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The Game Awards 2025 nominations are out, and, as expected, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is leading the pack, with Arc Raiders missing out on that "Game of the Year" nomination.
The nominations for the Keighleys are here, and if you've been paying attention to 2025 at all, you won't be shocked to hear that leading the pack is Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is up for Game of the Year among 12 nominations across 10 categories, including "Best Game Direction," "Best Score and Music," and "Best Performance" for Jennifer English, Charlie Cox, and Ben Starr.
"Game of the Year" is filled with the expected faces too, with Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, all making the cut. Perennial Game Awards favorite Hideo Kojima nabbed the second-highest nomination count with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach at eight nominations (including "Best Game Direction," which the original Death Stranding won at 2019's awards).
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The biggest shocker, of course, is the lack of a "Game of the Year" nomination for Arc Raiders, with "Best Multiplayer" being its only nod. After weeks of debate between it and Expedition 33, spurred on by former FPS pro Shroud, Arc Raiders didn't make the cut after tearing it up on the Steam charts over the last few weeks and cementing itself as a late-game contender for "Game of the Year" in the hearts and minds of many.
Game of the year will be a major battle with frontrunner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and dark horse favorites Donkey Kong Bananza and Death Stranding 2, but given that we're talking about a year where incredible games like Blue Prince, Megabonk, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle (which missed out on the eligibility window last year), and Ghost of Yotei (which matched Death Stranding 2 with eight nominations) missed out, getting nominated is a pretty big achievement in itself.
Before all that though, make sure to tune in to the Golden Joystick Awards later this week on November 20 to see who wins in over 20 categories.
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.
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