If you thought 2025 was a quiet year for gaming, Geoff Keighley just proved you wrong. The Game Awards 2025 delivered a marathon show packed with “World Premieres,” tear-jerking speeches, and enough shadow-drops to ruin your sleep schedule for the next month. While the night started on a somber note with Keighley’s heartfelt tribute to his late father, the energy quickly shifted to a celebration of an industry that refuses to slow down.
The big story of the night wasn’t just who won, but how much they won. But between the trophies, we got our first look at the future of Star Wars, a gritty reboot for Divinity, and confirmation that yes, Hollow Knight: Silksong is actually a real video game that exists. Here is the full breakdown of gaming’s biggest night.
The Night of Clair Obscur
Let’s rip the bandage off: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is your 2025 Game of the Year. The turn-based RPG from Sandfall Interactive didn’t just win the big prize; it absolutely dominated the ceremony, taking home a staggering nine awards including Best Game Direction and Best Narrative. It was a massive upset against heavy hitters like Death Stranding 2, proving that the turn-based renaissance is in full swing.
Elsewhere, the meme finally died—or rather, transcended. Hollow Knight: Silksong not only appeared but took home the award for Best Action/Adventure Game. The collective sigh of relief from the internet was audible. Meanwhile, Doom: The Dark Ages snagged the Innovation in Accessibility award, proving that ripping and tearing is for everyone.
The Heavy Hitters: Resident Evil and Star Wars
Capcom, as usual, brought the heat. The third trailer for Resident Evil Requiem (releasing February 27, 2026) confirmed the worst-kept secret in horror: Leon S. Kennedy is back as a playable character. But he’s not just shooting zombies; the trailer showed him parrying a chainsaw with… another chainsaw? It looks glorious, campy, and terrifying all at once.
On the sci-fi front, Casey Hudson returned to the stage to unveil Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. This single-player RPG is a spiritual successor to KOTOR, featuring a new cast in the Old Republic era. Seeing a Jedi ignite a blue lightsaber in a snowy Sith graveyard was enough to give any BioWare fan goosebumps.
Indie Weirdness and Auteur Comebacks
It wouldn’t be The Game Awards without some truly bizarre announcements. Jonathan Blow (The Witness) revealed Order of the Sinking Star, a massive 250-hour puzzle game that looks like Sokoban meets high fantasy. Then there was Bradley the Badger, a meta-platformer voiced by Evan Peters that satirizes game development hell. It looks chaotic, self-aware, and incredibly fun.
Frictional Games also returned to ruin our sleep with Ontos, a spiritual successor to SOMA set on a moon hotel. Narrated by Stellan Skarsgård, it promises to be an existential nightmare about consciousness and creepy machinery.
The Multiplatform Shift
In a move that signals the changing tides of the console wars, Compulsion Games announced that their stunning southern gothic adventure, South of Midnight, is coming to PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring 2026. Seeing an Xbox Game Studios title explicitly confirmed for Nintendo’s next-gen hardware was a mic-drop moment that had the entire timeline talking.
Conclusion
The Game Awards 2025 was a reminder of why we put up with the ads and the long runtime: the games are just too good. Whether you are hyped for a new Divinity reboot from Larian, ready to build trash-tanks in TankRat, or just happy that Silksong fans can finally rest, there was something for everyone. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a 2026 backlog to start preparing for.
FAQs
Who won Game of the Year 2025?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year, along with eight other awards.
Was there any news on the Nintendo Switch 2?
Yes! Several games, including Resident Evil Requiem and South of Midnight, were officially confirmed for the “Nintendo Switch 2,” cementing the console’s upcoming arrival.
Did Silksong actually show up?
Yes. Hollow Knight: Silksong was present and won the award for Best Action/Adventure Game.
What is the new Larian Studios game?
Larian announced Divinity (just titled “Divinity”), a gritty, dark-fantasy reboot of their long-running RPG series, distinct from Original Sin 3.
Is Leon Kennedy in the new Resident Evil?
Yes, the new trailer for Resident Evil Requiem confirmed Leon S. Kennedy as a playable character alongside protagonist Grace Ashcroft.