The Game Awards 2025 just revealed its set of nominees for the upcoming end-of-the-year celebration of the industry’s finest. Read on to learn more about the event, when it starts, and what’s going to be announced.
Everything We Know About The Game Awards 2025
Ceremonies Start on December 11, 2025, at 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET
The Game Awards 2025 is set to take place on December 11, 2025, beginning with a pre-show at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, followed by the main ceremony at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. The event will be held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, California, with producer Geoff Keighley returning as host. The full program is expected to run for approximately four hours.
The awards ceremony will be livestreamed across multiple platforms, including the official YouTube and Twitch channels for The Game Awards, as well as partner outlets such as Steam, Prime Video, X, TikTok Live, Facebook, and Instagram.
Please refer to the table below for the streaming schedule using your local timezone:
| Region | Local Release Time |
|---|---|
| United States (ET) | Thursday, December 11, 2025, 8:00 p.m. |
| United States (PT) | Thursday, December 11, 2025, 5:00 p.m. |
| United Kingdom | Friday, December 12, 2025, 1:00 a.m. |
| Central Europe | Friday, December 12, 2025, 2:00 a.m. |
| New Zealand | Friday, December 12, 2025, 2:00 p.m. |
| Australian East Coast | Friday, December 12, 2025, 11:00 a.m. |
| Australian West Coast | Friday, December 12, 2025, 9:00 a.m. |
| Japan | Friday, December 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m. |
| Philippines | Friday, December 12, 2025, 9:00 a.m. |
| South Africa | Friday, December 12, 2025, 3:00 a.m. |
| Brazil | Thursday, December 11, 2025, 10:00 p.m. |
| Universal Time (UTC) | Friday, December 12, 2025, 1:00 a.m. |
The Game Awards 2025 Nominees
Game of the Year
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ⚫︎ Donkey Kong Bananza ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong ⚫︎ Kingdom Come: Deliverance II |
Player's Voice
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing fan-favorite games throughout the year through three rounds of 100% player-voted nominees. | Nominee Voting Underway |
Best Game Direction
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Split Fiction |
Best Narrative
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Kingdom Come: Deliverance II ⚫︎ Silent Hill f |
Best Art Direction
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation. | ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong |
Best Score and Music
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song, and/or licensed soundtrack. | ⚫︎ Christopher Larking (Hollow Knight: Silksong)
⚫︎ Darren Korb (Hades II) ⚫︎ Lorien Testard (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) ⚫︎ Toma Otowa (Ghost of Yotei) ⚫︎ Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach) |
Best Audio Design
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design. | ⚫︎ Battlefield 6
⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Silent Hill f |
Best Performance
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture. | ⚫︎ Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
⚫︎ Charlie Cox (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) ⚫︎ Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yotei) ⚫︎ Jeniffer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33) ⚫︎ Konatsu Kato (Silent Hill f) ⚫︎ Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle) |
Innovation in Accessibility
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| 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. | ⚫︎ Assassin’s Creed Shadows
⚫︎ Atomfall ⚫︎ DOOM: The Dark Ages ⚫︎ EA Sports FC 26 ⚫︎ South of Midnight |
Games for Impact
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message. | ⚫︎ Consume Me
⚫︎ Despelote ⚫︎ Lost Records: Bloom & Rage ⚫︎ South of Midnight ⚫︎ Wanderstop |
Best Ongoing
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time. | ⚫︎ Final Fantasy XIV
⚫︎ Fortnite ⚫︎ Helldivers II ⚫︎ Marvel Rivals ⚫︎ No Man’s Sky |
Best Community Support
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches. | ⚫︎ Baldur’s Gate 3
⚫︎ Final Fantasy XIV ⚫︎ Fortnite ⚫︎ Helldivers II ⚫︎ No Man’s Sky |
Best Independent Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system. | ⚫︎ Absolum
⚫︎ BALL X PIT ⚫︎ Blue Prince ⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong |
Best Debut Indie Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best debut game created by a new independent studio. | ⚫︎ Blue Prince
⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ⚫︎ Despelote ⚫︎ Dispatch |
Best Mobile Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game playable on a mobile device. | ⚫︎ Destiny: Rising
⚫︎ Persona 5: The Phantom X ⚫︎ Sonic Rumble ⚫︎ Umamusume: Pretty Derby ⚫︎ Wuthering Waves |
Best VR/AR
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform. | ⚫︎ Destiny: Rising
⚫︎ Persona 5: The Phantom X ⚫︎ Sonic Rumble ⚫︎ Umamusume: Pretty Derby ⚫︎ Wuthering Waves |
Best Action Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game in the action genre, focused primarily on combat. | ⚫︎ Battlefield 6
⚫︎ DOOM: The Dark Ages ⚫︎ Hades II ⚫︎ Ninja Gaiden 4 ⚫︎ SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance |
Best Action/Adventure
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving. | ⚫︎ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
⚫︎ Ghost of Yotei ⚫︎ Hollow Knight: Silksong ⚫︎ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle ⚫︎ Split Fiction |
