The nominees for the New York Game Awards 2026 have been revealed, with Ghost of Yōtei being recognised throughout 4 classes.
Sucker Punch Productions’ title was nominated for Finest Game of the Yr, Finest Writing, and Finest Music. Erika Ishii was recognised for his or her position as Atsu within the Finest Performing class.
Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur, Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena’s Despelote, and Supergiant Video games’ Hades 2 obtained three nominations every, all showing within the Game of the Yr class.
Dogubomb’s Blue Prince and Crew Cherry’s Hole Knight: Silksong had been nominated in two classes, together with Finest Indie Game of the Yr.
Nintendo was essentially the most nominated writer with 5 nominations throughout 4 classes for Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Metroid Prime 4: Past, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Star-Crossed World.
The 2026 ceremony additionally features a new class, the Finest New York Game, which recognises video games developed by studios based mostly within the metropolis.
“This yr had so many superb video games that we felt it was essential to introduce the brand new Excelsior Award to shine an additional highlight on the video games popping out of New York,” mentioned New York Videogame Critics Circle founder and president Harold Goldberg.
“”This yr’s awards spotlight 66 of the very best video games made by sport studios and people the world over.”
The fifteenth annual New York Game Awards takes place on January 18, 2026 on the SVA Theatre in Manhattan.
Listed below are the total listing of nominees for the New York Game Awards 2026:
Finest Game of the Yr
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Uncooked Fury)
- Break up Fiction (Hazelight Studios/Digital Arts)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena/Panic Inc.)
- Sword of the Sea (Big Squid)
- Silent Hill F (NeoBards Leisure/Konami Digital Leisure)
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Video games)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Leisure)
Finest Indie Game
- Ender Magnolia: Bloom within the Mist (Adglobe, Stay Wire Inc./Binary Haze Interactive/Restricted Run Video games)
- Blue Prince
- Despelote
- Deltarune Chapters 3+4 (Toby Fox/8-4)
- Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Ken “coda” Snyder, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P/Hexecutable)
- No, I’m not a Human (Trioskaz/Vital Reflex, Inpleron)
- Tiny Bookshop (Neoludic Video games/Skystone Video games, 2P Video games)
- Hole Knight: Silksong (Crew Cherry)
Finest Writing in a Game
- Misplaced Data: Bloom & Rage (Do not Nod Montréal/Do not Nod)
- Avowed (Obsidian Leisure/Xbox Game Studios)
- The Hundred Line: Final Protection Academy (Too Kyo Video games, Media Imaginative and prescient/Aniplex, Xseed Video games)
- Mafia: The Outdated Nation (Hangar 13/Take-Two Interactive)
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Blippo+ (Telefantasy Studios, Noble Robotic, Yacht/Panic Inc.)
Finest World
- Break up Fiction
- Hole Knight: Silksong
- Hades 2
- Child Steps (Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch/Devolver Digital)
- Metroid Prime 4: Past (Retro Studios/Nintendo)
- Keeper (Double Wonderful/Xbox Game Studios)
Finest Music in a Game
- Lumines Come up (Improve, Monstars)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Video games/Xbox Game Studios)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Deltarune Chapters 3+4
- Sword of the Sea
- Hades 2
- Ghost of Yōtei
Finest Performing in a Game
- Adriyan Rae as Hazel in South of Midnight
- Jennifer English as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Amelia Sargisson as Nora in Misplaced Data: Bloom & Rage
- Alex Jordan as Jan Dolski in The Alters
- Judy Alice Lee as Melinoë in Hades 2
- Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei
Finest AR/VR Game
- Ghost City (Fireproof Studios)
- V-Racer Hoverbike (VertexBreaker)
- The Midnight Stroll (Moonhood/Quick Journey Video games, Oneway Ticket Studio)
- Lumines Come up
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Video games/Oculus Studios)
- Arken Age (VitruviusVR/Vitruvius Applied sciences)
Finest Youngsters Game
- Sunderfolk (Secret Door/Dreamhaven)
- Koira (Studio Tolima/Do not Nod)
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Lego Social gathering (SMG Studio/Fictions)
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Game Freak/The Pokémon Firm, Nintendo)
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Crew/Sega)
Finest Cell Game
- Skate Metropolis: New York (Agens Video games/Snowman)
- What The Conflict? (Triband)
- Umamusume: Fairly Derby (Cygames, Exnoa/Kakao Video games)
- Is This Seat Taken? (Poti Poti Studio/Healthful Video games Presents)
- Spooky Specific (Draknek & Mates)
- Chaos Zero Nightmare (Tremendous Artistic/Smilegate)
Finest Remake
- The Talos Precept: Reawakened (Croteam/Devolver Digital)
- The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered (Virtuos, Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Story Of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (Marvelous/Xseed Video games, Marvelous Europe)
- Trails within the Sky 1st Chapter (Nihon Falcom/GungHo On-line Leisure America)
- Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake (Sq. Enix, Artdink, Crew Asano)
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse/Atari)
Finest Hidden Gem
- Hold Driving (YCJY Video games)
- Nubby’s Quantity Manufacturing facility (MogDogBlog Productions)
- Information Tower (Sparrow Night time, Twin Sails Interactive)
- Many Nights a Whisper (Selkie Harbour, Deconstructeam)
- Xenotilt: Hostile Pinball Motion (Flarb, Wiznwar)
- And Roger (TearyHand Studio, Kodansha)
- Look Outdoors (Francis Coulombe, Frankie Smile Present/Devolver Digital)
- Shujinkou (Rice Video games)
Finest New York Game
- Despelote
- Child Steps
- Devour Me
- Outdated Skies (Wadjet Eye Video games)
- Ball x Pit
- Skate Story (Sam Eng, Snowhydra/Devolver Digital)
Finest DLC
- Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker
- Lies of P: Overture (Neowiz, Round8 Studio)
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Star-Crossed World (HAL Laboratory/Nintendo)
- The Sims 4 Journey Awaits (Maxis, The Sims Studio/Digital Arts)
- Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune (Large Leisure/Ubisoft)
- Whats up Kitty Island Journey – Wheatflour Wonderland (Sunblink/Sunblink Leisure)
Finest Video games Journalism
- Duncan Fyfe
- Felipe Pepe
- Jackson Tyler
- Joseph Earl Thomas
- Lewis Gordon
- Nicanor Gordon
- Individuals Make Video games