"When one falls, we continue"—or, in Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive's case, they dominate. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has won Game of the Year at the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, taking home a total of five awards over the course of the evening.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a loving ode to, and evolution of, the classic JRPG genre with real-time action elements and a distinctly French-inspired narrative and aesthetic. With a dramatic story filled with dread and hope, the game’s artfully crafted world has drawn significant praise, further solidified by tonight’s commanding performance. In addition to Game of the Year, the dark fantasy RPG was honored with Best Debut, Best Visual Art, Best Narrative, and Best Audio.

The unique puzzle adventure Blue Prince, from developer Dogubomb and publisher Raw Fury, is the other multiple-award recipient of the night, taking home the Innovation Award and Best Design. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment) won for Best Technology; last year's IGF Awards grand prize winner Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia) received the Social Impact Award; and and Roger (TearyHand Studio / Kodansha) took home the Audience Award.

Two influential industry figures were also honored at tonight’s ceremony. The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Emmy® Award-winning game designer Don Daglow. Daglow is a towering pioneer with an expansive list of industry firsts across his 55-year, 100+ game career, including the first baseball game (BASBAL, 1971), the first RTS or sim game (Utopia, 1981) and the first MMORPG to use graphics instead of text (Neverwinter Nights, 1991-1997, AOL, Emmy Award).

Rebecca Ann Heineman (1963–2025), the posthumous recipient of this year’s Ambassador Award, was a trailblazing figure in the games industry, celebrated as one of the first professional video game players and a pioneering developer. In 1980, she made history by winning the first National Space Invaders Championship, becoming the inaugural U.S. video game tournament champion. This victory launched a 45-year career during which she contributed to more than 250 games, including classics such as The Bard's Tale III, Dragon Wars, Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom (3DO).

The winners of the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards are:

Best Debut

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Best Design

Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)

Best Technology

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Visual Art

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Innovation Award

Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)

Best Narrative

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Audience Award

and Roger (TearyHand Studio / Kodansha)

Best Audio

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Social Impact Award

Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia)

Game of the Year

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive)

Lifetime Achievement Award

Don Daglow

Ambassador Award

Rebecca Ann Heineman

Produced and hosted annually by the GDC Festival of Gaming, the GDCAs are the premier, globally recognized accolades for peer recognition in the video game industry, honoring and celebrating the greatest games created in the last year and the developers behind them.