Dragon Age: The Veilguard Wins GOTY at Gayming Awards 2025

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Wins GOTY at Gayming Awards 2025 (Credit: BioWare/Gayming Magazine)

The winners of the Gayming Awards 2025 are officially in, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard has walked away with two major honors — Game of the Year and Best LGBTQ+ Character for its customizable lead, Rook.

Hosted on July 8 at The Abbey in West Hollywood, this year’s ceremony once again spotlighted games and creators that are pushing for better representation and inclusivity in the gaming space.

This marked the 5th edition of the Gayming Awards, which started back in 2021 as the world’s first ceremony dedicated entirely to celebrating LGBTQ+ gaming culture. Over the years, it’s grown in scale and impact — and 2025 was no different. The show introduced two fresh categories: Best LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year and Community Impact Award, both of which highlight the growing efforts behind the scenes and in the spotlight.

BioWare’s The Veilguard has already been making "headlines" for its inclusive approach to storytelling, and now it has the awards to back it up. Rook, the game’s protagonist, can be fully customized — gender, pronouns, romantic preferences, and more — allowing players to explore stories that genuinely reflect queer identities. This flexible approach to character identity earned Rook the title of Best LGBTQ+ Character.

Adding to that, Erika Ishii — who voiced Rook — won Best LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year.

On the indie side, Kitsune Tails charmed its way to victory, winning Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game. This retro-style platformer mixes magical Japanese folklore with a tender queer love story. Players follow Yuki, a fox spirit who falls in love with a human priestess — and the game doesn’t shy away from giving that story emotional weight. Since its launch in August 2024, it’s been a hit among players, sitting at a glowing 96% positive rating on Steam.

Meanwhile, The Last of Us Part II: Remastered won over the community, earning the Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award. Ellie’s journey — her love, loss, and identity — continues to strike a chord with players, and the remastered edition reminded everyone just how powerful her story remains.

Here’s a quick look at the other winners at the Gayming Awards 2025:

• Industry Diversity Award: Code Coven

• Community Impact Award: Stream for a Cause

• LGBTQ+ Content Creator of the Year: PearlTeese

• LGBTQ+ Contribution to Esports: Bailey McCann

• LGBTQ+ Geek Entertainment of the Year: Arcane: Season 2 (Netflix)

• Gayming Icon Award: Rebecca Heineman

• LGBTQ+ Streaming Rising Star Class of 2025: BoyeFran, Bvssykatdoll, Mynxie666, and WillJinkies

Robin Gray, founder of both Gayming Magazine and the Awards, shared a heartfelt message during the show. “Every year I’m honoured to uplift and celebrate creators, games makers, and industry workers,” he said. “This year’s winners represent a wonderfully diverse group of people, all of whom are working to make our industry better in their own way.”

Gray also acknowledged the importance of unity and support within the community, adding that their partnership with World of Wonder helped make the 2025 ceremony the biggest yet.

Last year, Larian Studios' highly praised RPG, Baldur's Gate 3, emerged as the top winner. The studio got 6 nominations in 5 different categories and won an award in almost each, including the coveted GOTY award.