BAFTA Crowns Winners of 2025 Young Game Designers Awards

Image: BAFTA Winners of the 2025 Young Game Designers Awards

The winners of the 2025 BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) awards have been officially announced.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the YGD awards were held as a digital ceremony hosted by Inel Tomlinson. A total of 52 finalists competed across two categories: the Game Concept Award and the Game Making Award, each split into two age groups — 10 to 14 and 15 to 18.

Among the standout winners in the younger age group was 13-year-old Thiago van Vlerken Rene, who received the Game Making Award for Sir Floofington, a charming game set inside a procedurally generated castle. Thiago’s innovative use of randomization and light-hearted tone impressed the judges and audience alike.

In the same bracket, Tanisi Rawat, aged 14, took home the Game Concept Award for The Undead — a non-linear psychological horror, where the player wanders alone through a melancholic, post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies in search of their missing family. Rawat described the game as a reflection on “the prevalence of solace and human kindness in a society unbound by proper law,” a surprisingly mature take that left an impression.

For the 15 to 18 category, Luke Rayfield won the Game Making Award with Furniture Fu, a unique blend of martial arts combat and home interior design. Players can beat demons while mastering tasteful home design, in a game that Luke describes as “easy to learn and hard to master.”

Meanwhile, Isabelle Taylor and Emily Sun won the Game Concept Award with Mikka Bouzu, which tells the story of a disillusioned game designer who’s lost her passion for art. Of the project, Isabelle and Emily say that they “hope players may work through their own difficulties alongside Mikka’s struggles.”

All five winners will be featured in BAFTA’s Power Up experience, currently on display at major UK institutions including the Science Museum in London, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford. Additionally, their games will be showcased at 195 Piccadilly — BAFTA’s central hub — on June 29, 2025.

Speaking about the event, Tim Hunter, BAFTA’s executive director for learning, inclusion, policy, and membership, said, “The amount of talent and creativity we’ve seen from our winning game creators and finalists has been a joy to behold. Their ideas continue to provide us with a fascinating insight into the younger generation.”

Hunter also reflected on how far the initiative has come since its launch in 2010. As per his remarks, the growing recognition of video games as a valid form of artistic and cultural expression has helped young creators find new platforms to share their voices and perspectives.