Game Awards 2025

Winners

Best Family Game – Donkey Kong Bananza
Innovation In Accessibility – Doom: The Dark Ages
Best Esports Game – Counter-Strike 2
Best Esports Athlete – Chovy
Best Esports Team – Team Vitality – Counter-Strike 2
Best Mobile Game – Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Best Independent Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Best Adaptation – The Last of Us: Season 2
Best Action Game – Hades II
Best Peformance – Jennifer English (Expedition 33)
Games for Impact – South of Midnight
Best Ongoing Game – No Man’s Sky
Best Audio Design – Battlefield 6
Content Creator of the Year – MoistCr1TiKaL
Best Fighting Game – Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Most Anticipated Game – Grand Theft Auto VI
Game Changer – Girls Make Games
Best Action Adventure Game – Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Art Direction – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Best Sim/Strategy Game – FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
Best Debut Indie Game – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Best Score and Music – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Lorien Testard)
Best Sports/Racing Game – Mario Kart World
Best Community Support – Baldur’s Gate 3
Best VR/AR Game – The Midnight Walk
Best RPG – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Player’s Voice – Wuthering Waves
Best Narrative – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Best Multiplayer – Arc Raiders
Best Game Direction – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Game of the Year – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Like previous years, I live stream the annual Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards, along with million of other viewers from across the globe. The live event takes place at the Peacock Theater (previously Microsoft Theater), in Los Angeles.

There were four music portions – the first was an orchestra with conductor Lorne Balfe. They performed various medleys and provided the soundtrack of the award show. They also performed “Une vie à t’aimer” from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (the most nominated game in the history of the Game Awards) with vocalists Alice Duport-Percier and a co-singer (sorry his name wasn’t mentioned).

The big one was Evanescence, performing “After Life” from the video game-turned Netflix anime, Devil May Cry. There was also Miss Piggy and Rowlf the Dog, from The Muppets, performing “The Video Game Awards Will Never Let Me Down”.

The exclusive music video from OneRepublic’s “Give Me Something” for Arknights: Endfield was actually really good. Normally I would take a bathroom break or do something else, but for this song, I was really digging it. It’s pretty catchy, and after the livestream, I will have to rewind and give the song another listen. It’s a very catchy, memorable song.

The big reveals, at least to me, were the Larian Studios announcement of a new Divinity game. They put a statue in the middle of the desert that had a lot of fans trying to guess the game. The game is probably nowhere near completed, but seeing as they won Game of the Year for Baldur’s Gate 3 a few years ago, you know they’re going to produce another awesome game.

There’s a sneaky hidden Gears of War announcement for 2026, I don’t think anyone really care… but certain the big massive cast of Street Fighter movie, with an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming movie had everyone excited, particularly for “my man” Jason Momoa who is a massive fan of the video game.

Lenny Kravitz is making his video game voice acting debut in the upcoming 007 First Light Game. Milla Jovovich (the star of those Resident Evil movies, will be coming to Hitman: World of Assassination as the next “Celebrity Elusive Target.”

The big winner, and should surprised no one is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. A $40 game that shook the world by storm, when we learned that the impressive game was made by small group of 30 people from France. In fact, I believe all 30 programmers were in the audience wearing red French beret and stripped sailor tops. I did play the game briefly, thanks to Game Pass, but I couldn’t get the timing right with the fighting style… so I gave up. I’m sure the game will be on sale, thanks to winning the Game Awards, so I’ll have to pick up the game later.