The Game Awards 2025 News Roundup

After a week of smaller showcases, The Game Awards is finally here. There are all kinds of great nominees this year, from Hollow Knight Silksong to my personal favorite (and GOTY Frontrunner), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. With a show stacked full of announcements and reveals, we’ve got a lot to dig into. Let’s see what The Game Awards has in store.

Starting with the Pre-Show, we have a world premiere trailer for The Free Shepherd. Ever wanted to experience the life of a sheepdog? The Free Shepherd is a cute game that has you herding sheep and braving all sorts of terrain. There is a mystery at play here too, with strange monuments and other unnatural things appearing. The Free Shepherd will be available on PC and PlayStation 5 in 2027.

The first award of the night was for Best Family Game. The award went to Donkey Kong Bananza, an entirely deserving showcase of pure Nintendo fun. The nominees were pretty solid for that one, so it could have been anyone’s game.

Next up were two back-to-back world premiere trailers. The first was for Decrepit, a difficult Souls-like action game with a spooky aesthetic. Decrepit can be wishlisted now, and you can sign up for an upcoming playtest.

The second world premiere was for Audio Mech, a shoot-em-up from the creators of Audiosurf. In Audio Mech, your music powers your weapons, changing based on whether vocals, bass, or other elements of the song are playing. A demo for Audio Mech is available today.

Innovation in Accessibility was the next award, and I’m really excited to see it returning this year. The award went to Doom: The Dark Ages, and I’ll admit that’s an unexpected choice. I haven’t played Doom: The Dark Ages, but now I might have to give it a try, just to check out the accessibility options and recommend it to others.

Our next segment was for the 3 Esports awards. Best Esports Game went to Counter-Strike 2, Best Esports Athlete went to Chovy, and Best Esports Team went to Team Vitality. I’m not an Esports guy, so congrats to all the winners, let’s move on.

Pragmata returned with a new world premiere trailer. After a beautiful trailer, we finally got a release date. Pragmata is coming on April 24^th, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and (new to this trailer) Nintendo Switch 2. You can play a demo now on PC, with a console demo coming later.

The next award was for Best Mobile Game. The award went to Umamusume: Pretty Derby. I’m surprised a horse game got Best Mobile Game, but I’ve been told it’s really good, so maybe this is a reason to check it out.

Next was a trailer for an interesting family-based fantasy game from Kepler Interactive. In Solasta II, you must face the darkness after the passing of your mother. Solasta II will be available on March 12^th, 2026.

The next trailer was for Tankrat, a post-apocalyptic game where you play a robot that connects to a tank and takes on a variety of monstrous machines. Tankrat will be available in Spring 2026 on PC and PlayStation consoles.

The Best Independent Game award was next, going to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The nominees were a lot of great games, but I can see this being the first of many awards Clair Obscur is getting.

The next world premiere was for a new action-adventure game called Bradley the Badger. In this game, you play a video game character who finds himself lost in other games. It looks really fun, and you can wishlist it now on Steam.

Another world premiere came next, this time for Stupid Never Dies. You play as a Zombie named Davy in an action game where you face zombies and a host of other creatures. It’s punk, colorful, and really fun looking. Stupid Never Dies is coming to PC and PlayStation 5 in 2026.

The last award from the pre-show was for Best Adaptation. The award went to The Last of Us: Season 2, which really wasn’t much of a surprise. I need to catch up on the series, but after the divisive commentary around it, I decided to wait. Maybe I’ll watch it over our holiday break.

Getting to the main event, we begin with a musical performance from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I normally get annoyed at these performances, but Expedition 33’s soundtrack is so good I can’t complain.

Then we kick off the show with the first award of the night. The award for Best Action Game went to Hades II, which I am very excited about. The team at Supergiant knocked it out of the park yet again, and this award was well deserved.

The first trailer was a bit of a surprise. Star Wars: Fate of The Old Republic was announced. While we don’t know much yet, it is in development for PC and consoles and will be a single-player action RPG. I am incredibly excited to see more.

