Tonight, The Game Awards returned, offering up a mix of exciting new video game announcements and an award-fueled celebration for the year's best titles. Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Donkey Kong Bananza won awards, with Expedition 33 in particular winning most of what it was nominated for.

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Exciting announcements also happened throughout the show. We got release dates for games like Phantom Blade 0, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, franchises like Mega Man and Ace Combat returned, and brand-new reveals like Divinity and Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic shocked.

If you're even remotely a fan of video games, you'll want to keep up with what won and was announced here. The event was over three hours long, though, so you probably won't remember everything that happened. That's where I'm here to help, as I live-blogged throughout the entire show, documenting every award winner and game announcement.

Read below for a full recap of everything that happened at The Game Awards 2025.

The Game Awards 2025 live updates

[11:05] Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year

After an introduction from the director of Astro Bot and a performance by The Game Awards Orchestra, Game of the Year capped off the show. As you could probably predict from how many other awards it won, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the Game of the Year winner for The Game Awards 2025. It got a free update today to celebrate.

Thanks for following my live blog of the show. What was your favorite reveal? Do you think any games got snubbed from getting awards because of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's sweep? Let me know in the comments below.

[10:57] The last reveal of The Game Awards is Highguard

Former Apex Legends developers had the honor of being the final game announcement of The Game Awards 2025. Of course, they are making a first-person shooter, with the trailer showing off some horseback-riding gameplay and other fantasy elements. It's hard for a hero shooter to stand out nowadays, but the developer's pedigree and bombastic action definitely have me intrigued. Highguard will launch for free on January 26, 2026 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

[10:53] Some more game trailers

A string of trailers followed the news of Mega Man's revival. That included a teaser for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a gameplay trailer for Nioh 3 (which is getting another demo in January), and a new trailer for Solo Leveling Overdrive.

[10:50] Mega Man returns in 2027

Another major game franchise is coming back. After a special introduction from Geoff Keighley and The Game Awards orchestra, a brand new Mega Man game was announced by Capcom. It's a 2D platformer with the title Mega Man: Dual Override, and it's out in 2027. I guess that quells the rumors of Pragmata being the next Mega Man game.

[10:47] Best Game Direction

Todd Howard came on stage to present the award for Best Game Direction. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won, continuing its string of award wins.

[10:44] Phantom Blade 0 is out next September

Phantom Blade 0 has impressed with its trailers at various showcases over the year, and now we know when it'll be out on PC and PS5. Its The Game Awards 2025 trailer confirmed a September 9, 2026 release date.

[10:39] A Muppets musical performance and some Asian action game trailers

After a musical performance from some of The Muppets joked about The Game Awards, Duet Night Abyss got a new trailer. Its next update comes out later this month. Then, Arknights: Endfield got a January 22, 2026 release date with its new trailer.

[10:32] Out of Words got a new trailer

The beautiful co-op platformer Out of Words, which was revealed at Summer Game Fest, got a new trailer at The Game Awards. It reiterated its 2026 release window and showed just how beautiful its stop-motion animation is.

[10:31] A new Star Wars racing game is in the works

Fate of the Old Republic wasn't the only Star Wars reveal today. Fuse Games announced Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a racing game that will let players pilot all kinds of vehicles from across the Star Wars franchise. It launches next year.

[10:29] Ace Combat 8 was finally unveiled

Bandai Namco Entertainment finally revealed a brand new Ace Combat game at The Game Awards. This game seems to feature some extended first-person gameplay segments in addition to the aerial combat the series is known for. Ace Combat 8: WIngs of Theve will launch next year.

[10:27] Total War: Warhammer 40,000 was announced

David Harbour, of Thunderbolts and Stranger Things fame, came out on stage to reveal what's next for Total War. It's Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Harbour will star in the game, which will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X at an unspecified later date.

[10:20] A lull for the show leads to a Hitman reveal and Best Multiplayer

After a performance from Evanescence, a trailer promoting Where Winds Meet, and a Nintendo Switch 2 port of Phasmophobia being teased, we learned that Milla Jovovich will be the next Elusive Target in Hitman: World of Assassination. She then came out on stage and presented the Best Multiplayer award, which went to Arc Raiders.

