Geoff Keighley’s Trailer-Palooza, also known as The Game Awards, was shaping up to be a tad more anti-climactic in 2025 than ever before. Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 went into the ceremony with 13 nominations, the most of any game in Game Awards history. With most critics and commentators treating its victory as inevitable, we were probably going to have to look elsewhere for surprises. But then…
…the thing that everyone expected to happen actually happened.
Yes, the critics and commentators (the people who actually vote on the winners) turned out to be right. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won “Game of the Year” at the 2025 Game Awards. The throwback RPG also collected an additional eight trophies, including “Best Game Direction”, “Best Narrative”, “Best Art Direction”, “Best Score and Music”, “Best Role Playing Game”, and “Best Performance” for Jennifer English. And not to add more fuel to the fire over what qualifies as an independent game, but Clair Obscur also won both “Best Independent Game” and “Best Debut Indie Game”.
While the night definitely belonged to Clair Obscur and the team from Sandfall Interactive, a handful of other games also took home some Game Awards hardware, though each was limited to a single category. Battlefield 6 (“Best Audio Design”), ARC Raiders (“Best Multiplayer”), South of Midnight (“Games For Impact”), Doom: The Dark Ages (“Innovation in Accessibility”), Umamusume: Pretty Derby (“Best Mobile Game”), and The Midnight Walk (“Best VR/AR Game”) each scooped up a statuette.
Meanwhile, Hades II (“Best Action Game”), Hollow Knight: Silksong (“Best Action/Adventure Game”), Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (“Best Fighting Game”), Donkey Kong Bananza (“Best Family Game”), Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (“Best Sim/Strategy Game”), and Mario Kart World (“Best Sports/Racing Game”) were victorious in the genre-specific categories.
And that pretty much does it for the 2025 Game Awards. I’m struggling to think of anything that didn’t go according to plan, and all I can come up with was that extra-weird trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter film adaptation and the reveal that Capcom dropped the numerals from the upcoming Mega Man 12 in favor of a subtitle.
A replay of the 2025 Game Awards ceremony can be found after the break, as well as a list of all the nominees and winners.
Jury-Voted Categories
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- WINNER: 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
Awarded to a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Split Fiction
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Silent Hill F
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Score and Music
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Audio Design
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- WINNER: Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Silent Hill F
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture.
- WINNER: Jennifer English (As Maelle) – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Charlie Cox (As Gustave) – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ben Starr (As Verso) – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Erika Ishii (As Atsu) – Ghost of Yotei
- Troy Baker (As Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones) – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Konatsu Kato (As Hinako Shimizu) – Silent Hill F
Games For Impact
For a thought provoking game with a profound pro-social meaning or message.
- WINNER: South of Midnight
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
- Wanderstop
Best Independent Game
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Absolum
- Ball X Pit
- Blue Prince
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Mobile Game
For the best game playable on a dedicated mobile device.
- WINNER: Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- Destiny: Rising
- Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Sonic Rumble
- Wuthering Waves
Best VR/AR Game
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: The Midnight Walk
- Alien: Rogue Incursion
- Arken Age
- Deadpool VR
- Ghost Town
Best Ongoing Game
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- WINNER: No Man’s Sky
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Helldivers II
- Marvel Rivals
Best Action Game
For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.
- WINNER: Hades II
- Battlefield 6
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Best Action/Adventure Game
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- WINNER: Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
Best Role Playing Game
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Avowed
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Outer Worlds 2
Best Fighting Game
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- WINNER: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- 2XKO
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection
- Virtua Fighter 5 REVO: World Stage
Best Family Game
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: Donkey Kong Bananza
- Lego Party
- Lego Voyagers
- Mario Kart World
- Sonic Racing: Crossworlds
- Split Fiction
Best Sim/Strategy Game
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
- The Alters
- Civilization VII
- Jurassic World: Evolution 3
- Tempest Rising
- Two Point Museum
Best Sports/Racing Game
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- WINNER: Mario Kart World
- EA Sports FC 26
- F1 25
- Rematch
- Sonic Racing: Crossworlds
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.
- WINNER: ARC Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Elden Ring: Nightreign
- Peak
- Split Fiction
Best Debut Indie
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Blue Prince
- Despelote
- Dispatch
Best Community Support
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness. Inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Helldivers II
- No Man’s Sky
Innovation in Accessibility
Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology, and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.
- WINNER: Doom: The Dark Ages
- Assassin’s Creed: Shadows
- Atomfall
- EA Sports FC 26
- South of Midnight
Best Esports Game
For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support, and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2025, irrespective of game.
- WINNER: Jeong “Chovy” Ji-Hoon
- Brock “Brawk” Somerhalder
- Jason “F0rsaken” Susanto
- Kakeru “Kakeru” Watanabe
- Mathieu “Zyw0o” Herbaut
- Saul “Menard” Leonardo
Best Esports Team
Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2025.
- WINNER: Team Vitality – Counter-Strike 2
- Gen.G – League of Legends
- NRG – Valorant
- Team Falcons – Dota 2
- Team Liquid PH – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Content Creator of the Year
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the industry in 2025.
- WINNER: Moistcr1tikal
- The Burnt Peanut
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- Sakura Miko
Best Adaptation
Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium.
- WINNER: The Last of Us – Season 2
- Devil May Cry
- A Minecraft Movie
- Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
- Until Dawn
Most Anticipated Game
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
- WINNER: Grand Theft Auto VI
- 007 First Light
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher IV
- Wolverine
TGA Game Changer
- WINNER: Girls Make Games
Fan-Voted Categories
Player’s Voice
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- WINNER: Wuthering Waves
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch
- Genshin Impact
- Hollow Knight: Silksong