Miss Piggy stopped by next, and while normally I’m an advocate for “Let’s get to the games!” my inner muppets fan just can’t help but love moments like this. For now, she just teased something for later, so we’ll see what happens.

After a short commercial break, we moved into the next segment. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando got a release date, for March 12^th, 2026. It’ll be coming to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

Flashing light warnings would have been nice for the next segment. Including an interesting bit of wirework, the next trailer was for a gruesome look at Larian Studios’ next project. Larian is returning to the world of Divinity with a new RPG just called…well, Divinity.

The next award was for Best Performance. The award went to Jennifer English, whose performance as Maelle is absolutely stellar. Ben Starr was just as deserving for Expedition 33, but I’m happy to see Jennifer getting her proverbial flowers for this one.

After an emotional acceptance speech from Jennifer English (I’m not crying, you are), JJ Abrams took the stage. No, seriously. Mike Booth and JJ Abrams showed up to advertise their new co-op game called 4Loop. You can sign up for a playtest now, both on PlayStation 5 and PC. It looks decent enough, but the slice of gameplay they showed wasn’t really enough to say for sure.

Moving on to our next world premiere, we have Wildflower Interactive’s upcoming game, involving an older lady and her interesting fuzzy…creature? Coven of the Chicken Foot looks cute, and also a little similar to the idea of The Last Guardian, just with an older lady instead of a kid. You can wishlist it now on Steam.

We moved right into another trailer for Frictional Games’ upcoming horror game. Ontos is an interesting-looking (if a little grotesque) horror game coming in 2026 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles. You can wishlist it now.

Next, we moved into one of the obligatory Hoyoverse segments, covering a new trailer for Zenless Zone Zero’s next character. The new character is interesting, though I’m not a ZZZ player, so I can’t say for sure.

After another ad break, we dipped into another award segment. The Games for Impact award is always an important one, showcasing what games impacted us in a meaningful way each year. The award went to South of Midnight, a highly deserving experience. South of Midnight is also coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 in the spring of 2026.

Resident Evil returned to the Game Awards stage for the next segment. A new deep dive into Resident Evil Requiem showcased Victor Gideon, an antagonist that Grace will face during the game. It also seems that we’ll be seeing and playing as Leon Kennedy during too. Resident Evil: Requiem will be released on February 27^th, 2026, for PC and consoles.

The next world premiere comes from the director of Braid and The Witness. Order of the Sinking Star is a puzzle game with an expansive map, blending multiple characters that can each resolve different types of puzzles. 1000 puzzles will be coming in the game sometime in 2026.

Wizards of the Coast dropped by for a new look at Exodus, their sci-fi RPG. Exodus has serious Mass Effect vibes, and in this trailer, it showed off punching a space bear too. What’s not to like? Exodus will be available in early 2027 for PC and consoles.

Tricia Helfer also showed up on Wizards of the Coast’s Dime, showcasing Invoke Studios’ debut game. Warlock seems like an interesting action RPG, and we’ll be getting a gameplay reveal sometime in Summer 2026, probably around the time of SGF. It won’t be available until Early 2027, but it will be available on PC and consoles.

After another ad break, we got another world premiere. Control’s sequel is finally here! In Control: Resonant, it seems that something has taken control of Jesse Faden, and it is up to her brother to stop an encroaching force that is changing the world as we know it. We’re getting Control: Resonant in 2026, and I am so [censored] excited.

Following that excitement, another world premiere was up next. Gang of Dragon looks like a cinematic, action game similar to the Yakuza series. The trailer was very interesting. I just need to see more. We don’t have a release window yet, but it’ll come to SGF, I’m sure.

Next was a sneak peek at the upcoming Street Fighter film. There were some interesting casting choices, but the trailer looked fun, so we’ll see how it turns out. The cast presented the Best Ongoing Game award, after a few shots were fired at Mortal Kombat 2. The Award went to No Man’s Sky, which is… a choice.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was the next game showcased, which I am greatly excited for. The trailer showcased playable Batgirl, Catwoman, Robin, and a few other cool bits. Legacy of the Dark Knight will be available on May 29^th, 2026.

