Finalists & Winners

2025 Finalists

Honoring the Best Games of 2024

Game of the Year

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)

Finalists:

Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)

Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Audience Award

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)

The Audience Award winner is selected from the list of finalist games from every Main Category. The Audience Award winner is selected through a public vote.

Best Audio

Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Finalists:

Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)

Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Teams SA / KONAMI)

Best Debut

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)

Finalists:

1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor 斜陽過客 / Fellow Traveller)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Honorable Mentions: Manor Lords (Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse), Mullet Madjack (HAMMER95 / Epopeia Games), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital)

Best Design

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)

Finalists:

Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Lorelai and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development / Nintendo), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Best Narrative

Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)

Finalists:

1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor 斜陽過客 / Fellow Traveller)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (RGG Studio / SEGA)
Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX)

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios), Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)

Best Technology

Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Finalists:

Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/ Bigmode), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Threyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Demonware /Activision), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Studios Inc / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Visual Art

Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)

Finalists:

Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)
Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)

Innovation Award

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)

Finalists:

Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Honorable Mentions: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper /Panic), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Social Impact Award

Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)

Finalists:

1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor 斜陽過客 / Fellow Traveller)
Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios)
Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games), Distant Bloom (Ember Trail / Kina Brave), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios / Electronic Arts)