{"id":25646,"date":"2026-01-04T14:26:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T06:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=25646"},"modified":"2026-01-04T14:26:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T06:26:37","slug":"steam-awards-2025-winners-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=25646","title":{"rendered":"Steam Awards 2025 Winners Announced"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Steam<\/strong> users have voted, and <em>Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/em> was chosen over <em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/em> for the top honor in the 2025 Steam Awards. Voting for the 2025 Steam Awards started in November, as Steam users nominated eligible titles for 11 unique categories. The final voting round took place during the Steam Winter Sale.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>The 2025 Steam Award categories consisted of evergreen categories like Game of the Year and Best Soundtrack, alongside unique categories such as Best Game on Steam Deck and the Sit Back and Relax Award. Nominations for the 2025 Steam Awards were chosen by eligible Steam users during an initial voting window in late November, with the last round conducted from December 18 to January 3. Each of the Steam Awards&#8217; 11 categories had five nominees, with games like <em>PEAK<\/em>, <em>Dispatch<\/em>, and <em>ARC Raiders<\/em> nominated for multiple awards.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                      \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"steam-best-selling-most-played-games-2026\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2026\/01\/best-selling-most-played-steam-games-game-rant-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2026\/01\/best-selling-most-played-steam-games-game-rant-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"440\" height=\"364\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"most-played and best-selling games Steam 2026\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2026\/01\/best-selling-most-played-steam-games-game-rant-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=182&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wm\/2026\/01\/best-selling-most-played-steam-games-game-rant-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=182&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>Related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \">\n<p>\t\t\tThese Are The Best-Selling and Most-Played Steam Games at the Start of 2026<\/p>\n<\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">As gamers prepare for more new releases on Steam in 2026, these are the games that are already making an impact on the platform.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"2025-steam-award-winners-revealed\">\n                        2025 Steam Award Winners Revealed<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"game-of-the-year\">\n            Game of the Year<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Hollow Knight Silksong<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Arc Raiders<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Dispatch<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"vr-game-of-the-year\">\n            VR Game of the Year<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>The Midnight Walk<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>EA Sports F1 25<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Emissary Zero<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Le Mans Ultimate<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Pavlov<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"labor-of-love\">\n            Labor of Love<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Baldur&#8217;s Gate 3<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Dota 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Helldivers 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>No Man&#8217;s Sky<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Rust<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"best-game-on-steam-deck\">\n            Best Game on Steam Deck<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Hades 2<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Ball x Pit<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Clover Pit<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Digimon Story: Time Stranger<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"better-with-friends\">\n            Better With Friends<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>PEAK<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Battlefield 6<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>R.E.P.O.<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Schedule I<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Split Fiction<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"outstanding-visual-style\">\n            Outstanding Visual Style<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Silent Hill f<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Doom: The Dark Ages<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Dream BBQ<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>My Little Puppy<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"most-innovative-gameplay\">\n            Most Innovative Gameplay<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>ARC Raiders<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Blue Prince<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Escape from Duckov<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Europa Universalis 5<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Mage Arena<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"best-game-you-suck-at\">\n            Best Game You Suck At<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Elden Ring: Nightreign<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Marvel Rivals<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Path of Exile 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Where Winds Meet<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"best-soundtrack\">\n            Best Soundtrack<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Deltarune<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Marvel&#8217;s Spider-Man 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Rift of the NecroDancer<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Tokyo Xtreme Racer<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"outstanding-story-rich-game\">\n            Outstanding Story-Rich Game<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>Dispatch<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Dying Light: The Beast<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>No, I&#8217;m Not A Human<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"sit-back-and-relax\">\n            Sit Back and Relax<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                        <strong><em>RV There Yet?