- The Game Awards blends awards, announcements, and performances to chart the roadmap for global video games.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes history by sweeping key nominations and awards, including GOTY.
- The gala serves as a showcase for major announcements for 2026 and 2027, featuring the return of legendary sagas and new IPs.
- The edition comes with criticism of categories, absences, Future Class and the weight of the commercial component.
the gala of The Game Awards 2025 It closed out the year making it clear why it has become the most-watched event in the video game industry. For more than six hours, the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles was filled with announcements, trailers, musical performances, controversies, and, of course, awards that crowned the best games of the year in nearly thirty categories.
In this edition, the spotlight was undoubtedly stolen by him. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33A French JRPG that made history, sweeping both nominations and awards. But beyond the GOTY, there was room for the Indie games, blockbusters, esports, adaptations, and games coming from 2026 onwardsBelow you'll find a comprehensive guide with all the winners, the most prominent nominees, how the voting works, and an organized recap of all the important announcements made on Geoff Keighley's stage.
What is The Game Awards like and what did the 2025 edition mean?
The Game Awards 2025 This was the twelfth edition of the format created and presented by Geoff Keighley, who returned as master of ceremonies and executive producer. The gala was held with a live audience on December 11th at the Peacock Theater of Los Angeles, with worldwide broadcast through platforms such as TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube and, for the first time, Amazon Prime Video thanks to a special agreement that includes a store with products and offers related to the gala.
The creative team remained virtually unchanged: Kimmie Kim as executive producer, Richard Preuss at the address, LeRoy Bennett as creative director and Michael E. Peter as co-executive producer. Keighley has again insisted on finding a balance between the time dedicated to the awards and the space reserved for commercials, designing together with the studios a “emotional arc” for the broadcast in which the trailers are placed at very specific moments to maintain the viewer's tension.
This time, the event has also generated some controversy. The initiative Future ClassThe award, which since 2020 had highlighted 50 people representing the future of the industry, remained suspended, as it had been in 2024, and the list of former nominees has disappeared from the official website. Much of the press and the community itself have criticized this decision, pointing out that it is a loss of recognition for diverse and emerging profiles within the sector.
Beyond the main gala, The Game Awards week was rounded out with other events such as Wholesome Games, Day of the Devs, Latin American Games Showcase or the Women-Led Games Showcasewhere announcements related to the big night were also previewed. A Mysterious statue in the Mojave Desert at the end of November, which gave rise to all kinds of theories until its connection to one of the big announcements of the gala was revealed.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the dominant force in the awards
If there's one name that defines this edition, it's... Clair Obscur: Expedition 33The JRPG from Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive was not only the favorite, but it has broken records: it arrived at the ceremony with 12 nominations, the highest number in the history of the awardsAnd the night ended with a veritable deluge of statuettes.
The French work has won the Game of the Year (GOTY), in addition to crucial awards such as Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Soundtrack and Music and the two awards related to the independent scene: Best Independent Game y Best Indie DebutTo that we must add the prize for Best Performance for Jennifer English for her role as Maelle and her presence in categories such as Audio Design.
Clair Obscur's dominance is even more significant considering that 2025 was the first year in which Half of the Game of the Year nominees were independent titlesMedia outlets such as the BBC, Polygon, and TheGamer have emphasized that the GOTY list could be considered a collection of masterpieces, but this case has also been used to debate whether the term "indie" still makes sense when applied to productions of this caliber.
In the field of publishing houses, Sony Interactive Entertainment It has been the company with the most total nominations (19), followed by Kepler Interactive with 13 and Electronic Arts With 10 nominations, the various branches of Microsoft Gaming (Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda) have accumulated nine nominations, while Netflix and PlayStation Productions have entered the fray with their television adaptations.
List of the most important winners of The Game Awards 2025
This year's gala featured 29 official categoriesencompassing everything from the classic Game of the Year to awards focused on esports, audiovisual adaptations, and social impact. Below are the most relevant winners and their nominees as reflected in the official lists.
Game of the Year (GOTY)
- 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 Yotei
- Hades II
- Split Fiction
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Silent Hill
Artistic direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Soundtrack and Music
- Lorien Testard – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Darren Korb – Hades II
- Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Take Otowa – Ghost of Yōtei
Sound Design
- Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Silent Hill
Best Performance
- Ben Starr – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Verse)
- Charlie Cox – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Gustave)
- Erika Ishii – Ghost of Yōtei (Atsu)
- Jennifer English – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Maelle)
- Konatsu Kato – Silent Hill f (Hinako Shimizu)
- Troy Baker – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Indiana Jones)
Game for Impact
- Consume Me
- Flashing
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- south of midnight
- Wanderstop
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Atomfall
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- EA Sports FC 26
- south of midnight
Best Ongoing Game and Best Community Support
The games-as-a-service sector has been particularly competitive. Among titles that have been updated for years, No Man's Sky It has slipped in as the winner for Best Game in Progress, while Baldur's Gate 3 He has been recognized for his exceptional communication and treatment of the community.