Best RPG
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences. | ⚫︎ Avowed
⚫︎ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ⚫︎ Kingdom Come: Deliverance II ⚫︎ Monster Hunter Wilds ⚫︎ The Outer Worlds 2 |
Best Fighting
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat. | ⚫︎ 2XKO
⚫︎ CAPCOM Fighting Collection 2 ⚫︎ Fatal Fury: City of Wolves ⚫︎ Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection ⚫︎ Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage |
Best Family
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform. | ⚫︎ Donkey Kong Bananza
⚫︎ LEGO Party! ⚫︎ LEGO Voyagers ⚫︎ Mario Kart World ⚫︎ Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds ⚫︎ Split Fiction |
Best Sim/Strategy
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best game focused on real-time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform. | ⚫︎ Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles
⚫︎ Jurassic World Evolution 3 ⚫︎ Sid Meier’s Civilization VII ⚫︎ Tempest Rising ⚫︎ The Alters ⚫︎ Two Point Museum |
Best Sports/Racing
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game. | ⚫︎ EA Sports FC 26
⚫︎ F1 25 ⚫︎ Mario Kart World ⚫︎ Rematch ⚫︎ Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds |
Best Multiplayer
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform. | ⚫︎ ARC Raiders
⚫︎ Battlefield 6 ⚫︎ Elden Ring Nightreign ⚫︎ PEAK ⚫︎ Split Fiction |
Best Adaptation
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium. | ⚫︎ A Minecraft Movie
⚫︎ Devil May Cry ⚫︎ Splinter Cell: Death Watch ⚫︎ The Last of Us: Season 2 ⚫︎ Until Dawn |
Most Anticipated Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward. | ⚫︎ 007 First Light
⚫︎ GTA VI ⚫︎ MARVEL’s Wolverine ⚫︎ Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) ⚫︎ The Witcher IV |
Content Creator of the Year
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2025. | ⚫︎ Caedrel
⚫︎ Kai Cenat ⚫︎ Moist Cr1tikal ⚫︎ Sakura Miko ⚫︎ The Burnt Peanut |
Best E-Sports Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| 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. | ⚫︎ Counter-Strike 2
⚫︎ DOTA 2 ⚫︎ League of Legends ⚫︎ Mobile Legends: Bang Bang ⚫︎ Valorant |
Best E-Sports Athlete
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2025, irrespective of game. | ⚫︎ brawk - Brock Somerhalder
⚫︎ Chovy - Jeong J-Hoon ⚫︎ f0rsakeN - Jason Susanto ⚫︎ Kakeru - Kakeru Watanabe ⚫︎ MenaRD - Saul Leonardo ⚫︎ ZywOo - Mathieu Herbaut |
Best E-Sports Team
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2025. | ⚫︎ Gen.G
⚫︎ NRG ⚫︎ Team Falcons ⚫︎ Team Liquid PH ⚫︎ Team Vitality |
Other Game Awards 2025 Announcements
Exodus Confirms World Premier at TGA 2025
Archetype Entertainment confirmed that its sci-fi RPG Exodus will have a world premiere at The Game Awards 2025, the first officially announced reveal for the event. The show begins at 7:30 PM ET on December 11 and is expected to feature additional trailers and updates for highly anticipated games.
A 15-second teaser posted on November 25 confirmed that a new Exodus trailer will debut at the event — the first major look at the game since its 2023 reveal. Since then, the series has remained active, releasing the Exodus Traveler’s Handbook to mailing list subscribers and producing the six-part TTRPG series Star Heist: An Exodus Story. The official YouTube channel has also shared creature reveals, founder Q&As, and gameplay deep-dives over the past 23 months.
Megabonk Declines Award Nomination, Then Rejoins Running Under New Category.
Megabonk has withdrawn its consideration for The Game Awards 2025 lineup. The game was nominated for Best Debut Indie Game, but solo developer Vedinad announced on X that they were withdrawing, explaining: "I've made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game." Two weeks after said withdrawal, the survivor-like indie game is once again in the running for a TGA award, this time under a new category, Player's Voice, which is reserved for fan-favorite titles. This turn of events has been received well by both the community and Vedinad, with the later posting "We're so back", after the announcement.
Mysterious TGA Statue Confirmed to NOT be for God of War, Diablo, or Lords of the Fallen 2
Santa Monica Studio Creative Director Cory Barlog, Bloomberg Correspondent Jason Schreier, and CI Games CEO Mark Tyminski have all confirmed that the mysterious statue posted by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley has nothing to do with their respective games (God of War, Diablo IV, and Lords of the Fallen). This ominous post, captioned "regal.inspiring.thickness" has been the object of speculation for the gaming community ever since it was posted, with many theorizing it could be hinting at a new announcement to be revealed during The Game Awards.
What is The Game Awards?
The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony that celebrates achievements across the video game industry. Created and hosted by journalist and producer Geoff Keighley, the event debuted in 2014 and has since grown into one of the medium’s most prominent showcases, drawing millions of global viewers each year through livestreams across multiple platforms.
Held every December, the show combines formal award presentations with world-premiere announcements, exclusive trailers, musical performances, and appearances from industry figures and celebrity guests. Awards span a broad range of categories, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and various genre-specific honors, as well as esports-related categories.
