IGN Awards 2025: The Nominees

It's almost time to welcome 2026—the year we finally get to play Grand Theft Auto 6. But first, there are still a few days left to celebrate the standout moments of this year, and that’s exactly what the IGN Awards 2025 is here for. This year brought an incredible wave of outstanding games, movies, and TV shows, and we’re honoring the very best of the past 12 months in pop culture.

2025 was the year Hollow Knight: Silksong’s long, long development finally came to an end, proving that patience truly pays off. But it was also a year of bold new voices, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from debut studio Sandfall Interactive dominating gaming conversations for much of the year. On the big screen, the moody horror-action of Sinners and the breakneck thrills of One Battle After Another kept us on the edge of our seats, while in our living rooms, we were captivated by the twists of Severance’s second season and the dark mysteries of Batman: Dark Patterns. All these brilliant titles—and more—are nominated for this year’s IGN Awards.

Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2025 IGN Awards. Starting Monday, December 15, and continuing through the week, we’ll announce winners in categories like Best Xbox Game, Best PlayStation Game, Best Nintendo Game, Best Movie, Best TV Show, Best Anime, and many more. The week culminates on Friday, December 19, when we reveal IGN’s Game of the Year. Check back daily—this page will update with every winner as they’re announced.

Before we begin, a note on our platform-specific awards. We’ve never strictly required games on our PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo shortlists to be exclusives, but we’ve traditionally leaned toward titles that felt uniquely tied to each console. This year, in response to evolving industry trends, we’ve opened the door to any game released on these platforms, regardless of exclusivity. The resulting shortlists reveal how much multi-platform and third-party titles shaped each console in 2025—just as much as their exclusive titles.

The IGN Awards are voted on by our content team—the creators behind everything you read and watch on IGN, from social posts to in-depth reviews and comprehensive guides. But we don’t just want to tell you what we think was best this year: we want to hear what you loved too. Cast your vote for your favorite games, movies, shows, and more in the polls below.