Balatro leads Game Developers Choice Awards 2025, wins Game of the Year
Balatro dominated the Game Developers Choice Awards last night, taking home Game of the Year and Best Debut alongside Best Design and the Innovation award.
Astro Bot won two awards in the Audio and Technology categories, while Black Myth: Wukong received the accolade for Best Visual Art.
Studio Zero’s Metaphor: ReFantazio won Best Narrative with Deck Nine Games’ Life is Strange: Double Exposure taking home the Social Impact award.
As previously reported, Remedy’s creative director Sam Lake received the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented by Alan Wake and Control actor Matthew Porretta.
Lucas Pope was given the Pioneer Award for his contributions to game development – both as the creator of Paper’s, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn and his work at Naughty Dog.
The Independent Games Festival also took place yesterday, with Consume Me awarded the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Developed by Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thompson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, and Ken ‘coda’ Synder, the game also won the Nuvo and Wings awards.
Freehold Games’ Caves of Qud won Excellence in Narrative, Moonloop Games’ Hauntii took home the Excellence in Visual Arts award, while Suspicious Developments’ Tactical Breach Wizards won Excellence in Design.
Despelote, developed by Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena, won Excellence in Audio, and Vinny Roca’s Slot Waste won Best Student Game.
Here are the full list of winners for both ceremonies:
GDCA 2025 winners
- Game of the Year: Balatro (Local Thunk, Playstack)
- Best Debut: Balatro
- Best Visual Art: Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Best Audio: Astro Bot (Team Asobi, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero, Atlus, Sega)
- Best Technology: Astro Bot
- Best Design: Balatro
- Social Impact Award: Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games, Square Enix)
- Innovation Award: Balatro
- Pioneer Award: Lucas Pope
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Sam Lake
IGF 2025 winners
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize: Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thompson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken ‘coda’ Synder)
- Excellence in Visual Art: Hauntii (Moonloop Games, Firestoke)
- Excellence in Audio: Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena, Panic)
- Excellence in Design: Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
- Excellence in Narrative: Caves of Qud (Freehold Games, Kitfox Games)
- Nuovo Award: Consume Me
- Wings Award: Consume Me
- Best Student Game: Slot Waste (Vinny Roca)