The 29th DICE Awards Nominees Have Been Revealed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 And Ghost Of Yōtei Lead The Pack

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the nominees for its 29th annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost Of Yōtei lead the pack with eight nominations each. The award show will be livestreamed from the Aria Resort in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m.  ET on Thursday, February 12. 

Amongst the thousands of games released in 2025, 64 make up the nominations for this year's awards show. At the top of the list with eight nominations each are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost Of Yōtei, followed by Arc Raiders and Dispatch with six nominations, Blue Prince with five nominations, and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach with four.

Kinda Funny co-founder Greg Miller and media personality Stella Chung (who previously worked at IGN), return as co-hosts of the show this year – the two revealed the nominations during today's episode of Kinda Funny Games Daily before AIAS released a press release with the nominations. 

"First, thank you to our peer panelists," AIAS president Meggan Scavio writes in a press release. "Your dedication and expertise in our judging process, and your work in selecting the best games of 2025, is truly appreciated. And on behalf of all of us at the Academy, I extend my congratulations to all of our finalists. Each of these games has impressed us through its creativity, artistry, and technical achievement, and we look forward to celebrating your accomplishments at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards." 

Notably, the D.I.C.E. Awards are voted on by a panel of judges who are all game developers, which differs from other shows, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards, in which the panel of judges is made up of media outlets (like Game Informer). Unlike The Game Awards, there are never any video game announcements, reveals, or world premieres at the D.I.C.E. Awards. 

You can find the full list of nominations for every award below: 

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost Of Yōtei
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• South of Midnight
• The Midnight Walk

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Dispatch
• Ghost Of Yōtei
• The Midnight Walk

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Esquie
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Maelle
• Dispatch – Courtney/Invisigal
• Dispatch – Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man
• Ghost Of Yōtei – Atsu

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost Of Yōtei
• Herdling
• Mario Kart World
• Sword of the Sea

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Arc Raiders
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost Of Yōtei
• Lumines Arise
• Split Fiction

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Consume Me
• despelote
• South of Midnight
• The Drifter

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin's Creed Shadows
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• DOOM: The Dark Ages

Action Game of the Year

• Absolum
• Arc Raiders
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Hades II
• Ninja Gaiden 4

Adventure Game of the Year

• Blue Prince
• Dispatch
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Ghost Of Yōtei
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Family Game of the Year

• LEGO Party!
• LEGO Voyagers
• Lumines Arise
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion
• POPUCOM

Fighting Game of the Year

• 2XKO
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2
• Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
• Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
• WWE 2K25

Racing Game of the Year

• EA Sports F1 25
• Kirby Air Riders
• Mario Kart World
• Wheel World

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• The Outer Worlds 2

Sports Game of the Year

• EA Sports FC 26
• PGA Tour 2K25
• MLB The Show 25
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• The Alters
• Drop Duchy
• Europa Universalis V
• The King is Watching
• StarVaders

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Ghost Town
• Hotel Infinity
• Marvel's Deadpool VR
• Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset
• Unloop

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked
• Ghost Town
• Marvel's Deadpool VR
• The Midnight Walk
• Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Baby Steps
• Blue Prince
• Consume Me
• despelote
• Dispatch

Mobile Game of the Year

• Persona 5: The Phantom X
• Umamusume: Pretty Derby
• What The Clash?
• Where Winds Meet

Online Game of the Year

• Arc Raiders
• Battlefield 6
• Mario Kart World
• Marvel Rivals
• Split Fiction

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Arc Raiders
• Blue Prince
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Öoo

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Game of the Year

• Arc Raiders
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei

And those are all the nominations for the 29th annual D.I.C.E. Awards. 

What game do you think will win Game of the Year? Let us know in the comments below!