Crucial Update (December 22, 2025):
In a surprising turn of events following the conclusion of The Indie Game Awards 2025, the organizing body, Six One Indie, has officially rescinded two major accolades previously awarded to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Despite being initially named Game of the Year and Best Debut, the titles were revoked after Sandfall Interactive confirmed the utilization of generative AI during the game’s development.
Six One Indie maintains a rigorous policy against the use of generative AI in all nominated works. While the studio initially claimed no such tools were used, their subsequent admission led to an immediate disqualification. As a result, the runners-up have been elevated to winner status: Blue Prince is now the official Game of the Year, and Sorry We’re Closed has claimed the title for Best Debut. The results below have been updated to reflect these changes.
Original Report (December 19, 2025):
The passionate collective at Six One Indie returned this year to host their second annual celebration of independent excellence. We were honored to serve as part of the voting jury for the 2025 ceremony, witnessing an extraordinary showcase of creativity and innovation. After a night of well-deserved recognition for the year’s most impactful indie titles, the final results are in.
The Indie Game Awards 2025: The Complete Winners Circle
Below is the comprehensive list of categories and nominees. The final winners are highlighted in bold.
Achievement in Accessibility
- Abiotic Factor
- Barista
- Calm the Storm
- Peak
- Spray Paint Simulator
- Squeakross: Home Squeak Home
African Indie Game Award
- Bru & Boegie Get Da Milk!
- Finding Father
- Flibbius McDoogle and The Mysterious Flying Machine
- IKEELYA
- Metavoidal
- Stick It To The Stickman
ANZ Indie Game Award (Australia & New Zealand)
- Abiotic Factor
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Mars First Logistics
- PROXIMATE
- Tempopo
- The Drifter
Bite-Sized Game
- CARIMARA – Beneath the Forlorn Limbs
- FlyKnight
- Many Nights a Whisper
- The Dark Queen of Mortholme
- this game will end in 205 clicks.
- Time Flies
Black Voices in Gaming Award
- Advent Neon
- Altheia: The Wrath of Aferi
- Sorry We’re Closed
- Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To
- Sunken Stones
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical
Community Management
- Consume Me
- Date Everything!
- IKEELYA
- Peak
- Soulstone Survivors
- Strange Scaffold
Best Debut Game
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33(Disqualified)- Discounty
- Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson
- ILA: A Frosty Glide
- Sorry We’re Closed
- Tyrant’s Realm
Emotional Impact
- Afterlove EP
- and Roger
- Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
- Henry Halfhead
- Wanderstop
- Wednesdays
Gameplay Design
- Absolum
- Ball x Pit
- Dawnfolk
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Keep Driving
- Look Outside
- Öoo
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
- The King is Watching
Innovation Award
- Blue Prince
- FREERIDE
- Gas Station Story
- PBJ The Musical
- Ruffy and the Riverside
- Taria & Como
Latin American Indie Game Award
- Adventure of Samsara
- despelote
- Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
- Taria & Como
- Tormented Souls 2
Best Music & Score
- Everhood 2
- Herdling
- Rift of the NecroDancer
- SONOKUNI
- Sword of the Sea
- Wheel World
Narrative Excellence
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Consume Me
- Promise Mascot Agency
- The Drifter
- The Roottrees are Dead
- The Séance of Blake Manor
Outstanding Solo Development
- Lushfoil Photography Sim
- Megabonk
- NAIAD
- Spilled!
- Tall Trails
- Vile: Exhumed
Southeast Asian Indie Game Award
- Afterlove EP
- Artis Impact
- Glyphica: Typing Survival
- SEDAP! A Culinary Adventure
- Urban Jungle
- Whisper Mountain Outbreak
Visual Design
- 30 Birds
- Artis Impact
- Cat Detective Albert Wilde
- Eclipsium
- Mashina
- Slime Rancher 2
Women-Led Indie Game Award
- Cabernet
- Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping
- Gemporium: A Cute Mining Sim
- Spilled!
- Urban Myth Dissolution Center
- White Knuckle
Game of the Year
- Absolum
- and Roger
- Blue Prince
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33(Disqualified)- Consume Me
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Keep Driving
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
Community Choice Awards
- Best Action Game: Hades II
- Best Adventure Game: Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Best Horror Game: R.E.P.O.
- Best Interactive Fiction: Date Everything!
- Best Multiplayer Game: Peak
- Best Puzzle Game: Blue Prince
- Best Role Playing Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Simulation Game: Schedule 1
- Best Strategy Game: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
- Best Survival Game: Abiotic Factor
- Community GOTY: Hollow Knight: Silksong
Signature & Special Honors
The ceremony also recognized individuals and collectives who have made significant contributions to the industry through these special designations.
Indie Vanguard Class of 2025
- Chantey (Gortyn Code)
- Neon Knives (Cookiecrayon)
- Seasonala Cemetery (Gabby DaRienzo, Kait Tremblay, Jen Costa, Nina Wong, halina heron, Mobeen Fiktree, Jacqueline de Leon)
- HYPERBEAT (Alice Bottino, Chancellor Wallin)
- Wildwood Down (Crashable Studios)
The Mohammad Fahmi Storyteller Award
- Maddy Thorson – Extremely OK Games, Ltd (Celeste, TowerFall Ascension)
Industry Impact Award
- Game Devs of Color – Accepted by Catt Small, Brian S. Chung, and Joshy Boykin
That concludes the winners of The Indie Game Awards 2025! Does the shift in Game of the Year surprise you? Share your thoughts on the winners and the controversial disqualification in the comments section.
