Tyler's Take: TGA 2025 Predictions
Separating my heart from my head for a bet.
Author’s note: Starting a new tradition, Couch Company has placed a bet amongst ourselves on who can predict the most winners at The Game Awards this year. This feature serves as my official submission.
Best Esports Team
Gen.G - League of Legends
NRG - Valorant 🏆
Team Falcons - DOTA 2
Team Liquid PH - Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Team Vitality - Counter-Strike 2
I know I’m starting this feature off strong, but I’ll say it: I have the least amount of knowledge in this category. Like, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about any of these teams. Partly because I didn’t even know “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” was a game, and mainly because I go into a catatonic state whenever Jon brings up esports (the doctor said it was an evolutionary self-preservation mechanism). Anywho, these guys look like they have good energy. Heh.
Best Esports Athlete
brawk - Valorant
Chovy - League of Legends
f0rsakeN - Valorant 🏆
Kakeru - Street Fighter
MenaRD - Street Fighter
Zyw0o - Counter-Strike 2
Okay, I take it back. This is the category where I know the least. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure a cat didn’t just hop onto someone’s keyboard and accidentally published it. That said, Faker’s absence in this category is apparently inexcusable, so I had to rely on science as backup—I picked the person with the letters F-A-K-E-R in their name.
Best Esports Game
Counter-Strike 2
DOTA 2
League of Legends 🏆
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Valorant
Part of me wanted to triple down on the Valorant hat trick, but I’m no fool. I understand toxicity has to come out somewhere.
Content Creator of the Year
WhatKilledJeff 🏆
Caedrel
Kai Cenat
MoistCr1TiKaL
Sakura Miko
The Burnt Peanut
No, I’m not throwing. If I have to give up a point to promote one of the most entertaining streamers on the internet, I think that’s a damn good deal. You think I’m going to back a friggen peanut over the man who put Schoolboy Runaway on the map? Not a chance.
Jeff streams Monday through Friday from 2 PM to 6 PM EST.
Most Anticipated Game
007 First Light
Grand Theft Auto VI 🏆
Marvel’s Wolverine
Resident Evil Requiem
The Witcher IV
While I think it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t my most anticipated game—Marvel’s Wolverine holds that spot—I can’t be fooled for a second time in a row. GTA literally has the power to change entire calendars. That has to mean something. Now, do I believe it’s really coming out next November? Heck no. I’ll see you here at the same time next year.
Best Adaptation
A Minecraft Movie 🏆
Devil May Cry
The Last of Us: Season 2
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
Until Dawn
Wait a second, didn’t I already get rid of the toxicity with League of Legends above? Oh, this is for the younger, sit-on-shoulders-and-throw-popcorn-like-animals crowd. Okay, I guess we can include this one, too. But that’s it!
I expect to see Fallout or (even better) Twisted Metal in this slot next year.
Best Multiplayer Game
ARC Raiders 🏆
Battlefield 6
Elden Ring Nightreign
Peak
Split Fiction
While this category could go in several different directions, I have to give it to my biggest surprise. I fully admit that I expected ARC Raiders to be dead on the vine, especially after the Concord debacle and the industry’s general panic. However, this game is just too polished to ignore.
I’m clearly listening to my head on this one, but my heart wants everyone to know I had a great time with Battlefield 6.
Best Sports/Racing Game
EA Sports FC 26
F1 25
Mario Kart World
REMATCH
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds 🏆
Can I point out that 60% of the nominated games are arcade-style? Not that I really care, but what the heck happened to this genre? Anyhow, it’s a bold move to put Sonic above Mario, but if there was ever a year it could pay off, this is it. Nintendo has made some questionable decisions recently. Maybe the Blue Blur can capitalize on it?
Best Sim/Strategy Game
The Alters
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles 🏆
Jurassic World Evolution 3
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
Tempest Rising
Two Point Museum
I really want to give this to Two Point Museum, directly thumbing my nose at Final Fantasy Tactics or at least the AI upscaling and canvas filters. I believe they could’ve done so much more to improve this classic. Unfortunately, I am a coward and trying to win a bet.
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles →
Best Family Game
Donkey Kong Bananza 🏆
LEGO Party!
LEGO Voyagers
Mario Kart World
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Split Fiction
Nintendo needs to make an appearance somewhere, and this is just as good a place as any. While I don’t think DK reaches the same level of magic as Mario Odyssey, it’s always fun to endlessly punch things. At least, those are the vibes I’m getting from my daughter. Oh, banana!
Best Fighting Game
2XKO 🏆
Capcom Fighting Collection 2
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage
This year’s lineup of fighting games lacks a standout. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that 2XKO’s novelty carries it through. Yes, I’m choosing to overlook my frustrations with including an Early Access game, much less voting for one.
Best Role-Playing Game
Avowed
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II 🏆
The Outer Worlds 2
Monster Hunter Wilds
Some people in this world don’t give KCD2 enough credit, but I am not one of them. I have all the faith of a mustard seed. Sure, Clair Obscur is excellent, and Avowed lets you pal around with Garrus again, but nothing compares to the role-playing that sparks with every strike of your blacksmith’s hammer.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II →
Best Action/Adventure Game
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Hollow Knight: Silksong 🏆
Split Fiction
You’ll hear me moan and complain about the nuances of this award title plenty in the coming weeks. I’ll spare it for now. While Indiana Jones is the literal definition of “combat with traversal and puzzle solving,” releasing too late (or too early?) didn’t do it any favors. Meanwhile, Silksong crashed every storefront it released on, and I’m running out of places to give it a nod.
