audio
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/SIE)
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Rift of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games/Kei Publishing)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
Best Technology
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Split Fiction
Innovation Award
- Ball x Pit
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Donkey Kong Bananza
Social Impact Award
- And Roger (TearyHand Studio/Kodansha)
- Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Jie En Lee/Violet W-P/Ken “coda” Snyder/Hexecutable)
- Despelote
- Dispatch
