The Game Awards 2025 is right around the corner, promising another glitzy evening filled with exciting reveals, jarring adverts, and a government-mandated Hideo Kojima appearance. But buried beneath all of that is a genuine awards show that celebrates the best video games and developers of the year.
2025 had no shortage of stellar games, ranging from instant classics such as Donkey Kong Bananza and Hollow Knight: Silksong to sublime sequels like Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Of course, the year also featured a juggernaut named Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is expected to clean house on the awards floor.
Be that as it may, the show features a plethora of categories coupled with a selection of worthy contenders, and we’re here to predict the winners in all of them. So, which games are going to take home the honours? Find out in Beebom Gaming’s predictions for the Game Awards winners 2025.
Who’s Going to Win GOTY 2025? (Prediction)
There are six incredible nominees in contention for GOTY 2025, but only one can take home the top prize. Check out all the candidates below:
Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 (Predicted Winner)
It should come as no surprise that we expect Expedition 33 to be crowned the 2025 game of the year. This isn’t a hot take by any means – Sandfall’s debut is an overwhelming favorite for the prize thanks to its bold storytelling, refined turn-based gameplay, and gorgeous art design. It’s frankly difficult to imagine any of its competitors one-upping it, which speaks volumes about how masterful the RPG is. Be sure to check out our thoughts on why Expedition 33 deserves the GOTY honor it’s almost certainly going to receive.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Following up on the acclaimed yet divisive Death Stranding, On The Beach is bigger and better in nearly every way. The sequel amplifies the original’s scale tenfold, while perfectly balancing the many nuances of cinematic storytelling and video game-y silliness. It’s the only game where you’re hiking across the rugged terrain of Australia one second, and watching Mamoru Oshii flip pizzas in the next. Read our take on what makes Death Stranding 2 GOTY-worthy.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Highly anticipated doesn’t even begin to describe the hype surrounding Hollow Knight: Silksong. The sequel to the beloved 2017 Metroidvania had been in the oven for the better half of a decade, and while Team Cherry was busy cooking, fans were elevating the title to mythic status. Despite the added pressure, Silksong delivered across every department, making for an experience that’s challenging and even unnerving, yet consistently fun and innovative. If you’re wondering why it got the GOTY nomination, be sure to check out our thoughts.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a genre-defining RPG draped in bohemian flavor, dripping in mechanical finesse, and drizzled with historical intrigue. It takes everything players loved and hated about the first game, and doubles down on them while refining and polishing things to the nth degree. Whether you’re looking for a compelling narrative or an engaging open-world to get lost in, KCD 2 has the goods, and you can check out our best attempts at making its GOTY 2025 case right here.
Hades II
Supergiant took a brave call when it decided to release Hades II in early access last year, instead of riding the first game’s laurels and dropping the full package. It’s a bet that worked out wonderfully in the end, as the game currently sits as the best-reviewed game of 2025. Like all successful sequels, it builds on everything the first game did well, while introducing a charming new protagonist and a dual-path narrative structure.
That said, it’s arguably the weakest GOTY contender if you’re looking purely at the optics. Hades II has been around for over a year, making it a known quantity as opposed to the seismic releases of Expedition 33 and Silksong. The game also has its fair share of critics, most of whom preferred the first game, which further damages its chances of winning the top prize.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Nintendo platformers never miss, and Donkey Kong Bananza is no exception. While most players expected Mario Kart: World to be the Switch 2’s flag-bearer, DK showed up on the scene and flipped the script instantly. The iconic mascot’s latest adventure takes destructability to an entirely different level, letting you pummel your way through arenas while flinging rocks and grabbing every banana in sight.
The amount of creativity baked into Bananza is baffling, and it’s almost certainly taking home the best Family game award, even if the GOTY nomination doesn’t work in its favor.
The Rest of The Game Awards Winners Predictions
With the GOTY award out of the way, we can now dive into our predictions on how the rest of the categories will shake out. So, strap in because there’s plenty to go through:
Best Game Direction
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Predicted Winner)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Split Fiction
Best Game Direction feels like a two-horse race between Death Stranding 2 and Expedition 33. While GOTY winners typically win this category, we could be in for a do-over of 2019 this year, which saw GOTY-winner Sekiro lose out to the first Death Stranding. Both games are equally deserving of the award, of course, but we’re hedging our bets on Kojima’s auteuristic vision.
