adminThe BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations include a strong showing for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which received 12 nods, including Best Game. The list spans 17 award categories, recognising titles for their design, storytelling, performances, sound, music and technical work.
Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game is nominated in several craft categories as well as both performance awards. Other leading contenders include AdHoc Studio’s Dispatch, with nine nominations, and Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei, which appears in eight categories.
Image credit: Sandfall Interactive
BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations: leading contenders
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is recognised for Best Game, Debut Game, Game Design, Narrative, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement and Music. Its performers also earned four nominations: Ben Starr and Jennifer English in leading roles, and Charlie Cox and Kirsty Rider in supporting roles.
Dispatch received nine nominations, including Best Game, Debut Game, New Intellectual Property, Music and both performer categories. Ghost of Yōtei is nominated for Best Game, alongside recognition for Game Design, Animation, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Music, Technical Achievement and Erika Ishii’s leading performance.
First-time nominees make up a notable part of this year’s field: 17 of the 42 nominated studios have not previously received a nomination. They include Dogubomb, Embark Studios and Sandfall Interactive.
BAFTA Games Committee chair Tara Saunders said the nominations celebrate 42 games and reflect a mix of established and independent studios, including teams receiving recognition for the first time. She also congratulated nominees for the craft, creativity and innovation behind their work.
The announcement stated that the winners would be revealed on April 17, 2026, at the 22nd BAFTA Game Awards in London.
Full list of BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations
Best Game
- 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)
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda)
Debut Game
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder/Hexecutable)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena/Panic)
- Dispatch
- The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games)
British Game
- Atomfall (Rebellion)
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveller)
- Mafia: The Old Country (Hangar 13/2K)
- Monument Valley 3 (Ustwo Games)
- Powerwash Simulator 2 (FuturLab)
- Two Point Museum (Two Point Studios/Sega)
Evolving Game
- Fallout 76 (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hitman World of Assassination (IO Interactive)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
- Vampire Survivors (Poncle)
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment Publishing)
Image credit: Dogubomb
Multiplayer
- Arc Raiders
- Dune: Awakening (Funcom)
- Elden Ring Nightreign (From Software/Bandai Namco)
- Lego Party (SMG Studio/Fictions)
- Peak (Aggro Crab & Landfall)
- Split Fiction
Family
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Is This Seat Taken? (Poti Poti/Wholesome Games Presents)
- Lego Party
- Mario Kart World (Nintendo)
- Powerwash Simulator 2
- Two Point Museum
Game Beyond Entertainment
- The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
- And Roger (TearyHand Studio/Kodansha)
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl (GSC Game World)
Game Design
- Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun & Friends/Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
Image credit: Embark Studios
Narrative
- The Alters
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
Performer in a Leading Role
- Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson in Dispatch
- Ben Starr as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei
- Jennifer English as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Tom McKay as Henry of Skalitz in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Performer in a Supporting Role
- Alix Wilton Regan as Lea Florence Monad in Lies of P: Overture
- Charlie Cox as Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Jane Perry as Lia Cain in Dead Take
- Jeffrey Wright as Chase in Dispatch
- Kirsty Rider as Lune in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Troy Baker as Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Animation
- Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/Electronic Arts)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Artistic Achievement
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
Image credit: Sucker Punch Productions
Audio Achievement
- Arc Raiders
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Music
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier
- Death Stranding 2 – Hideo Kojima, Woodkid, Ludvig Forssell
- Dispatch – Andrew Arcadi, Skyler Barto
- Ghost of Yōtei – Toma Otowa, Peter Scaturro, Keith Leary
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Christopher Larkin
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Gordy Haab, Pete Ward, Christoffer Larsson
New Intellectual Property
- The Alters
- Arc Raiders
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch
- South of Midnight
- Split Fiction
Technical Achievement
- Arc Raiders
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda)
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
What to know about the BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations
The nominations cover a broad mix of genres, studios and creative disciplines, from multiplayer and family games to narrative-led and evolving titles. For readers comparing the contenders, the category lists above show where each game earned recognition; several titles appear in multiple sections, reflecting nominations for both the overall game and particular aspects of its development.
The BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations are led by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with 12 nods, followed by Dispatch with nine. The ceremony date stated in the announcement was April 17, 2026, in London.
