The Game Awards 2025 nominees announced.

3 hours ago7 min read3 comments

The stage is set for gaming's biggest night, and the nominees for The Game Awards 2025 have officially dropped, setting the community ablaze with hype and hot takes. Following Astro Bot's heartwarming victory last year, the 2025 ceremony is locked in for December 11 at LA's Peacock Theater, promising the usual glorious chaos of world premiere trailers and mic-drop announcements sandwiched between the actual award-giving.But let's be real, the nominee list is what gives us the first real fuel for the pre-show fire. The battle for the coveted Game of the Year crown is absolutely stacked this time around.We've got Sandfall Interactive's stunning debut, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a turn-based RPG that came out of nowhere to dominate the conversation. It's facing down the legendary Hideo Kojima with Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, a sequel that promises to be even more mind-bending than the original.Nintendo is back in the fight with the wildly inventive 3D platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, while Supergiant Games proves it can do no wrong with the critically adored rogue-like sequel Hades II. And let's not forget the two games we've been waiting an eternity for: Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong, which finally launched and somehow lived up to the impossible hype, and Warhorse Studios' massively ambitious historical RPG sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.This isn't just a list; it's a bloodbath of quality. But the real story here is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.This isn't just another nominee; it's made history, racking up a record-breaking 12 nominations, the most any game has ever received in the 12-year run of The Game Awards. It's a Cinderella story for the ages, a title from a relatively unknown developer going toe-to-toe with industry titans and beating them on sheer nomination count.For context, Death Stranding 2 and the stunning Ghost of Yōtei each snagged eight nods, Hades II secured seven, and the beloved Silksong has five. In the publisher wars, Sony Interactive Entertainment is leading the charge with 19 nominations across its portfolio, a testament to its blockbuster-heavy lineup.The indie scene is also roaring, with half of the Game of the Year contenders—Clair Obscur, Hades II, and Hollow Knight: Silksong—also duking it out for Best Independent Game. They're joined by other critical darlings like the mind-bending Absolum, the addictively simple Ball x Pit, and the charmingly mysterious Blue Prince, showcasing a year where smaller studios delivered some of the most memorable experiences.Of course, the snubs are already generating as much chatter as the nominations. High-profile heavyweights like Arc Raiders, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and the much-anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds didn't make the cut for the top prize, though they did secure recognition in other categories.It's also awesome to see more niche, artistic titles like the haunting Consume Me, the poignant soccer memoir Despelote, and the clever Rematch get their moment in the spotlight. In a truly wild move, Marvel’s Deadpool VR managed to snag a nomination before the game is even officially out, dropping just tomorrow, which is peak Deadpool chaos and has everyone wondering what kind of black magic the developers pulled.Fan voting is now live on the TGA website, and while public ballots only account for 10% of the final decision—with the remaining 90% coming from a global jury of media outlets—it's our chance to make our voices heard. The one award that's entirely in the hands of the players, the Players’ Voice award, will have its nominees revealed on December 1.The show itself, which you can catch streaming on a ton of platforms including Prime Video for the first time, is shaping up to be a must-watch, even as the organization faces some heat over its handling of the now-discontinued Future Class program. So place your bets, get your hype trains ready, and stay tuned. Who will take home the crown? Will we finally get that Half-Life 3 teaser we've all been dreaming about? December 11 can't come soon enough.

#The Game Awards 2025

#nominees

#Clair Obscur

#Hades 2

#Hollow Knight Silksong

#featured

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