29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
Date	February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12)
Venue	Aria Resort & Casino
Hosted by	Stella Chung, Greg Miller
Highlights
Most nominations	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 , Ghost of Yōtei
Hall of Fame	Evan Wells
←  28th  · D.I.C.E. Awards

The 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards is the 29th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards ("Design Innovate Communicate Entertain"), an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2025. The awards ceremony was arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and will be a part of the 2026 D.I.C.E. Summit. The ceremony will take place on February 12, 2025, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Greg Miller of Kinda Funny Games and Stella Chung, formerly of IGN, are returning as hosts for the ceremony. The nominees were announced on January 8, 2025.

Topping the list with 8 nominations each are Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Yōtei , followed by Embark Studios' ARC Raiders and AdHoc Studio's Dispatch with 6 nominations each. In addition, Dogubomb's Blue Prince earned 5 total nominations with Kojima Productions' Death Stranding 2: On the Beach close behind with 4 nominations. Sony Interactive Entertainment has garnered the most nominations amongst publishers, while Electronic Arts has published the most nominated games.

Evan Wells, former president of Naughty Dog and lead designer for Crash Bandicoot: Warped and the Jak & Daxter games will receive the Academy's Hall of Fame Award. ^[1]

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Game of the Year Awards

Game of the Year ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Aleksander Grøndal, Stefan Strandberg, Virgil Watkins Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Guillaume Broche, Tom Guillermin, François Meurisse Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, Pierre Shorette, Natalie Herman Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Online Game of the Year ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Virgil Watkins, Robert Träffe Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, Electronic Arts) — Christian Grass, Thomas 'Tompen' Andersson, Ryan McArthur Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD) — Yugo Hayashi, Wataru Hinoshita Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games) — Guangyn Chen, Fan Feng Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts) — Josef Fares, Aimar Bergan, Oskar Wolontis

Mobile Game of the Year Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio, Sega) — Yusuke Nitta, Zhen Wang, Yuta Sakai, Yohsuke Uda, Ran Wei, Jun Matsunaga Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames) — Koichi Watanabe What the Clash? (Triband) — Tim Garbos, Daniel Traun-Terkelsen, Christen Lorensen Where Winds Meet (Everstone Studio, NetEase Games) — Beralt Lyu

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Baby Steps (Devolver Digital) — Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Consume Me (Hexecutable LLC) — Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken "coda" Snyder Despelote (Panic Inc.) — Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena, Gabe Cuzzillo Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, Pierre Shorette, Natalie Herman

Immersive Reality Awards

Immersive Reality Game of the Year Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked (Resolution Games) — Gustav Stenmark, Parvathy Menon Ghost Town (Fireproof Studios) — Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Tom Seed Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games, Oculus Studios) — Josh Bear, Dan Bullock, Jody Coglianese The Midnight Walk (MoonHood, Fast Travel Games) — Klaus Lyngeled, Olov Redmalm Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow (Maze Theory, Vertigo Games) — Russ Harding, Steven Gallagher, Nick Witsel

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement Ghost Town (Fireproof Studios) — Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Dave Smeathers, Simon Fawcett, Ethan Prime Hotel Infinity (Studio Chyr) — William Chyr, Tara Quinsac, Tyler LaGrange Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games, Oculus Studios) — Frank Wilson, Gabe Farris, Mike Henry, Patrick Christenson, Naveen Nattam Star Wars: Beyond Victory - A Mixed Reality Playset (Industrial Light & Magic, Disney Electronic Content) — David R.S. Palumbo, Amy Dai Unloop (Superposition NULL, CM Games) — Nikolai Zharkov

