The NextPlay Game Awards’ awards are selected by the writers at NextPlay. Join us as we celebrate the games we’d like to acknowledge as standouts for 2025 – ones that define the year.
This article will be updated daily as more awards are announced, with the prestigious Aussie Game of the Year, Indie Game of the Year, and Game of the Year being announced on December 23. Please join us in celebrating not only these games but the game development community as a whole.
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Team Cherry
Hollow Knight: Silksong literally broke the internet upon its eventual release – a polished and punishing Metroidvania that pushes players to their limits. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.
BEST HORROR GAME
Silent Hill f
NeoBards Entertainment
“Silent Hill f’s transit to a fictional 1960s Japan changes the tone of the series you’d come to expect, but delivers by pushing boundaries in the themes it tackles. The game leaves nostalgia at the door, bringing with it a high-tension and emotional experience with ambition.”
Read our Silent Hill f review.
BEST RPG
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an impressive RPG experience worthy of every applause. From the soundtrack all the way to the turn-based combat, it’s a masterful journey that tugs at your heart. Despite being so transfixed on grief, the character building and narrative centres itself on the hope of what comes next.”
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review, or watch our YouTube playthrough.
BEST FIGHTING GAME
Capcom Fighting Collection 2
Capcom
A compilation of Capcom’s best fighting games that reminds us why we love Fighters so much.
BEST PUZZLE/STRATEGY GAME
Blue Prince
Dogubomb
“Blue Prince’s endlessly clever design, crafted to gently assist you as you push for that 64th room, coupled with a bottomless well of riddles and secrets, make this one of the greatest experiences this year.”
Read our Blue Prince review.
BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME
Mario Kart World
Nintendo
“Mario Kart World’s entertaining and chaotic gameplay we love from the series may well be at its peak. This is the best the kart racer has ever sounded and looked.”
Read our Mario Kart World review.
BEST FAMILY GAME
Donkey Kong Bananza
Nintendo
“Donkey Kong Bananza is, simply put, one of Nintendo’s finest games and a must-buy for the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo consistently innovate with its flagship titles, and Bananza is the latest to achieve this with its relentlessly exceptional level design.”
Read our Donkey Kong Bananza review.
BEST AR/VR GAME
The Midnight Walk
MoonHood
“The Midnight Walk is a light horror adventure that is brimming with personality and charm thanks to the worldbuilding and exceptional art design.”
Read our The Midnight Walk review.
BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME
ELDEN RING Nightreign
FromSoftware
“Elden Ring Nightreign takes the best elements of Elden Ring and applies an engrossing core gameplay loop that will have Nightfarers in a trance.”
Read our ELDEN RING Nightreign review.
BEST MOBILE GAME
DREDGE
Black Salt Games
“DREDGE excels through the use of engaging mechanics, an atmospherically-rich world, and some of the most rewarding progression you’ll find in a game.”
Read our DREDGE review.
BEST REMAKE/REMASTER
METAL GEAR SOLID DELTA: SNAKE EATER
Konami
“Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a legendary remake of a genre-defining game that doesn’t add much extra flavour, but presents top-notch graphics and retains the best parts of the original game, like the cast and their performances and the engaging stealth espionage gameplay.”
Read our Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater review.
BEST DLC/EXPANSION
Lies of P: Overture
Neowiz Games/Round8 Studio
“Lies of P: Overture is a triumphant return to the city of Krat, one that tests even the most confident of soulslike gods. This is DLC crafted with purpose, one that expands the game in all the right ways, exploring character relationships and lore like never before.”
Read our Lies of P: Overture review.
BEST GAME DIRECTION
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
“Despite being so transfixed on grief, the character building and narrative centres itself on the hope of what comes next. Few games have grabbed me like the plight of Expedition 33, and it only furthers the deeper into the experience you find yourself. It’s rare to see a game so epic, yet tender with its cast of characters.”
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review.
BEST ART DIRECTION
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
Sandfall Interactive have masterfully blended a grief-filled narrative with an exceptional graphical style, immersive storytelling, and a soundtrack that conveys the emotional beats throughout the journey perfectly.
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review.
BEST NARRATIVE
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
“The game positions itself masterfully, exploring grief through the eyes of its characters as they hope for the future in spite of the journey ahead.”
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review.
BEST SCORE
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
“You also can’t give Expedition 33 enough flowers for its soundtrack. Across the entire game, it’s that last piece of the experience that fills out the emotional weight of this world. It encourages players to sit with the events of the game, carrying plot points of the game with care.”
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Ben Starr
as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Despite Verso being one of the last characters you meet of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s main ensemble, Ben Starr effortlessly embodies all of the complexities of the Expeditioner, making him an instant fan favourite. If you’ve played the game’s Epilogue, there’s one scene in particular that makes it clear Ben deserves this award (IYKYK).
BEST VIDEOGAME ADAPTATION
The Last of Us: Season 2
HBO
MOST IMPACTFUL
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games
“South of Midnight is a triumphant entry into Compulsion Games’s library, offering a captivating narrative with likeable characters in a sheer spectacle of a world that you just wish you could spend more time in. “
Read our South of Midnight review.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review.
DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR
Sandfall Interactive
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR
Nintendo
INDIE GAME OF THE YEAR
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Team Cherry
Hollow Knight: Silksong literally broke the internet upon its eventual release – a polished and punishing Metroidvania that pushes players to their limits. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.
AUSSIE GAME OF THE YEAR
The Drifter
Powerhoof
“Powerhoof continues to be one of the most exciting developers out of Australia, achieving a tight point-and-click that anyone can get into with The Drifter. The performances from the cast are wonderful and sell the story well, while the quality gameplay clears the bar that the rest of the package sets.”
Read our The Drifter review.
GAME OF THE YEAR
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive
“Expedition 33 is one of those generational games that will hold its own legacy as time progresses. The stellar cast and their performances lend a hand to one of the strongest narratives we’ve seen in videogames in years.”
Read our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review.
