The Game Awards finally underline the importance of AA titles

Well, at least one videogames-related debate was settled in 2025 and it just so happens to be this one: after playing second – or third or fourth – fiddle to all those heavily-marketed, ultra-expensive AAA blockbuster games for decades… yes, there’s now no question whether AA productions are ready to challenge the status quo and take their rightful place in gamers’ libraries.

If this year’s The Game Awards – that often controversial mix of nominations and ads and reveals and live performances – sent a message to the entire industry, it was this one. One such AA production, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, received no less than 12 nominations from the critics jury and walked away with a record 9 awards, including Game of the Year, RPG of the Year, Best Independent Game and Best Debut, as well as the awards for best direction, narrative, art direction and music.

This is a video game almost nobody had heard of just 18 months ago. Two other AA titles, Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong, got the Best Action Game and Best Action Adventure Game awards respectively against the likes of Battlefield 6 or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Notably, Sony – the current market leader and outspoken champion of AAA games for the PlayStation – did not win a single award this year for major releases like Death Stranding: On the Beach or Ghost of Yotei.

This speaks volumes. Critics – coming from select industry publications all over the world – are clearly not impressed by Hollywood-size budgets or famous brand names anymore, opting to recognize high quality in games made by smaller teams who often exhibit strong focus on a clear vision and a flair for creativity.

These AA games may have modest production values – compared to the ones AAA gaming brings to the table – and low marketing budgets – if any, in some cases – but they are labors of love that players can truly appreciate. Crucially, they often contribute more to video games as an entertainment medium and as an art form than most of the flashy but derivative productions, sequels, prequels and yearly updates the so-called AAA gaming machine has delivered over the last two decades.

This was evident throughout this year’s Game Awards ceremony. Microsoft had to walk away with a single award (Innovation for Accessibility in Doom: The Dark Ages) and Nintendo received just two for its biggest releases this year (Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza). EA received just one (for Battlefield 6) while Ubisoft and Capcom received none. Along with Sony, all of these companies used to dominate in terms of industry nominations and awards for a very long time. Well, not this year.

Here’s the full list of the Game Awards winners for 2025:

Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Game Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Art Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Score and Music
Lorien Testard (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

Best Narrative
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Audio Design
Battlefield 6

Best Adaptation
HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2

Best Community Support
Baldur’s Gate 3

Games for Impact
South of Midnight

Innovation in Accessibility
DOOM: The Dark Ages

Best Performance
Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

Best Ongoing Game
No Man’s Sky

Best Mobile Game
Umamasume: Pretty Derby

Best Multiplayer
ARC Raiders

Best Independent Game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Debut Indie Game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best VR/AR Game
The Midnight Walk

Content Creator of the Year
MoistCr1tikal

Most Anticipated Game
Grand Theft Auto VI

Best Action Adventure Game
Hollow Knight Silksong

Best Role-Playing Game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best Fighting Game
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

Best Action Game
Hades 2

Best Family Game
Donkey Kong Bananza

Best Sim/Strategy Game
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Best Sports/Racing Game
Mario Kart World

Best e-sports Game
Counter-Strike 2

Best e-sports Athlete
Chovy

Best e-sports Team
Team Vitality (Counter-Strike 2)

Player’s Voice Award
Wuthering Waves

It’s true that – despite this triumph of Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong – nobody really expects AA titles to suddenly take over and rule the mainstream gaming market fueled by creativity and passion alone. Even a cursory glance at the 2026 release schedule is enough to confirm that AAA games will still attract most of the attention – and disposable income and play time – of consumers going forward. Everyone even expects Grand Theft Auto VI to show off the power of blockbuster productions in an almost intimidating manner come November, reminding gamers why AAA gaming has been shaping this market for so long.

That was never the point, though. The point was that high-quality entertainment can come from development studios and publishers of any size, that truly excellent games do not have to cost as much as Marvel movies, that fun does not have anything to do with branding or marketing. Players can now expect their next favorite game to be one they came across almost by chance, made by a creative team they had never heard of before. That, in the greater scheme of things, is a win. One worth celebrating.