Craft Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Guillaume Broche Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) Hades II (Supergiant Games) — Greg Kasavin, Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Darren Korb, Jen Zee, Andrew Wang Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver) — Daniel Vávra	Outstanding Achievement in Game Design ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Virgil Watkins Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Hades II (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Alice Lai, Eduardo Gorinstein, James Auck Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver) — Viktor Bocan, Prokop Jirsa Öoo — Nama Takahashi, Hachinos, Tsuyomi
Outstanding Achievement in Animation Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Masaaki Kawata, Ray Khalastchi Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom) — Kenji Yamaguchi, Hiroya Sasaki, Masaya Onai South of Midnight (Compulsion Games, Xbox Game Studios) — Mike Jungbluth, Vincent Schneider, Sebastien Dussault, Remi Emond, Ahmed Best The Midnight Walk (MoonHood, Fast Travel Games) — Lucas Åsaborn	Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Nicholas Maxson-Francombe Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Yoji Shinkawa, Megan Tuckwell Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Derek Stratton Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) The Midnight Walk (MoonHood, Fast Travel Games) — Victor Becker, Klaus Lyngeled
Outstanding Achievement in Character Esquie, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Performance: Maxence Cazorla; Writers: Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Guillame Broche Maelle, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Performance: Jennifer English; Writers: Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Guillame Broche Courtney/Invisigal, Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Voice Actor: Laura Bailey; Narrative Director: Pierre Shorette; Creative Directors: Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man, Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Voice Actor: Aaron Paul; Narrative Director: Pierre Shorette; Creative Directors: Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart Atsu, Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Actor: Erika Ishii	Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Toma Otowa, Keith Leary, Peter Scaturro Herdling (Okomotive, Panic Inc.) — Joel Schoch Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD) — Atsuko Asahi Sword of the Sea (Giant Squid) — Austin Wintory
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Bence Pajor, Olof Strömqvist, Simon Svanbäck Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Hiroyuki Hakayama, Justin Scott Wilson, Alex Previty, Noburo Masuda, Derrick Espino, Andres Herrera, Emile Mika, Stephen Schappler Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) Lumines Arise (Enhance Games, Monstars) — Takako Ishida, Noboru Mutoh Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts) — Philip Eriksson	Outstanding Achievement in Story Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Guillame Broche Consume Me (Hexecutable LLC) — Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson Despelote (Panic Inc.) — Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena, Gabe Cuzzillo South of Midnight (Compulsion Games, Xbox Game Studios) — Zaire Lanier, Dani Dee, Farah Brixi The Drifter (Powerhoof) — Dave Lloyd
Outstanding Technical Achievement ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Robert Träffe, Martin Singh-Blom Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Québec) — Claude Langlais, Pierre Fortin Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Akio Sakamoto, Megan Tuckwell Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD) — Kenta Motokura, Kazuya Takahashi, Daisuke Watanabe, Wataru Tanaka Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software, Bethesda Softworks) — Billy Khan, Bogdan Coroi, Evan Eubanks, Tiago Sousa

