The nominees for the Indie Game Awards 2025 have been revealed, with an array of excellent indie titles given nods across various categories. Each year, the show’s organisers at Six One Indie aim to represent a diverse array of games, working alongside various outlets and curation teams, including Wholesome Games, Black Voices in Gaming, Women-Led Games, and Frosty Games.
This year, a host of well-deserving games have been nominated, including plenty of familiar names. Hollow Knight: Silksong features across an array of categories, as do Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Consume Me.
Beyond the award categories, the Indie Game Awards 2025 nominations read as a list of must-play games released this year – including many you might’ve overlooked or that didn’t get mainstream attention throughout the year. All of these titles are worth making time for.
Here’s the full list of nominees from the Indie Game Awards 2025.
Indie Game Awards 2025: full list of nominees – quick links
Indie Game Awards 2025 Game of the Year
- Absolum, Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks
- and Roger, TearyHand Studio
- Blue Prince, Dogubomb
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, Jump Over the Age
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive
- Consume Me, Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, and Ken “coda” Snyder
- Hades 2, Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
- Keep Driving, YCJY Games
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, Pocket Trap
Achievement in Accessibility
- Abiotic Factor, Deep Field Games
- Barista, YofiAsi
- Calm the Storm, Ludic Lemur
- Peak, Team PEAK
- Spray Paint Simulator, North Star Video Games
- Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, Alblune
ANZ Indie Game Award
- Abiotic Factor, Deep Field Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
- Mars First Logistics, Shape Shop
- PROXIMATE, Cain Maddox
- Tempopo, Witchbeam
- The Drifter, Powerhoof
Bite-Sized Game
- CARIMARA – Beneath the Forlorn Limbs, Bastinus Rex
- FlyKnight, Wabbaboy
- Many Nights a Whisper, Deconstructeam, Selkie Harbour
- The Dark Queen of Mortholme, Mosu
- this game will end in 205 clicks., insertdisc5
- Time Flies, Playables
Black Voice in Gaming Award
- Advent Neon, CryoGX
- Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi, MarsLit Games
- Sorry We’re Closed, à la mode games
- Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To, Soft Not Weak, LLC
- Sunken Stones, Spritewrench
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, Strange Scaffold
Community Management
- Consume Me, Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder
- Date Everything!, Sassy Chap Games
- IKEELYA, ALL DAY ALL NIGHT
- PEAK, Team PEAK
- Soulstone Survivors, Game Smithing Limited
- Strange Scaffold, Strange Scaffold
Debut Game
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive
- Discounty, Crinkle Cut Games
- Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson, Ritual Studios
- ILA: A Frosty Glide, Magic Rain Studios
- Sorry We’re Closed, a la mode Games
- Tyrant’s Realm, Team Tyrant
Emotional Impact
- Afterlove EP, Pikselnesia
- and Roger, TearyHand Studio
- Don’t Get Your Hopes Up, Krish Raghav
- Henry Halfhead, Lululu Entertainment
- Wanderstop, Ivy Road
- Wednesdays, Pierre Corbinais, The Pixel Hunt, exaheva
Gameplay Design
- Absolum, Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks
- BallxPit, Kenny Sun
- Dawnfolk, Darenn Keller
- Hades II, Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
- Keep Driving, YCJY Games
- Look Outside, Francis Coulombe
- Öoo, NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, Pocket Trap
- The King is Watching, Hypnohead
Innovation
- Blue Prince, Dogubomb
- FREERIDE, Flightyfelon Games Inc.,
- Gas Station Story, enzi
- PBJ The Musical, Philipp Stollenmayer
- Ruffy and the Riverside, Zockrates Laboratories UG
- Taria & Como, Poppyseed Studio Inc, JuVee Productions
Latin American Indie Award
- Adventure of Samsara, Ilex Games
- despelote, Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena
- Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, Galla
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, Pocket Trap
- Taria & Como, Poppyseed Studio Inc, JuVee Productions
- Tormented Souls 2, Dual Effect
Music
- Everhood 2, Cazok, KM_EXP, Stewart Keller, Lewmoth, Chris Nordgren, CatGod, Beat Tape, Dancefloor Is Lava, INFX
- Herdling, Joel Schoch
- Rift of the NecroDancer, Danny Baranowsky, Alex Moukala, Jules Conroy, Josie Brechner, Sam Webster, Nick Nausbaum
- SONOKUNI, Don Yasa Crew
- Sword of the Sea, Austin Wintory
- Wheel World, Johnny Jewel, JOON, Orion
Narrative
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, Jump Over the Age
- Consume Me, Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder
- Promise Mascot Agency, Kaizen Game Works
- The Drifter, Powerhoof, Dave Lloyd
- The Roottrees are Dead, Evil Trout Inc.
- The Séance of Blake Manor, Spooky Doorway
Solo Development
- Tall Trails, Brady Soglin
- Lushfoil Photography Sim, Matt Newell
- Megabonk, vedinad
- NAIAD, HiWarp
- Spilled!, Lente
- Vile: Exhumed, Cara Cadaver
South African Indie Game Award
- Bru & Boegie – Get Da Milk!, MIKDOG
- Finding Father, Studio Bo
- Flibbius McDoogle and The Mysterious Flying Machine, Unsigned Double Collective
- IKEELYA, ALL DAY ALL NIGHT
- Metavoidal, Yellow Lab Games
- Stick It to the Stickman, Free Lives
Southeast Asian Indie Game Award
- Afterlove EP, Pikselnesia
- Artis Impact, Mas
- Glyphica – Typing Survival, aliasBLACK
- SEDAP! A Culinary Adventure, kopiforge
- Urban Jungle, Kylyk Games
- Whisper Mountain Outbreak, Toge Productions
Visual Design
- 30 Birds, RAM RAM Games, Business Goose Studios
- Artis Impact, Mas
- Cat Detective Albert Wilde, beyondthosehills
- Eclipsium, Housefire
- Mashina, Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya
- Slime Rancher 2, Monomi Park
Women-Led Indie Game Award
- Cabernet, Party for Introverts
- Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping, Happy Broccoli Games
- Gemporium, Merge Conflict Studio
- Spilled!, Lente
- Urban Myth Dissolution Center, Hakababunko
- White Knuckle, Dark Machine Games
The winners of the Indie Game Awards 2025 will be announced in a ceremony taking place on 18 December at 3:30 PM PT | 10:30 am AEDT on 19 December.
