The Game Awards unveiled its Players Voice nominees on December 1, 2025, and the list includes 30 of the most anticipated and beloved games competing for the only category where fans have complete control. Unlike other Game Awards categories where a jury panel decides 90% of the outcome, Players Voice is 100% community-driven across three voting rounds that narrow the field from 30 nominees to a single winner by December 11.
This year’s lineup features unreleased blockbusters like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Ghost of Yotei alongside live service giants like Fortnite, Warframe, and Helldivers 2. The most interesting inclusion might be Megabonk, an indie roguelike that withdrew from Best Debut Indie consideration weeks ago but found redemption through fan nomination in this category. Round 1 voting closes December 2 at 6 PM PST, giving fans just over 24 hours to select their top 10 favorites.
The Complete 30 Nominee List
The Game Awards Players Voice category spans multiple genres, platforms, and release windows. Some nominees launched in 2025 while others won’t arrive until 2026, creating an unusual mix of current favorites and future promises competing for the same award.
Here’s the full Round 1 roster:
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Delta Force
- Dispatch
- Donkey Kong Bonanza
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
- Ghost of Yotei
- Hades 2
- Helldivers 2
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Marvel Rivals
- Megabonk
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- No Man’s Sky
- Peak
- R.E.P.O.
- Silent Hill f
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
- Split Fiction
- The First Berserker: Khazan
- Warframe
- Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
The diversity is striking. Live service games that have been running for years compete against brand new releases and titles that won’t launch until late 2026. This creates awkward dynamics where fans vote based on anticipation rather than actual gameplay experience for half the nominees.
How the Three Round System Works
Players Voice operates through a bracket elimination system across three voting rounds, each progressively narrowing the field until one winner emerges. The structure prevents early voting momentum from being insurmountable while giving communities multiple chances to rally behind their favorites.
Round 1 runs December 1-2, 2025, closing at 6 PM PST on December 2. Fans select their top 10 games from the 30 nominees. The 10 titles receiving the most votes advance to Round 2, eliminating the bottom 20 immediately. This round moved fast deliberately, giving just over 24 hours to cast votes before the window closes.
Round 2 opens December 4 at 9 AM PST featuring the 10 survivors from Round 1. Voters pick their top 5 from this reduced field. The 5 games with the highest vote counts move to the final round while the other 5 are eliminated. This round likely runs for a few days though exact closing time hasn’t been announced.
Round 3 begins December 8 with just 5 finalists remaining. This time voters choose a single winner rather than multiple favorites. The game receiving the most votes claims the Players Voice Award, announced during The Game Awards ceremony on December 11, 2025, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Megabonk Comeback Story
Megabonk’s inclusion represents one of the more unusual stories surrounding The Game Awards 2025. Developer Vedinad withdrew the roguelike survival game from Best Debut Indie consideration in mid-November after realizing it didn’t qualify for the category. The issue? Megabonk wasn’t actually Vedinad’s first game despite initial assumptions.
Vedinad explained publicly that they had developed other games under different studio names, making Megabonk technically ineligible for a debut game category. Rather than stay in contention and potentially win under false pretenses, the developer withdrew voluntarily. The decision earned respect from the gaming community for prioritizing integrity over recognition, even though it meant losing a prestigious nomination.
Then Players Voice nominations dropped, and Megabonk made the 30-game list through fan support. Vedinad’s response was pure joy: “WE’RE SO BACK. Megabonk is nominated for The Game Awards – Player’s Voice!! I withdrew my other nomination due to Megabonk not fitting the category, but with this new nomination we’re more back than ever. go vote pls.”
The redemption arc matters because Players Voice nominations work differently than jury-selected categories. While a panel of over 100 global media outlets and influencers selects most Game Awards nominees, Players Voice nominations come directly from fan activity, engagement, and community enthusiasm. Megabonk earned its spot through organic player support rather than industry recognition, making the nomination feel more authentic to the developer’s relationship with their audience.
Clair Obscur Dominating Everything
If there’s a frontrunner in Players Voice, it might be Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The turn-based RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive launched in 2025 to overwhelming critical and commercial success, selling 2 million copies in 12 days and earning a 92 out of 100 on OpenCritic as the year’s highest-rated game.
