Thousands of joystick jockeys and a smattering of Hollywood stars descended upon downtown LA’s Peacock Theater on Thursday to celebrate the best and brightest in video games at the Game Awards.
The 11th annual ceremony is often called the “Oscars of gaming” — but the presentation of awards is where its similarities to the Academy Awards end. It’s a rowdy night that welcomes not just industry leaders, but real fans, who swap their gaming headsets for cocktail attire as they nerd out together.
And as the worlds of technology and tinseltown overlap more and more with high-profile gaming adaptations like “The Last of Us,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the Game Awards also attracted a menagerie of major Hollywood players.
The A-list cast of Paramount’s upcoming adaptation of “Street Fighter,” one of the highest-grossing games of all time, was naturally on hand to hype up the crowd in between awards.
“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” star Noah Centineo, prolific wrestler Cody Rhodes, comedian Andrew Schulz and “Game of Thrones” actor Jason Momoa were met by deafening screams and rapturous applause as they gave fans their first sneak peek at their roles in the action-packed 2026 movie.
Momoa barreled onto the stage with gusto, calling himself a “lifelong ‘Street Fighter’ fan” and joking that he threatened to kill the film’s producers if they didn’t cast him as Blanka, a feral jungle dwelling brawler with green skin.
Later in the evening, “Crazy Rich Asians” actress Gemma Chan made an appearance to introduce another A-lister joining her upcoming game, “007: First Light.” Singer Lenny Kravitz was revealed as James Bond’s primary antagonist, Bawma, in the highly-anticipated title.
The four-time Grammy winner then took the stage himself, dressed as his villainous new character in a mustard yellow suit with a snakeskin tank peeking out beneath.
“Where others see chaos, Bawma sees freedom,” Kravitz said, calling him “a wild, unpredictable ruler of Africa’s biggest black market hub.”
“Stranger Things” star, and Lily Allen’s ex, David Harbour was positively giddy as he introduced a brand new entry into the “Total War” franchise, based on the beloved British tabletop game “Warhammer.”
“Some of you may not know this, but I am a huge fan of tabletop gaming. I’ve painted endless miniatures and I’ve spent a crazy amount of time dropping dice under a table,” Harbour said, revealing he’ll star in the upcoming game, “Total War.”
But no star shined brighter than the original diva herself: Miss Piggy.
The well-dressed, sassy Muppet made frequent appearances alongside the evening’s host, Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley, and even made a few passes at him — don’t tell Kermit!
The porcine icon capped off the evening alongside fellow “The Muppet Show” character, Rowlf, singing a lively duet about their favorite video games, from “Fortnite” to “The Legend of Zelda.”
Other celebs in attendance included Oscar-nominated “Westworld” alum Jeffrey Wright, “We Were Liars” star Rahul Kohli, blockbuster director J.J. Abrams, “Resident Evil” actress Mila Jovovich and rock band Evanescence, who brought the house down with a performance of their hit “Afterlife” from Netflix’s “Devil May Cry.”
Going into Thursday evening’s ceremony, indie title “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” fronted by “Daredevil” star Charlie Cox, led the nominations with a record 13 nods.
As expected, it similarly emerged as the most-recognized game of the evening with a whopping nine wins, including top prize Game of the Year and a trophy for Best Performance from actress Jennifer English.
See all the night’s winners from The Game Awards, bolded below:
Game of the Year
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Best Game Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Hades II
Split Fiction
Best Adaptation
A Minecraft Movie
Devil May Cry
The Last of Us: Season 2
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
Until Dawn
Best Narrative
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Silent Hill f
Best Art Direction
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Score and Music
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hades II
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Ghost of Yōtei
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Best Audio Design
Battlefield 6
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Silent Hill f
Best Performance
Ben Starr (Expedition 33)
Charlie Cox (Expedition 33)
Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yotei)
Jennifer English (Expedition 33)
Konatsu Kato (Silent Hill f)
Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
Innovation In Accessibility
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Atomfall
Doom: The Dark Ages
EA Sports FC 26
South of Midnight
Games for Impact
Consume Me
Despelote
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
South of Midnight
Wanderstop
Best Ongoing Game
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Helldivers 2
Marvel Rivals
No Man’s Sky
Best Community Support
Baldur’s Gate 3
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Helldivers 2
No Man’s Sky
Best Independent Game
Absolum
Ball x Pit
Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Debut Indie Game
Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Despelote
Dispatch
Best Mobile Game
Destiny: Rising
Persona 5: The Phantom X
Sonic Rumble
Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Wuthering Waves
Best VR/AR Game
Alien: Rogue Incursion
Arken Age
Ghost Town
Marvel’s Deadpool VR
The Midnight Walk
Best Action Game
Battlefield 6
Doom: The Dark Ages
Hades II
Ninja Gaiden 4
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Best Action/Adventure Game
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Ghost of Yōtei
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Split Fiction
Best RPG
Avowed
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
The Outer Worlds 2
Monster Hunter Wilds
Best Fighting Game
2XKO
Capcom Fighting Collection 2
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage
Best Family Game
Donkey Kong Bananza
LEGO Party!
LEGO Voyagers
Mario Kart World
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Split Fiction
Best Sim/Strategy Game
The Alters
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
Jurassic World Evolution 3
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
Tempest Rising
Two Point Museum
Best Sports/Racing
EA Sports FC 26
F1 25
Mario Kart World
Rematch
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Best Multiplayer
Arc Raiders
Battlefield 6
Elden Ring Nightreign
Peak
Split Fiction
Most Anticipated Game
007 First Light
Grand Theft Auto VI
Marvel’s Wolverine
Resident Evil Requiem
The Witcher IV
Content Creator of the Year
Caedrel
Kai Cenat
MoistCr1TiKaL
Sakura Miko
The Burnt Peanut
Best Esports Game
Counter-Strike 2
Dota 2
League of Legends
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
brawk
Chovy
f0rsakeN
Kakeru
MenaRD
Zyw0o
Best Esports Team
Gen.G – League of Legends
NRG – Valorant
Team Falcons – DOTA 2
Team Liquid PH – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Team Vitality – Counter-Strike 2
Players’ Voice
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Dispatch
Genshin Impact
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Wuthering Waves
Read the full article here
