Games Industry Africa Awards 2025: Full List of Winners Announced
- Sagar Mankar
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
The Games Industry Africa Awards (GIAA) have announced their winners for 2025, celebrating the best talent and titles across the continent’s growing gaming scene.
Taking center stage was Free Lives’ Stick It to the Stickman, which snagged both Game of the Year and PC Game of the Year. Published by Devolver Digital, the quirky physics‑based brawler also walked away with Team of the Year honors.
Released in Early Access on Steam on August 18, 2025, the game offers a satirical take on corporate culture. Players step into the shoes of a blue stick figure battling waves of identical red stickmen, climbing a dystopian office tower in pursuit of becoming CEO. It boasts Overwhelmingly Positive Steam reviews (97-98%), praised for hilarious combat and value. Grab it on Steam (currently ~$4 with discount ending soon), or try the free demo on itch.io (Windows/Mac).
In a statement (via GI.Biz), the GIAA praised the studio’s achievement, noting that “by all metrics, this title stands as the most successful game developed on the continent, produced by a team renowned for consistently demonstrating exceptional creativity. Stick It to the Stickman is poised to remain influential in the industry for the foreseeable future.”
The Persons of the Year Award was shared by three influential figures: Teddy Kossoko, founder of Masseka Game/Gara; Dominique Gawlowski, managing director at Free Lives; and Egyptian developer Rojeh Maher. Each was honored for their contributions to advancing African game development and inspiring future creators.
Beyond individual titles, the awards also spotlighted community and industry efforts. Africa Games Week was named Event of the Year, while the Carry1st Africa Cup earned Industry Initiative of the Year. Meanwhile, Nyamakop’s debut of Relooted took home News Highlight of the Year.
Full List of Winners – GIAA 2025
Game of the Year: Stick It to the Stickman (Free Lives, Devolver Digital)
PC Game of the Year: Stick It to the Stickman
Debut of the Year: Flibbius McDoogle and the Mysterious Flying Machine (Unsigned Double Collective)
Most Impactful Mobile Game: Safari City (Maliyo Games)
Industry Initiative of the Year: Carry1st Africa Cup
Event of the Year: Africa Games Week
News Highlight of the Year: Nyamakop debuts Relooted
Team of the Year: Free Lives
Persons of the Year: Teddy Kossoko, Dominique Gawlowski, Rojeh Maher
While Africa’s gaming industry is still relatively young compared to other regions, the GIAA emphasized that recognizing its talent pool is vital for growth. “An acknowledgment of the pool of talent is a way to aid continuous growth as well as inspire the next generation of creators and developers,” the organization noted.
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