Game Awards 2025: Nominees and Winners

Gaming’s biggest night hits soon, and yeah, I’m straight-up pumped. December 11, 2025 brings the next round of The Game Awards, streaming live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Geoff Keighley’s running the show again, and this one’s shaping up to be total chaos. The buzz right now? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 locked down twelve nominations – that’s the most any game’s ever gotten. No joke. Twelve. It blew past the old record without breaking a sweat. And before we get into the picks and the mess, let’s lay out the basics.

Where to Watch (Because Missing This Would Be Criminal)

It starts at 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT – get those reminders set, or you’ll regret it. Streaming spots include:

• YouTube and Twitch (free, duh)
• Amazon Prime Video – first time they’re in on it
• TikTok and Twitter for the scrollers

Twitch steps it up with 2K resolution streams. They’re also dropping Twitch Drops for Path of Exile 2 – tune in 30 minutes for a Portal Effect; sub and hang out to grab the Battle-Hardened Bear Skin once the Druid class lands on December 12.

Co-stream away – anyone can broadcast it on their channel. Just label it right, grab the Predicts extension, and you’re set.

The Nomination Chaos (And Why Everyone’s Arguing)

When the list hit, the net went nuts. The Game of the Year lineup feels like a wild matchup:

Nominees:

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

And it gets heated fast. Folks and writers started side-eyeing the “indie” spots, pointing fingers at Clair Obscur and Dispatch for feeling more like double-A or bigger beasts, not real solo efforts. Valid gripe? Sure. But when the games slap this hard, who cares about labels?

What’s Actually Getting Revealed (The Good Stuff)

Screw the trophies for a bit – the announcements are where it’s at. Locked-in stuff:

Confirmed reveals:

• Resident Evil Requiem showcase featuring Leon Kennedy (about time!)
• Exodus drops a fresh trailer
• Creative Assembly shows off their next Total War for the series’ 25th
• Invincible VS brings a new playable character

Rumors are everywhere, though. Bets are on peeks at:

• FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods (gameplay, fingers crossed?)
• 007 First Light with a villain drop or theme act reveal
• Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra full gameplay
• Clockwork Revolution release date
• Phantom Blade Zero launch window

Bigger whispers include an Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag remake trailer, a Witcher 4 hint (even if CD Projekt Red shot it down), or Judas finally getting a date. Wild one? That weird monolith popped up in the Mojave Desert last week, thanks to Geoff’s cryptic posts. Cory Barlog says it’s not God of War, which just makes it weirder.

My Hot Takes on Major Categories

Game of the Year – The Battle Royale

This field’s loaded, almost brutal. Clair Obscur owns the noms, but that won’t hand it the win. Death Stranding 2 delivers Kojima’s oddball genius with killer tech – critics rave about the looks and finish. Hollow Knight: Silksong broke stores on launch from pure hype, even if the tough-as-nails challenge might turn off some. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Blueprints are fan favorites, but in this stacked 2025 pack, they’re long shots for the crown. Hades II nails roguelikes, but broader hits could edge it out. Clair Obscur’s my pick – those twelve nods scream respect from the pros. Still, Death Stranding 2’s movie-level swings or Silksong’s diehard crew could flip it.

Best Role Playing Game – Too Broad?

RPGs here span so much that some say lumping them together doesn’t work:

Nominees:

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

First-person fantasy rubs up against turn-based fights, medieval sims, hunt-’em-ups, and space jaunts all for one award. It’s nuts when you break it down – like pitting fruit against starships.

Action/Adventure – The Prestige Category

Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yōtei, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Split Fiction turn this into a heavyweight clash. Each one’s got its own vibe – Kojima’s story twists against Sucker Punch’s samurai flow against Team Cherry’s exploration grind. Indiana Jones stands out. MachineGames crushed the adventure vibe, but skipping GOTY? That one’s got people pissed.

The Controversy Corner

No drama, no awards show. This year didn’t skimp:

Future Class Initiative Cancelled

The Future Class thing – spotlighting 50 up-and-comers since 2020 – is done. Site wiped all past names clean. Grads got hit out of nowhere, no word from Keighley or Emily Weir. Ties back to a 2023 letter from alumni? Who knows.

“Rigged” Claims

Shroud straight-up called it “rigged” after ARC Raiders missed GOTY. Pundits shut that down quick – tough field, end of story. The setup mixes 150+ outlets worldwide (90% say) with fan votes (10%), so rigging’s a pipe dream. But it stirs the pot.

