The Game Awards 2025 nominations reveal a clear frontrunner

The Game Awards 2025 has finally announced its nominees for categories like Best Racing Game, Best Sports Game, and the coveted Game of the Year. This has been one of the best years for gaming in recent memory. Nintendo launched switch 2The A successor to its dominant console and handheld hybrid, and Xbox dipping its toes into the handheld market rog xbox companion,

There have been some incredible hits from small industries across the industry blue prince And DesploteAlso blockbuster movies Doom: Dark Age, split fictionAnd Monster Hunter WildsThere have been some surprises over the years ARC Attacker And dispatch,

But only one game can take home the 2025 Game of the Year award, and there are only six nominees. Keep reading to find out the full list of categories and nominees, from Best Indie Game to Best Art Direction, along with how to vote in The Game Awards 2025.

Claire Obscure: Campaign 33

Claire Obscure: Campaign 33 is the clear fan favorite to win the 2025 Game of the Year award. Created by a small group of passionate developers in France, the game combines engaging turn-based combat with believable characters to tell one of the most emotionally impactful stories this year. Also, unlike every other nominated Game of the Year, campaign 33 It is not a sequel or a franchise title, which may give it an extra edge among players.

campaign 33 The group leads the way this year with 12 nominations in categories including Best Art Direction and Best Narrative.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

The sequel to Hideo Kojima’s post-apocalyptic epic, death strandingConnection is another great narrative-driven game with themes of grief and loss. with death stranding 2, helldivers 2, And yotei’s ghostSony is this year’s most nominated publisher with 19 nominations.

death stranding It was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019, but ultimately lost to Activision Software and Activision. Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceLet’s see whether Kojima is able to win the award this time or not,

Donkey Kong Bananza

Nintendo has taken its ape mascot and created one of the best 3D platformers this year Donkey Kong BananaThe camaraderie between Donkey Kong and Daisy is endearing, and the game’s innovative destruction mechanics make it fun to smash the environment into pieces,

Nintendo has received a lot of nominations over the years with Game of the Year nominations for games like xenoblade chronicles 3, metroid fearAnd super mario bros wonderBut has not won in this category since 2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,

Hades 2

Hades Was the indie darling of 2020. The incredibly addictive “just one more round” roguelite gameplay, charming cast of characters, and bold comic-book art direction captivated players around the world. Hades 2 Same thing brings more but dialed up. With even more gameplay refinements, areas to explore, and gods to meet, it’s no surprise Hades 2 Has received a Game of the Year nomination.

Hades Was nominated for Game of the Year in 2020, but lost the last of us part 2Now he has another chance to win,

hollow night silksong

together with Hades 2 And campaign 33, hollow night silksong The indie trifecta of nominations has been completed this year. It’s surprising that this game actually came out this year after several delays, but the wait was definitely worth it. Its exploration and difficulty are extremely rewarding, making it one of the best 2D platformers in years.

Its predecessor, hollow knightwas nominated for Best Debut Indie Game in 2017, but lost CupidNow, its sequel has joined the big leagues with a Game of the Year nomination, Talk about sparkle!

kingdom come deliverance 2

It’s a little surprising because it’s that great kingdom come deliverance 2 Well, there are other games that could have taken their place in this nomination. Other nominees remained cultural ideologues and were shoe-ins. still, kingdom come deliverance 2The dedication to historical realism and gameplay is impressive, and its story is more emotional than the first game, making it an excellent medieval simulation RPG.

The game previously received no nominations at previous shows, so it will be exciting for the developers to receive their first nomination at The Game Awards, and for the ultimate Game of the Year category, no less.

How to vote in The Game Awards 2025

The Game Awards 2025 will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California and will air on December 11. You can vote for your favorite game Game Awards WebsiteAll you have to do is create an account and sign in to start voting immediately, However, winners are not chosen by popular vote alone,

In addition to fan votes, The Game Awards features a jury of “more than 100 global media and influential outlets, selected for their history of critical video game evaluation. Special juries are also convened for other categories, including eSports, Accessibility, and Best Adaptation.” Ultimately, “the winners are determined by a mixed vote between the voting jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%). Fans can vote for their favorite games at TheGameAwards.com.

The Game Awards 2025: Full list of nominees

Here’s the full list of categories and nominations for 2025, in addition to the six Sports of the Year nominees.

Best independent games:

Mashable Top Stories

Best Debut Indie Game:

Best Mobile Games:

• Fate: Rise

• Persona 5: The Phantom X

• sound thunder

• Umamusume: beautiful derby

• Wuthering Waves

Best Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Games:

• Alien: Evil Invasion

• arcane age

• Ghost town

• Marvel’s Deadpool VR

• midnight walk

Best Action Games:

Best Role-Playing Games:

Best Fighting Games:

• 2XKO

• Capcom Fighting Collection 2

• Fatal Fury: City of Wolves

• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Collection

• Virtua Fighter 5 Revo World Stage

Best Family Games:

Best Simulation/Strategy Games:

• shift

• Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles

• jurassic world evolution 3

• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII

• storm surge

• Two Point Museum

Best Sports/Racing Games:

Best Multiplayer Games:

• ARC Attacker

• battlefield 6

• alden ring nitrene

• braid

• split fiction

Best Game Direction:

Best Narrative:

• Claire Obscure: Campaign 33

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

• yotei’s ghost

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

• silent hill f

Best Art Direction:

Best Score and Music:

Best Audio Design:

Best Performance:

• Ben Starr Inn Claire Obscure: Campaign 33

• in charlie cox Claire Obscure: Campaign 33

• in erica ishi yotei’s ghost

• jennifer in english Claire Obscure: Campaign 33

• in konatsu kato silent hill f

• at troy baker Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Innovation in Accessibility:

Games for Impact:

Best Running Games:

• final fantasy xiv

• Fortnite

• Helldivers II

• marvel rival

• no man’s sky

Best Community Support:

• baldur’s gate iii

• final fantasy xiv

• Fortnite

• Helldivers II

• no man’s sky

Best Game Optimization:

Most Awaited Game:

• 007 first light

• grand theft auto vi

• marvel’s wolverine

• Resident Evil Requiem

• The Witcher IV

Content Creator of the Year:

• Kedrel

• Kai Senate

• MoistCr1TiKaL

• sakura miko

• burnt peanuts

Best eSports Games:

Best eSports Athlete:

• Brock – Brock Somerhalder (valiant,

• Chovi – Jeong Ji-hoon (League of Legends,

• f0rsakeN – Jason Susanto (valiant,

• Kakeru – Kakeru Watanabe (Street Fighter,

• Menard – Saul Leonardo (Street Fighter,

• Zyw0o – Matthew Harbout (counter attack 2,

Best eSports Team:

Subject
gaming video games