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The Steam Awards 2025 nomination and voting campaign has ended. Steam opened nominations in November 2025, with submissions closing December 1 at 10 a.m. Pacific; community nominations determined the finalists, and voting for those finalists ran through January 3, 2026.
How the Steam Awards 2025 worked
The awards were a community-led process: Steam users nominated games, those nominations determined the finalist slate, and users then voted for the winners. Steam’s announcement opened nominations on November 24, 2025, and set the deadline for December 1 at 10 a.m. Pacific. Steam’s nomination announcement described the campaign and its categories.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Visa Virtual eGift Card | $54.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $28.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $105.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
$500 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $500.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Visa Virtual eGift Card | $206.95 | Buy on Amazon |
Finalist voting opened December 18, 2025 at 6 p.m. UTC and closed January 3, 2026 at 6 p.m. UTC. Any non-limited Steam account could cast one vote in each category, and votes could be changed until voting closed. Steam’s 2025 awards page presents the finalist-voting period and winners.
The 11 Steam Awards categories
The categories cover overall recognition, specific platforms, and different kinds of play and craft. Steam did not publish a formal scoring rubric for how games should qualify, so category choice came down to what aspect of a game voters wanted to recognize.
#1 Best Overall
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
| Category | What it recognizes |
|---|---|
| Game of the Year | A game deserving overall recognition. |
| VR Game of the Year | A game played in virtual reality. |
| Labor of Love | A game whose continued support merits recognition. |
| Best Game on Steam Deck | A game suited to play on Steam Deck. |
| Better with Friends | A game whose experience is enhanced by playing with others. |
| Outstanding Visual Style | A distinctive visual presentation. |
| Most Innovative Gameplay | Notable gameplay ideas or mechanics. |
| Best Game You Suck At | A challenging game that remains compelling despite the difficulty. |
| Best Soundtrack | Standout music. |
| Outstanding Story-Rich Game | A strong narrative experience. |
| Sit Back & Relax | A relaxing game experience. |
Steam’s category announcement lists all 11. The platform-specific categories were VR Game of the Year and Best Game on Steam Deck; hardware ownership was not a requirement to participate.
What the nomination badge rewarded
Steam offered a 2025 nominations badge with progression tied to participation. Users could earn it by nominating in at least one category, with additional badge actions for nominating in all 11 categories, playing a game they had nominated, and writing or updating a review for a nominated game. Those actions described badge progression, not prerequisites for voting.
Rank #2
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
How winners were recognized
Steam said winners received a physical trophy shipped to the developers’ offices and a virtual trophy displayed on the winning game’s Steam store page.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Rank #4
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- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Rank #3
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
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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