Genre Awards

Action Game of the Year Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Supamonks, Dotemu) — Micke Moïsa, Jordi Asensio, Cyrille Lagarigue, Maxime Mary ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Aleksander Grøndal, Stefan Strandberg, Virgil Watkins Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software, Bethesda Softworks) — Marty Stratton, Hugo Martin Hades II (Supergiant Games) — Greg Kasavin, Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Darren Korb, Jen Zee, Andrew Wang Ninja Gaiden 4 (Team Ninja, PlatinumGames, Xbox Game Studios) — Yuji Nakao, Fumihiko Yasuda, Masakazu Hirayama	Adventure Game of the Year Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, Pierre Shorette, Natalie Herman Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD) — Kenta Motokura, Kazuya Takahashi, Wataru Tanaka Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry) — Ari Gibson, William Pellen, Jack Vine, Christopher Larkin
Family Game of the Year Lego Party (SMG Studio, Fictions) — Ashley Ringrose, Mark Fennell, James Milenkovic Lego Voyagers (Light Brick Studio, Annapurna Interactive) — Karsten Lund, Mads Prahm Lumines Arise (Enhance Games, Monstars) — Takashi Ishihara, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Mark MacDonald, Julian Chunovic Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games, Dotemu) — Frederic Gemus, Remi Lavoie Popucom (Countersurge Salient, Gryphline) — Shawn Pan, Sai Li, Louise Chen	Fighting Game of the Year 2XKO (Riot Games) Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom) — Shuhei Matsumoto Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK) — Hayato Konya, Yasuyuki Oda Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse, Atari) — Mike Mika, Steven Johnson WWE 2K25 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) — Lynell Jinks, Alan Flores, Colin O'Hara
Racing Game of the Year F1 25 (Codemasters, Electronic Arts) — Lee Mather, Gavin Cooper, Andrew Watt, Chris Gray, David Williams, Gareth Lewis, Hugh Pearson, Nic Madden, Si Lumb Kirby Air Riders (Sora Ltd., Nintendo) — Masahiro Sakurai, Shinya Saito, Makoto Okazaki Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD) — Kosuke Yabuki, Shintaro Jikumaru, Kosuke Yabuki Wheel World (Messhof, Annapurna Interactive) — Mark Essen, Kristy Norindr	Role-Playing Game of the Year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Guillaume Broche, Tom Guillermin, François Meurisse Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Jump Over the Age, Fellow Traveller Games) — Gareth Damian Martin, Amos Roddy, Guillaume Singelin Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver) — Daniel Vávra, Martin Klima Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom) — Kaname Fujioka, Yuya Tokuda, Ryozo Tsujimoto The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios) — Leonard Boyarsky, Brandon Adler, Justin Britch
Sports Game of the Year EA Sports FC 26 (EA Vancouver, EA Romania, EA Sports) — John Shepherd, Adam Shaikh, Karim Versi PGA Tour 2K25 (HB Studios, 2K Games) — Peter Jones, Joe Stewart, Ken Alguire, Joel Thompson, David McFarland MLB The Show 25 (SIE San Diego Studio) NBA 2K26 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) — Mike Wang, Greg Thomas, Erick Boenisch Rematch (Sloclap, Kepler Interactive) — Pierre Tamo, Edward Sananikone	Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year The Alters (11 Bit Studios) — Tomasz Kisilewicz, Szymon Kurek, Jakub Karolczak, Stanislav Mishchenko Drop Duchy (Sleepy Mill Studio, The Arcade Crew) — Jean-Baptiste Oger Europa Universalis V (Paradox Tinto) — Johan Andersson The King is Watching (Hypnohead, tinyBuild) — Semen Itmanyuk, Vladimir Tolmachev StarVaders (Pengonauts, Joystick Ventures) — Eddie Cai, Hansen Liu

Special Awards

Hall of Fame

• Evan Wells

Multiple nominations and awards

Multiple nominations

Games that received multiple nominations

Nominations	Game
8	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
	Ghost of Yōtei
6	ARC Raiders
	Dispatch
5	Blue Prince
4	Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
3	Hades II
	Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
	Mario Kart World
	The Midnight Walk
2	Consume Me
	Despelote
	Donkey Kong Bananza
	Doom: The Dark Ages
	Ghost Town
	Lumines Arise
	Marvel's Deadpool VR
	Monster Hunter Wilds
	South of Midnight
	Split Fiction

Nominations by company

Nominations	Games	Company
13	3	Sony Interactive Entertainment
9	2	Kepler Interactive
8	1	Sandfall Interactive
		Sucker Punch Productions
6	3	Nintendo
	1	AdHoc Studio
		Embark Studios
5	4	Electronic Arts
	1	Dogubomb
		Raw Fury
4	3	Xbox Game Studios
	1	Kojima Productions
3	3	2K Games
	2	Capcom
		Panic Inc.
	1	Deep Silver
		Fast Travel Games
		MoonHood
		Supergiant Games
		Warhorse Studios
2	2	Dotemu
		NetEase Games
	1	Bethesda Softworks
		Compulsion Games
		Enhance Games
		Fireproof Games
		Hazelight Studios
		Hexecutable
		id Software
		Monstars
		Oculus Studios
		Twisted Pixel Games

References

1. "Evan Wells - Hall of Fame - 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
2. "29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
3. "29th DICE Awards Nominees Announced: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei Lead the Pack". SE7EN.ws. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
4. Weber, Rachel (January 12, 2026). "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei Rule the Annual D.I.C.E. Award Nominations". ign.com. IGN.