The game swept the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 with wins for best storytelling, best visual design, best soundtrack, best lead performer for Jennifer English as Maelle, best supporting performer for Ben Starr as Verso, studio of the year for Sandfall Interactive, and the ultimate Game of the Year trophy. That kind of momentum doesn’t just disappear heading into The Game Awards.
Clair Obscur also leads all nominees with 12 nominations across Game Awards categories, a record-breaking total that reflects industry-wide recognition. The combat system blends turn-based strategy with real-time dodging and parrying, creating hybrid mechanics that feel fresh compared to traditional turn-based RPGs. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the Belle Époque-inspired world features surreal landscapes and striking visual design from a core team of just 30 developers.
Creative director Guillaume Broche admitted the studio never expected the game to get so big. In a Radio Times Gaming interview after the Golden Joystick Awards, he said they developed it thinking “it’s going to be cool” rather than “it’s going to be big.” The surprise success makes Clair Obscur a genuine phenomenon rather than a calculated blockbuster, which could work in its favor for fan voting.
The Unreleased Game Problem
A significant portion of the Players Voice nominees haven’t launched yet. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Doom: The Dark Ages, Ghost of Yotei, Monster Hunter Wilds, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and numerous others won’t release until 2026 or later. Some don’t even have confirmed release dates beyond vague launch windows.
This creates awkward voting dynamics where anticipation competes against actual gameplay experience. How do you compare a game you’ve played for hundreds of hours like Helldivers 2 or Warframe against a cinematic trailer for Ghost of Yotei? Voting becomes less about which game delivers the best experience and more about which marketing campaign generated the most hype.
The issue isn’t new. Previous Players Voice awards featured similar mixes of released and unreleased titles, often resulting in victories for highly anticipated games that hadn’t proven themselves yet. The system essentially rewards effective marketing and brand recognition over actual quality, since voters can’t evaluate unreleased games beyond promotional materials.
On the other hand, this structure gives fans agency over what they’re most excited about regardless of release status. If the community wants to celebrate anticipation for Death Stranding 2 or Doom: The Dark Ages, Players Voice provides that outlet. The category becomes less about crowning the best game and more about measuring which title captured gaming’s collective imagination most effectively throughout the year.
Live Service vs Single Player
Another interesting dynamic pits live service games with massive existing player bases against single-player releases competing for finite attention. Fortnite, Warframe, Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy 14, and No Man’s Sky have been running for years with dedicated communities that could mobilize significant vote totals.
Helldivers 2 represents a hybrid case – it launched in 2025 but operates as a live service title that continually adds content and maintains an active player population. Marvel Rivals falls into similar territory as a recently launched hero shooter building its community. These games benefit from recency while also having the organized player bases that live service titles cultivate.
Single-player releases like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle or Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition face uphill battles. They might deliver excellent experiences, but without persistent online communities or ongoing engagement hooks, rallying voters becomes more challenging. Players finish the campaign and move on rather than remaining invested long-term.
The exception is when single-player games generate enormous cultural moments that transcend their player bases. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 achieved this through critical acclaim and breakout success. If a single-player title captures zeitgeist attention the way that game did, it can compete against live service juggernauts through sheer momentum and goodwill.
How to Vote and Important Dates
Voting happens exclusively through The Game Awards official website at thegameawards.com/brackets/players-voice. You don’t need to create an account or provide personal information beyond basic verification to prevent vote manipulation. The process is straightforward – visit the page, select your choices for the current round, and submit.
Round 1 closes December 2, 2025, at 6 PM PST, which translates to 9 PM EST or 2 AM GMT on December 3. If you’re in Asia-Pacific regions, that’s 11 AM JST on December 3. The tight 24-hour window means procrastinating risks missing the deadline entirely, so voting early makes sense if you have strong opinions about the nominees.
Round 2 opens December 4 at 9 AM PST (12 PM EST) featuring the 10 games that survived Round 1. This round likely runs for several days, though exact closing time hasn’t been specified yet. Expect an announcement through Game Awards social channels once the bracket advances.
Round 3 begins December 8 with the final 5 nominees. This represents the last chance to influence the outcome before the winner gets announced during the live ceremony on December 11, 2025, at 7:30 PM EST from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. For international viewers, that’s December 12 in the early morning hours for Europe and Asia.
