Bafta announces the winners of the Games Awards 2025

The 21st BAFTA Games Awards have announced the winners across 17 categories.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has revealed the results of its annual video game awards, with 1,300 BAFTA members voting. Out of 58 games considered, only 41 made it to the long list.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II leads this year's BAFTA nominations with an impressive 11 nods. Developed by Ninja Theory, the game follows the fierce warrior Senua as she battles enemies, spirits, and mythical creatures in Viking-era Iceland.

Astro Bot, which received three wins at the 2024 Game Awards, including "Game of the Year," was released in September 2024 by the Japanese studio Team Asobi. This single-player platformer, available exclusively on PlayStation 5, is the first Sony game to feature full Ukrainian localization at launch. The game follows a robot journeying through galaxies and planets, each with 80 challenging levels, alongside epic boss battles.

Let's take a closer look at a few categories which we’ve seen as the most interesting!

Astro Bot is a 3D platformer developed by Team Asobi and released in September 2024 exclusively for PlayStation 5. The game follows Astro, a small robot, as he embarks on a space adventure across multiple galaxies, each featuring unique levels and challenges. With its charming design, creative gameplay mechanics, and engaging boss battles, Astro Bot has been praised for its innovation and accessibility.

Balatro is a roguelike deck-building poker video game developed by LocalThunk and published by PlayStack. In Balatro, players can use powerful jokers to alter the game’s rules, and the game features a wide row of collaborations with other game franchises (The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed, Fallout, etc), introducing special decks and abilities to shake up the gameplay.

Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG set in the world of Journey to the West, developed by Game Science. Players control the Destined One, a staff-wielding monkey, on a quest to recover six relics tied to Sun Wukong’s senses. The game combines mythology with action-packed gameplay in a beautifully crafted world.

Helldivers 2 is a third-person shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Released on February 8, 2024, for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 5, it serves as the sequel to the 2015 game Helldivers.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a 2024 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Grezzo, and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It marks the first mainline The Legend of Zelda game where Princess Zelda is the main playable character.

Thank Goodness You're Here! is an adventure game where players control a small, balding salesman sent to the bizarre town of Barnsworth. Tasked with helping eccentric residents with odd jobs, the game features absurd humor and quirky situations. Released on August 1, 2024, it’s available on multiple platforms and praised for its unique charm.

Animal Well is a 2024 metroidvania game developed by Shared Memory and published by Bigmode. Players control a droplet exploring a labyrinth filled with animals. Released on May 9, 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows, it has received positive reviews. The game focuses on non-linear platforming and puzzle-solving, with a map designed to be dense and rich in content rather than large.

Pacific Drive is a first-person survival simulator set in the Pacific Northwest, where players drive through a mysterious zone, avoiding dangerous anomalies. Key features include car repair and customization, atmospheric exploration, and a narrative-driven journey. The game combines vehicle-based gameplay with survival elements, offering a unique experience on PlayStation 5 and Windows.

The Plucky Squire is an action-adventure game where players follow Jot, a brave character cast out of his storybook by the villain Humgrump. As Jot explores the real world and his fantasy book, the game blends magical storytelling with dynamic environments. Key features include a whimsical plot, exploration across both 2D and 3D worlds, and charming character interactions.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a 2024 Metroidvania game where players control Zau, a young shaman on a quest to capture three monster spirits for the God of Death to revive his father. The game features fluid movement mechanics, including double jumps and wall jumps, alongside two upgradeable masks for combat. The 2.5D world offers new abilities as players progress, unlocking paths and skills.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a 2024 action RPG and the fourth major installment in the Dragon Age series. Players control Rook, a customizable character tasked with preventing the elven god Solas from ending the world, while dealing with two other dangerous elven gods. The game features a third-person perspective and a new combat system focused on combo abilities, replacing the open world and tactical elements of its predecessor.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a 2024 action RPG developed and published by Square Enix. It is the second installment in the planned remake trilogy of the 1997 Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation. The game continues the story immediately after the events of Final Fantasy VII Remake, where players control Cloud Strife and the eco-terrorist group Avalanche. They journey across the Planet to stop the Shinra corporation from exploiting the Planet's life force, the Lifestream, as an energy source, and to confront the powerful former soldier, Sephiroth, who seeks to merge with the Planet for greater power.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a 2024 RPG developed by Studio Zero and published by Atlus in Japan and Sega worldwide. Set in a medieval fantasy kingdom reflecting the modern world, it follows Will, an orphan and childhood friend of the cursed prince. Will participates in a royal tournament to determine the next ruler while searching for a way to break the prince's curse.

Still Wakes the Deep is a 2024 psychological horror game developed by The Chinese Room and published by Secret Mode. Set in the 1970s on a damaged oil rig in the North Sea, players control an electrician trapped by monstrous entities. Without combat, the game focuses on stealth and puzzle-solving to survive. As the story unfolds, the oil rig evolves, creating a tense and atmospheric experience. Inspired by The Thing and Annihilation, the game emphasizes claustrophobia and the fear of the ocean, with authentic period details and Scottish voice acting, including Alec Newman as the protagonist.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, is the 21st installment in the Call of Duty series and the sixth main entry in the Black Ops storyline. It became available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers at launch. The game continues the Cold War narrative, with a dynamic spy thriller campaign, 16 new multiplayer maps, and an enhanced "Zombies" mode featuring two new maps.

Lego Horizon Adventures, released on November 14, 2024, is an action-adventure game developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo, blending the Horizon series with Lego elements. It offers isometric gameplay, customizable characters, and cooperative multiplayer. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a 2024 third-person shooter with hack-and-slash elements, developed by Saber St. Petersburg. The game follows Titus, a lieutenant of the Ultramarines, as he battles enemies in both melee and ranged combat. It features cooperative multiplayer and received generally positive reviews.

Tiny Glade is a cozy indie simulation game with a cottagecore aesthetic, developed by Pounce Light. Released on September 23, 2024, it lets players create dioramas of homes, ruins, or castles using procedural generation, ensuring each structure looks complete. The game received positive reviews for its relaxing atmosphere and visual style, though some criticized its limited toolset.

Super Mario Party Jamboree, released in 2024, is the thirteenth entry in the Mario Party series for the Nintendo Switch. It features competitive board game gameplay with minigames, a single-player mission mode, and up to 20 players in online multiplayer. The game received positive reviews for its game board variety, multiplayer features, and polish, though some game modes were criticized.

Tekken 8, released on January 26, 2024, is a fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Arika. The game continues the story of Kazumi and Jin Kazama, focusing on their final showdown. It introduces new mechanics like the "Heat" system and "Tornado" combo attacks, along with a new "Arcade Quest" mode. Developed on Unreal Engine 5, it received positive reviews for its aggressive gameplay and improvements, with some considering it the best entry since Tekken 3.

Tactical Breach Wizards, released in 2024, is a turn-based tactics game where players control a team of wizards fighting against a theocracy. The humorous missions blend espionage and fantasy elements, with unique wizard abilities like weather manipulation and necromancy. It became a Steam best-seller upon release.

About BAFTA Awards

The BAFTA Games Awards have been presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts since 2004, recognizing excellence in video games. The 2025 awards ceremony is set to take place on April 8 in London.