[10:10] The Ascent's developers reveal a new game

Neon Giant, the studio behind the isometric studio The Ascent, revealed its next game. It's a first-person shooter with cyberpunk vibes titled No Law, and it's coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

[10:07] Saros story trailer and Best Narrative

The show then took a story focus, with PS5-exclusive Saros getting a trailer focused on its story. Absurd Ventures' Dan Houser then came on stage to present Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with the award for Best Narrative.

[10:03] Best Sports-Racing Game, Best Community Support, Best VR-AR Game, Best RPG, and Players' Voice

Mario Kart World won Best Sports-Racing Game, Baldur's Gate 3 won Best Community Support, The Midnight Walk won Best VR-AR Game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best RPG, and Wuthering Waves won Players' Voice.

[10:00] Lord of the Fallen 2 debuts gameplay

We got the first gameplay trailer for Lord of the Fallen 2, a sequel to a very successful Soulslike game from a couple of years ago. It certainly looks like it will continue to deliver some intense boss fights and Soulslike action. It launches next year, and the 2.5 update for the first Lords of the Fallen is out today.

[9:57] Some live service games take the spotlight, and you can get Hogwarts Legacy for free

Developers of Warframe came out on stage to present a new trailer for the game narrated by Werner Herzog. After that, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin got a new trailer, an ad for AMD played, and Hogwarts Legacy was confirmed to be free on the Epic Games Store until December 18.

[9:50] Lenny Kravitz is the villain of 007 First Light, and he presented Best Score & Music

IO Interactive's 007 First Light is out next March, and the game's villain was revealed at The Game Awards. His name is Bawma, and Lenny Kravitz portrays him. The actor and musician then came onstage to share his excitement about the project, give us a bit more information about the character, and present Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with Best Score & Music.

[9:45] Diablo IV's next expansion is Lord of Hatred, and Deadpool is coming to Marvel Rivals

A demon projected itself on stage to reveal the next expansion for Diablo IV. The name of the expansion is Lord of Hatred, and it'll be added to the game on April 28, 2026. In a major shift in tone, Deadpool was then confirmed to be coming to Marvel Rivals next year.

[9:41] Best Action-Adventure Game, Best Art Direction, Best Sim-Strategy Game, and Best Debut Indie Game

Some more awards were rapid-fired. Hollow Knight: Silksong won Best Action-Adventure Game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Art Direction and Best Debut Indie Game, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles won Best Sim-Strategy Game.

These awards were followed by ads for Amazon Luna, Wuthering Waves, Metroid Prime 4, and Google Play Games, and Aniimo.

[9:35] Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Orbitals revealed

A Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive game was revealed by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive. It's a co-op action game with a retro anime aesthetic titled Orbitals. It comes out next year.

[9:34] A new horror game and an Invincible VS character were revealed

To follow up on the Tomb Raider reveals, a new first-person shooter with eerie horror game vibes called Forest 3 was announced. Then, Ella Mental was confirmed as a new character for Invincible VS. That fighting game also got an April 30, 2026 release date.

[9:30] Two Tomb Raider games were announced

After that string of awards, two Tomb Raider reveals happened. First, there was Tomb Raider: Catalyst, which is out in 2027 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Then, a game from Flying Wild Hog that remakes the first title in the franchises, titled Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, was announced, and it launches next year.

[9:25] Game Changer

Felcia Day appeared on stage to award The Game Awards' Game Changer Honor. It was given to Ellie Freeman and Monica Paredes on behalf of Girls Make Games.

[9:21] Best Audio Design, Content Creator of the Year, Best Fighting Game, and Most Anticipated Game

Geoff Keighley quickly went through a few more awards whose developers weren't given speeches. Battlefield 6 won Best Audio Design, MoistCr1tikal won Content Creator of the Year, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves won Best Fighting Game, and GTA 6 won Most Anticipated Game.

[9:18] Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight gets a release date

The Lego version of Batman directly called into The Game Awards to introduce the latest trailer for Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. At the end of the trailer, a May 29, 2026 release date was confirmed.

[9:13] The first trailer for the Street Fighter movie airs, and its cast presents Best Ongoing Game

A Street Fighter movie is coming to theaters next year, and it got its first trailer at The Game Awards. The actors for Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Akuma, M. Bison, Guile, Dan, Dhalsim, Vega, Zangief, Juli, Cammy, and Blanka all then came on stage to promote the film and present the award for Best Ongoing Game. That award was won by No Man's Sky.

