Steam Gaming Awards for 2026

Hollow Knight: Silksong Wins Game of the Year at the 2025 Steam Awards

Steam users have spoken, and Hollow Knight: Silksong has emerged as the Game of the Year at the 2025 Steam Awards. The highly anticipated sequel beat strong competition, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, to take the top prize. The results were announced after weeks of voting by the Steam community.

Voting for the 2025 Steam Awards began in November, when players nominated their favorite games across 11 different categories. The final round of voting took place during the Steam Winter Sale, running from December 18 to January 3. Each category featured five nominees, and several games appeared in more than one category, showing how competitive this year’s awards were.

A Wide Range of Categories

The Steam Awards include both traditional categories, such as Game of the Year and Best Soundtrack, and more unique, playful awards designed to reflect how people actually play games. These include categories like Best Game on Steam Deck, Better With Friends, and Sit Back and Relax.

This mix allows big-budget titles and smaller indie games to compete on equal footing. Games such as PEAK, Dispatch, and ARC Raiders received multiple nominations, proving that popularity, creativity, and player experience all matter in the Steam Awards.

Game of the Year and Other Major Winners

In the most prestigious category, Game of the Year, Hollow Knight: Silksong defeated Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, ARC Raiders, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The win reflects both the game’s strong design and the loyalty of its fan base.

Silksong also won the award for Best Game You Suck At, a category with a humorous name but serious meaning. This award is typically given to games that are challenging, demanding, and rewarding, even when players struggle. The fact that Silksong won both awards highlights its difficulty as well as its quality.

Although Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did not win Game of the Year, it still received recognition. The game earned the Best Soundtrack award, showing that its music made a strong impression on players and critics alike.

Standout Winners in Other Categories

The award for Best Game on Steam Deck went to Hades 2, a fast-paced action game from Supergiant Games. This category focuses on games that perform well on Valve’s handheld device and are enjoyable while playing on the move. At the time of writing, Hades 2 held an overwhelmingly positive rating of 95–96% on Steam, making it one of the platform’s highest-rated games of 2025.

Multiplayer games also performed well this year. PEAK won the Better With Friends award, which highlights games that are most enjoyable when played with others. Meanwhile, RV There Yet? took home the Sit Back and Relax award, celebrating games that offer a calm, low-stress experience.

Both of these titles are online multiplayer games and remained popular throughout 2025, showing that players continue to value shared experiences as much as solo play.

A Community-Driven Celebration

One of the key features of the Steam Awards is that players themselves choose the winners. Unlike industry awards decided by critics or panels, the Steam Awards reflect the opinions of everyday gamers. This makes the results a useful snapshot of what the gaming community truly values.

With new releases already on the horizon for 2026, the 2025 Steam Awards highlight the games that defined the past year—whether through innovation, challenge, storytelling, or simply providing a fun way to relax.

Vocabulary List

1. emerge

to become known or important

Hollow Knight: Silksong emerged as the clear winner.

2. highly anticipated

expected with excitement

Silksong was one of the most highly anticipated games of the year.

3. prestigious

respected and admired

Game of the Year is the most prestigious award.

4. tongue-in-cheek

humorous or not meant to be taken seriously

“Best Game You Suck At” is a tongue-in-cheek category.

5. challenging

difficult but interesting

The game is challenging but very rewarding.

6. critically acclaimed

praised by reviewers and critics

Clair Obscur was critically acclaimed.

7. walk away empty-handed

to leave without winning anything

The game did not walk away empty-handed.

8. on the go

while traveling or not at home

Steam Deck games are ideal for playing on the go.

9. overwhelmingly positive

extremely favorable

The game received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

10. captivate

to hold someone’s attention strongly

The multiplayer games captivated players throughout the year.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think makes a game worthy of the "Game of the Year" title?

2. How important are community votes compared to professional reviews in determining a game's success?

3. Do you think that smaller indie games have a fair chance in the Steam Awards against big-budget titles?

4. How do awards like the Steam Awards influence the gaming industry and player preferences?

5. What role do game awards play in the marketing and sales of a game?

6. Do you believe that certain categories, like "Best Game You Suck At," are more humorous than meaningful? Why or why not?

7. How do you feel about the representation of diverse game genres in the Steam Awards?

   
   

⚖️ Debate Questions

1. The Steam Awards are more reflective of player preferences than professional critics.

2. Indie games have an equal chance to win major awards as AAA titles.

3. Game awards influence gamers’ buying decisions too much.

4. The inclusion of fun categories, like “Sit Back and Relax,” diminishes the prestige of the awards.

5. Player-driven awards are more democratic and authentic than industry awards.

6. Game developers should focus more on creating quality content rather than winning awards.