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 33Death Stranding 2: On the BeachDonkey Kong BananzaHades IIHollow Knight: SilksongKingdom Come: Deliverance II
Best Game Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Death Stranding 2: On the BeachGhost of YōteiHades IISplit Fiction
Best Narrative
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Death Stranding 2: On the BeachGhost of YōteiKingdom Come: Deliverance IISilent Hill f
Best Art Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Death Stranding 2: On the BeachGhost of YōteiHades IIHollow Knight: Silksong
Best Score and Music
Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight: SilksongDarren Korb – Hades IILorien Testard – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Toma Otowa – Ghost of YōteiWoodkid and Ludvig Forssell – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Best Audio Design
Battlefield 6Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Death Stranding 2: On the BeachGhost of YōteiSilent Hill f
Best Performance
Ben Starr – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Charlie Cox – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Erika Ishii – Ghost of YōteiJennifer English – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Konatsu Kato – Silent Hill fTroy Baker – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Innovation in Accessibility
Assassin’s Creed: ShadowsAtomfallDoom: The Dark AgesEA Sports FC 26South of Midnight
Games for Impact
Consume MeDespeloteLost Records: Bloom & RageSouth of MidnightWanderstop
Best Ongoing
Final Fantasy XIVFortniteHelldivers 2Marvel RivalsNo Man’s Sky
Best Community Support
Baldur’s Gate 3Final Fantasy XIVFortniteHelldivers 2No Man’s Sky
Best Independent Game
AbsolumBall x PitBlue PrinceClair Obscur: Expedition 33Hades IIHollow Knight: Silksong
Best Debut Indie Game
Blue PrinceClair Obscur: Expedition 33DespeloteDispatchMegabonk
Best Mobile Game
Destiny: RisingPersona 5: The Phantom XSonic RumbleUmamusume: Pretty DerbyWuthering Waves
Best VR/AR
Alien: Rogue IncursionArken AgeGhost TownMarvel’s Deadpool VRThe Midnight Walk
Best Action Game
Battlefield 6Doom: The Dark AgesHades IINinja Gaiden 4Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Best Action/Adventure
Death Stranding 2: On the BeachGhost of YōteiHollow Knight: SilksongIndiana Jones and the Great CircleSplit Fiction
Best RPG
AvowedClair Obscur: Expedition 33Kingdom Come: Deliverance IIMonster Hunter WildsThe Outer Worlds 2
Best Fighting
2XKOCapcom Fighting Collection 2Fatal Fury: City of WolvesMortal Kombat: Legacy KollectionVirtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage
Best Family
Donkey Kong BananzaLego Party!Lego VoyagersMario Kart WorldSonic Racing: CrossworldsSplit Fiction
Best Sim/Strategy
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice ChroniclesJurassic World Evolution 3Sid Meier’s Civilization VIITempest RisingThe AltersTwo Point Museum
Best Sports/Racing
EA Sports FC 26F1 25Mario Kart WorldRematchSonic Racing: Crossworlds
Best Multiplayer
Arc RaidersBattlefield 6Elden Ring NightreignPeakSplit Fiction
Best Adaptation
A Minecraft MovieDevil May CrySplinter Cell: DeathwatchThe Last of Us: Season 2Until Dawn
Most Anticipated Game
007 First LightGrand Theft Auto VIMarvel’s WolverineResident Evil RequiemThe Witcher IV
Content Creator of the Year
CaedrelKai CenatMoistCr1TiKaLSakura MikoThe Burnt Peanut
Best Esports Game
Counter-Strike 2Dota 2League of LegendsMobile Legends: Bang BangValorant
Best Esports Athlete
brawk – Brock SomerhalderChovy – Jeong Ji-Hoonf0rsakeN – Jason SusantoKakeru – Kakeru WatanabeMenaRD – Saul LeonardoZyw0o – Mathieu Herbaut
Best Esports Team
Gen.G – League of LegendsNRG – ValorantTeam Falcons – Dota 2Team Liquid PH – Mobile Legends: Bang BangTeam 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 rvalentine@ign.com.
