Somehow, the end of the year has returned, and it’s time once again for a parade of award nominations and shows, including this year’s The Game Awards. Ahead of its early December show, The Game Awards has released a list of this year’s nominees, revealing that everyone really, really, really liked Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Expedition 33 has gathered up a whopping 12 nominations, the most ever collected by a single game in The Game Awards’ history. In addition to Game of the Year, it’s also up for Best Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Independent Game, Best RPG, and three of its actors are nominated for Best Performance.
A number of other games also have earned quite a few nominations, such as Death Stranding 2 (seven nominations) Hades II (six), Hollow Knight: Silksong (five), and Ghost of Yōtei (seven).
The Game Awards ceremony will be broadcast digitally on December 11, 2025 at 5pm PT/8pm ET, when we’ll find out all the winners as well as see the usual parade of video game trailers, commercials, musical guests, possibly Muppets, and more.
Here are all the 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
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Split Fiction
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Silent Hill f
Best Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Score and Music
- 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
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Silent Hill f
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
- Atomfall
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- EA Sports FC 26
- South of Midnight
Games for Impact
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- South of Midnight
- Wanderstop
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 Independent Game
- Absolum
- Ball x Pit
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Debut Indie Game
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Despelote
- Dispatch
- Megabonk
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 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 Multiplayer
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Peak
- Split Fiction
Best Adaptation
- A Minecraft Movie
- Devil May Cry
- Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
- The Last of Us: Season 2
- Until Dawn
Most Anticipated Game
- 007 First Light
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- Marvel’s Wolverine
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher IV
Content Creator of the Year
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- MoistCr1TiKaL
- Sakura Miko
- The Burnt Peanut
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- brawk – Brock Somerhalder
- Chovy – Jeong Ji-Hoon
- f0rsakeN – Jason Susanto
- Kakeru – Kakeru Watanabe
- MenaRD – Saul Leonardo
- Zyw0o – Mathieu Herbaut
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
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
