DICE Awards 2026 Nominees Revealed: Clair Obscur and Ghost of Yotei Lead the Pack

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has revealed the nominees for the 29th Annual DICE Awards, and a clear narrative has emerged: a dead-heat battle between two AAA titans. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei lead the peer-judged field with eight nominations each, including the coveted Game of the Year award. This breakdown explores the major contenders, key surprises, and what this list of developer favorites reveals about 2025's gaming landscape.

The Frontrunners: A Tale of Two Contenders

Leading the charge with eight nominations apiece are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei, both securing crucial spots in the ultimate Game of the Year category. This tie at the top signals a potentially historic showdown for the evening’s top prize.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the ambitious action-RPG from Sandfall Interactive, has captivated audiences with its unique art nouveau aesthetic and time-manipulation combat. Its strong showing across technical, artistic, and design categories suggests the developer community has recognized it as a masterclass in cohesive, innovative game crafting. Similarly, Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei—the hotly anticipated follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima—has earned its eight nods by seemingly perfecting the open-world action-adventure formula. Its strong showing across eight categories reflects the developer community's recognition of its mastery in crafting a breathtaking feudal Japanese world and refining its acclaimed open-world formula.

The parallel success of these two games—one a bold new IP, the other a sequel to a beloved franchise—poses a compelling question for the February ceremony: will the award go to groundbreaking originality or iterative perfection?

The Chasing Pack and Notable Nominations

While two games sit at the summit, a strong and diverse field is close behind. Embark Studios’ extraction shooter Arc Raiders and the narrative-driven mystery Dispatch each garnered six nominations, proving that both high-octane multiplayer and deeply personal single-player experiences can earn peer acclaim. Blue Prince, the enigmatic puzzle-adventure from Draw Distance, follows closely with five nominations, highlighting the industry’s appreciation for inventive, atmospheric design.

The list is further bolstered by other major 2025 releases. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Hades 2 have secured multiple nominations, ensuring that the works of acclaimed auteurs and beloved indie sequels have a significant presence. The broad spread of nominees across genres—from shooters and RPGs to puzzles and roguelikes—underscores a fundamental truth reflected in this list: 2025 was a remarkably strong and varied year for game releases.

The DICE Difference: Peer Recognition vs. Popular Vote

The weight of the DICE Awards nominee list stems directly from its voting body. Unlike other major ceremonies, the DICE Awards are voted on exclusively by the AIAS, an organization comprising over 33,000 professional game developers across all disciplines. This makes the awards a pure reflection of peer recognition—a "developer's choice" award in the truest sense.

This stands in stark contrast to the process of The Game Awards, where a blended vote involving a global jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%) decides the winners. The DICE list is therefore often viewed as a more industry-insider, craft-focused assessment. Historically, this insider perspective has frequently aligned with broader critical and commercial success. The AIAS notes that the DICE Awards and The Game Awards have agreed on the Game of the Year winner in 8 of the last 11 years. This track record lends significant predictive weight and prestige to the nominees announced today, suggesting that the frontrunners here are also the most respected contenders in the wider awards season.

Surprises, Snubs, and Storylines

No awards shortlist is without its talking points, and the 2026 DICE nominations have delivered a major one. The most notable surprise is the showing for Hollow Knight: Silksong. After receiving five nominations at The Game Awards 2025, Team Cherry’s long-awaited sequel secured only a single nomination (Adventure Game of the Year) from the AIAS. This stark discrepancy is a prime example of the potential divide between broader critical/player acclaim and the specific, craft-focused assessment of fellow developers. It suggests that while Silksong is undoubtedly a popular and critical hit, its technical or design innovations may not have resonated as deeply within the professional community as its overall adventure design.

This single-nomination result for a major title naturally invites scrutiny around other potential omissions and unexpected inclusions across the 23 categories, which will fuel industry discussion until the envelopes are opened.

Event Details and How to Watch

The 29th Annual DICE Awards ceremony will be held on February 12, 2026, commencing at 8 p.m. PST. The event will be livestreamed globally by IGN, ensuring fans can watch the proceedings unfold in real time. Adding to the evening’s appeal will be the hosting duo of Greg Miller, founder of Kinda Funny Games, and journalist Stella Chung. Across 23 categories, the academy will honor outstanding achievement in 2025’s games, from technical accomplishments in engineering and animation to creative triumphs in story, art, and design.

The 2026 DICE Awards nominees paint a compelling portrait of developer esteem, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei positioned as the ones to beat. While this list shares some DNA with other annual awards, it carries the unique and considerable weight of being a verdict from within the industry’s own ranks. The ceremony on February 12th will do more than just crown winners; it will offer a definitive snapshot of which 2025 creations most inspired the imagination and respect of the people who understand the craft better than anyone.