The 2025 Game Awards concluded with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 receiving nine awards, including the Game of the Year title. The game, developed by independent French studio Sandfall Interactive, also secured the Best Independent Game award during the preshow, competing against titles such as Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Its total number of wins established it as the most awarded game in the history of The Game Awards, exceeding the previous record held by The Last of Us: Part 2.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 draws inspiration from turn-based role-playing games and features a narrative structure. The cast included motion-capture artist Andy Serkis, alongside voice actors Ben Starr and Jennifer English. English accepted the award for Best Performance, making a statement addressing neurodivergent individuals within the gaming community.
The awards ceremony reflected two observed trends within the gaming industry: the increasing prominence of independent studios and the expanding international scope of the awards. Half of the Game of the Year nominees were independent titles. The Game Awards' voting system incorporates input from over 150 international media outlets, which account for 90% of the total score, complemented by a public online voting system contributing 10%. Currently, U.S.-based outlets constitute approximately 15% of the voting jury. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's visibility was amplified through word-of-mouth and its availability on the Xbox Game Pass service.
Other companies also received recognition. Nintendo secured awards for Switch 2 exclusive titles, with Donkey Kong Bananza winning Best Family Game and Mario Kart World receiving Best Sports/Racing Game. Grand Theft Auto 6 was awarded Most Anticipated Game for the second consecutive year. Wuthering Waves, a Chinese mobile game, won the Players' Voice award, a category determined solely by public online votes.
2025 Game Awards: Full Nominees and Winners List
Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
Best Game Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
- Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)
Best Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Best Score and Music, leveled up by Spotify
- Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Darren Korb, Hades II
- Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yōtei
- Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Best Audio Design
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)
Best Performance
- Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Erika Ishii, Ghost of Yōtei
- Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill f
- Troy Baker, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
- Atomfall (Rebellion)
- Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
Games for Impact
- Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Hexacutable)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don't Nod Montreal/Don't Nod)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
- Wanderstop (Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive)
Best Ongoing
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
- No Man's Sky (Hello Games)
Best Community Support
- Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- No Man's Sky (Hello Games)
Best Independent Game
- Absolum (Guard Crush Games/Supamonks/Dotemu)
- Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Best Debut Indie Game
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
- Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
- Megabonk (Vedinad)
Best Mobile Game
- Destiny: Rising (NetEase Games)
- Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio/Sega)
- Sonic Rumble (Rovio Entertainment/Sega)
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames Inc.)
- Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)
Best VR/AR
- Alien: Rogue Incursion (Survios)
- Arken Age (VitruviusVR)
- Ghost Town (Fireproof Games)
- Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games/Oculus Studios)
- The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games)
Best Action
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
- Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Ninja Gaiden 4 (Platinum Games/Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios)
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (Lizardcube/Sega)
Best Action/Adventure
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)
Best RPG
- Avowed (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep SIlver)
- The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
- Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)
Best Fighting
- 2XKO (Riot Games)
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK Corporation)
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse/Atari)
- Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)
Best Family
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- LEGO Party! (SMG Studio/Fictions)
- LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive)
- Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)
Best Sim/Strategy
- The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
- FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix)
- Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Frontier Developments)
- Sid Meier's Civilization VII (Firaxis Games/2K)
- Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms)
- Two Point Museum (Two Point Studios/Sega)
Best Sports/Racing
- EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
- F1 25 (Codemasters/EA)
- Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Rematch (Sloclap/Kepler Interactive)
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)
Best Multiplayer
- Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
- Battlefield 6 (Electronic Arts)
- Elden Ring Nightreign (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Peak (Aggro Crab/Landfall)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight/EA)
Best Adaptation
- A Minecraft Movie (Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros)
- Devil May Cry (Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix)
- The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO/PlayStation Productions)
- Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix)
- Until Dawn (Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions)
Most Anticipated Game
- 007 First Light (IO Interactive)
- Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games)
- Marvel's Wolverine (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom)
- The Witcher IV (CD Projekt Red)
Content Creator of the Year
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- MoistCr1TiKaL
- Sakura Miko
- The Burnt Peanut
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
- DOTA 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot)
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
- Valorant (Riot)
Best Esports Athlete
- brawk - Brock Somerhalder (Valorant)
- Chovy - Jeong Ji-hoon (League of Legends)
- f0rsakeN - Jason Susanto (Valorant)
- Kakeru - Kakeru Watanabe (Street Fighter)
- MenaRD - Saul Leonardo (Street Fighter)
- Zyw0o - Mathieu Herbaut (Counter-Strike 2)
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
Players' Voice
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
- Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
- Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)