adminClair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the top winner at the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), taking home Game of the Year and four additional awards. The ceremony also recognized achievements across design, technology, storytelling and independent games, while the Independent Games Festival (IGF) announced its own winners on the same night.
Image credit: Sandfall Interactive
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the GDCA 2026 winners
Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game won five awards: Game of the Year, Best Debut, Best Visual Art, Best Audio and Best Narrative. Its collection of honors recognizes the game across several distinct areas, from its presentation and sound to its storytelling.
Other GDCA winners included Blue Prince, which received both Best Design and the Innovation Award. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach earned Best Technology, while Consume Me received the Social Impact Award. The Audience Award went to And Roger.
The ceremony’s special honors recognized industry figures: Don Daglow received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Ambassador Award was presented posthumously to Interplay Productions co-founder Rebecca Heineman.
GDCA 2026 winners
- Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Best Debut: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Visual Art: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Audio: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Narrative: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Technology: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Design: Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Audience Award: And Roger (TearyHand Studio/Kodansha)
- Social Impact Award: Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson/Hexacutable)
- Innovation Award: Blue Prince
- Ambassador Award: Rebecca Heineman
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Don Daglow
Independent Games Festival 2026 winners
The 28th annual IGF Awards also took place that night. AP Thomson’s strategy title Titanium Court won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and Excellence in Design. Other awards recognized independent games for visual art, audio, narrative and innovation.
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize: Titanium Court (AP Thomson/Fellow Traveller)
- Excellence in Visual Art: Eclipsium (Housefire/Critical Reflex)
- Excellence in Audio: Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital)
- Excellence in Design: Titanium Court
- Excellence in Narrative: Perfect Tides: Station to Station (Three Bees)
- Nuovo Award: Horses (Santa Ragione, Andrea Lucco Borlera)
- Wings Award: 13Z: The Zodiac Trials (Mixed Realms)
- Audience Award: Wednesdays (Pierre Corbinais, The Pixel Hunt, Exaheva, Christophe Galati)
- Best Student Game: Poco (Whalefall/Micah Boursier)
What the 2026 results show
The two ceremonies offer a broad snapshot of games recognized by developers and independent-game juries in 2026. The GDCA results highlight the range of achievements behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, while the IGF list showcases a variety of independent projects and category winners. For a quick comparison, check the category names alongside each game: awards such as Best Audio and Excellence in Narrative recognize different areas of game development.
Overall, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the biggest GDCA winner with five awards, including Game of the Year. Titanium Court led the IGF results with two honors, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.
