Game Developer Choice Award nominations led by Expedition 33

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Sandfall Interactive's lauded debut could win big at the Game Developers Choice Awards

The organizers behind the GDC Festival of Gaming have officially announced the nominations for the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is once again leading the pack with eight, including Game of the Year. Other standouts include Ghost of Yōtei with five nominations, Blue Prince, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Split Fiction with four each. Surprisingly, fan-favorite Hollow Knight: Silksong has only one nomination, though it is for GOTY.

The ceremony will take place March 12, during the GDC Festival of Gaming in San Francisco. It's open to all GDC passholders, and will also be livestreamed on the GDC Twitch channel. All nominees and winners are chosen by the International Choice Awards Network, an organization composed of game creators from across the industry. Unlike most award shows, the nominee selection also includes honorable mentions in each category. There is also an Audience Award, where anyone can vote for their favorite game. The ballot can be found here, with voting running from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8.

A full list of the Game Developers Choice Awards nominees for 2026 can be found below.

Best Audio

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Rift of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games / Klei Publishing)
South of Midnight (Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios)

Honorable Mentions

ARC Raiders (Embark Studios)
Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Lumines Arise (Enhance / Monstars Inc.)
To a T (uvula LLC / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Debut

BALL X PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends / Devolver Digital)
Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Dispatch (Adhoc Studio)

Honorable Mentions

ARC Raiders (Embark Studios)
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (Too Kyo Games, Media. Vision Inc. / Aniplex)
The Roottrees are Dead (Evil Trout Inc.)

Best Design

BALL X PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends / Devolver Digital)
Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Honorable Mentions

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver)
The Alters (11 Bit Studios)

Innovation Award

BALL X PIT (Kenny Sun & Friends / Devolver Digital)
Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy / Devolver Digital)
Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions

CloverPit (Panik Arcade / Future Friends Games)
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia)
REPO (Semiwork Studios)
Sunderfolk (Secret Door / Dreamhaven)
To a T (uvula LLC / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Narrative

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena / Panic)
Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Honorable Mentions

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (DON'T NOD Montréal, DON’T NOD)
South of Midnight (Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios)
The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios)
The Séance of Blake Manor (Spooky Doorway / Raw Fury)

Best Technology

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Honorable Mentions

ARC Raiders (Embark Studios)
Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios / Electronic Arts)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver)
PEAK (Team PEAK / Aggro Crab, Landfall)

Best Visual Art

Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Dotemu, Supamonks / Dotemu)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades II (Supergiant Games)
Keeper (Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios)