The 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards took place last night, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 securing five accolades including Game of the Year.
Sandfall Interactive’s RPG also won Best Debut, Best Visual Art, Best Audio, and Best Narrative.
Dogubomb’s puzzle-adventure game Blue Prince was honored with two awards: Best Design and the Innovation Award.
Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was recognised for Best Technology, Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson’s Consume Me was presented with the Social Impact Award, and TearyHand Studio’s And Roger took home the Audience Award.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to industry veteran Don Daglow, and the Ambassador Award was presented posthumously to Interplay Productions co-founder Rebecca Heineman.
The 28th annual Independent Games Festival awards also took place last night, with the Seumas McNally Grand Prize being awarded to AP Thomson’s Titanium Court. The strategy title also won the Excellence in Design award.
Santa Ragione and Andrea Lucco Borlera’s horror adventure game Horses won the Nuovo Award, while Mixed Realms’ 13Z: The Zodiac Trials received the Wings Award.
Housefire’s Eclipsium won Excellence in Visual Art, and Three Bees’ Perfect Tides: Station to Station won Excellence in Narrative. Gabe Cuzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy’s Baby Steps took home the Excellence in Audio award.
Here are the full lists of winners for both ceremonies:
GDCA 2026 winners
- Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Best Debut: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Visual Art: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Narrative: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Technology: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Design: Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Audience Award: And Roger (TearyHand Studio/Kodansha)
- Social Impact Award: Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson/Hexacutable)
- Innovation Award: Blue Prince
- Ambassador Award: Rebecca Heineman
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Don Daglow
IGF 2026 winners
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize: Titanium Court (AP Thomson/Fellow Traveller)
- Excellence in Visual Art: Eclipsium (Housefire/Critical Reflex)
- Excellence in Audio: Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital)
- Excellence in Design: Titanium Court
- Excellence in Narrative: Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Three Bees)
- Nuovo Award: Horses (Santa Ragione, Andrea Lucco Borlera)
- Wings Award: 13Z: The Zodiac Trials (Mixed Realms)
- Audience Award: Wednesdays (Pierre Corbinais, The Pixel Hunt, Exaheva, Christophe Galati)
- Best Student Game: Poco (Whalefall/Micah Boursier)
