The Game Awards returns as part awards show, part industry showcase, and part trailer blitz — and this year the balance has tilted hard toward indie auteurs. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the charge with a record 12 nominations, and the ceremony (hosted, as always, by Geoff Keighley) promises premieres, celebrity cameos and the usual parade of big-budget reveals.
The headlines: who’s up and why it matters
Six games are vying for Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Clair Obscur isn't just the critical darling — it has the most nominations in Game Awards history, and that makes it the story of the night.
Indie presence is unusually strong: Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong are among the top contenders, and several smaller teams scored nominations across categories like Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game. That shift underlines how much the industry’s center of gravity has moved toward smaller studios making bold, creative work.
When and how to watch
The show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and usually runs around three hours, though Keighley’s event has been known to spill past that. It will stream on the Game Awards’ YouTube and Twitch channels, and — expanding its reach this year — on TikTok, the Steam app and Amazon Prime Video in at least some regions.
If you want to catch it on TV-like hardware, devices and streaming boxes will carry the feeds; the event’s broad platform availability is part of why advertisers pay seven-figure sums for trailer spots.
What to expect beyond the trophies
The Game Awards doubles as a marketing showcase. Confirmed and rumored appearances this year include new looks at Tomb Raider, Resident Evil Requiem, Lego Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight, Saros, and Phantom Blade Zero. Retailers and publishers are also angling to show off post-launch plans — expansions, cross-platform features and long-rumored remakes all get a moment at Keighley’s stage.
Rumors run rampant (as they always do): whispers about a Larian project, the next Diablo 4 expansion, Total War, and updates on the long-suffering Knights of the Old Republic remake swirl every year. And yes, Half-Life 3 still lives in internet folklore, although it remains exactly that — folklore.
There will also be live performances: the Game Awards Orchestra will perform, and rock outfit Evanescence is set to play, among others. Expect celebrity presenters as well — Jeffrey Wright and Miss Piggy were both named as attendees — which keeps the broadcast feeling like a cross between an awards ceremony and a variety show.
The numbers and the spectacle
The Game Awards has grown into a global streaming event: massive audiences, expensive advertising slots and a lot of industry attention. That commercial side draws critique — many viewers complain the show favors trailers over the awards themselves — but it also makes the night one of the most powerful launch windows for a new game.
That commercial gravity has attracted prediction markets, too. Traders on platforms like Kalshi have priced Clair Obscur’s chances very high (around $0.92 on some contracts), while long-shot bets — for example, on Donkey Kong Bananza — are being traded at pennies on the dollar. It’s a reminder that for some, The Game Awards doubles as a market event as much as it is a cultural one.
Notable categories and smaller stories
Beyond GOTY, keep an eye on Best Narrative (Death Stranding 2 is a strong contender), Best Score (Hades 2 and Clair Obscur both feature heavily), and Best Independent Game, where the line between indie and AAA has blurred in recent years.
VR and AR remain a niche but competitive field: nominees this year include several immersive experiences and arcade-style titles — an encouraging sign for headset makers and players who follow virtual reality closely. If you’re tracking VR momentum, recent platform updates and release slates are worth a look, such as the busy PS VR2 calendar this fall that hints at broader VR ambitions in the market. See more on that PS VR2 roundup.
Nintendo’s new console cycle is also part of the story. Donkey Kong Bananza was an early flagship on Nintendo’s hardware, and the Switch 2’s strong sales have fed momentum for Nintendo-first titles and close-of-year exclusives — a trend worth watching if you follow platform battles. Read about Nintendo’s recent hardware surge here.
If you’re watching from a console
Want the smoothest possible stream? Some viewers choose to watch on devices that double as gaming hubs. For example, Sony’s recent updates to the PlayStation Portal and ecosystem make it simpler to stream and jump into demos — handy if you plan to switch between watching and playing. Learn more about that PlayStation streaming update here.
If you’re following VR categories from headset hardware, the Meta Quest lineup remains the most accessible way to sample VR content on the fly — a practical option if VR nominees or trailers catch your eye. The Quest family is available on Amazon; check latest prices Meta Quest.
Expect the night to be part awards ceremony, part product launch and part cultural flex. Whether you tune in for the winners, the premieres, or the tiny internet moments that explode into memes, The Game Awards is the industry’s end-of-year theater. Stay tuned: the speeches matter less than the trailers — and those three-minute spots, for better or worse, often shape the conversation until next December.