adminClair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the finalists for the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), earning eight nominations across nine categories. The lineup also includes Ghost of Yōtei, Donkey Kong Bananza and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, with several titles competing for Game of the Year.
Image credit: Sandfall Interactive
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the 2026 GDCA finalists
Sandfall Interactive’s turn-based role-playing game is nominated for Game of the Year alongside Blue Prince, Donkey Kong Bananza, Ghost of Yōtei, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Split Fiction. Its nominations also span Best Debut, Best Narrative, Best Design, Best Visual Art, Best Audio, Best Technology and the Innovation Award.
Ghost of Yōtei received five nominations, including Game of the Year, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art, Best Audio and Best Technology. Donkey Kong Bananza earned four nominations, while Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was recognised in three categories.
The finalists were chosen by the International Choice Awards Network, an invitation-only group of leading game creators. For readers comparing the nominees, the category lists below show which games are recognised for creative work, technical achievement and overall impact.
Complete list of Game Developers Choice Awards 2026 nominees
Game of the Year
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
- Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
- Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
Best Debut
- Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun & Friends/Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch (Adhoc Studio)
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Split Fiction
Best Design
- Ball x Pit
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Split Fiction
Best Visual Art
- Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Dotemu, Supamonks/Dotemu)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
- Keeper (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)
Best Audio
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/SIE)
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Rift of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games/Kei Publishing)
- South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
Best Technology
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Split Fiction
Innovation Award
- Ball x Pit
- Baby Steps (Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital)
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Donkey Kong Bananza
Social Impact Award
- And Roger (TearyHand Studio/Kodansha)
- Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Jie En Lee/Violet W-P/Ken "coda" Snyder/Hexecutable)
- Despelote
- Dispatch
When and where were the awards scheduled?
At the time the finalists were announced, the GDCA ceremony was scheduled for March 12, 2026, during the GDC Festival of Gaming at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The festival was scheduled to run from March 9 to March 13. The 28th annual Independent Games Festival awards ceremony was set for March 11, with both ceremonies due to stream free on Twitch.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is represented across eight categories, making it the most-nominated game in the 2026 GDCA finalist list. The category breakdown offers a quick way to see where it competes, from Game of the Year and narrative to audio, technology and visual art.
