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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Leads the 2026 BAFTA Games Award Nominations with 12 Nods

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Image: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (via Sandfall Interactive)

The nominations for the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards are officially out, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is sitting comfortably at the top with 12 nominations across 17 categories.


This marks the 22nd edition of the prestigious awards showcase, and this year's lineup is arguably one of the most diverse it has ever been.


Dispatch follows close behind with nine nominations. Ghost of Yotei lands eight, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach picks up seven, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle rounds out the upper tier with six.


It is worth noting that despite its seven nominations, Death Stranding 2 did not make the cut for Best Game. That category features Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, Ghost of Yotei, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Blue Prince, and Arc Raiders.


According to BAFTA, a total of 17 studios are receiving nominations for the very first time.


All 2026 BAFTA Games Awards Nominations

Best Game

  • Arc Raiders – Embark Studios / Embark Studios

  • Blue Prince – Dogubomb / Raw Fury

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – MachineGames / Bethesda


Animation

  • Battlefield 6 – Battlefield Studios / Electronic Arts

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Hades II – Supergiant Games / Supergiant Games

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry / Team Cherry


Artistic Achievement

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry / Team Cherry

  • South of Midnight – Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios


Audio Achievement

  • Arc Raiders – Embark Studios / Embark Studios

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – MachineGames / Bethesda


British Game

  • Atomfall – Rebellion / Rebellion

  • Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Jump Over the Age / Fellow Traveller

  • Mafia: The Old Country – Hangar 13 / 2K

  • Monument Valley 3 – ustwo games / ustwo games

  • PowerWash Simulator 2 – FuturLab / FuturLab

  • Two Point Museum – Two Point Studios / SEGA


Debut Game

  • Blue Prince – Dogubomb / Raw Fury

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson / Hexecutable LLC

  • Despelote – Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • The Midnight Walk – MoonHood / Fast Travel Games


Evolving Game

  • Fallout 76 – Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda

  • Helldivers 2 – Arrowhead Game Studios / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Hitman World of Assassination – IO Interactive / IO Interactive

  • No Man's Sky – Hello Games / Hello Games

  • Vampire Survivors – poncle / poncle

  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Saber Interactive / Focus Entertainment Publishing


Family

  • Donkey Kong Bananza – Nintendo EPD / Nintendo

  • Is This Seat Taken? – Poti Poti / Wholesome Games Presents

  • LEGO Party! – SMG Studio / Fictions

  • Mario Kart World – Nintendo / Nintendo

  • PowerWash Simulator 2 – FuturLab / FuturLab

  • Two Point Museum – Two Point Studios / SEGA


Game Beyond Entertainment

  • The Alters – 11 bit studios / 11 bit studios

  • And Roger – TearyHand Studio / Kodansha

  • Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector – Jump Over the Age / Fellow Traveller

  • Consume Me – Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson / Hexecutable LLC

  • Despelote – Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic

  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – GSC Game World / GSC Game World


Game Design

  • Ball x Pit – Kenny Sun & Friends / Devolver Digital

  • Blue Prince – Dogubomb / Raw Fury

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Hades II – Supergiant Games / Supergiant Games

  • Split Fiction – Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts


Multiplayer

  • Arc Raiders – Embark Studios / Embark Studios

  • Dune: Awakening – Funcom / Funcom

  • Elden Ring Nightreign – FromSoftware / Bandai Namco

  • LEGO Party! – SMG Studio / Fictions

  • Peak – Aggro Crab & Landfall / Aggro Crab & Landfall

  • Split Fiction – Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts


Music

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Hollow Knight: Silksong – Team Cherry / Team Cherry

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – MachineGames / Bethesda


Narrative

  • The Alters – 11 bit studios / 11 bit studios

  • Blue Prince – Dogubomb / Raw Fury

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – MachineGames / Bethesda

  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver


New Intellectual Property

  • The Alters – 11 bit studios / 11 bit studios

  • Arc Raiders – Embark Studios / Embark Studios

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive / Kepler Interactive

  • Dispatch – AdHoc Studio / AdHoc Studio

  • South of Midnight – Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios

  • Split Fiction – Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts


Performer in a Leading Role

  • Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson in Dispatch

  • Ben Starr as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yotei

  • Jennifer English as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Tom McKay as Henry of Skalitz in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

  • Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle


Performer in a Supporting Role

  • Alix Wilton Regan as Lea Florence Monad in Lies of P: Overture

  • Charlie Cox as Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Jane Perry as Lia Cain in Dead Take

  • Jeffrey Wright as Chase in Dispatch

  • Kirsty Rider as Lune in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

  • Troy Baker as Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach


Technical Achievement

  • Arc Raiders – Embark Studios / Embark Studios

  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • DOOM: The Dark Ages – id Software / Bethesda

  • Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – MachineGames / Bethesda

  • Split Fiction – Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts


Tara Saunders, chair of BAFTA's Games Committee, shared her thoughts on the nominations. She said, "Today's nominations recognise 42 outstanding games that highlight the very best of the global games industry. This year's nominations reflect an industry reshaping itself, with a vibrant mix of established studios standing alongside a wide range of independent studios, and a number of development teams earning nominations for the first time. The exceptional craft, artistry and innovation behind these titles shines through." She went on to add, "A nomination is an extraordinary achievement, and I extend my warmest congratulations to every nominee for their innovation, hard work and resilience."

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