The Game Awards 2025 winners: every category, every standout moment, and Nintendo’s wins

12 December 2025
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9 min.
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The Game Awards 2025 winners: every category, every standout moment, and Nintendo’s wins

Summary:

The Game Awards 2025 delivered the kind of night that turns group chats into scrolling marathons. We got the spectacle people expect, but the big story was the scoreboard itself. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 walked away with Game of the Year and stacked up win after win across major creative categories, the sort of run that makes you stop and ask, “Okay, what did everyone else do wrong?” It was less about one trophy and more about momentum, because when a single game keeps getting called back to the stage, it starts to feel like the entire industry is nodding in agreement.

Nintendo didn’t take the top prize, but we still had plenty to celebrate. Donkey Kong Bananza earned Best Family Game, which is basically the industry’s way of saying, “Yes, this is the one you’ll be playing at parties, holidays, and random Tuesdays.” Mario Kart World grabbed Best Sports/Racing, and if that feels like a natural fit, that’s because Mario Kart has basically been the comfort food of competitive couch gaming for decades. Beyond that, the winners list covered everything from standout performances to accessibility wins, games that keep evolving for years, and community-driven awards where fanbases can tilt the scale. If you missed the show, we’ve got you covered. If you watched live, consider this the tidy recap your tired eyes deserve.

What The Game Awards 2025 really felt like this year

The Game Awards has a familiar rhythm by now: big announcements, big applause, and that constant feeling that the industry is trying to throw the biggest party on the calendar. This year, the energy still had that “anything can happen” spark, but the awards side of the show carried extra weight because the winners ended up telling a clear story. When the same names keep popping up across categories, it changes the vibe in the room. It stops being a random scatter of wins and starts feeling like a consensus. That’s what made the night stand out. Even if you tuned in for reveals, the results were the part people kept repeating afterward, because the list didn’t just crown winners – it highlighted where players and judges think games are headed next.

Game of the Year goes to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Game of the Year is the headline that travels farthest, and in 2025 that headline belonged to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Winning GOTY is already massive, but it hits harder when the competition is packed with heavy hitters and long-awaited releases. The reason this win landed with such a thump is simple: it didn’t feel like a fluke or a “split vote” surprise. The rest of the night reinforced it again and again. When we see a game take the biggest trophy, then watch it rack up wins in categories tied to direction, narrative, art, and music, it sends a message that the victory wasn’t narrow. It was broad. It was about the full package, not just one standout feature.

Why Expedition 33 dominated the night

When one game keeps winning, the obvious question is: what did it do that others didn’t? The clearest answer is balance. Some games have incredible gameplay but a story that barely shows up. Others have stunning visuals but pacing that drags. Expedition 33 didn’t just excel in one lane – it cruised comfortably across several lanes at once, and that’s the kind of thing award voters tend to reward. We’re also seeing a pattern where “cohesion” matters more than ever. Voters increasingly respond to games that feel like a single, confident vision, where art direction supports narrative, where music supports mood, and where the overall experience feels intentional instead of stitched together. That’s how a game turns into a magnet for trophies.

What the sweep says about modern blockbuster expectations

Expedition 33’s huge night also hints at what audiences and critics are hungry for right now. We’re past the era where graphics alone can carry a reputation. Players want games that respect their time, surprise them, and stick the landing emotionally. That doesn’t mean every winner has to be a tearjerker, but it does mean games are being judged on how well they use their tools. If a title has a gorgeous soundtrack, we expect it to be more than background noise. If it has cinematic storytelling, we expect the pacing to hold up. Expedition 33 winning across multiple creative categories suggests that “finish” matters – polish, clarity, and consistency. It’s like watching a band win awards not just for the singer, but for the whole album, because every track hits.

Momentum is a prize of its own

A trophy is a trophy, but momentum is the thing that can change a studio’s future. When a game earns this level of recognition, it usually triggers a chain reaction: more new players, louder word of mouth, and a bigger spotlight on the team behind it. It also raises expectations, which is both exciting and slightly terrifying. That’s the trade-off. Still, a sweep like this doesn’t just celebrate one release – it creates a reference point. Future games will get compared to it. Other studios will study why it landed so well. And players who skipped it at launch will suddenly feel like they missed the party. In a world where attention is the rarest currency, a night like this can be worth as much as a marketing campaign.

Best Performance and the acting spotlight moment

Best Performance went to Jennifer English for her work in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and it’s the kind of win that helps the category feel more central instead of “nice to have.” Voice and performance work often carries the emotional load of a game, especially when the writing aims high. When it’s done well, you don’t just understand the character – you feel them. That’s the difference between watching a scene and living inside it. This win also shows how performance recognition in games is maturing. We’re not just celebrating star power or a popular name. We’re rewarding the craft, the nuance, and the ability to make players believe. If you’ve ever caught yourself talking back to a character like they’re real, you already understand why this category matters.

Nintendo’s wins: Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World

Nintendo may not have taken Game of the Year, but the company still walked away with two wins that fit its identity like a glove. Donkey Kong Bananza earned Best Family Game, and that category is sneakily competitive because it’s about more than kid-friendly branding. A great family game has to be welcoming without being boring, chaotic without being frustrating, and fun whether you’re eight years old or thirty-eight and “just trying it for five minutes.” Mario Kart World winning Best Sports/Racing is equally on-brand, because Mario Kart has become the universal language of friendly rivalry. It’s the game you can hand to almost anyone and get an instant reaction. These wins matter because they highlight Nintendo’s strength: making games that pull people together, not just games that look good on a spec sheet.