Best Adaptation
- The Last of Us (Predicted Winner)
- A Minecraft Movie
- Devil May Cry
- Splinter Cell Deathwatch
- Until Dawn
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a big, big omission from the nominations, which really leaves the path clear for The Last of Us Season 2 to grab the gold. It’s easily the most critically acclaimed adaptation of the year, and the IP also carries plenty of mainstream awareness and pedigree.
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Predicted Winner)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Kingdom Come Deliverance II
- Silent Hill f
Surprisingly, the best Narrative doesn’t typically go to the GOTY winner, but Expedition 33 is more than likely to buck that trend. Its story is packed with twists and gutpunches that keep you engaged right till the very end, which is why it gets our nod.
Best Art Direction Game
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Predicted Winner)
- Death Stranding 2
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight Silksong
Best Art Direction is another category that Expedition 33 is uniquely positioned to win. Every frame of the RPG looks straight out of a Belle Epoque painting, punctuated by pastel and joie de vivre. The Sandfall sweep continues.
Best Score and Music
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — Lorein Testard (Predicted Winner)
- Hollow Knight Silksong — Christopher Larkin
- Hades II — Darren Korb
- Ghost of Yotei — Toma Otowa
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach — Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell
Again, six incredible nominees. But if you’re looking at cultural impact and popularity, Lorein Testard’s gorgeous orchestrations are in pole position to pick up another win for Expedition 33.
Best Audio
- Ghost of Yōtei (Predicted Winner)
- Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Silent Hill f
Best Audio is one of the most open-ended categories. The term ‘audio’ is usually associated with atmospheric sounds and effects, where games like Battlefield 6 and Ghost of Yotei have an edge. It’ll be interesting to see which game collects the award, but we have a feeling it’ll go to the PlayStation first-party title.
Best Performance
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — Jennifer English (Predicted Winner)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — Ben Starr
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — Charlie Cox
- Silent Hill f — Konatsu Kato
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle — Troy Baker
- Ghost of Yōtei — Erika Ishii
To state the obvious, another win for Expedition 33. The real question is, which voice actor stood out the most? It’s one we’ve debated for hours, with the consensus being that Jennifer English’s performance as Maelle is too masterful to ignore.
Innovation and Accessibility
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Predicted Winner)
- Atomfall
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- EA Sports FC 26
- South of Midnight
This is a traditionally difficult category to nail down a winner in, with most AAA games offering strong accessibility options. Last year’s award went to a Ubisoft game in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and we expect Assassin’s Creed Shadows to follow suit this year.
Games for Impact
- South of Midnight (Predicted Winner)
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Lost Records Bloom And Rage
- Wanderstop
Another tricky category, reserved for games that deliver a positive message and tackle sensitive themes. The two standouts among the nominees are Despelote (the best-reviewed of the bunch) and South of Midnight (the most mainstream of the bunch). Given the latter’s prominence and the publisher behind it, we see South of Midnight walking away with the award.
Best Ongoing Game
- Fortnite
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Helldivers II
- Marvel Rivals
- No Man’s Sky
The Simpsons update alone ensured that Fortnite’s days of being snubbed in this category are over. Add on top its Avengers-esque Chapter 6 epilogue, and there’s simply no way that the Game Awards jury is overlooking Fortnite this year.
Best Community Support
- No Man’s Sky (Predicted Winner)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
Technically, this is another category that Fortnite should be taking home, but that’s just not how things work. As such, we expect Hello Games to get even more recognition for overhauling No Man’s Sky from the ground up.
Best Independent Game
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Predicted Winner)
- Absolum
- Ball x Pit
- Blue Prince
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
A debut game is sweeping the Game Awards, and you’re laughing?
Best Debut Indie
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Predicted Winner)
- Blue Prince
- Despelote
- Dispatch
Megabonk
A gracious gesture from the solo dev behind Megabonk leaves this category short on nominees. But that doesn’t change the inevitable outcome, does it?
Best Mobile Game
- Umamusume Pretty Derby (Predicted Winner)
- Destiny Rising
- Persona 5 The Phantom X
- Sonic Rumble
- Wuthering Waves
This is far from the best list of nominees that the jury could’ve come up with. Still, if we’re focusing on virality, Umamusume Pretty Derby takes the cake quite easily – long live anime horse-girls.
