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What are the full results and winners of the 2025 Steam Awards?
The Steam community has finalized its verdict for 2025. Hollow Knight: Silksong secured the Game of the Year award, dominating player engagement metrics throughout the year. This victory signals a preference for mechanical depth over cinematic spectacle.
Silksong’s Competitive Victory
The path to this win involved significant competition. Silksong surpassed heavily decorated titles, including Blue Prince and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While Expedition 33 received major accolades from industry critics earlier in 2025, the Steam user base rallied around Silksong. Voters prioritized the game’s demanding combat systems and intricate exploration mechanics over the narrative focus of its competitors.
Silksong also achieved a unique distinction as the only multi-award winner. Beyond the top honor, it claimed the “Best Game You Suck At” category. This dual victory confirms that players value challenging loops that demand skill mastery.
Category Winners Breakdown
The voting results distributed recognition across a diverse range of studios and genres, highlighting specific strengths in the current market:
- VR Game of the Year: The Midnight Walk claimed this title, outperforming established racing and shooter franchises.
- Labor of Love: Baldur’s Gate 3 won this category again. This demonstrates that consistent post-launch updates retain player loyalty long after release.
- Best Game on Steam Deck: Hades 2 secured this award, cementing its status as the premier title for portable hardware optimization.
- Most Innovative Gameplay: ARC Raiders took this honor and finished as the runner-up for Game of the Year.
- Outstanding Visual Style: Silent Hill f won for its distinct and unsettling art direction.
- Best Soundtrack: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ensured it did not leave empty-handed by winning for audio excellence.
- Social and Narrative Awards: Peak won “Better With Friends,” Dispatch claimed “Outstanding Story-Rich Game,” and RV There Yet? took the “Sit Back and Relax” award.
Market Implications
These results highlight a divergence between industry juries and the player base. The Steam audience rewards replayability, long-term developer support, and challenging gameplay loops. The dominance of indie and mid-sized studios suggests that budget size correlates less with user satisfaction than mechanical refinement does.