Action, adventure, and genre standouts beyond GOTY

A winners list is more fun when it doesn’t read like one game took everything and went home. 2025 still had plenty of moments where other titles got their flowers. Hades II won Best Action Game, which feels like recognition for tight design, sharp pacing, and that “one more run” pull that keeps players up past midnight. Hollow Knight: Silksong took Best Action/Adventure, rewarding the kind of exploration and precision that fans have been obsessing over for years. Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles won Best Sim/Strategy, a nod to a style of game that thrives on planning, patience, and clever decision-making. Even in a year dominated by one standout, these category wins show that different genres can still steal the spotlight when they hit their mark.

Accessibility and impact awards that actually matter

Two categories that can get overlooked in casual recaps are Innovation in Accessibility and Games for Impact, but they deserve real attention because they reflect values, not just vibes. Doom: The Dark Ages won Innovation in Accessibility, which signals that giving players more ways to play is no longer optional if you want to be seen as a leader. Accessibility features can be the difference between someone playing a game at all or being locked out entirely. South of Midnight won Games for Impact, a category that often recognizes games willing to engage with themes beyond power fantasies and loot grinds. These wins aren’t just “feel good” moments. They shape expectations. The more these awards are taken seriously, the more studios have a reason to invest in features and storytelling choices that make games broader, kinder, and more meaningful.

Ongoing games and community support: the long game pays off

Some wins celebrate a single year. Others celebrate endurance. No Man’s Sky won Best Ongoing Game, which is a reminder that a rocky start doesn’t have to be the end of the story if a team keeps showing up and improving the experience. That kind of long-term commitment is rare, and players notice. Baldur’s Gate 3 winning Best Community Support shows another side of that endurance: the relationship between developers and the people playing their game every day. Community support isn’t just patch notes and polite social posts. It’s responsiveness, clarity, and respect for player time. These categories reward the idea that games can be living spaces, not just products you finish and forget. If we’ve ever returned to a game months later and found it better than we left it, we already know why these wins resonate.

Multiplayer and esports winners that shaped the conversation

Multiplayer games don’t just compete on mechanics – they compete on vibes, stability, and whether they can keep a community excited instead of exhausted. Arc Raiders winning Best Multiplayer points to a game that clearly landed with players who want shared experiences that feel fresh, not recycled. In esports, Counter-Strike 2 won Best Esports Game, Chovy won Best Esports Athlete, and Team Vitality won Best Esports Team. These awards highlight the competitive side of gaming that thrives on consistency and peak performance under pressure. Esports recognition can sometimes feel like its own universe, but it’s connected to everything else. When competitive scenes thrive, they extend a game’s lifespan, pull in new viewers, and turn skill into spectacle. It’s the “stadium” version of gaming, and these wins show where that stadium was loudest in 2025.

Adaptation and anticipation: screen crossovers and hype engines

Best Adaptation went to The Last of Us: Season 2, and it’s another sign that game-to-screen projects are being judged less on novelty and more on execution. Audiences are no longer impressed just because a familiar name shows up on TV. They want the heart of the original to survive the trip. Most Anticipated Game went to Grand Theft Auto VI, which is basically the least shocking result imaginable – and that’s not an insult. Some games become cultural events before they even release. They don’t just attract fans, they attract attention from people who don’t usually follow games closely. These two awards sit on opposite ends of the timeline: one celebrates a project that successfully arrived, the other celebrates a project that hasn’t arrived yet but already has gravity.

What we take away from the full winners list

Looking at the winners as a whole, the biggest takeaway is that 2025 rewarded games that felt complete, confident, and cared for. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the clear center of gravity, but the rest of the list shows variety: competitive staples, long-running comeback stories, multiplayer standouts, and games that pushed accessibility forward. Nintendo’s wins mattered in a specific way too, because they reinforced that “fun with other people” is still a superpower, especially when so much of modern gaming can feel solitary and overwhelming. If you’re the kind of player who loves art direction and story, the list offers reassurance that those things still get recognized. If you’re the kind of player who just wants to race friends and laugh at the chaos, the list celebrates that too. That’s the best version of an awards show: one that reflects how many different ways people actually play.

Conclusion

The Game Awards 2025 didn’t just hand out trophies – it drew a map of what the industry celebrated this year. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took the biggest prize and backed it up with wins across major creative categories, turning the night into a statement rather than a surprise. Nintendo still landed meaningful victories, with Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World proving that accessible, social fun remains a cornerstone of gaming culture. Add in wins for accessibility, impact, long-running support, and esports excellence, and the full list starts to feel less like a random mix and more like a snapshot of where games are right now. If you missed the show, the winners list tells the story. If you watched live, it explains why the loudest cheers kept coming back to the same few names.

FAQs
  • Which game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025?
    • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025.
  • Did Nintendo win any awards at The Game Awards 2025?
    • Yes. Donkey Kong Bananza won Best Family Game, and Mario Kart World won Best Sports/Racing.
  • Who won Best Performance at The Game Awards 2025?
    • Jennifer English won Best Performance for her role in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
  • Which game won Players’ Voice at The Game Awards 2025?
    • Wuthering Waves won Players’ Voice, which is driven by public voting.
  • Which games won the big “ongoing” and “community” categories?
    • No Man’s Sky won Best Ongoing Game, and Baldur’s Gate 3 won Best Community Support.
Sources
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