The full list of award nominees which includes many of the best reviewed titles of 2025, has been announced by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) for the upcoming 2026 DICE Awards which will take place on Thursday, February 12 at 11pm ET/8pm PT from Las Vegas, Nevada.
This year’s DICE Awards will feature a massive selection of 65 games across 23 award categories of which both Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei are leading with eight nominations each. While other titles that have earned multiple nominations are Dispatch (6), ARC Raiders (6), Blue Prince (5) and finally Death Stranding: On the Beach with 4 nominations.
Hopefully, Ninja Gaiden 4 wins in it’s respective category cause a DICE Award would be a huge triumph for not only the game but the entire hack-n-slash genre itself.
Check out the full list of nominees along with their respective categories below:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- South of Midnight
- The Midnight Walk
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- The Midnight Walk
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Esquie
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Maelle
- Dispatch – Courtney/Invisigal
- Dispatch – Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man
- Ghost of Yōtei – Atsu
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Herdling
- Mario Kart World
- Sword of the Sea
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Arc Raiders
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Lumines Arise
- Split Fiction
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Consume Me
- despelote
- South of Midnight
- The Drifter
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Arc Raiders
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
Action Game of the Year
- Absolum
- Arc Raiders
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Hades II
- Ninja Gaiden 4
Adventure Game of the Year
- Blue Prince
- Dispatch
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Family Game of the Year
- LEGO® Party!
- LEGO® Voyagers
- Lumines Arise
- MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
- POPUCOM
Fighting Game of the Year
- 2XKO
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
- WWE 2K25
Racing Game of the Year
- EA SPORTS F1® 25
- Kirby Air Riders
- Mario Kart World
- Wheel World
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Outer Worlds 2
Sports Game of the Year
- EA SPORTS FC™ 26
- PGA Tour 2k25
- MLB® The Show™ 25
- NBA 2k26
- Rematch
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- The Alters
- Drop Duchy
- Europa Universalis V
- The King is Watching
- StarVaders
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Ghost Town
- Hotel Infinity
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR
- Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset
- Unloop
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked
- Ghost Town
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR
- The Midnight Walk
- Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Baby Steps
- Blue Prince
- Consume Me
- despelote
- Dispatch
Mobile Game of the Year
- Persona5: The Phantom X
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- WHAT THE CLASH?
- Where Winds Meet
Online Game of the Year
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Mario Kart World
- Marvel Rivals
- Split Fiction
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Arc Raiders
- Blue Prince
- Hades II
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Öoo
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Game of the Year
- Arc Raiders
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
