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Balatro, created by LocalThunk and published by Playstack, won Game of the Year at the 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. The 2025 awards edition honored games released in 2024; the ceremony took place on March 19, 2025.
2025 Game Developers Choice Awards winners
The official [c_archive] archive lists these winners:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Balatro: Special Edition - For Nintendo Switch | $34.20 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Balatro Special Edition - Compatible for NS - UK PAL | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Hello Neighbor - Nintendo Switch | Buy on Amazon | |
| 4 |
|
Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
- Game of the Year: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Audience Award: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
- Best Audio: Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Debut: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Best Design: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)
- Best Technology: Astro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Visual Art: Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Innovation Award: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Social Impact Award: Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Sam Lake
- Pioneer Award: Lucas Pope
The archive also includes finalists and honorable mentions for the main categories. These are the winners for the 2025 awards edition, not the 2026 awards for games released in 2025.
How the awards select winners
The Game Developers Choice Awards describe themselves as peer-recognition honors for games and their developers. According to the [c_awards] official process page, the International Choice Awards Network (ICAN) nominates and votes on games released during the relevant calendar year. Finalists and winners are recognized at the annual ceremony in San Francisco.
#1 Best Overall
- 150 Jokers, each with their own unique abilities.
- 15 Decks with distinct modifiers to choose from for each run.
- 5 potential variants of each Joker which add further abilities.
- 22 Tarot cards variants that can enhance your regular playing cards.
- 11 Planet cards that help level up your possible poker hands.
The Audience Award uses a different selection method: it is decided by a vote open to GDC attendees and the public. The 2025 award went to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
Rank #3
- STEALTH horror
- Neighbors AI learns your tactics and evolves
- Interactive environment
- Extremely tense, but family-friendly gameplay
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Mild violence
Rank #2
- UK e-store account may be required for any online features
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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