The Indie Game Awards return for their second year on December 18 and the group announced its 2025 nominations.
(Evidently, I forgot to publish this when it came out. So here it is, for the record. And Happy Thanksgiving).
For the second time, 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. The countdown to the ceremony officially begins today with the reveal of this year’s judges, presenters, and, of course, nominees.
New to the annual awards-only ceremony is the Indie Vanguard Class, 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.
Chandana Ekanayake, Lena Raine, Remy Siu, and Chipzel are among the 28 presenters representing the developers who continue to drive the industry forward. Nominations have been thoughtfully deliberated by a broad and diverse panel of indie showcase curators and industry experts .
The groups include Six One Indie, Latin American Games Showcase, Women-Led Games, Wholesome Games, The MIX, Black Voices in Gaming, Frosty Games Fest, Southeast Asian Games Showcase, Playtopia Festival, and The Indie Informer, as well as prominent voices from games journalism and content creation, such as Giant Bomb, Game Informer, GameSpot, Wanderbots, Steve Saylor, and noclip. Rather than being guided by any single organization or outlet, the IGAs are shaped through this wide-ranging collaboration, creating a collective celebration of indie games and the developers who bring them to life.
Here’s the full slate of presenters, judges, and nominees, including Game of the Year.
The 2025 IGA Game of the Year Nominees
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
For the complete list of nominees, presenters, and judges, be sure to visit the official Indie Game Awards website. Mark your calendars: the Indie Game Awards will premiere on December 18 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time 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. Be sure to follow The Indie Game Awards on Bluesky to stay up to date with all the latest news and updates as the festivities unfold.
The Indie Games Awards (The IGAs) is an annual awards-only ceremony dedicated to honoring excellence in indie gaming. Featuring categories that celebrate innovation, storytelling, artistry, and more, The IGAs spotlight compelling and groundbreaking titles from around the world. The ceremony is developer-focused, with game creators taking center stage to present awards, recognize their peers, and openly speak without the pressure of time constraints.
From the initial planning phase through to the premiere and beyond, the IGAs are shaped by a wide-ranging collaboration of professionals across the games industry, rather than any single organization or outlet. This collective effort creates a true celebration of indie games and the developers who passionately bring them to life.
Six One Indie is a grassroots collective focused on making gaming showcases, awards, and overall visibility more approachable for independent developers. We strive to be a critical backbone for the indie scene; supporting developers, amplifying their voices, and helping bring overlooked games to players everywhere.