By Sagar V. Mankar 
The Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) has revealed its nominees for 2025, with Astro Bot and Black Myth: Wukong leading the nominations. Both games received seven nominations each, including for Game of the Year (GOTY). The awards ceremony will take place on March 19 during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.
Astro Bot, developed by Team ASOBI for Sony, celebrates PlayStation’s 30th anniversary by bringing together iconic characters from the platform’s history. The game earned praise for its innovative level of design, music, and creativity, winning over 110 GOTY awards in 2024 including the prestigious The Game Awards (TGA).
Black Myth: Wukong, created by Game Science, brings Chinese mythology to life through challenging action-RPG gameplay based on the classic ‘Journey to the West’ story. With over 20 million copies sold and generating more than $1 billion in revenue on Steam alone, the game also took home the Game of the Year award at the Steam Awards.
Another standout nominee is Animal Well, developed by Billy Basso and published by Bigmode, which received five nominations for its unique puzzle-solving Metroidvania gameplay. It received high praise from the gaming community, including LocalThunk, the developer of Balatro, who awarded it his personal “Golden Thunk Award” as his Game of the Year 2024.
Balatro, a poker-themed roguelike deck-building game, also gained significant recognition, securing four nominations, including GOTY. The game has been a massive success, selling over five million copies. It received several accolades in 2024, including Mobile Game of the Year, Best Debut Indie Game, and Indie Game of the Year at TGA. Additionally, it won the Game of the Year title at the inaugural Indie Game Awards.
The nominees for each category of the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards are as follows:
Best Audio
- “Animal Well” (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” (Square Enix)
- “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
Best Debut
- “1000xRESIST” (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- “Animal Well” (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- “Balatro” (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- “Pacific Drive” (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
- “Tiny Glade” (Pounce Light)
Best Design
- “Animal Well” (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Balatro” (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “Lorelai and the Laser Eyes” (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
Innovation Award
- “Animal Well” (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Balatro” (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “UFO 50” (Mossmouth)
Best Narrative
- “1000xRESIST” (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth” (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)
- “Metaphor: ReFantazio” (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
- “Mouthwashing” (Wrong Organ / Critical Reflex)
Best Technology
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “Helldivers 2” (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
- “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
- “Tiny Glade” (Pounce Light)
Best Visual Art
- “Animal Well” (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “Metaphor: ReFantazio” (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
- “Neva” (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Social Impact
- “1000xRESIST” (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Frostpunk 2” (11 bit studios)
- “Life is Strange: Double Exposure” (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix)
- “Neva” (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Game of the Year
- “Astro Bot” (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- “Balatro” (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- “Black Myth: Wukong” (Game Science)
- “Helldivers 2” (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
- “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” (Square Enix)
- “Metaphor: ReFantazio” (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
The GDCA stands out as the only major gaming awards voted on exclusively by game developers. Games released during 2024 were eligible for nomination, with winners chosen by the International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), an invitation-only group of industry professionals.
Beyond the main categories, the Audience Award allows the GDC community to vote for their favorite game among the 18 finalists. The public can cast their votes through the Audience Award ballot.
The ceremony will be streamed live on GDC’s Twitch channel, and GDC attendees can watch in person.