Game Informer Is A Judge In The Indie Game Awards This Year, And Here Are The Nominees

Last year, the team over at Six One Indie debuted The Indie Game Awards, and it was a lovingly put-together award show that celebrated the achievements of indie developers around the world, from the big hits that you probably played to games you might not have even heard of (but should have). The Indie Game Awards return this year on December 18, and Game Informer is honored and thrilled to be an official judge in this year's show alongside various other outlets and individuals. 

The official website for the show is now live, which is where you can see the other judges and, more importantly, the nominations, including the 2025 Game of the Year. 

"Once again, the IGAs will bring the indie scene together to honor outstanding achievements in categories such as innovation, storytelling, artistry, and more, all celebrating the creativity of independent developers," a press release reads. "The countdown to the ceremony officially begins today with the reveal of this year's judges, presenters, and of course, nominees." 

One new thing with this year's show is the Indie Vanguard Class, which Six One Indie describes as a selection of five developers who represent the future of the industry and stand among those paving the way forward for the indie scene. "New regional and showcase-specific categories, curated by showcases such as Latin American Games Showcase, Women-Led Games, and Black Voices in Gaming, have been added to better celebrate diverse voices from around the globe. And finally, players can now submit their favorite indies across a variety of genres for the highly requested Community Picks segment." 

This year's awards-only ceremony – you won't find any new game trailers or reveals in the show – will feature 28 presenters from all around the industry, including Chandana Ekanayake, Lena Raine, Remy Siu, and Chipzel, alongside a panel of judges that includes, well, us here at Game Informer, The Indie Informer, Giant Bomb, GameSpot, NoClip, and others, including Women-Led Games, Wholesome Games, The MIX, Black Voices in Gaming, and more. 

Game Of The Year Nominations

Below, we'll list all the nominations for the 2025 Game of the Year award, but you can find the complete list of nominees, presenters, and judges at the official awards site here. 

• Absolum – Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and Supamonks
• and Roger – TearyHand Studio
• Blue Prince – Dogubomb
• Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Jump Over the Age
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive
• Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, and Ken "coda" Snyder
• Hades II – Supergiant Games
• Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry
• Keep Driving – YCJY Games
• Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo – Pocket Trap

The Indie Game Awards will premiere on December 18 at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET via Six One Indie's YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as IGN and GameSpot. 

Players can submit their favorite indies for Community Picks until November 24, and you can follow The Indie Game Awards on Bluesky here for additional updates and more information about the ceremony.