Best VR/AR Game
- Arken Age (Predicted Winner)
- Alien Rogue Incursion
- Ghost Town
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR
- The Midnight Walk
2025 wasn’t exactly a big year for VR games, meaning there are no standout winners on the list. If we’re focusing solely on critical acclaim, then Arken Age should secure the prize, although it does lose to Deadpool in the popularity contest. An interesting category to keep an eye on.
Best Action Game
- Hades II (Predicted Winner)
- Battlefield 6
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
These are six solid games in their own right, but only one of them is a GOTY contender. The jury will likely use this category to recognise Hades II, especially since it won’t be winning the top prize.
Best Action/Adventure
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Predicted Winner)
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Split Fiction
Best action/adventure is arguably the most difficult category to award this year, since every nominee amassed critical acclaim. That said, the winner does feel like a toss-up between DS2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong, and we’re going with the former.
Best RPG
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Predicted Winner)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Avowed
- The Outer Worlds 2
- Monster Hunter Wilds
While you can argue that Expedition 33 is the better game, there’s a strong case to be made that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a more accomplished RPG. We feel that the jury will recognise this as well and give Warhorse some well-deserved credit.
Best Fighting Game
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Predicted Winner)
- 2XKO
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
- Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage
Unfortunately, there were no fighting games that properly took off this year, which means the award will go to a retro compilation instead. Out of the bunch, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 was the most polished release out of the gate, which is why it gets our approval.
Best Family Game
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Predicted Winner)
- LEGO Party!
- LEGO Voyagers
- Mario Kart World
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
- Split Fiction
Some truly fantastic games here, but the Game Awards is sure to recognize the sole GOTY nominee in some way. This will likely be that category, meaning Donkey Kong Bananza is poised to pick up the award.
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- The Alters (Predicted Winner)
- Final Fantasy Tactics — The Ivalice Chronicles
- Jurassic World Evolution 3
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
- Tempest Rising
- Two Point Museum
The Alters is a pretty obvious winner here, thanks to its distinct fusion of strategic resource management and layered storytelling. The other nominees are largely evolutions or refinements of existing formulas, which also helps our predicted winner stand out.
Best Sports/Racing Game
- Mario Kart World (Predicted Winner)
- EA Sports FC 26
- F1 25
- Rematch
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Mario Kart, next.
Best Multiplayer Game
- Arc Raiders (Predicted Winner)
- Battlefield 6
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Peak
- Split Fiction
Arc Raiders has been nothing less than a revelation for extraction shooters. The game has helped cast an entirely different light on the genre, one which emphasizes cooperation instead of competition. Couple this with its incredibly passionate playerbase, and it’s difficult to imagine Embark’s latest release being overlooked.
Most Anticipated Game
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- 007 First Light
- Marvel’s Wolverine
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher IV
These are five games I would personally sacrifice a kidney to play ahead of time, but as far as popularity is concerned, there’s no beating GTA 6. The category being fan-voted all but ensures a win for Rockstar.
Content Creator of the Year
- The Burnt Peanut (Predicted Winner)
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- MoistCr1TiKal
- Sakura Miko
The Burnt Peanut burst onto the scene this year with his unique 3D avatar and authentic humor, which made for some of the funniest streaming clips of 2025. Given the relevance of fan votes in this category, we see it coming down to the “p-tuber” and Moist Critikal (who voted for the Burnt Peanut on stream). In the end, however, the Burnt Peanut will likely take home the gold.
Best Esports Game
- League of Legends (Predicted Winner)
- Counter-Strike 2
- DOTA 2
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
League had another remarkable year of Esports, with the Worlds Finals drawing record-breaking audience figures. That alone makes this an easy category to predict.
Best Esports Athlete
- ZywOo (Predicted Winner)
- brawk
- Chovy
- f0rsakeN
- Kakeru
- MenaRD
ZyWOo’s dominance throughout the year secured his status as one of the greatest Counter-Strike 2 pros of all time. His performances powered Team Vitality to their second major championship, which should be enough to secure the prize.
Best Esports Team
- Gen.G – League of Legends (Predicted Winner)
- NRG – Valorant
- Team Falcons – DOTA 2
- Team Liquid PH – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Team Vitality – Counter-Strike 2
We’re chalking this category down to a popularity contest and awarding it to the team that ran the League of Legends scene this year: Gen.G.
And those are our Game Awards winners predictions for 2025. Do you agree with our picks? Let us know in the comments.