[9:08] A former Yakuza developer reveals Gang of Dragon

After a brief interlude from Geoff Keighley, yet another reveal happened. It's the first game from Nagoshi Studio, which was founded by one of the masterminds behind the Yakuza series. It very much looks like a spiritual successor to that franchise, and is called Gang of Dragon.

[9:04] Remedy Entertainment announces Control: Resonant

After some ads for Spotify, Xbox Game Pass, and Screamer (out March 26, 2026), Remedy Entertainment revealed its next game. It's a follow-up to 2019's Control, and continues the story of the connected universe established in it and Alan Wake 2. It's titled Control: Resonant, has more of a focus on melee combat than shooting, and is launching in 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

[8:55] Wizards of the Coast shows off some of its upcoming games

Wizards of the Coast appeared at The Game Awards 2025 to show some of its upcoming video games. First, a new trailer for Exodus confirmed an early 2027 release window. Then, it announced Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons with a cinematic trailer. Its gameplay reveal will happen next summer, while the full game will release sometime in 2027.

[8:50] Jonathan Blow's Order of the Sinking Star was announced

Jonathan Blow's next game, a Sokoban puzzle game titled Order of the Sinking Star, was announced. XDA interviewed Jonathan Blow about this game, so be sure to check out that article!

[8:47] Yes, Leon Kennedy is in Resident Evil: Requiem

After months of leaks suggesting that this would be the case, The Game Awards 2025's Resident Evil: Requiem trailer confirmed that Leon Kennedy would be in the game. Most of the trailer focused on another character named Victor Gideon, whom many of the game's characters seem to be looking for. It launches for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 on February 27, 2026.

[8:42] Games for Impact

Journey creator Jenova Chen came on stage to reveal the Games for Impact award. The winner was South of Midnight.

[8:40] Wildflower Interactive's first game and a Soma spiritual successor were announced

Wildflower Interactive, an independent team led by one of the directors of The Last of Us and Uncharted 4, revealed its first game. It's a cel-shaded fantasy platforming-adventure game starring an old woman called Coven of the Chicken Foot.

Then, Kepler Interactive and Frictional Games announced a successor to Soma called Ontos (out in 2026). Hoyoverse then showed off a new character for Zenless Zone Zero, before some ads for third-party Nintendo Switch 2 games and 2XKO's console ports played.

[8:32] Bad Robot reveals its first video game, a new cooperative shooter

Bad Robot, the production company founded by J.J. Abrams, is getting into game development. Led by Mike Booth, who previously worked on Left 4 Dead, an internal team at the company is working on a cooperative shooter called 4 Loop. It has more of a sci-fi twist, Sony Interactive Entertainment will publish it, and sign-ups for its pre-release test are now live. It'll be released for PC and PS5.

[8:28] Best Performance

Neil Newbon and Maggie Robertson, who previously won the Best Performance award, presented it to this year's nominees. Jennifer English won for her performance in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

[8:25] Larian Studios reveals its next game after Baldur's Gate 3

With a reveal that literally levitated performers above The Game Awards' stage, leading into a cinematic trailer featuring someone burning alive before releasing a supernatural force, Larian Studios announced its next RPG, Divinity.

[8:20] A sizzle reel showed off more games

An ad break promoted a Capcom sale, Battlefield REDSEC, Soulframe, and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (out March 12, 2026).

[8:16] Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is the first game reveal of The Game Awards 2025 main show

The first reveal of The Game Awards 2025's main show turned out to be a new Star Wars video game. It's titled Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic and is a new single-player RPG and successor to the Knights of the Old Republic games. It's directed by Casey Hudson, who worked on the original Knights of the Old Republic games.

[8:12] Hades 2 is the first award winner of The Game Awards 2025's main show

After that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 performance and an introduction by Geoff Keighley where he paid tribute to his father, the Best Action Game award was presented by Jeffrey Wright and his son Elijah. Hades 2 won.

[8:01] The Game Awards proper kicks off

The Game Awards 2025 have officially begun with a performance of music from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Expect the announcements and awards to keep flowing.

[7:59] Best Adaptation

The Best Adaptation award was won by The Last of Us: Season 2, which aired on HBO earlier in the year.

[7:58] Stupid Never Dies was revealed

A new action game titled Stupid Never Dies was announced with a musical trailer. It launches for PC and PS5 in 2026.

[7:55] Bradley the Badger announced by former Mario + Rabbids developers

Studio Day 4 Night revealed its first game, an animal-starring 3D platformer where players can move objects around in the environment and change their own size. Its individual worlds seem to be based on existing video games, with the end of the trailer hinting that there will be FMV elements in the game starring Evan Peters. Its title is Bradley the Badger.