- No Man's Sky – Best ongoing game
- Baldur's Gate 3 – Better community support
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- helldivers 2
- Marvel Rivals
Independent scene: best indie and best debut
The category of Best Independent Game It brought together true heavyweights of the alternative scene, with proposals such as Absolum, Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Hades II or Hollow Knight: SilksongHowever, the statuette went once again to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which also took the title of Best Indie Debutahead of Blue Prince, Despelote, Dispatch and the initially nominated Megabonk.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Best Independent Game
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Best Independent Debut
- Absolutum
- Ball x Pit
- blue prince
- Flashing
- Dispatch
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Action, adventure and role-playing
In the most popular genres, the awards have been widely distributed. The title to Best Action Game has taken it Hades IIWhile Hollow Knight: Silksong has been recognized as Best Action/AdventureIn the role-playing genre, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has once again established itself as Best RPG, ahead of Avowed, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Monster Hunter Wilds and The Outer Worlds 2.
- Hades II – Best action game
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Best Action/Adventure Game
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Best RPG
- Battlefield 6
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
- avowed
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Outer Worlds 2
Family, sports, strategy and VR
On the more accessible side, at these The Game Awards 2025 Donkey Kong Bananza has won as Best Family Game, Mario Kart World has prevailed in Sports/Careers y Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles It has been carried Best Sim/StrategyIn Virtual and Augmented Reality, the victory has gone to The Midnight Walk, while the prize to Best Mobile Game it has been awarded to him Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
- Donkey Kong Bananza – Best Family Game
- Mario Kart World – Best sports/racing game
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles – Best sim/strategy game
- The Midnight Walk – Best VR/AR Game
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Best mobile game
Multiplayer, fighting, and adaptations
The best online game of this edition has been ARC Raiders, which has established itself as Best Multiplayer, while in fighting games the prize has gone to Fatal Fury: City of the WolvesRegarding adaptations, the second season of The Last of Us It has been crowned as Best Adaptation, surpassing A Minecraft Movie, the Devil May Cry animated series, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch and the Until Dawn movie.
- Arc Raiders – Best multiplayer game
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves – Best fighting game
- The Last of Us: Season 2 – Best Adaptation
Esports, content creators, and the most anticipated game
Within esports, Counter-Strike 2 It has been awarded at The Game Awards 2025 as Best Esports GameThe standout player has been Chovythe best team Team Vitalityand the recognition of Content Creator of the Year has taken it MoistCr1TiKaLTo top it all off, the Most Anticipated Game according to the audience Grand Theft Auto VI, followed by Resident Evil Requiem, 007 First Light, The Witcher IV and Marvel's Wolverine.
- Counter-Strike 2 – Best Esports Game
- Chovy – Best Esports Athlete
- Team Vitality – Best Esports Team
- MoistCr1TiKaL – Content Creator of the Year
- Grand Theft Auto VI – Most Anticipated Game
Criticism, controversy and debate surrounding the awards
Like every year, The Game Awards They haven't escaped criticism. Beyond the eternal debate about whether there are too many announcements and too little time for developer speeches, several issues have sparked discussion. One of them concerns the Future Class suspensionFormer participants see this as a sign that the program no longer aligns with the event's priorities. Some have even suggested the decision might be related to the open letter they sent to Keighley in 2023 criticizing the show's approach to social issues.
There has also been discussion about the categories themselves at The Game Awards 2025. From Polygon, journalists like Austin Manchester and Paulo Kawanishi have questioned whether the term "indie" is still useful when applied to projects like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Dispatch, which are closer to what many call "AAA" or "AAG" games. Kawanishi further argues that the category of Best RPG It is so broad that it ends up mixing games with very different design philosophies, making a fair comparison difficult.
Other analyses have focused on the absences. Outlets such as GameSpot, The Escapist, and TheGamer have pointed out that titles like Blue Prince, Ghost of Yōtei, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Silent Hill fo Split Fiction They deserved a GOTY nomination, and games like ARC Raiders, South of Midnight, or The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy should have had more presence on the final lists.
The category of Best Adaptation Nor has he been spared. Several journalists have pointed to the case of Sonic 3: The Movie, which has not been nominated despite its good reception, speculating that its release at the end of 2024 could have weakened its visibility compared to more recent productions such as the Devil May Cry series or the Until Dawn movie.
The most talked-about controversy has probably been that of ShroudThe well-known streamer, winner of the Content Creator award in 2019, called the gala "rigged" after A.R.C. Raiders It was left out of the Game of the Year category. His statements, focused on the jury's alleged reluctance to award projects based on artificial intelligence, have been met with a unanimous response from the specialized press, which considers the accusations unfounded and that this year's competition was, quite simply, brutal.
There have also been calls for better representation of certain profiles. Some of the cast of Clair Obscurity: Expedition 33 have publicly requested the creation of a specific category for motion capture actorsAnd Charlie Cox himself has stressed that any credit given to him for his role should be shared with the motion capture performer of his character, Maxence Carzole.
Amid all this media noise, the gala has continued to fulfill its main objective: to bring together a large part of the industry in one place, to showcase games of all sizes and to invite the public to dream about what's to comeBetween the musical numbers by The Game Awards Orchestra conducted by Lorne Balfe, Evanescence's performance of "Afterlife" from the Devil May Cry series, and the presence of figures such as Todd Howard, Jeffrey Wright, and the Muppets, the general feeling is that 2025 has been a historic edition both for its awards and for the quality of the year it leaves behind.
Given the significant presence of independent titles in the major nominations, the resounding victory of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the return of franchises like Divinity, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Mega Man, and the push for new licenses slated for 2026 and 2027, it seems clear that The Game Awards 2025 has marked a turning point. These awards, with their ups and downs, paint a picture of a very promising future.
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