the game awards

The Game Awards 2025: Prime Video Stream, Nominees, and Game of the Year Predictions

The video game industry's biggest night is fast approaching, promising a spectacle of world premieres, emotional speeches, and the prestigious Game of the Year award. The Game Awards 2025 is set to return this December, and the excitement is palpable. This year marks a significant shift in how audiences will tune in, while the competition for the top prize appears fiercer than ever.

From a groundbreaking streaming partnership with Amazon to a nominee list dominated by both massive franchises and beloved indie darlings, here is everything you need to know about The Game Awards 2025.

A New Way to Watch: Streaming Live on Prime Video

In a major development for the event's accessibility, The Game Awards 2025 will stream live on Prime Video. This new partnership between event creator Geoff Keighley and Amazon marks a significant expansion of the show's distribution, ensuring it reaches millions of households globally.

According to an official report from About Amazon, the event will be available to watch on Prime Video "at no cost to customers." This move is designed to leverage Amazon's massive infrastructure to deliver a high-quality viewing experience to a broader audience than ever before.

But the partnership goes beyond just a live stream. As part of the deal, Amazon will launch a dedicated shop for The Game Awards merchandise. Furthermore, viewers tuning in via Prime Video can expect "Prime-exclusive, limited-time deals across nominated games, new releases, hardware and more, revealed in real-time." This integration of commerce and content suggests a more interactive experience for the audience, potentially allowing viewers to purchase games that catch their eye during the broadcast.

While the show will remain available on other traditional platforms like YouTube and Twitch, the Prime Video push signals a new era for the annual ceremony, blending celebration with immediate commercial opportunities.

The Contenders: Nominees and Game of the Year Predictions

The heart of any awards show is the list of nominees, and for 2025, the slate is a fascinating mix of industry titans and critical darlings. According to reports from GameSpot and Polygon, the nomination reveal has set the stage for a compelling race.

While the official list of nominees is comprehensive, all eyes are on the coveted Game of the Year category. Based on verified reports, the leading contenders for the top prize include:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: A title that has generated significant buzz, likely for its unique artistic direction and narrative ambition.
• Hades 2: The sequel to the universally acclaimed Hades, which set a new standard for the roguelike genre.
• Hollow Knight: Silksong: One of the most anticipated indie games in recent memory, its release alone was a major event for the gaming community.

The presence of two major indie titles alongside what is presumed to be a high-budget production highlights a recurring theme in the industry: creative, innovative smaller games often punch well above their weight class, competing directly with blockbuster franchises. Polygon's analysis suggests that the 2025 lineup is particularly strong for indie developers, a trend that reflects the democratization of game development tools and distribution platforms.

Other notable nominations reported across various sources include Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Donkey Kong Bananza, representing high-profile sequels from established franchises (Kojima Productions and Nintendo, respectively). This mix ensures a diverse televised showcase, appealing to fans of all genres.

Contextual Background: The Evolution of a Cultural Touchstone

To understand the weight of The Game Awards 2025, it's essential to look at its history. Created and hosted by Geoff Keighley in 2014, the event was designed to be a "Red Carpet for Gaming," a celebration of the medium that had long lacked a dedicated, high-profile ceremony of its own.

As detailed in its Wikipedia entry, The Game Awards has evolved from a modest gathering into a global broadcast with a massive viewership, often exceeding 100 million streams across all platforms. Its significance extends beyond handing out trophies. The show has become the industry's premier stage for marketing and announcements. Developers and publishers vie for a slot during the broadcast to debut world premieres of upcoming games, making the event as much about the future of gaming as it is about the past year's achievements.

This dual identity—as both an awards ceremony and a marketing vehicle—is central to its success and cultural impact. For the nominees, a win or even a nomination provides a massive boost in visibility and sales, a phenomenon often referred to as the "Game Awards bump." For the industry, it is a moment of unity and reflection, showcasing the artistic and technical leaps made each year.

The Game Awards 2025 continues this legacy, with the added weight of a new streaming era and a competitive field that reflects the diverse tastes of the global gaming community.

Immediate Effects and Industry Implications

The announcements surrounding The Game Awards 2025 have immediate ripple effects across the gaming landscape.

For Amazon and Prime Video: Securing the live stream of a cultural event that draws tens of millions of viewers is a major strategic win. It positions Prime Video as a serious contender in the live-event streaming space, competing directly with YouTube and Twitch for gaming-centric audiences. The integration of real-time shopping deals is a novel experiment in "shoppertainment" that, if successful, could be replicated for other major live broadcasts.

For the Nominees: The official nomination list instantly catapults these games back into the spotlight. For games released earlier in the year, it's a powerful reminder to potential buyers. For upcoming titles, it builds immense anticipation. The competition itself becomes a narrative, driving conversation on social media, forums, and in gaming press for weeks.

For Developers and Publishers: The prestige of a Game Awards nomination is a valuable marketing asset. It validates the creative risks taken by development teams and can be a deciding factor for consumers on the fence about a purchase. The diverse list of nominees, including several indie studios, also sends a clear message: innovation is rewarded, and the barrier to entry for critical acclaim has never been lower for talented creators.

The Road to the Peacock Theater: What to Expect

The Game Awards 2025 is scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 11. The show is slated to run from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM PT, which translates to an 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM ET start time for viewers on the East Coast.

While the host, Geoff Keighley, has confirmed the event will feature a mix of awards and world premieres, the exact number and nature of the game announcements remain under wraps. However, based on the show's history, viewers can expect a fast-paced evening packed with exclusive trailers, developer interviews, and musical performances.

The new partnership with Amazon suggests that the broadcast may also feature interactive elements, potentially allowing viewers to engage with the show in new ways beyond simply watching.

Future Outlook: The Biggest Night in Gaming

As December approaches, all signs point to The Game Awards 2025 being a landmark event. The primary narrative will undoubtedly center on the crowning of the Game of the Year winner. Will it be the highly anticipated sequel Hades 2? The indie phenomenon Hollow Knight: Silksong? Or another contender that has captured the public's imagination?

Regardless of who takes home the trophy, the event's structure and distribution are already shaping the future of live entertainment. The move to Prime Video opens the door for more integrated, interactive, and commerce-driven broadcasts. This could lead to a new standard for how large-scale entertainment events are monetized and delivered to a global audience.

For now, the gaming world waits with bated breath. The nominees are set, the stage is being built, and the stream is ready. On December 11, the industry will gather not just to celebrate the best games of the year, but to define the next era of interactive entertainment.