Game Awards 2025: Everything You Need to Know About Gaming’s Biggest Night
The Gaming Industry’s Premier Celebration Returns
The Game Awards 2025 is an award show honouring the best video games of 2025, set to be the twelfth show hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 11, 2025, and live streamed across online platforms globally. This annual event has become the gaming industry’s most prestigious ceremony, combining recognition of excellence with exclusive game announcements that captivate millions of viewers worldwide.
The ceremony kicks off at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on December 11, offering fans multiple ways to watch. The event will be live streamed across online platforms including TikTok, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as Amazon Prime Video for the first time. This expanded accessibility ensures that gaming enthusiasts globally can participate in this celebration of interactive entertainment.
Record-Breaking Nominations and Historic Moments
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the ceremony with thirteen nominations, the most in the show’s history. Candidates for Game of the Year include Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. This year marks a significant milestone as 2025 marked the first year in which multiple Game of the Year nominees were independent games, representing a 50/50 split.
The nominations reflect gaming’s diversity, with Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei following with seven nominations each, with Hades 2 picking up six, Hollow Knight grabbing five, and Split Fiction nabbing four. This breadth showcases how both independent developers and major studios have delivered exceptional experiences throughout 2025.
More Than Awards: Exclusive Reveals and Partnerships
Beyond awards, tonight brings exclusive announcements that gamers wait for all year, as The Game Awards 2025 traditionally features surprise game reveals, new trailers, and announcements of upcoming releases. A statue was placed in the Mojave Desert in late November to tease a reveal at the show, prompting wide speculation. The mysterious monolith has generated intense discussion about potential announcements from major franchises.
The Game Awards partnered with Amazon for the show, creating a dedicated store for merchandise, deals, and new reveals. Presenters for the Game Awards 2025 include Todd Howard, Maggie Robertson, and Miss Piggy, while the Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe, is set to perform, and Evanescence is set to perform from the television series Devil May Cry.
Why the Game Awards Matters
The Game Awards represents more than an awards ceremony; it’s become a cultural moment where the gaming community unites to celebrate creativity and innovation. With more than 154 million viewers in 2024, the show’s reach demonstrates gaming’s massive global influence. For developers, nominations provide validation and visibility, whilst for fans, it’s an opportunity to discover what’s next in interactive entertainment. As the industry continues evolving, The Game Awards serves as both a retrospective on gaming’s achievements and a window into its future.