<\/em><\/strong>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Chill With You: Lo-Fi Story<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Megabonk<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Powerwash Simulator 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<li>\n                                        <em>Slime Rancher 2<\/em>\n                        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On January 3, after two weeks of voting in the final round, the 2025 Steam Award winners were officially unveiled. <em>Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/em> claimed Game of the Year over nominees <em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/em>, <em>Dispatch<\/em>, <em>ARC Raiders<\/em>, and <em>Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2<\/em>. In addition to taking home the top Steam Award of 2025, <em>Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/em> also claimed the Best Game You Suck At Award. While the category&#8217;s name may be a tongue-in-cheek moniker, the honor of Best Game You Suck At is often awarded to a game known for being a challenging experience from the start. Although it was not chosen for Steam&#8217;s 2025 Game of the Year Award, the critically acclaimed <em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/em> did not walk away empty-handed from the Steam Awards, as it was chosen for the Best Soundtrack Award.<\/p>\n<p>The Best Game on Steam Deck Award, which often goes to titles that players can enjoy on the go via the Steam Deck, was given to <em>Hades 2<\/em>. The latest project from Supergiant Games is also one of 2025&#8217;s highest-rated Steam titles, with a 95% to 96% overwhelmingly positive rating on Valve&#8217;s platform at the time of writing. Two other indie titles, <em>PEAK<\/em> and <em>RV There Yet?<\/em>, won the Better With Friends Award and the Sit Back and Relax Award, respectively. Both <em>PEAK<\/em> and <em>RV There Yet?<\/em> are online multiplayer games that have captivated gamers throughout 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Although it was first launched in 2023, <em>Baldur&#8217;s Gate 3<\/em> remained a popular title in 2025, thanks to various updates and support from fans. This netted Larian Studios&#8217; hit RPG the 2025 Labor of Love Award, with games like <em>Helldivers 2<\/em> and <em>No Man&#8217;s Sky<\/em> also getting nominations. Additionally, <em>ARC Raiders<\/em> claimed the Most Innovative Gameplay Award over titles like <em>Blue Prince<\/em> and <em>Europa Universalis 5<\/em>. With a high player count that has averaged over 400,000 active players since launch, Embark Studios&#8217; hit shooter has kept players coming back for more within its first two months of online service.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"what-39-s-next-for-some-of-the-award-winners\">\n            What&#8217;s Next for Some of the Award Winners?<br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<p><em>Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/em> developer Team Cherry announced in December that the game would receive additional content throughout 2026. The Sea of Sorrow expansion for <em>Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/em> will be available as a free update to download sometime in 2026. The upcoming DLC will add new weapons and areas for Hornet to explore, and new enemies to battle. While Sea of Sorrow will have some water-based themes, further details about it remain elusive as of this writing. <\/p>\n<p>Following the 2025 edition of The Game Awards, <em>Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/em> developer Sandfall Interactive surprised fans by dropping a free, &#8216;Thank You Update&#8217; on all platforms. The patch included some new endgame challenges for players to test their character builds on, with some battles that can truly test <em>Expedition 33<\/em> parrying skills. Although it is unclear whether <em>Expedition 33<\/em> will receive additional content, time will tell what Sandfall&#8217;s plans are throughout 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-video-game large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"b145-45ba-9a1d925e8cbd\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img  has-image-group\" data-stnl=\"%7B%22category%22%3A%22Click%20Interactions%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22Display%20Card%22%2C%22action%22%3A%22Fullscreen%20Image%20Load%22%2C%22once%22%3Atrue%7D\" data-stnl-group-once=\"lHDZtwrMtC\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hollow Knight: Silksong Tag Page Cover Art\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.gamerantimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-06-dec-2024-09-43-pm-7557.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n<p>                        <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                         <!--  Display card open critics widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Released<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 4, 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>ESRB<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tEveryone 10+ \/ Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Developer(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTeam Cherry<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Publisher(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTeam Cherry<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play button preview --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-b145-45ba-9a1d925e8cbd\" name=\"extra-content-b145-45ba-9a1d925e8cbd\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/steam-awards-2025-winners-expedition-33-silksong-goty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Steam users have voted, and Hollow Knight: Silksong was chosen over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for the top honor in the 2025 Steam Awards. Voting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6570,21,3418,12571],"class_list":["post-25646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-announced","tag-awards","tag-steam","tag-winners","wpcat-32-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}