The Gayming Awards 2026 Nominations Are Out, Featuring Hades 2 and Date Everything as the Top Contenders

The sixth annual Gayming Awards nominations have been announced, with Hades 2 and Date Everything leading the pack with 3 nominations each across 14 categories.

Supergiant Games' Hades 2 has secured a spot in the Game of the Year category, joining five other strong contenders. The full GOTY lineup includes Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Ghost of Yotei, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and South of Midnight.

Hades 2 itself has long been considered a queer gaming staple. The original Hades featured canonical queer relationships(e.g., Achilles/Patroclus, Thanatos/Zagreus options), non-binary characters like Chaos, and romance options that embraced same-sex and fluid attraction. The sequel continues that legacy with protagonist Melinoe and a new roster of gods and romance paths that feel just as inclusive and thoughtfully crafted.

Hollow Knight: Silksong, another GOTY nominee, carries a massive queer fanbase built around its melancholic storytelling, themes of transformation and found family, and a community that deeply connects with its atmospheric world.

Ghost of Yotei, featuring female protagonist Atsu in a samurai-era setting, has drawn strong support from queer audiences who celebrate complex female leads and non-traditional gender roles.

South of Midnight, meanwhile, stars a Black female protagonist navigating Southern Gothic folklore, earning praise for authentic, inclusive storytelling that avoids stereotypes.

Blue Prince rounds out the list with its surreal themes of identity and hidden layers, which many queer players have found deeply resonant on a metaphorical level.

Hades 2 and Silksong also show up in the Gayming Magazine Fan Favourite Award category, where they go head-to-head with Date Everything, Dead by Daylight: Steady Pulse, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage.

Date Everything, developed by Sassy Chap Games, is a dating sim where you romance household objects brought to life, complete with a massive voice cast and explicit LGBTQ+ content. Its characters Eddie and Volt are nominated for Best LGBTQ+ Character.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a historical RPG, includes optional same-sex romance paths, including one involving Sir Hans Capon, who is also nominated for Best LGBTQ+ Character.

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, from the team behind Life is Strange, brings a heartfelt story about queer coming-of-age in the 1990s. With characters like Kat Mikaelsen nominated for Best LGBTQ+ Character, and themes covering sapphic relationships, identity, and girlhood, it has resonated deeply in sapphic and lesbian gaming spaces.

This year, the Gayming Awards is introducing something new. A fresh suite of accolades called the Gayming Awards Creator Honours has been added, which, as per the official description, "set out to celebrate and uplift LGBTQ+ gaming content creators of all levels."

The winners for the LGBTQ+ Streaming Rising Star Class of 2026, the LGBTQ+ Content Creator Superstar Award, and the Gayming Icon Award will be announced separately in May 2026.

The ceremony itself takes place on June 8 on WOW Presents Plus, World of Wonder's streaming platform. It will be hosted by Erika Ishii, known for Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei, who took home the LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year award at last year's show, alongside drag artist Dawn.

The Gayming Awards first launched in 2021 as the world's first awards ceremony dedicated entirely to LGBTQ+ gaming culture. At the 2025 edition, Dragon Age: The Veilguard claimed the top prize of Game of the Year.

Voting is now open for those who want to participate.

Here is the full list of nominations:

Game of the Year

• Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital)

• Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)

• Ghost of Yotei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)

• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

• South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)

Gayming Magazine Fan Favourite Award

• Date Everything (Sassy Chap Games/Team17)

• Dead by Daylight: Steady Pulse (Behaviour Interactive)

• Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)

• Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)

• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don't Nod)

Best LGBTQ+ Character Award

• Sir Hans Capon - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

• Eddie & Volt - Date Everything

• Kat Mikaelsen - Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

• Melinoe - Hades 2

• Orela Rose - Dead by Daylight

• Samar - Spirit Swap (Soft Not Weak)

Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award

• Date Everything (Sassy Chap Games/Team17)

• Monster Prom 4: Monster Con (Beautiful Glitch)

• Quantum Witch (NikkiJay)

• Spirit Swap

• Tales of Seikyu (Ace Entertainment/Fireshine Games)

• The Beekeepers Picnic (Wonder Room Games)

Industry Diversity Award

• Behaviour Interactive

• Don't Nod

• Out Making Games (OMG)

• Riot Games

Community Impact Award

• Boston Gaymers

• Gaymers iNC

• Gaymer Nights

• NYC Gaymers

• Qweerty Gamers

• SlayStation

Best LGBTQ+ Contribution to Esports Award

• British Esports Federation

• Cora Kennedy

• Team Liquid

• Valorant Game Changers

LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year Award

• Allegra Clark

• Jay Taylor

• Jennifer English

• Michael Lorz

• Robyn Holdaway

• Tobias Weatherburn

Queer Geek Entertainment of the Year Award

• Dimension 20: Dungeons & Drag Queens, Season 2 (Dropout)

• Harley Quinn: Season 5 (DC)

• Hazbin Hotel: Season 2 (Amazon)

• Stranger Things: Season 5 (Netflix)

• The Mighty Nein (Amazon MGM Studios, Critical Role & Titmouse)

• The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO)

LGBTQ+ Content Creator of the Year Award

• ArtemirGaming

• Blizz

• BoyeFran

• GhCoffee

• Hyjules

• KoiJay

• Phaun

• Ravynia

LGBTQ+ Breakout Creator of the Year Award

• Devoglaer

• HaiMoonX

• KyaColosseum

• OllieDreamer

• PhilipCroft

• Retrowolve

• TheFunkoBeard

• WillJinkies