Hollow Knight: Silksong secures Game of the Year at the 2025 Steam awards

Valve has revealed the winners of the 2025 Steam Awards. Unlike the heavily produced ceremonies that rely on a mix of critics and developers, the Steam Awards remain entirely community-driven, with millions voting to decide which titles best represent each category. This year’s crowning achievement belongs to Hollow Knight: Silksong, which not only took home the Game of the Year award but also secured a second trophy for the Best Game You Suck At category.

The difference in player sentiment is most evident when comparing Steam Awards 2025 results to the accolades handed out at The Game Awards 2025. While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the undisputed juggernaut of the December festival, sweeping nine categories including the primary GOTY title, it saw a much more modest reception from the Steam public, as the title only won the Best Soundtrack.

In the more niche categories, the community demonstrated a distinct sense of irony. The Sit Back and Relax Award was handed to RV There Yet?, a co-op driving game that many players find anything but relaxing.. Other notable victories included Hades II for Best Game on Steam Deck and Baldur's Gate 3, which continues its run by winning the Labor of Love award for Larian Studios. The detailed list of nominees and winners can be found below:

Game of the Year Award

• Winner: Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Dispatch
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• ARC Raiders

VR Game of the Year Award

• Winner: The Midnight Walk
• F1 25
• Pavlov
• Le Mans Ultimate
• Emissary Zero

Labor of Love Award

• Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3
• Dota 2
• No Man’s Sky
• Rust
• Helldivers 2

Best Game on Steam Deck Award

• Winner: Hades II
• Digimon Story Time Stranger
• Ball x Pit
• CloverPit
• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Better With Friends Award

• Winner: Peak
• Schedule I
• Battlefield 6
• R.E.P.O.
• Split Fiction

Outstanding Visual Style Award

• Winner: Silent Hill f
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• ENA: Dream BBQ
• My Little Puppy
• DOOM: The Dark Ages

Most Innovative Gameplay Award

• Winner: ARC Raiders
• Escape From Duckov
• Europa Universalis V
• Mage Arena
• Blue Prince

Best Game You Suck at Award

• Winner: Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Where Winds Meet
• Marvel Rivals
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Path of Exile 2

Best Soundtrack Award

• Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Tokyo Xtreme Racer
• Rift of the NecroDancer
• Deltarune
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award

• Winner: Dispatch
• Dying Light: The Beast
• No, I’m Not a Human
• The Last of Us Part II Remastered
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Sit Back and Relax Award

• Winner: RV There Yet?
• PowerWash Simulator 2
• Chill with You : Lo-Fi Story
• Megabonk
• Slime Rancher 2

KitGuru says: Did you vote for the Steam Awards 2025? Do you agree with the winners?

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