The Game Awards just announced their 2025 nominees, and within minutes the gaming internet erupted into one of the most heated debates in the show’s history. The controversy isn’t about which games made the cut or which ones got snubbed. It’s about whether a piece of downloadable content should be competing for the industry’s biggest award against standalone games.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is nominated for Game of the Year. And a lot of people are really, really unhappy about it.
The Six GOTY Nominees
Before we dive into the drama, here’s the full lineup competing for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. Astro Bot from Team Asobi brought PlayStation platforming back in a major way with creative level design and genuine charm. Balatro turned poker into an addictive roguelike deckbuilder that nobody saw coming. Black Myth: Wukong delivered stunning visuals and challenging combat based on Chinese mythology.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expanded FromSoftware’s masterpiece with a massive new region, bosses, and lore. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continued Square Enix’s ambitious remake project with an open world take on one of gaming’s most beloved stories. Metaphor: ReFantazio brought Atlus’ signature style to a new fantasy world with turn-based combat and social simulation.
On paper, that’s an incredibly strong lineup representing different genres and styles. Any other year, people would be debating the merits of each game and making predictions about which one deserves to win. But this year, one nomination is overshadowing everything else.
Why Shadow of the Erdtree Is Controversial
Here’s the issue that has the gaming community divided. Shadow of the Erdtree is not a standalone game. It’s downloadable content that requires owning the base version of Elden Ring, which released in 2022 and won Game of the Year that year. You literally cannot play Shadow of the Erdtree without first purchasing and playing through a significant portion of the original game.
Critics argue that calling it a “game” is technically incorrect. It’s an expansion, an add-on, a piece of content built onto an existing foundation. And that foundation already had its moment in the spotlight when it dominated The Game Awards 2022, taking home GOTY along with several other awards.
The backlash was immediate and intense. Social media lit up with complaints that Shadow of the Erdtree is taking up a nomination slot that could have gone to an actual standalone game. Titles like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Helldivers 2, or various other 2025 releases missed out on GOTY nods, and many fans believe it’s because a DLC took their spot.
One common sentiment across Reddit and Twitter: it’s called Game of the Year, not DLC of the Year. If The Game Awards wants to recognize exceptional expansions, they should create a separate category rather than letting them compete directly against full releases.
The Rule Change Nobody Saw Coming
Making matters worse, The Game Awards only announced that DLC would be eligible for all categories just days before revealing the nominees. This timing felt suspicious to many observers who believe the rule was specifically changed to accommodate Shadow of the Erdtree.
Previous years have featured incredible DLC releases that weren’t considered for GOTY. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty from 2023 delivered one of the year’s best gaming experiences but wasn’t treated as a full game. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine was widely praised as better than many standalone releases but didn’t compete for GOTY. Why are the rules different now?
The sudden policy shift has sparked accusations that The Game Awards is rigged or showing favoritism toward certain titles. Whether that’s true or not, the optics are terrible. When you change eligibility rules right before announcements, it looks like you’re manipulating outcomes rather than objectively recognizing excellence.
Geoff Keighley, the creator and host of The Game Awards, hasn’t provided much clarity on why this decision was made or why the timing worked out this way. That silence is only fueling more speculation and conspiracy theories about behind-the-scenes dealings.
The Case For Including Shadow of the Erdtree
Not everyone is against the nomination though. Supporters argue that Shadow of the Erdtree is substantial enough to stand alongside full games. The expansion adds 30-40 hours of content, introduces an entirely new map roughly the size of the base game’s Limgrave region, includes over 10 major boss fights, and delivers a complete narrative arc.
By comparison, some standalone games nominated in previous years offered less content, shorter playtimes, and smaller budgets. If we’re judging purely on quality and scope, Shadow of the Erdtree arguably deserves recognition more than certain full releases that have won or been nominated for GOTY in the past.
There’s also the practical consideration that 2025 hasn’t been the strongest year for major game releases. Several high-profile titles were delayed into 2026, and the games that did launch often faced mixed reception. Shadow of the Erdtree has a 95 Metacritic score, making it one of the highest-rated releases of the year regardless of its DLC status.
From this perspective, excluding it would be artificially limiting recognition of excellence just because of technicalities about how the content is delivered. Great work is great work, whether it’s packaged as a standalone game or an expansion.
What This Means for Future Awards
The bigger question is what precedent this sets going forward. If Shadow of the Erdtree wins Game of the Year, does that open the floodgates for future DLC nominations? Could we see The Witcher 4: Blood and Wine Part 2 competing against full games in 2027? What about substantial free updates to live service games?
There’s concern that allowing expansions to compete for GOTY could lead to a situation where the same games or franchises dominate year after year. Elden Ring won in 2022, and now its DLC might win in 2025. FromSoftware clearly makes incredible games, but should they be eligible to win the same award multiple times for what’s essentially the same project?
It also raises questions about how developers might structure their releases. If a major expansion can win GOTY, is there incentive to hold content back from the base game and release it as paid DLC later? That’s probably reading too much into things, but it’s the kind of cynical thinking that emerges when award eligibility rules feel inconsistent.