The Best Audio Design award went to Battlefield 6, which I don’t exactly have a comment on. Personally, I think Expedition 33 should have gotten that, but they’ll likely get plenty of awards before this is all said and done.

Content Creator of the Year went to MoistCr1TiKal. Carrying on the awards, Best Fighting Game went to Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. The Most Anticipated Game award went to GTA VI, and from there, we moved to a break.

After those awards (congrats to the winners, including GTA VI) and a commercial break, Felicia Day presented the TGA Game Changer award. The award went to Girls Make Games, a company that empowers girls to make games through summer camps, workshops, and game jams.

Back to game announcements, we have a world premiere for Lara Croft’s next adventure. Tomb Raider Catalyst is the next adventure in the Tomb Raider franchise. It will be available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles in 2027.

As a bigger surprise, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis was also announced, and will be coming in 2026.

Keeping up with the surprises, another announcement took the stage. The Forest is getting a second sequel! Forest 3 seems to be going in a more sci-fi direction. We don’t have much else beyond the teaser, but for fans of the survival series, that’s a big one.

The world of Invincible took the stage next, with a new character for the 3v3 Fighter, Invincible VS. Ella Mental is joining the roster, using elemental (hence the name) abilities. Invincible VS is coming on April 30^th, 2026.

A Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive was revealed next. Orbitals is a co-op game with a classic anime aesthetic. It looks like fun, and it’ll be in our hands in 2026.

More awards were given out next. Best Action/Adventure game went to Hollow Knight: Silksong. Best Art Direction went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, very well deserved. Best Sim/Strategy game went to Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, a fantastic game that deserves its praise. Best Debut Indie Game went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, adding to the pile of awards for Sandfall Interactive.

Afterward, the next update for Wuthering Waves was showcased in a new trailer. The update will be available on Christmas Day and offers a host of new content. That led into a commercial break, before we were back to new announcements.

The next segment seemed like a Diablo-esque situation, mostly because Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, decided to drop by the stage for some girl talk. Ok, I’m joking on the girl talk part, but he led to the trailer for Diablo IV’s next expansion. Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred pits you against Mephisto himself. It will be available on April 28^th, 2026. In the meantime, play as the new Paladin class now.

Marvel Rivals revealed its next hero, and it was a nice surprise. Deadpool is joining the roster, so you can play as the Merc with a Mouth while you swear at bad team compositions. All I’m saying is Deadpool better be as bootylicious in-game as he is in this trailer. Deadpool is coming on January 16^th, 2026. Season 5.5 brings Rogue to Marvel Rivals too, which starts today, December 12^th, 2025.

007 First Light took the stage for its next segment. The trailer showcased a new villain, who seems pretty interesting. Lenny Kravitz plays Bawma, and I’m sure he’ll be a pain to deal with. First Light is coming on March 27^th, 2026. If you pre-order now, you get a free deluxe edition upgrade.

The next award was for Best Score and Music. The award went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Considering the competition, I would have been happy with Hades II or Silksong as well, but the Expedition 33 soundtrack is amazing, and Lorien Testard deserves every award he gets.

Warframe stopped by to give a few details on new content coming to the game. A new trailer for the game showed scenes from the beginning, all the way to the most recent update. This led to a commercial break.

Lords of the Fallen II showed off gameplay next. According to the new trailer, the Lampbearer is no longer maidenless. Not sure why she’s walking through goop, though. Lords of the Fallen II is coming in 2026.

More awards were given out next. Best Sports/Racing Game went to Mario Kart World, which is a surprise I was not expecting. Best Community Support went to Baldur’s Gate 3, which will likely get awards until it stops getting updates. Best VR/AR Game went to The Midnight Walk. Best RPG went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. We all saw that coming.

