This year might be one of the best ever for indie developers, if not the best. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made a statement in April and is widely considered a frontrunner to capture many Game of the Year awards. We’ve also had great hits that seemed to come out of nowhere, such as Blue Prince, Peak, Abiotic Factor, Wanderstop, Absolum, and, more recently, Megabonk and Ball x Pit. Hollow Knight: Silksong finally released, and Hades II exited Early Access, further adding to the list of standout indie games in 2025.
The Indie Game Awards 2025 has announced its nominees for this year’s show, with winners to be announced on December 18, 2025, at 3:30 PM Pacific (6:30 PM Eastern). Along with the categories below, there will be three special awards selected by the IGAs Curation Jury, to be announced during the ceremony: Indie Vanguard, the Mohammad Fahmi Storyteller Award, and Industry Impact. You can also get involved by voting for Community Picks, which is open through November 24.
Achievement in Accessibility
- Abiotic Factor
- Barista
- Calm the Storm
- Peak
- Spray Paint Simulator
- Squeakross: Home Squeak Home
ANZ Indie Game Award
- Abiotic Factor
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Mars First Logistics
- PROXIMATE
- Tempopo
- The Drifter
Bite-Sized Game
- CARIMARA – Beneath the Forlorn Limbs
- FlyKnight
- Many Nights a Whisper
- The Dark Queen of Mortholme
- this game will end in 205 clicks.
- Time Flies
Black Voices in Gaming Award
- Advent Neon
- Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi
- Sorry We’re Closed
- Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
- Sunken Stones
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown
Community Management
- Consume Me
- Date Everything!
- IKEELYA
- PEAK
- Soulstone Survivors
- Strange Scaffold
Debut Game
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Discounty
- Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson
- ILA: A Frosty Glide
- Sorry We’re Closed
- Tyrant’s Realm
Emotional Impact
- Afterlove EP
- and Roger
- Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
- Henry Halfhead
- Wanderstop
- Wednesdays
Gameplay Design
- Absolum
- Ball x Pit
- Dawnfolk
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Keep Driving
- Look Outside
- Öoo
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
- The King is Watching
Innovation
- Blue Prince
- FREERIDE
- Gas Station Story
- PBJ The Musical
- Ruffy and the Riverside
- Taria & Como
Latin American Indie Game Award
- Adventure of Samsara
- despelote
- Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
- Taria & Como
- Tormented Souls 2
Music
- Everhood 2
- Herdling
- Rift of the NecroDancer
- SONOKUNI
- Sword of the Sea
- Wheel World
Narrative
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Consume Me
- Promise Mascot Agency
- The Drifter
- The Roottrees are Dead
- The Séance of Blake Manor
Solo Development
- ANTONBLAST
- Lushfoil Photography Sim
- Megabonk
- NAIAD
- Spilled!
- Vile: Exhumed
South African Indie Game Award
- Bru & Boegie Get Da Milk!
- Finding Father
- Flibbius McDoogle and The Mysterious Flying Machine
- IKEELYA
- Metavoidal
- Stick It To The Stickman
Southeast Asian Indie Game Award
- Afterlove EP
- Artis Impact
- Glyphica: Typing Survival
- SEDAP! A Culinary Adventure
- Urban Jungle
- Whisper Mountain Outbreak
Visual Design
- 30 Birds
- Artis Impact
- Cat Detective Albert Wilde
- Eclipsium
- Mashina
- Slime Rancher 2
Women-Led Indie Game Award
- Cabernet
- Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping
- Gemporium: A Cute Mining Sim
- Spilled!
- Urban Myth Dissolution Center
- White Knuckle
Game of the Year
- Absolum
- and Roger
- Blue Prince
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Consume Me
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Keep Driving
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