Best Action Game
Battlefield 6
Doom: The Dark Ages
Hades II 🏆
Ninja Gaiden 4
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
What a stacked category. Some of my favorite experiences of the year can be summed up with this list alone. Yet, when I’m looking at the sheer variety of combat—keeping things fresh for hours on end—one game stands above on an Olympic-sized mountain.
Best VR/AR Game
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Arken Age
Ghost Town
Marvel’s Deadpool VR
The Midnight Walk 🏆
I fell off VR gaming after my daughter was born. Turns out you should always keep an eye on your baby/toddler—especially when they start walking around everywhere. That being said, based on screenshots alone, I think The Midnight Walk looks really interesting and would be the first game I’d try if I ever put on the headset again.
Best Mobile Game
Destiny: Rising
Persona 5: The Phantom X
Sonic Rumble
Umamusume: Pretty Derby 🏆
Wuthering Waves
I believe Giovanni Colantonio, over at Polygon, did an excellent job of summarizing this category and its contenders. Meanwhile, I’ll roll a d5 here to pick the winner—completely at random, of course—and then move on…
We need to talk about The Game Awards’ Best Mobile nominees →
Best Debut Indie Game
Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🏆
Despelote
Dispatch
Megabonk
My favorite content creator already assigned me a game to play because I relied too much on Blue Prince (more on this in an upcoming podcast episode). Consider this a lesson learned from my mistakes. When a game breaks TGA records with twelve(?) nominations, that’s one heck of a debut, no matter how you look at it.
Author’s note: Shoutout to Megabonk developer, Vedinad for removing himself from this category. You can check out IGN’s coverage here.
Best Independent Game
Absolum
Ball x Pit
Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades II 🏆
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Call me foolish. I know the competition is fierce, but Hades II deserves more recognition. Can we at least agree that this game still has the highest rating on OpenCritic? Maybe I lose a point here, but it’s a small sacrifice to highlight what I believe is a perfect game. If you need more convincing, check out the Couch Company review.
Best Community Support
Baldur’s Gate 3 🏆
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Helldivers 2
No Man’s Sky
When it comes to transparency, few studios are as open and connected to the community as Larian. While Final Fantasy might have the reach, I have to follow my heart with this one.
Best Ongoing Game
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Helldivers 2
Marvel Rivals
No Man’s Sky 🏆
Here’s another risky play, but this game needs to be discussed. Every year, it returns. The fact that it won this award FIVE YEARS AGO and is still evolving with meaningful content updates—I think they’re up to 40—is incredible. It’s really time to give Hello Games another big ol’ hug or at least a pat on the back.
Games for Impact
Consume Me
Despelote 🏆
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
South of Midnight
Wanderstop
South of Midnight had great visuals and acting, and Wanderstop came along when I needed it most. But I hear this soccer fad is really popular.
Innovation in Accessibility
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Atomfall
Doom: The Dark Ages 🏆
EA Sports FC 26
South of Midnight
I don’t have much knowledge of this category. But Doom rules.
Best Performance
Ben Starr - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Charlie Cox - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Erika Ishii - Ghost of Yōtei
Jennifer English - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Konatsu Kato - Silent Hill f
Troy Baker - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 🏆
Considering Expedition 33 has a 50% chance of getting the win here, my picking Indiana Jones should show how impressed I was with Troy Baker’s performance. This guy friggen nailed it.
Best Audio Design
Battlefield 6 🏆
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Silent Hill f
When it comes to being fully immersed in the game and hearing every shot and footstep, nobody does it better than Battlefield. That said, I’d feel more confident in my choice if it were like 2019.
Best Score and Music
Every album on this list is a banger. While I’ve linked each to their Spotify page for easy listening, here are a couple of tracks that really stuck with me:
Best Art Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Hades II 🏆
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Back in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima beat out Hades for Best Art Direction. This year, we have bath salts and a muscle mommy. Sure, Hades might not capitalize on animations, but the sheer amount of vibrant artwork is staggering. I’m crossing my fingers that the judges agree.
Best Narrative
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🏆
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Silent Hill f
If you know my gaming habits, I usually focus on gameplay first. That said, I honestly can’t remember the last time a story grabbed me immediately like Clair Obscur did. Within the first 30 minutes, I was in and hooked. I’ll say again, I want a novelization in the worst way.
Best Game Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach 🏆
Ghost of Yōtei
Hades II
Split Fiction
No one wants to be a director more than Kojima. While it’s easy to see this category as a “runner-up” to Game of the Year, I actually think it’s perfect for Geoff Keighley’s best friend’s baby.
Author’s note: I wonder what the Split Fiction developers are thinking right now. It’s probably something with an F-bomb.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach →
Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🏆
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
There’s no universe where Clair Obscur doesn’t win this, right? While I may not be as enthusiastic about it as the broader industry (that love is reserved for Hades II), I can’t deny its impact or success. Honestly, Expedition 33 deserves this.