Does Players Voice Actually Matter
The fundamental question is whether Players Voice carries meaningful weight compared to jury-selected categories. Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and other major awards get decided by that panel of over 100 media outlets and influencers, with fan votes counting for just 10% of the final outcome. Players Voice is the only category where fans control everything.
From a developer perspective, winning Players Voice demonstrates strong community connection and fan enthusiasm. It shows your game resonated with actual players rather than just critics, which can matter tremendously for ongoing development priorities, sequel decisions, and studio morale. The award validates that people genuinely love what you created.
From a marketing perspective, Players Voice generates sustained engagement leading up to The Game Awards. Three voting rounds across 11 days keep communities active, encouraging social media campaigns, streamer involvement, and grassroots organizing. That organic promotion reaches audiences who might not follow traditional gaming media coverage.
The counterargument is that Players Voice rewards popularity and marketing budgets more than quality. Games with massive existing player bases or huge anticipation campaigns have inherent advantages over smaller titles that might deliver better experiences. The voting becomes a measure of which community mobilizes most effectively rather than which game deserves recognition on merit.
FAQs
When does Game Awards Players Voice Round 1 voting close?
Round 1 voting closes December 2, 2025, at 6 PM PST (9 PM EST, 2 AM GMT December 3, 11 AM JST December 3). You have just over 24 hours from the December 1 opening to cast votes for your top 10 favorites from 30 nominees.
How many games can I vote for in Players Voice Round 1?
You select 10 games from the 30 nominees in Round 1. The 10 games receiving the most votes advance to Round 2, while the bottom 20 are eliminated immediately.
Is Players Voice 100% fan voted?
Yes. Unlike other Game Awards categories where a jury panel decides 90% of the outcome and fans contribute just 10%, Players Voice is entirely community-driven. No critics, no media panels, just player votes across all three rounds.
Why is Megabonk in Players Voice after withdrawing from Game Awards?
Developer Vedinad withdrew Megabonk from Best Debut Indie because it didn’t qualify as a debut game – the developer had created other games under different studio names. Players Voice nominations come from fan activity rather than jury selection, allowing Megabonk to return through organic community support.
Can I vote for unreleased games in Players Voice?
Yes. Many nominees including Death Stranding 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, Ghost of Yotei, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond won’t launch until 2026 or later. Players Voice measures anticipation and excitement alongside actual gameplay experiences.
When are Round 2 and Round 3 voting periods?
Round 2 opens December 4 at 9 AM PST featuring 10 nominees where you vote for 5. Round 3 begins December 8 with 5 finalists where you choose 1 winner. The winner gets announced during The Game Awards ceremony December 11, 2025.
Where do I vote for Players Voice?
Vote exclusively at thegameawards.com/brackets/players-voice. You don’t need to create an account, just visit the page during each voting round and submit your selections.
What is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive that launched in 2025 to critical acclaim. It sold 2 million copies in 12 days, earned a 92/100 on OpenCritic, swept the Golden Joystick Awards, and leads all nominees with 12 Game Awards nominations.
Conclusion
The Game Awards Players Voice category represents the purest expression of fan preference in an awards show otherwise dominated by critic panels. The 30 nominees spanning released hits and unreleased blockbusters create a snapshot of what captured gaming’s collective attention throughout 2025. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 enters as a frontrunner after dominating the Golden Joystick Awards, but live service giants like Fortnite, Helldivers 2, and Warframe bring massive player bases that could mobilize overwhelming vote totals. The three-round elimination system gives communities multiple chances to rally behind favorites while preventing early momentum from becoming insurmountable. Megabonk’s return after withdrawing from another category adds a redemption arc that highlights how Players Voice nominations reward organic fan enthusiasm rather than industry recognition. Whether the award ultimately goes to a deserving game or simply the one with the most effective vote mobilization campaign remains to be seen. Either way, the 100% fan-driven structure gives players agency over at least one category while jury panels decide everything else. Round 1 voting closes December 2 at 6 PM PST, so if you have strong opinions about which games deserve recognition, now’s the time to make your voice heard before the window closes.