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What Are All the Categories in the 2025 Steam Awards?

The 2025 Steam Awards had 11 categories, including Game of the Year, Labor of Love and Best Game on Steam Deck. Voting ended Jan. 3, 2026.
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The 2025 Steam Awards featured 11 categories, from Game of the Year to Sit Back and Relax. Voting ran from Dec. 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM UTC through Jan. 3, 2026, at 6:00 PM UTC, so the voting period has ended.

All 11 Steam Awards 2025 categories

Valve announced nominations across 11 categories on Nov. 24, 2025. The finalists were chosen through user nominations, according to Steam’s official awards page.

  1. Game of the Year Award — Recognizes a game that delighted, inspired and entertained with something new.
  2. VR Game of the Year Award — Honors the year’s leading virtual reality game.
  3. Best Game on Steam Deck Award — Recognizes a game that works especially well on Valve’s handheld.
  4. Labor of Love Award — Celebrates a game that continues to receive meaningful care after release.
  5. Better With Friends Award — For a game that is more enjoyable with friends.
  6. Most Innovative Gameplay Award — Recognizes distinctive or new gameplay ideas.
  7. Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award — For a particularly compelling narrative experience.
  8. Best Game You Suck At Award — For a tough game that rewards persistence.
  9. Outstanding Visual Style Award — Honors a game with a distinctive visual identity.
  10. Best Soundtrack Award — Recognizes an outstanding musical score.
  11. Sit Back and Relax Award — For a relaxing game that offers a break from a busy day.

How voting worked—and when it ended

Any non-limited Steam account could vote. Each account could cast one vote in each of the 11 categories, and voters could change their selections until voting closed. The voting window opened Dec. 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM UTC and ended Jan. 3, 2026, at 6:00 PM UTC, according to Valve’s event page. The official page said winners would be announced at the end of that window.

What winners receive

Winning developers receive a physical trophy shipped to their offices and a virtual trophy displayed on the winning game’s Steam store page. These are developer recognitions, not consumer merchandise.

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Best Value
Valve Steam Deck OLED 1TB Handheld Gaming Console
  • 1TB NVMe SSD
  • 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display with premium anti-glare etched glass, 7.4" Diagonal display size up to 90Hz refresh rate
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • 50Whr battery; 3-12 hours of gameplay (content-dependent)
  • Carrying case with removable liner
Rank #4
Valve Steam Deck 1TB Upgraded Handheld Gaming Console with Carring case, 1280 x 800 OLED Display Silicone Soft Cover Protector & Joystic Cap & Tempered Glass Film Bundle
  • Valve is entering the gaming console marketplace with the new Steam Deck, a console geared towards PC gamers. The Steam Deck can be docked to a monitor, and used as a PC, or docked to a TV.
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  • Like the name suggests, the Steam Deck will include upgraded 1TB storage, and will include a carrying case. A micro SD slot will also enable expanded storage.
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Rank #2
Valve Steam Deck OLED 2TB Handheld Gaming Console, 7.4" HDR 90Hz Display, Wi-Fi 6E, PC Gaming, with 7-in-1 Kit: Carrying Case, Hub, Controller, 2*Protective Cases, Screen Protector, 32GB USB
  • 【Upgraded】We sells product with professionally upgraded to 2TB SSD. Original Seal is opened for upgrade ONLY.
  • 【Stunning 7.4" HDR OLED & 90Hz Motion】 Experience striking contrast and brilliant clarity with the all-new 7.4-inch HDR OLED display. Designed from the ground up for gaming, it features a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth motion and pure blacks. This handheld is capable of delivering an immersive visual experience, ensuring your Steam library looks better than ever with vibrant colors and amazing motion rendition.
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#1 Best Overall
VALVE Steam Deck OLED 512GB SSD + 16GB RAM (International Version) - 7.4"" inch, 90Hz, 1280 x 800px, SteamOS 3.0, Handheld Gaming Console, Black
  • International (UK) Version
  • 7.4” diagonal, HDR OLED, 1280 x 800 x RGB, up to 90Hz Refresh rate, High performance touch, <0.1 ms Response time, 1,000 nits peak brightness (HDR), 600 nits (SDR)
  • SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
  • 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels), microSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
  • 6 nm AMD APU, CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32

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