Indie Games Poised for Recognition at 2025 Game Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA – The 2025 Game Awards could witness a significant shift in recognition for indie games, with both Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong expected to compete for the coveted Game of the Year title.

Historically, indie games have not received equal consideration at The Game Awards. To date, no indie game has ever won the Game of the Year award, with previous nominees being few and far between. Notably, Hades lost the award in 2020 to The Last of Us Part 2. The awards only featured five instances where a game was nominated for both Game of the Year and Best Independent Game, with Hades being among them.

Hades 2 has recently exited early access to critical acclaim, boasting an aggregate Metacritic score of 93. Critics praised its gameplay and narrative, which helps elevate its legitimacy in the Best Independent Game category. The admiration for its predecessor may also prompt jury members to correct past oversights.

Hollow Knight: Silksong, while having received a slightly mixed review, has generated great buzz after a prolonged development period. It launched to fanfare and currently holds a review rating of 92 on various platforms. Its impressive peak concurrent players on Steam, hitting 587,150, reflects its substantial popularity.

Jeff Gattis, Amazon Luna’s general manager, hinted that indie games could experience a breakthrough this year. He stated, “It’s clear that indie games can be blockbusters — even at The Game Awards.” Both games are likely to compete strongly for nominations.

The anticipated double-nomination symbolizes a rarity, as it’s not common for two high-profile indie sequels to release in the same year and month. Their predecessors set the stage, establishing them as potential contenders rather than typical indie entries.

While it remains uncertain if the jury will engage with lesser-known but critically acclaimed titles, the landscape for indie games is shifting. With more developers and titles emerging within the indie scene, 2025 might represent a watershed moment for recognition in gaming.