Balatro Wins Big at the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards

The winners of the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) have been announced. A total of four awards went to Balatro by LocalThunk and Playstack. With the exception of the Lifetime Achievement award, there were no winners from Europe.

The big winner at the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards was Balatro, from LocalThunk and Playstack. "The poker roguelike" was named Game of the Year and also won Best Debut, Best Design and the Innovation Award. It won all four categories for which it was nominated.

Team Asobi and Sony Interactive Entertainment took home two awards (Best Audio and Best Technology) for Astro Bot. Best Visual Art went to Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science. Both Black Myth: Wukong and Astro Bot were nominated for seven awards. Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won the Audience Award, Metaphor: ReFantazio by Atlus / Sega won the award for Best Narrative. Life is Strange: Double Exposure from Deck Nine Games and Square Enix won the Social Impact Award.

Sam Lake (Sami Antero Järvi) of Remedy Entertainment in Finland received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Pioneer Award went to Lucas Pope, known for Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn.

Game Developers Choice Awards 2025

The winners are at the top of each category and are highlighted in bold.

Game of the Year

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)

Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/Bigmode), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/PlayStation Publishing LLC), Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/SEGA), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios/Coffee Stain Publishing), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

GDCA Best Audio

Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)

Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero) Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Teams SA / KONAMI)

Best Debut

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Honorable Mentions: Manor Lords (Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse), Mullet Madjack (HAMMER95 / Epopeia Games), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital)

Best Design

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Lorelai and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development / Nintendo), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Innovation Award

Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
UFO 50 (Mossmouth)

Honorable Mentions: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper /Panic), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital),Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Best Narrative

Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)
Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / Critical Reflex)

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios), Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)

Best Technology

Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)

Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/ Bigmode), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Threyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Demonware /Activision), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Studios Inc / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Visual Art

Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)

Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games/Square Enix)
1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios)
Neva (Nomada Studio/Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games), Distant Bloom (Ember Trail / Kina Brave), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios / Electronic Arts)

Audience Award

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Sam Lake (Remedy Entertainment)

Pioneer Award Recipient

Lucas Pope (Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn)

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