The Steam Awards 2025 are over: nominations ran from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1, 2025, finalist voting took place during the Winter Sale, and winners were announced Jan. 3, 2026. Nominations and voting were separate stages, so the December deadline was not the deadline for choosing winners.
When did Steam Awards 2025 nominations close?
Nominations opened Nov. 24, 2025, and closed Dec. 1 at 18:00 UTC, according to Steam’s official announcement and contemporaneous coverage by PC Gamer. The nomination period has ended.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
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 |
How did nominations and voting work?
Nomination stage
During the first stage, Steam users nominated games for award categories. The most-nominated titles advanced as finalists; PC Gamer reported five finalists in each category. Nominating at least one game also earned the first level of the Steam Awards Nomination Committee Badge, with additional tasks available to level it up, according to Gaming News.
Finalist voting
Final voting ran from Dec. 18, 2025, at 18:00 UTC through Jan. 3, 2026, at 18:00 UTC. Steam’s event page said any non-limited Steam account could vote once in each of the eleven categories, and voters could change their selections until voting closed. Winners were announced at the close of the event.
Recommended Free Tools
#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.
What were the Steam Awards 2025 categories?
The official event listed eleven categories:
- Game of the Year
- VR Game of the Year
- Labor of Love
- Best Game on Steam Deck
- Better With Friends
- Outstanding Visual Style
- Most Innovative Gameplay
- Best Game You Suck At
- Best Soundtrack
- Outstanding Story-Rich Game
- Sit Back and Relax
Who won the Steam Awards 2025?
The winners, as reported by PC Gamer on Jan. 3, 2026, were:
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Hollow Knight: Silksong |
| VR Game of the Year | The Midnight Walk |
| Labor of Love | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
| Best Game on Steam Deck | Hades 2 |
| Better With Friends | Peak |
| Outstanding Visual Style | Silent Hill F |
| Most Innovative Gameplay | Arc Raiders |
| Best Game You Suck At | Hollow Knight: Silksong |
| Best Soundtrack | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| Outstanding Story-Rich Game | Dispatch |
| Sit Back and Relax | RV There Yet? |
What did winners receive?
Steam says winning games receive a physical Steam Awards trophy shipped to the developers’ offices and a virtual trophy on the game’s store page. The physical trophy is an award for developers, not a product offered to players.
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.
Are Steam Awards voting totals available?
The official announcement and event page do not state the total number of nominators, votes, or participants. No turnout figure should be inferred from the published category results.
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
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- 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.