[7:51] Kepler Interactive shows upcoming games and wins an award

Two PC and console game trailers followed Best Mobile Game, including tactics RPG Solasta II (out March 12, 20256) and vehicle action game Tankrat (launching next year) from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Independent Game immediately after

[7:47] Best Mobile Game

Umamusume: Pretty Derby won Best Mobile Game.

[7:46] Pragmata finally has a release date

Pragmata, the Capcom game that was revealed all the way back in 2020, finally got a release date. It launches for PC, PS5, NIntendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X on April 24, 2026. A free demo is available now on Steam, and will come to other platforms soon.

[7:44] The esports awards

The Game Awards rapid-fired through the esports-related awards. Best Esports Game was won by Counter Strike 2, Best Esports Athlete was won by Chovy, and Team Vitality took home the Best Esports Team award.

[7:42] Some live service games get the spotlight

A string of trailers was released to promote games that are already available, such as Guild Wars 2 and Escape from Duckov.

[7:39] Innovation in Accessibility

The second award of the night was Innovation in Accessibility, and Doom: The Dark Ages won it.

[7:38] Two more indie games were revealed

After the first award, two more games were shown. The first was Decrepit, which was made by a solo developer. Next, an arcade shooter with Geometry Wars vibes called Audio Mech was announced, which is getting a free demo tomorrow on Steam.

[7:35] Best Family Game

The first award of the night was for Best Family Game, and Donkey Kong Bananza won it.

[7:34] An indie game announcement kicks off The Game Awards

To kick off The Game Awards 2025, pre-show host Sydnee Goodman set up expectations for the show before introducing The Free Shepherd, a new game about herding animals as a dog. It looks beautiful, and will launch on PC and PS5 in 2027.

[7:30] The pre-show is starting

Not much more to elaborate on here. The Game Awards 2025 will begin shortly. I'm ready to recap the first set of game announcements and award winners!

[7:00] What The Game Awards 2025 announcements have leaked?

With just a half-hour to go, I want to discuss some of the announcements that have leaked ahead of The Game Awards. A new trailer for 007 First Light leaked, revealing its villain, while an ad with a January 22 release date for Arknights Endfield also preemptively appeared. Some sort of Star Wars-related announcement is already heavily rumored, while Resident Evil: Requiem's store page was updated early and confirmed that Leon Kennedy is in the game. I don't want to spoil too much more, so let's wait for the show to start now.

[6:30] What game announcements have been teased for The Game Awards?

There's just an hour to go until showtime! Before then, I wanted to take a moment and highlight some of the games already confirmed for the show. Looking at Geoff Keighley's X account, we can see that games we already know about, like Phantom Blade 0, Saros, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, Exodus, Resident Evil: Requiem, Invincible VS, and more, will get new trailers.

Regarding brand-new game announcements, it has been confirmed that the next Tomb Raider and Total War video games will be at the show. So will the first game from Wildflower Interactive, a new studio founded by one of the directors of The Last of Us. A mysterious statue was also shared by Keighley ahead of the show. Fans are guessing it's related to a new Larian Studios game, but we won't know for sure until we watch the show.

[6:00] What are the most nominated games at The Game Awards this year?

While I don't have the time or space to list out every category here, I can highlight which games from 2025 got nominated for the most awards. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the most-nominated game in the show's history, as it's up for 12 awards, including Game of the Year, Best Score and Music, and three separate nominations for Best Performance.

PS5 exclusives Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei both snagged seven nominations in categories like Best Game Direction and Best Narrative, although Ghost of Yotei got snubbed for Game of the Year. Indie games have a strong presence, too, as Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong got six and five nominations, respectively, and are both up for Game of the Year. If you're wondering, XDA gave its Game of the Year honor to Donkey Kong Bananza!

[5:30] Welcome to XDA's The Game Awards 2025 live blog

Hey, everyone! We've got two hours to go until the pre-show for The Game Awards begins. Be ready for a long show, because the show typically lasts three to four hours. Thankfully, it's more of a marathon than a sprint, as game announcements and awards are handed out at a slower pace than Summer Game Fest. Still, expect watching The Game Awards to take up your own evening. If you don't have the time for that, consider keeping an eye on this article to see what wins and what gets revealed.