Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads nominations for the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards

The finalists for the 26th Game Developer Choice Awards have been revealed, with "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" earning eight nominations in total.

This RPG from Sandfall Interactive is nominated for Game of the Year, contending with "Hollow Knight: Silksong," "Blue Prince," "Donkey Kong Bananza," "Split Fiction," and "Ghost of Yōtei."

"Ghost of Yōtei" acquired five nominations, including Best Narrative, Best Audio, Best Visual Art, and Best Technology categories.

"Donkey Kong Bananza" gained four nominations in total, while "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach" was recognized in three categories.

The nominees were chosen by the GDCA's International Choice Awards Network, which consists of a select group of seasoned game developers.

The awards ceremony will occur on March 12 during the GDC Festival of Gaming, held at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center from March 9 to March 13, 2026.

The 28th Independent Games Festival awards will take place on March 11, with both events being available for free viewing on Twitch.

Nomination List:

Game of the Year

• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
• Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)

Best Debut

• Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun & Friends/Devolver Digital)
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Dispatch (Adhoc Studio)

Best Narrative

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Split Fiction

Best Design

• Ball x Pit
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Split Fiction

Best Visual Art

• Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Dotemu, Supamonks/Dotemu)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
• Keeper (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)

Best Audio

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/SIE)
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Rift of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games/Kei Publishing)
• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)

Best Technology

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Split Fiction

Innovation Award

• Ball x Pit
• Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital)
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Donkey Kong Bananza

Social Impact Award

• And Roger (TearyHand Studio/Kodansha)
• Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Jie En Lee/Violet W-P/Ken "coda" Snyder/Hexecutable)
• Despelote
• Dispatch