The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) has announced its nominees for the upcoming 28th annual DICE Awards.
Via press release, 64 games from 2025 have been nominated. Arc Raiders, Blue Prince, Dispatch, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Ghost of Yōtei are the candidates for game of the year. The latter two have accrued the most nominations with eight each, followed by Arc Raiders and Dispatch with six each.
“(…) on behalf of all of us at the Academy, I extend my congratulations to all of our finalists,” AIAS president Meggan Scavio said in the announcement. “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 DICE Awards.”
You can find the full nominee list here, with select examples listed below. The DICE Awards are set to air in Las Vegas on Thursday, February 12.
Game of the Year
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Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
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Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
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Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/PlayStation)
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
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Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
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Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/PlayStation)
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Hades II (Supergiant Games)
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
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Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
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Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
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Hades II (Supergiant Games)
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
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Öoo (NamaTakanashi/tiny cactus studio/Tsuyomi)
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/PlayStation)
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Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/PlayStation)
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The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games)
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
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Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo/Maxi Boch/Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital)
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Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
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Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Jie En Lee/Violet W-P/Ken “coda” Snyder/Hexecutable)
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Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastian Valbuena/Panic)