Category Definition Drama

Folks ripped into how categories got built. That indie debate lit up Twitter. Best Mobile Game caught flak for juries not knowing jack about the space – Destiny: Rising, Persona 5: The Phantom X, Sonic Rumble, Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Wuthering Waves? Totally different worlds. Mocap crews pushed back after Clair Obscur voices got nods but no love for the body work. Charlie Cox shouted out Maxence Carzole’s mocap for his nom – smart call that exposed the gaps.

Best Adaptation Criticism

Adaptations got dragged for meh picks. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 should’ve made it but timed out with its late 2024 drop.

Nominees:

• A Minecraft Movie
• Devil May Cry (animated series)
• The Last of Us season 2
• Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
• Until Dawn

Levels here are all over. The Last of Us season 2 hits December 17 on Amazon Prime – cast’s presenting, riding that partner wave. Evanescence rocks “Afterlife” from the Devil May Cry anime mid-show; it’ll hit hard no matter what.

Most Anticipated Game – Looking Forward

This one’s pure hype check:

Nominees:

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

GTA VI owns every list – Rockstar’s rep seals it. Insomniac’s Wolverine builds insane talk with barely any details. Witcher IV hauls CD Projekt Red’s post-Cyberpunk glow-up.

Players’ Voice – Democracy in Action

Players’ Voice is all fan-driven, no jury meddling. Three rounds whittled 30 games down; votes kicked off December 1 and crashed the site in minutes. Final picks drop December 8. It’s the one spot fans run wild – past years had real shocks, keeps it fresh.

The Esports Side

Comp scene heads, check this:

Best Esports Game nominees:

• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete highlights:

• ZywOo (Counter-Strike 2)
• Chovy (League of Legends)
• f0rsakeN (Valorant)

Best Esports Team contenders:

• Gen.G
• NRG
• Team Liquid PH
• Team Falcons
• Team Vitality

Esports feels a bit off from the main hype, but it reps the grind in built-for-it modes.

Content Creator of the Year – Internet Royalty

Caedrel, Kai Cenat, MoistCr1TiKaL, Sakura Miko, and The Burnt Peanut make the cut. Mixes English streamers with Japanese VTubers – shows how gaming spans the globe for real.

Technical Excellence Categories Worth Watching

Best Score and Music (presented with Spotify)

Clair Obscur’s Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier tunes; Death Stranding 2’s Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell team-up; Ghost of Yōtei’s Toma Otowa; Hades II’s Darren Korb; Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Christopher Larkin – all different flavors. Korb crushed the first Hades; sequel’s got big shoes to fill.

Best Audio Design

Battlefield 6, Clair Obscur, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yōtei, and Silent Hill f duke it out. Silent Hill f’s sound game’s key – it basically invented horror audio vibes. NeoBards has a ton to prove.

Best Performance

Troy Baker as Indiana Jones. Charlie Cox as Gustave. Jennifer English as Maelle. Erika Ishii as Atsu. Konatsu Kato as Hinako Shimizu. Ben Starr as Verso. Voice work’s leveled up here – lines that feel like real people. Baker’s take on Indy? Nailing Ford’s style without copying takes guts.

The Voting System (How Winners Actually Get Picked)

Cutoffs at November 21, 2025 – anything out by then counts, DLC, expansions, remakes, all of it. Jury of 150+ worldwide outlets picks noms; experts handle accessibility, adaptations, esports. Wins blend 90% jury and 10% fans – keeps it from going full popularity stunt but gives input. Fan votes run to December 10 on the site and Discord. China’s got Bilibili for theirs, fitting their scene.

My Personal Predictions (Take With Salt)

• GOTY Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – that nom haul means business
• Biggest Surprise Reveal: FromSoftware gameplay for Duskbloods or some random Kojima curveball
• Most Controversial Moment: The monolith thing – either mind-blowing or a total letdown
• Performance to Watch: Evanescence on “Afterlife” – old-school feels plus anime tie-in could vibe weirdly right
• Biggest Snub Conversation: Indiana Jones out of GOTY will fuel endless rants after

Final Thoughts – Why This Matters

The Game Awards sits in this odd spot – awards mixed with ads and cheers. People grill the categories, the picks, the money ties. But real talk: it’s gaming’s one big shared bash yearly. Millions log on at once, worldwide. Devs get props. Fresh stuff drops. Orchestra cranks game tracks live. Flawed? Yeah, like every show. But it nails what gaming means culturally, better than anything else. Clair Obscur run or Death Stranding 2 steal, monolith win or bust – the night shows gaming’s no side gig anymore. Stock up on snacks, get comfy, brace for three hours of trailers, wins, tunes, and awkward host bits. That’s the ride – and honestly, I dig it just like that.