Game Awards

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Source: NYVGCC / 2025 NY Game Awards
The nominees for the 2025 NY Game Awards have been revealed!
The next big night in gaming goes down in NYC on January 21 at the Paley Center when the 14th annual NY Game Awards return. On Tuesday, January 7, the nominees were revealed during a livestream featuring Hannah Telle (voice actor Max from Life is Strange: Double Exposure) and Logan Cunningham (voice actor Hades from Hades II) at the Paley Center for Media.

Speaking on this year’s strong list of nominees, Harold Goldberg, president and founder of NYVGCC, said, “2024 was another standout year for video games, and we’re thrilled to recognize these stunning projects at the 14th New York Game Awards on January 21. Our team of journalists, interns, and volunteers at NYVGCC look forward to hosting and honoring the many talented individuals who work in the video game industry. Get your tickets to join us for a truly special awards show!”

With that said, let’s get into the nominees. Team ASOBI, who ended the year strong by taking home numerous Game of The Year honors for their exceptional platformer, Astro Bot, could have a big night at the NY Game Awards, grabbing three nominations.
Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth 

Astro Bot 

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 

Metaphor: ReFantazio

EA Sports College Football 25

Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU 

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes 

Balatro  

I Am Your Beast 

1000xResist 

Thank Goodness You’re Here! 

Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game

Harold Halibut 

Metaphor: ReFantazio

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Life is Strange: Double Exposure 

Phoenix Springs

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 

Statue of Liberty Award for Best World

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree 

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth 

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess 

Astro Bot 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chornobyl

Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess 

Life is Strange: Double Exposure 

Black Myth Wukong

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Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game

Abubakar Salim as Zao, Zuberi and Griot Echo in Tales of Kenzara: ZAO

John Eric Bentley as Barret in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth 

Hannah Telle as Max Caulfield in Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 

Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Humberly González as Kay in Star Wars Outlaws 

Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game

Batman: Arkham Shadow 

Umurangi Generation VR 

Skydance’s Behemoth 

Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire

Central Park Children’s Zoo Award for Best Kids Game

Astro Bot 

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Little Kitty, Big City

Sonic X Shadow Generations 

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom 

A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game

Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse

Wuthering Waves

Zenless Zone Zero

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket

Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake

Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered

Silent Hill 2 

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth 

Age of Mythology: Retold 

Persona 3: Reload 

Chumley’s Speakeasy Award for Best Hidden Gem

Vampire Therapist

Mouthwashing

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story

Mars After Midnight

Starstruck: Hands of Time

NYC GWB Award for Best DLC

Alan Wake II: Night Springs and The Lake House

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – Mask of Darkness

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Remnant 2: The Dark Horizon

Splatoon 3: Side Order

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred

Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism

Duncan Fyfe

Alexis Ong

Grant Stoner

Mason Andrew Hamberlin

Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Simone De Rochefort & Clayton Ashley

The nominees for this year were revealed after it was announced that Remedy’s Sam Lake is taking home the Andrew Yoon Legend Award, one of the night’s biggest awards.

There will also be a performance by Mega Ran, who will debut a brand-new original song for the NY Game Awards.

It’s a night you don’t want to miss if you’re a fan of video games, and if you want to be in the building, you can purchase tickets by heading to Eventbrite. Reserved seats cost $80. If you want to attend the afterparty to rub shoulders with the winners and enjoy some free drinks, it will cost $100. Proceeds from the New York Game Awards help fund NYVGCC’s educational efforts and programs for 2025.
If you can’t attend, don’t worry; IGN is an official media sponsor and will stream the show on its channels.
For more information on the NY Video Game Critics Circle and the critical work they do to ensure inner-city youth can find their way in the game journalism space, you can head here.