Gamescom 2025 winners: every category, why it matters, and what comes next

1 September 2025
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8 min.
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Gamescom 2025 winners: every category, why it matters, and what comes next

Summary:

Gamescom 2025 brought a packed week in Cologne with reveals, hands-on demos, and a finale that crowned this year’s standouts across genres and platforms. We walk through the full list: Resident Evil Requiem led the charge, taking multiple arts and platform honors; Donkey Kong Bananza earned Best Gameplay with a playful but exacting control scheme; Mario Kart World captured Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game, hinting at how Nintendo intends to anchor its next wave. Indie favorites shone too—Hela doubled up on Most Entertaining and Most Wholesome, while Tiny Bookshop took Games for Impact with a warm, people-first loop. On the show floor, Ubisoft’s business lounge impressed the jury, the Anno 117 hands-on space dominated buzz, and The Pokémon Company won over consumers with the most-loved booth. The community also crowned Hollow Knight: Silksong for Best Trailer. We break down what these decisions say about design priorities, platform momentum, and the release horizon as we head into 2026.

Gamescom 2025 winners at a glance

Gamescom wrapped with a winners slate that tells a clear story: bold audiovisual craft paired with confident, player-first design is defining the next year of play. Resident Evil Requiem topped multiple categories, a signal that atmosphere and technical finesse still move the needle when they’re purpose-built to serve tension and pacing. Donkey Kong Bananza’s Best Gameplay nod shows how readable physics, smart level funnels, and rhythmic challenge spikes can make platforming feel brand new without discarding tradition. Mario Kart World sprinted away with Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game, anchoring Nintendo’s next hardware cycle with a crowd-pleaser. Meanwhile, indies didn’t just show up—they shaped the conversation. Hela’s double win and Tiny Bookshop’s impact award point to a broader appetite for games that balance charm, accessibility, and meaning.

Why Resident Evil Requiem’s big night matters

When a horror entry sweeps, it usually means vibes and tech are rowing in the same direction. Requiem’s wins highlight production choices that elevate dread without smothering readability: crisp silhouettes, light discipline that guides the eye, and a soundstage that carries weight. Awards momentum like this tends to echo into launch: awareness compounds, press cycles stick, and retailer placement improves. For players, it translates to a signal you can trust—this isn’t just another numbered entry; it’s a craft-forward push that still understands why the series looms large. Expect a steadier drumbeat of dev diaries, tech breakdowns, and showcase slots off the back of these trophies, along with platform marketing that leans into its cinematic cadence.

Visuals and audio: what the jury rewarded

Best Visuals and Best Audio aren’t just about sharp textures or boomy bass. They’re about legibility under stress and the way silence frames a scare. Requiem’s sound palette reportedly uses micro-dynamics—tiny rises and falls in ambient layers—to telegraph tension without spoiling it, while the mix leaves space for directionality so players can trust where threats live. Visually, modern post-processing can muddy gameplay; what stood out here is how effects work supports clarity. Subsurface scattering, fog behavior, and volumetrics look cinematic, yet enemies stay readable even in messy firefights. That balance—style serving function—often sways juries because it proves spectacle can coexist with clean play.

Donkey Kong Bananza and the meaning of Best Gameplay

Platformers live or die by feel. Bananza’s win suggests we’re looking at inputs that “snap” without feeling twitchy, an acceleration curve that encourages flow, and encounter pacing that teaches, tests, and then toys with expectations. We read this as a love letter to classic DK rhythm—momentum puzzles, set-piece barrels that act like musical phrases, and a camera that stays out of the way. Best Gameplay in Cologne carries weight because the show floor amplifies flaws; if something wins here, it’s usually because hundreds of hands found the same groove. For Switch 2, it sets a tone: tight latency targets, short time-to-fun, and approachable depth are the bar.

Where design shines most

Winning gameplay typically blends three choices: readable verbs, elastic challenge, and reward cadence. Bananza likely nails each—jump arcs you can memorize, optional mastery layers for speed-seeking players, and feedback that lands immediately. Expect a modernized assist layer, too. Accessibility toggles—timed inputs, visual contrast, rumble patterns—let more players find flow. If that toolkit is present, the award makes double sense: Cologne’s judges increasingly reward games that open the door wide, then keep you learning by feel.

Mario Kart World as Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game

Kart’s crown signals confidence in Nintendo’s launch-year spread. A best-in-show win for a tentpole racer tells us two things: the netcode and the handling model are maturing in tandem, and track concepts are doing more with verticality and reactive set pieces. For Switch 2 owners, it hints at a release cadence where multiplayer staples anchor the calendar while single-player showcases—think Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s booth draw—warm the edges. It also foreshadows a healthy accessories story: new controllers, display mounts, and travel cases always ride shotgun when Kart takes the spotlight.

What that means for early adopters

If you’re weighing a Switch 2 purchase, this win says the social loop is ready. Strong local play, robust online features, and smart seasonal beats are the trifecta. With Kart grabbing attention now, expect a runway of cups, creator-friendly time trials, and event playlists designed to keep communities buzzing between bigger drops.

Hela’s double win shows cozy can be electric

Most Entertaining and Most Wholesome don’t always land on the same project, but Hela’s blend of tactile combat and warm art direction threads the needle. The win speaks to momentum around games that de-stress without dulling senses. Expect Hela to lean on teachable moments—short, satisfying loops that respect your time—with optional mastery paths that keep long sessions sticky. This is also a reminder that awards and communities increasingly celebrate tone management: how a game makes you feel is just as important as what it asks you to do.

Tiny Bookshop’s Games for Impact moment

An Impact win usually comes from clarity of purpose. Tiny Bookshop’s core fantasy—building a traveling store that stitches small places together—arrives at the right time. Players are burning out on bloat; a generous, human-scale loop cuts through. Expect the team to use this spotlight to share roadmaps around narrative cadence, local discovery systems, and customization that feels personal without overwhelming. It’s the kind of project teachers, parents, and cozy-game fans can get behind, and an award like this helps it reach the audiences who’ll love it most.

Platform winners decoded: Grounded 2, Anno 117, and PlayStation’s pick

Platform categories often clarify where each ecosystem is aiming. Grounded 2 as Best Microsoft Xbox Game suggests co-op survival with richer tools and more approachable onramps—a natural evolution for a series built on emergent fun. Anno 117: Pax Romana’s Best PC Game nod fits: precision city-builders sing on desktop, and the Cologne hands-on buzz around its booth confirms the appetite for smart simulation. On PlayStation, Resident Evil Requiem locking the win underscores Sony’s continuing love for polished, narrative-heavy showcases that also flex tech. Put together, these awards sketch a year where platform identities stay distinct yet complementary.

How those choices ripple

For Xbox, expect feature spotlights around base-building QoL and cross-progression. For PC, Anno’s systems-depth will headline strategy coverage and likely secure prominent storefront placement. For PlayStation, Requiem will get cinematic marketing beats and developer Q&As that go behind the curtain on lighting, performance modes, and DualSense hooks. If you follow all three platforms, this trio hints at a well-balanced 2026: co-op sandboxes, deep sims, and prestige horror living happily side by side.

Community and booth honors: Pokémon, Ubisoft, and Capcom’s lineup

Show-floor awards matter because they capture vibes that trailers can’t. The Pokémon Company took home the consumer-voted Best Booth, which usually means smart flow, playful interactives, and hands-on demos that onboard quickly. Ubisoft’s business lounge impressed the jury—no small feat when schedules are tight and every meeting room is booked to the minute. And the Anno 117 hands-on area drew a steady crowd, the kind of “have you tried it yet?” word of mouth that powers PC winners. Capcom’s Best Lineup award, in turn, tells you the portfolio looked coherent across demos and presentations, not just one marquee title.

Heart of Gaming: the artist area’s cultural lift

Cologne’s Heart of Gaming award nod to the artist area celebrates more than merch tables. Artist alleys connect devs, illustrators, cosplayers, and fans in a loop of influence—concept art inspires fan pieces that, in turn, inspire studios to push styles further. When a jury highlights that space, it’s recognizing the grassroots creativity that keeps this medium weird, personal, and surprising. That energy travels home with attendees and shows up in the next wave of game jams and pitch decks.

Why this recognition matters right now

As production budgets climb, risk tolerance often shrinks. Artist spaces push back gently, reminding everyone that gaming thrives on fresh shapes and voices. By elevating these corners of the show, Gamescom puts a pin in what keeps the pipeline healthy: curiosity, cross-pollination, and a little bit of chaos.

Best Trailer: Hollow Knight: Silksong’s pulse-check

When the crowd picks Silksong for Best Trailer, it isn’t just nostalgia talking. It’s timing, edit rhythm, and the confidence to show mechanics instead of hiding behind CGI pomp. Fans read trailers for intent: how a studio slices footage says a lot about where the build is at. This win resets the conversation around cadence—expect fresh dev notes, clearer release guidance, and a renewed appetite for hands-on impressions at the next big showcase.

How Gamescom awards get decided—and what that tells us

Award processes vary, but Gamescom blends jury insight with community votes and on-site feedback. That mix favors projects that land well both in a tight demo and on a big stage. In practice, it rewards clarity and hospitality: explain your pitch fast, onboard players kindly, and let the build speak. For teams watching from the sidelines, the lesson is straightforward—polish your slice, respect time-to-fun, and bring a booth plan that’s equal parts logistics and delight.

What these results mean for the months ahead

Expect platform roadmaps to absorb these wins. Nintendo will lean on Kart and Kong to anchor family nights and creator scenes; Capcom will ride Requiem’s momentum into a premium launch window; the Anno team will nurture a PC community hungry for systems chat and mod tinkering. Indies like Hela and Tiny Bookshop will find new partners and placement as retailers and storefronts recognize their halo. And the show-floor awards will ripple into event design—more playable pods where it makes sense, and more hands-on opportunities for the experiences that benefit most from touch.

Conclusion

We leave Cologne with a clear read on where play is headed: atmosphere with purpose, feel-first design, and communities that reward generosity. Requiem set the tone, Kart and Kong showed how to thrill without losing clarity, and indies reminded everyone that warmth and curiosity travel. If these winners are the compass, the next year looks bright, busy, and delightfully player-shaped.

FAQs
  • Which game won the most awards at Gamescom 2025?
    • Resident Evil Requiem led the field, taking multiple category wins including Best Visuals, Best Audio, Most Epic, and Best Sony PlayStation Game.
  • What won Best Gameplay?
    • Donkey Kong Bananza won Best Gameplay, signaling tight controls, readable physics, and a flow-focused approach to platforming that clicked with judges and show-goers.
  • Which game was named Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game?
    • Mario Kart World secured Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game, underscoring Nintendo’s focus on social play and polished handling for its next hardware era.
  • Who won the consumer-voted Best Booth?
    • The Pokémon Company won Best Booth via consumer voting, reflecting strong on-floor engagement, playful activations, and steady demo appeal.
  • What trailer won the fan vote?
    • Hollow Knight: Silksong took Best Trailer, highlighting a cut that showcased mechanics with style and timing that fired up the community.
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