The Player’s Voice award went to Wuthering Waves, and since it’s a completely fan-voted award, I have to wonder what crack people were smoking. Maybe I need to try Wuthering Waves. Anyway, with those awards out of the way, Rahul Kohli dropped by for an exciting new reveal.

Saros is Housemarque’s next game, and we saw a bit of it during Summer Game Fest. The story trailer was shown for the first time, and it looks incredible. Saros is coming on April 30^th, 2026.

The next award was presented by Dan Houser. The Award for Best Narrative went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I’m so happy that Clair Obscur is getting the appreciation it deserves. Sandfall Interactive did an amazing job, and I can’t wait to see what they create next.

Back to world premiere announcements, we have the reveal of No Law. No Law is a cyberpunk-ish shooter where you play a man who wanted to get away from the politics and turf wars of the city but got pulled back in anyway. You can wishlist No Law now.

Evanescence performed Afterlife from Devil May Cry next. I’m an Evanescence fan, so this was another great musical segment for me. I feel like Amy Lee’s voice was a little quiet for parts of the song, but who am I to complain? It was better than the Devil May Cry 5 performance from a few years back. The performance was also a reveal for Devil May Cry season 2, coming on May 12^th, 2026.

Milla Jovovich dropped by to reveal that she is portraying the next Elusive Target for Hitman: World of Assassination. February 2026 will have Milla taking on Agent 47, or…vice versa? She also dropped by to present the Best Multiplayer award, which went to Arc Raiders. I’m sure a lot of Elden Ring Nightreign fans are ready to fight an Arc Raiders fan right now.

David Harbour dropped by for a segment on Total War: Warhammer 40,000. The trailer is gritty, bloody, and everything you’d expect from Captain Grimdark: The Game. You can wishlist Total War: Warhammer 40k now.

The next trailer showed off a new aerial combat game from Bandai Namco. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve looks like a solid game if you’re into the series. The story might be pretty cool, too. I need to see more. You can wishlist it now on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

From planes to racing, we have a world premiere for Star Wars: Galactic Racer. As someone who has fond memories of the Podracing game on the original PlayStation, I’m kind of hyped for this one. You can wishlist it now, and it’ll be coming in 2026.

Next up is a hand-crafted game with hand-crafted models for characters. The Stop-motion vibe of this new platformer is impeccable. Out of Words is a co-op adventure involving two characters who have lost their mouths/ability to speak. It is coming in 2026, and you can wishlist it now.

After a musical performance from Miss Piggy and a commercial break, we got a world premiere gameplay trailer for Phantom Blade 0. We also got a release date of September 9^th, 2026. I’ve been following Phantom Blade 0 for a while. I’m really interested in checking it out.

The next award was (unfortunately) presented by Todd Howard. Who let him out of the basement? The award for Best Game Direction went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I am loving the sweep of all these awards.

A classic favorite is returning! The next trailer showcased the return of the Blue Bomber himself! Mega-Man Dual Override is bringing the classic character back in true side-scrolling form. We’ll have to wait until 2027 to play Dual Override, but hopefully we’ll see more at SGF.

Another trailer for the Super Mario Galaxy movie popped up next, showing off Bowser Jr. and more. The movie is coming out in April, and I’m a little excited, to be honest. There was also a Nioh 3 trailer. Nioh 3 is releasing on February 5^th, 2026.

The last world premiere trailer was for Highguard, a new fantasy shooter from the creators of Apex Legends and Titanfall. The trailer was interesting, and the concept is unique. Surprisingly enough, it’ll be available for free on January 26^th, 2026. I might give it a try, but I know a lot of folks who will love it.

The final award is here. The Game of the Year award went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. There were a lot of deserving games nominated, and I hope we see many more games from Sandfall Interactive.

With that, the Game Awards drew to a close. This year was a fantastic year of games, and there were a variety of games shown at The Game Awards that I can’t wait to get my hands on. Here’s to a great 2026 and even more great games.