The Other Nominees Getting Overshadowed
The unfortunate casualty of all this controversy is that the other five nominated games aren’t getting as much attention as they deserve. Astro Bot is a brilliant celebration of PlayStation history wrapped in tight platforming mechanics. Metaphor: ReFantazio represents Atlus branching out beyond Persona into new creative territory.
Balatro came out of nowhere from a solo developer and created one of the year’s most addictive gameplay loops. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth took massive risks with its approach to remaking a beloved classic. Black Myth: Wukong brought Chinese mythology to a global audience with stunning production values.
These games all have compelling cases for winning GOTY based on their own merits. But instead of thoughtful discussions about which one deserves the crown, the conversation has been hijacked by debates about eligibility rules and whether DLC should even be allowed to compete.
That’s frustrating for the developers who poured years of work into these projects, and it’s disappointing for fans who just want to celebrate great games without getting caught up in procedural arguments.
How the Voting Works
If you’re wondering whether your opinion matters in all this, the answer is yes but only slightly. The Game Awards uses a voting system where an international jury of media outlets and critics controls 90 percent of the final decision, while public voting accounts for the remaining 10 percent.
This structure is part of why many people are upset about the Shadow of the Erdtree situation. The jury decided it was eligible and worthy of nomination, while a large portion of the gaming community vocally disagrees. That disconnect between critical consensus and public opinion has always existed, but it feels especially pronounced this year.
Fan voting is currently open on The Game Awards website across all categories. There’s also a separate Players’ Voice Award opening December 1st that’s entirely determined by public voting without jury influence. So even if you’re frustrated with the GOTY nominees, you can still make your voice heard in categories where it counts more.
Clair Obscur Makes History
One positive story getting buried under the DLC controversy: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received a record-breaking 12 nominations across all categories. That’s the most nominations any single game has ever received in The Game Awards’ history.
The indie turn-based RPG scored nods for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, Best RPG, and three separate Best Performance nominations for its cast. That’s an incredible achievement for a relatively small studio competing against AAA juggernauts.
Clair Obscur’s success demonstrates that innovative gameplay, distinctive art direction, and strong storytelling can compete at the highest level regardless of budget. But even this feel-good story is getting less attention than it deserves because everyone’s too busy arguing about whether Elden Ring’s DLC should be eligible for awards.
FAQs
What are the Game of the Year nominees for The Game Awards 2025?
The six nominees are Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Why is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree controversial?
Shadow of the Erdtree is DLC that requires owning the base game Elden Ring, which already won Game of the Year in 2022. Many fans believe expansions and DLC should not compete against standalone games for GOTY, and should instead have their own category.
When did The Game Awards announce DLC would be eligible?
The announcement that DLC and expansions would be eligible for all categories, including GOTY, came just days before the nominees were revealed. This timing has led to accusations of rule changes specifically to accommodate Shadow of the Erdtree.
Has DLC ever been nominated for GOTY before?
No, Shadow of the Erdtree is the first time downloadable content has been nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards. Previous acclaimed expansions like The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty were not considered eligible.
When is The Game Awards 2025 ceremony?
The ceremony takes place on December 11, 2025, and will be livestreamed globally with award presentations and new game announcements.
Can fans vote for Game of the Year?
Yes, but fan votes only count for 10 percent of the final decision. An international jury of media outlets and critics controls the other 90 percent. Public voting is currently open on The Game Awards website.
What game has the most nominations at The Game Awards 2025?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received a record-breaking 12 nominations, the most any single game has ever received in The Game Awards’ history. This includes three separate nominations in the Best Performance category.
Which games were snubbed from GOTY?
Notable games that didn’t receive GOTY nominations despite strong reception include Helldivers 2, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and various other 2025 releases. Many fans believe these games lost nomination spots to Shadow of the Erdtree.
Conclusion
The Game Awards 2025 nominations should have been a celebration of the year’s best games across different genres and styles. Instead, they’ve become a flashpoint for debates about eligibility, fairness, and whether the awards have credibility when rules can apparently change right before nominations are announced.
Whether you believe Shadow of the Erdtree deserves its nomination or think it never should have been eligible, the controversy has revealed fundamental disagreements about how the gaming industry should recognize excellence. Should awards strictly separate full games from expansions? Or should quality matter more than delivery format?
There’s no easy answer, and The Game Awards hasn’t done itself any favors by handling the situation with unclear communication and suspicious timing. Regardless of who wins on December 11th, this year’s GOTY category will be remembered for the arguments it sparked rather than the games it celebrated.
The five other nominees deserve better than to be footnotes in a procedural controversy. Each represents hundreds of people pouring years of work into creating something special. Hopefully between now and the ceremony, the conversation can shift back to actually discussing the merits of these games rather than relitigating whether one of them should have been disqualified on a technicality.
Vote for whichever game you believe deserves recognition. Just remember that your 10 percent might not be enough to overcome the jury’s 90 percent, especially when they’re the ones who decided these eligibility rules in the first place.