The Game Awards 2025 Nominees Announced, Clair Obscur Leads With a Stunning 12 Nominations

With The Game Awards 2025 approaching on December 11, Geoff Keighley and the event’s organizing team have officially unveiled the complete list of nominees for this year’s ceremony. The reveal also confirms the previously leaked Game of the Year selections, which surfaced earlier through ResetEra

While some years feature a tight race in terms of total nominations among top contenders, 2025 stands out with a clear frontrunner. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominates with an impressive 12 nominations spanning major categories. Notably, three of these nominations are for Best Performance, showcasing the strength of the game’s narrative delivery and character portrayal. Even subtracting those three, it still surpasses its closest competitors Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei, which each secured seven nominations.

Following closely behind is Hades 2 with six nominations, then Hollow Knight Silksong with five, and Split Fiction with four. Despite earning a Game of the Year nomination, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 only received a total of three nods. Another GOTY nominee, Donkey Kong Bananza, barely made the cut with two nominations in total including its GOTY recognition.

A few noteworthy observations emerge from this year’s lineup. Marvel’s Deadpool VR appears in the Best VR/AR Game category even though its official release is set for tomorrow, November 18. Meanwhile, Dispatch secured a spot in the Best Debut Indie category shortly after releasing the eighth and final episode of its story arc on November 12.

Voting for The Game Awards 2025 is now live, with fans able to cast votes directly through the event’s official website. Below is the complete list of nominees across all categories.

The Game Awards 2025 Nominees

Best Performance

Ben Starr – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Charlie Cox – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Erika Ishii – Ghost of Yotei
Jennifer English – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Konatsu Kato – Silent Hill f
Troy Baker – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Best Ongoing Game

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
Fortnite
Helldivers 2
Marvel Rivals
No Man’s Sky

Best Mobile Game

Destiny Rising
Persona 5: The Phantom X
Sonic Rumble
Umamasume: Pretty Derby
Wuthering Waves

Best Art Direction

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yotei
Hades 2
Hollow Knight Silksong

Best Score and Music

Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight Silksong
Darren Korb – Hades 2
Lorien Testard – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Toma Otowa – Ghost of Yotei
Woodkid & Ludvig Forssell – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Best Audio Design

Battlefield 6
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yotei
Silent Hill f

Best Adaptation

A Minecraft Movie
Devil May Cry
Splinter Cell Deathwatch
HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2
Until Dawn

Best Narrative

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yotei
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Silent Hill f

Best Community Support

Baldur’s Gate 3
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
Fortnite
Helldivers 2
No Man’s Sky

Games for Impact

Consume Me
Despelote
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
South of Midnight
Wanderstop

Best Multiplayer

ARC Raiders
Battlefield 6
Elden Ring Nightreign
Peak
Split Fiction

Best Independent Game

Absolum
Ball X Pit
Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades 2
Hollow Knight Silksong

Best Debut Indie Game

Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Despelote
Dispatch
Megabonk

Best VR/AR Game

Alien: Rogue Incursion
Arken Age
Ghost Town
Marvel’s Deadpool VR
The Midnight Walk

Content Creator of the Year

Caedrel
Kai Cenat
MoistCr1tikal
Sakura Miko
The Burnt Peanut

Most Anticipated Game

007: First Light
Grand Theft Auto VI
Marvel’s Wolverine
Resident Evil Requiem
The Witcher IV

Best Action Adventure Game

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yotei
Hollow Knight Silksong
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Split Fiction

Best Role Playing Game

Avowed
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Monster Hunter Wilds
The Outer Worlds 2

Best Fighting Game

2XKO
Capcom Fighting Collection 2
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection
Virtua Fighter 5 REVO World Stage

Best Action Game

Battlefield 6
DOOM: The Dark Ages
Hades 2
Ninja Gaiden 4
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Innovation in Accessibility

Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Atomfall
DOOM: The Dark Ages
EA Sports FC 26
South of Midnight

Best Family Game

Donkey Kong Bananza
LEGO Party
LEGO Voyagers
Mario Kart World
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds
Split Fiction

Best Sim/Strategy Game

The Alters
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Jurassic World Evolution 3
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
Tempest Rising
Two Point Museum

Best Sports/Racing Game

EA Sports FC 26
EA Sports F1 25
Mario Kart World
Rematch
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds

Best Esports Game

Counter-Strike 2
DOTA 2
League of Legends
Mobile Legends Bang Bang
Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

Brawk
Chovy
Forsaken
Kakeru
Menard
Zywoo

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

Best Game Direction

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yotei
Hades 2
Split Fiction

Game of the Year

Hollow Knight Silksong
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades 2

Clair Obscur’s commanding lead this year sets the tone for what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and diverse lineups in recent memory. With voting now open, audiences around the world can help shape the outcome as the industry prepares to celebrate another year of creative achievements.

Which nominee do you think deserves Game of the Year? Share your picks and predictions.