The full list of nominees for The Game Awards 2025 have been revealed.
Most notably, here are the six titles up for the highly coveted Game of the Year:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandbox Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo)
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
Read on for the nominees in the other categories:
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
- 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 as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandbox Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Charlie Cox as Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandbox Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/PlayStation)
- Jennifer English as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandbox Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Konatsu Kato as Hinako in Silent Hill f (Neobards Entertainment/Konami)
- Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Machine Games/Bethesda)
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Quebec/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
It’s worth noting that a few of these games were either primarily or partially developed by Canadians. First off, Motive Studio is part of the global “Battlefield Studios” team that made Battlefield 6, which is up for Best Action Game, Best Multiplayer and Best Audio Design.
Further, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage from Don’t Nod Montreal and South of Midnight from Montreal’s Compulsion Games are both up for Games for Impact. Elsewhere, in the Innovation in Accessibility category, Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows, EA Sports FC 26 from EA Vancouver and South of Midnight were nominated. And finally, EA Sports FC 26 is also up for Best Sports Game.
The Game Awards will take place this year on Thursday, December 12. The show will be streamed on YouTube, Twitch and Prime Video. Fans can vote for their favourite games on The Game Awards website.
Disclaimer: MobileSyrup is a part of the jury of global media outlets that nominates games and votes for the winners. (90 per cent of the winner votes come from this jury, while the public accounts for the remaining 10 per cent.) However, the jury has no involvement with the production of the show itself.
Image credit: Kepler Interactive
