adminThe 2026 DICE Awards nominations are led by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei, which each received eight nods. Both are in the running for Game of the Year, alongside Blue Prince, Dispatch and Arc Raiders. The full list below makes it easy to check the nominees by category.
Image credit: Sandfall Interactive/Sucker Punch Productions
Highlights from the 2026 DICE Awards nominations
Performers Jennifer English and Maxence Cazorla were recognised for their roles as Maelle and Esquie in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Erika Ishii received a nomination for their portrayal of Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei.
Arc Raiders and Dispatch earned six nominations apiece, while Blue Prince received five. Each of those games is also nominated for Game of the Year. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach received four nominations, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 received three.
The independent-game category features Blue Prince and Dispatch, as well as Baby Steps, Consume Me and Despelote. Former Naughty Dog co-CEO Evan Wells will be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Hall of Fame during the ceremony, presented by Neil Druckmann.
The 29th Annual DICE Awards ceremony is scheduled for 8pm PT on February 12, 2026, at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas, alongside the conference. For readers comparing the leading contenders, the categories below show where each title has been nominated.
Full list of 2026 DICE Awards nominees
Game of the Year
- Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Dispatch (Adhoc Studio)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveller)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
- Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)
- The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
Action Game of the Year
- Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Supamonks/Dotemu)
- Arc Raiders
- Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
- Ninja Gaiden 4 (Team Ninja, PlatinumGames/Xbox Game Studios)
Blue Prince | Image credit: Dogubomb
Adventure Game of the Year
- Blue Prince
- Dispatch
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo)
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Mobile Game of the Year
- Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio/Sega)
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames)
- What The Clash (Triband)
- Where Winds Meet (Everstone Studio/NetEase Games)
Online Game of the Year
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/Electronic Arts)
- Mario Kart World (Nintendo)
- Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)
Family Game of the Year
- Lego Party (SMG Studio/Fictions)
- Lego Voyagers (Light Brick Studio/Annapurna Interactive)
- Lumines Arise
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games/Dotemu)
- Popucom (Countersurge Salient/Gryphline)
Mario Kart World | Image credit: Nintendo
Fighting Game of the Year
- 2XKO (Riot Games)
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK)
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse/Atari)
- WWE 2K25 (Visual Concepts/2K)
Racing Game of the Year
- EA Sports F1 25 (Codemasters/Electronic Arts)
- Kirby Air Riders (Nintendo/Sora)
- Mario Kart World
- Wheel World (Messhof/Annapurna Interactive)
Sports Game of the Year
- EA Sports FC 26 (EA Vancouver, EA Romania/EA)
- PGA Tour 2K25 (HB Studios/2K)
- MLB The Show 25 (San Diego Studios/SIE)
- NBA 2K26 (Visual Concepts/2K)
- Rematch (Sloclap/Kepler Interactive)
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
- Drop Duchy (Sleepy Mill Studio/The Arcade Crew)
- Europa Universalis 5 (Paradox Tinto/Paradox Interactive)
- The King is Watching (Hypnohead/TinyBuild)
- StarVaders (Pengonauts/Joystick Ventures)
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked (Resolution Games)
- Ghost Town (Fireproof Games)
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games/Oculus Studios)
- The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games)
- Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow (Maze Theory/Vertigo Games)
Dispatch | Image credit: AdHoc Studio
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Baby Steps (Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince
- Consume Me (Hexecutable)
- Despelote (Panic Inc.)
- Dispatch
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Arc Raiders
- Blue Prince
- Hades 2
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Öoo (NamaTakahashi)
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
- The Midnight Walk
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach | Image credit: Kojima Productions
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
- Esquie (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Maxence Cazorla)
- Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Jennifer English)
- Courtney/Invisigal (Dispatch, Laura Bailey)
- Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man (Dispatch, Aaron Paul)
- Atsu (Ghost of Yōtei, Erika Ishii)
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Herdling (Okomotive/Panic Inc.)
- Mario Kart World
- Sword of the Sea (Giant Squid)
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Arc Raiders
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Lumines Arise (Enhance/Monstars)
- Split Fiction
Arc Raiders | Image credit: Embark Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- South of Midnight
- The Drifter (Powerhoof)
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Arc Raiders
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Québec/Ubisoft)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Doom: The Dark Ages
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Ghost Town
- Hotel Infinity (Studio Chyr)
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR
- Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset (Industrial Light & Magic/Disney Electronic Content)
- Unloop (Superposition Null/CM Games)
What the nominations show
The nominations span major releases, independent games and achievements in areas such as design, story, animation and audio. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei share the highest nomination count, while the Game of the Year category also includes Blue Prince, Dispatch and Arc Raiders. This overview of the 2026 DICE Awards nominations provides a category-by-category reference for following the awards.
