Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes Game Awards history. Nominees for the 2025 award show revealed

Today, Geoff Keighley hosted the live announcement of the Game Awards nominees. There will always be games people think should have been nominated, and games people think shouldn’t have been nominated. But today’s nominees were voted on by gaming industry insiders around the world. Even if a game seems huge in the United States, it may not have had as many fans elsewhere. The real question, though, is not if Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Hades 2 will be nominated, but how many awards they will be nominated for. And what six games will earn the most coveted Game of the Year award?

Game Awards nominees revealed. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes history

Shocking no one at all, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ran away with the number of nominations, earning 12 total nominations, which is more awards than any other game in Game Awards history. The next most nominated game was Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, with 7 nominations, followed by Ghost of Yotei and Hades 2, with 6 nominations each, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, with 5 nominations.

Some of the most notable snubs included ARC Raiders, a recent fan favorite that only earned 1 nomination for Best Multiplayer Game. It could have easily earned a nomination for Best Action Game, and some might even argue Game of the Year. Dispatch, another recent fan-favorite episodic narrative game, also earned only 1 nomination for Best Debut Indie Game. Some notable exclusions from Game of the Year included Split Fiction and Ghost of Yotei, especially considering the latter is among the top 4 most nominated games. Donkey Kong: Bananza earned only 2 nominations, which is surprising, but Game of the Year was one of them.

But it wasn’t all snubs or disappointments. Some well-deserving games also got their due. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 earned a Game of the Year nomination. Despite its late last year release, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also received several nominations. Silent Hill f also earned 3 total nominations.

Here are some of the biggest awards categories and the nominees:

• Game Awards nominees revealed. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes history
• Game of the Year
• Best Game Direction
• Best Narrative
• Best Art Direction
• Best Adaptation
• Best Multiplayer
• Best Independent Game
• Best Debut Indie Game
• Most Anticipated Game
• Best Score and Music
• Best Audio Design
• Best Performance
• Innovation in Accessibility
• Games for Impact
• Best Action Game
• Best Action Adventure Game
• Best RPG
• Best Fighting Game
• Best Family Game
• Best Sim/Strategy Game
• Best Sports/Racing

Game of the Year

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

Best Game Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hades 2
• Split Fiction

Best Narrative

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
• Silent Hill f

Best Art Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Adaptation

• A Minecraft Movie
• Devil May Cry
• Splinter Cell Deathwatch
• The Last of Us Season 2
• Until Dawn

Best Multiplayer

• ARC Raiders
• Battlefield 6
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Peak
• Split Fiction

Best Independent Game

• Absolum
• BALL x PIT
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Debut Indie Game

• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• despelote
• Dispatch
• Megabonk

Most Anticipated Game

• 007 First Light
• Grand Theft Auto 6
• Marvel’s Wolverine
• Resident Evil Requiem
• The Witcher 4

Best Score and Music

• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Hades 2
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost of Yotei
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Best Audio Design

• Battlefield 6
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Silent Hill f

Best Performance

• Ben Starr – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Charlie Cox – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Erika Ishii – Ghost of Yotei
• 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
• Atomfall
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• EA Sports FC 26
• South of Midnight

Games for Impact

• Consume Me
• despelote
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
• South of Midnight
• Wanderstop

Best Action Game

• Battlefield 6
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• Hades 2
• Ninja Gaiden 4
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

Best Action Adventure Game

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Split Fiction

Best RPG

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

Best Fighting Game

• 2XKO
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
• Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage

Best Family Game

• Donkey Kong Bananza
• LEGO Party!
• LEGO Voyagers
• Mario Kart World
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• Split Fiction

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• The Alters
• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
• Tempest Rising
• Two Point Museum

Best Sports/Racing

• EA Sports FC 26
• F1 25
• Mario Kart World
• ReMatch
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

There is still room for the audience to vote on their favorite game of the year, as the Player’s Voice category still has not been decided. Voting is now open on The Game Awards’ website, where you can vote on all categories.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

April 24, 2025

Rate It!

• Overview
• Guide
• Review

• indie games
• Geoff Keighley
• TGA / The Game Awards