Geoff Keighley revealed the nominees for the 2025 Game of the Year Awards on Monday, November 17th. It’s been a great year for gaming, and the list of nominees includes many popular titles, though some choices have sparked debate, as often happens.
Your nominees for GAME OF THE YEAR at #TheGameAwards 2025 on Thursday, December 11.
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) November 17, 2025
I’m a huge fan of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it swept the awards show! It’s so good. It’s a little disappointing though that some of the more divisive games, like Ghost of Yotei and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, didn’t even make the list for Game of the Year.
The following is a list of the top contenders for this year’s Game of the Year award.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Many people adore Expedition 33, and while it has a few detractors, it’s quickly becoming a favorite for game of the year. In just five months, it’s sold 5 million copies globally and earned an impressive 12 nominations for The Game Awards.
Because the game has been so popular, Sandfall Entertainment is creating a large update to show appreciation to its players. This update will feature a brand new area to discover and challenging new bosses for endgame players.
Along with GOTY, it has also earned nominations for Best Art Direction, Audio Design, Game Direction, Narrative, Score and Music, and Best RPG. Actors Charlie Cox, Jennifer English, and Ben Starr have all landed nominations for Best Performance.
Furthermore, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been nominated for both Best Debut Indie Game and Best Independent Game, though its inclusion in the latter category has sparked some debate. Despite this, many believe the game could potentially win more awards than any other title in the history of The Game Awards.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
The highly anticipated Death Stranding 2, created by renowned director Hideo Kojima and his studio Kojima Productions, is already making a significant impact on the gaming industry.
The game’s director started working on the story before 2020, but the global lockdowns gave him the idea to revise parts of it to better capture the feeling of that difficult time. After the game came out, players jokingly pointed out that their social media feeds were full of posts about Death Stranding and Hideo Kojima. A lot of this attention focused on the famous birthday scene hidden in the game.
The game has been almost universally praised, earning top scores on many platforms. It’s also received seven nominations for the 2025 Game Awards, including recognition for its art, sound, story, direction, music, and as a top action/adventure game.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Despite being an older title, Donkey Kong Bananza is surprisingly complex and offers a real challenge for players who reach the end, making it a unique game in Nintendo’s collection.
If it wins, this would be the first Game of the Year award for Nintendo that doesn’t feature Mario or Link. This nomination is reminiscent of Astro Bot, which surprised many gamers when it took home the Game of the Year title in 2024.
Donkey Kong Bananza has also secured a nomination for Best Family Game.
Hades II
Following up on the success of the original, Hades II is being hailed as a fantastic sequel. Players are saying it improves on everything they loved about the first game, offering a more visually stunning experience and even more engaging gameplay. Both critics and players have overwhelmingly praised it.
In addition to being a Game of the Year candidate, Hades II is also nominated for several other awards, including Best Art Direction, Game Direction, Score and Music, Action, and Best Independent Game, making it a highly deserving contender across the board.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Much like Hades, Hollow Knight: Silksong stands as a monument to the power of independent creativity.
After an eight-year wait, this game lived up to the massive hype surrounding its release. Players have praised its demanding but rewarding gameplay, placing it among the top games in the Soulslike genre.
Hollow Knight: Silksong has also been nominated for awards in several other categories, including Best Art Direction, Score and Music, Action/Adventure, and Best Independent Game.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has quickly become one of the most talked-about games of the year, sparking a lot of debate. Despite the controversies surrounding its release, players have been captivated by its beautiful graphics and expansive open world, earning it a place on this list.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has been nominated for both Best Narrative and Best RPG. While some critics believe it winning Game of the Year would be a disappointing result, others have playfully noted the game’s realistic and challenging gameplay, ultimately considering it a strong contender for Best RPG.
The Game Awards are shaping up to be particularly exciting this year thanks to the incredibly strong lineup of nominees and contenders.
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2025-11-19 22:58