29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
Date	February 12, 2026
Venue	Aria Resort & Casino
Hosted by	Stella Chung, Greg Miller
Highlights
Most awards	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (5)
Most nominations	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; Ghost of Yōtei (8);
Game of the Year	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hall of Fame	Evan Wells

The 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards was the 29th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards ("Design Innovate Communicate Entertain"), an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2025. The awards ceremony was arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and was part of the 2026 D.I.C.E. Summit. The ceremony occurred on February 12, 2026, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Greg Miller of Kinda Funny Games and Stella Chung, formerly of IGN, returned as hosts for the ceremony. The nominees were announced on January 8, 2026.

Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Yōtei topped the list with 8 nominations, with the former winning the most awards of the ceremony with 5 wins, including "Game of the Year". Embark Studios' ARC Raiders and AdHoc Studio's Dispatch garnered 6 nominations each, followed by Dogubomb's Blue Prince earning 5 total nominations with Kojima Productions' Death Stranding 2: On the Beach close behind with 4 nominations. Sony Interactive Entertainment garnered the most nominations amongst publishers, while Electronic Arts published the most nominated games. Kepler Interactive won the most awards as a publisher, and tied with Sony Interactive Entertainment for publishing the most award-winning games.

Evan Wells, former president of Naughty Dog and lead designer for Crash Bandicoot: Warped and the Jak & Daxter games, received the Academy's Hall of Fame Award.^[1]

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Game of the Year Awards

Game of the Year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Guillaume Broche, Tom Guillermin, François Meurisse‡ ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Aleksander Grøndal, Stefan Strandberg, Virgil Watkins Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, Pierre Shorette, Natalie Herman Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brian Fleming, Jason Connell, Nate Fox	Online Game of the Year ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Virgil Watkins, Robert Träffe‡ Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios, Electronic Arts) — Christian Grass, Thomas 'Tompen' Andersson, Ryan McArthur Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD) — Yugo Hayashi, Wataru Hinoshita Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games) — Weicong Wu, Guangyn Chen, Fan Feng Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts) — Josef Fares, Aimar Bergan, Oskar Wolontis
Mobile Game of the Year Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio, Sega) — Yusuke Nitta, Zhen Wang, Yuta Sakai, Yohsuke Uda, Lao V, Jun Matsunaga‡ Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames) — Koichi Watanabe What the Clash? (Triband) — Tim Garbos, Daniel Traun-Terkelsen, Christen Lorensen Where Winds Meet (Everstone Studio, NetEase Games) — Beralt Lyu	Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros‡ Baby Steps (Devolver Digital) — Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy Consume Me (Hexecutable LLC) — Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken "coda" Snyder Despelote (Panic Inc.) — Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena, Gabe Cuzzillo Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, Pierre Shorette, Natalie Herman

Immersive Reality Awards

Immersive Reality Game of the Year Ghost Town (Fireproof Studios) — Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Tom Seed‡ Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked (Resolution Games) — Gustav Stenmark, Parvathy Menon Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games, Oculus Studios) — Josh Bear, Dan Bullock, Jody Coglianese The Midnight Walk (MoonHood, Fast Travel Games) — Klaus Lyngeled, Olov Redmalm Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow (Maze Theory, Vertigo Games) — Russ Harding, Steven Gallagher, Nick Witsel	Immersive Reality Technical Achievement Hotel Infinity (Studio Chyr) — William Chyr, Tara Quinsac, Tyler LaGrange, Tanner Davis, Melody Yang, Arthur Brussee, Oscar De Anda, Nick Williams, Jacob Mooney, Sydney Glenn, August Brown‡ Ghost Town (Fireproof Studios) — Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Dave Smeathers, Simon Fawcett, Ethan Prime Marvel's Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games, Oculus Studios) — Frank Wilson, Gabe Farris, Mike Henry, Patrick Christenson, Naveen Nattam Star Wars: Beyond Victory - A Mixed Reality Playset (Industrial Light & Magic, Disney Electronic Content) — Kay Nestor, Jimmy Roznick Unloop (Superposition NULL, CM Games) — Anastasia Rumyantseva, Artem Suleimanov, Nikolai Zharkov

Craft Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Guillaume Broche‡ Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jason Connell, Nate Fox Hades II (Supergiant Games) — Greg Kasavin, Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Darren Korb, Jen Zee, Andrew Wang Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver) — Daniel Vávra	Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros‡ ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Virgil Watkins Hades II (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Alice Lai, Eduardo Gorinstein, James Auck Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver) — Viktor Bocan, Prokop Jirsa Öoo (NamaTakahashi) — Nama Takahashi, Hachinos, Tsuyomi
Outstanding Achievement in Animation South of Midnight (Compulsion Games, Xbox Game Studios) — Mike Jungbluth, Vincent Schneider, Sebastien Dussault, Remi Emond, Ahmed Best‡ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Masaaki Kawata, Ray Khalastchi Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Billy Harper, Jordan Pitchon, Kento Kojima Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom) — Kenji Yamaguchi, Hiroya Sasaki, Masaya Onai The Midnight Walk (MoonHood, Fast Travel Games) — Lucas Åsaborn	Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Nicholas Maxson-Francombe‡ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Yoji Shinkawa, Megan Tuckwell Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Derek Stratton Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jason Connell, Joanna Wang The Midnight Walk (MoonHood, Fast Travel Games) — Victor Becker, Klaus Lyngeled
Outstanding Achievement in Character *Atsu, Ghost of Yōtei* (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Actor: Erika Ishii; Creative Director: Nate Fox; Lead Writer: Ian Ryan*‡ Esquie, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Performance: Maxence Cazorla; Writers: Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Guillame Broche Maelle, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Performance: Jennifer English; Writers: Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Guillame Broche Courtney/Invisigal, Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Voice Actor: Laura Bailey; Narrative Director: Pierre Shorette; Creative Directors: Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man, Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Voice Actor: Aaron Paul; Narrative Director: Pierre Shorette; Creative Directors: Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart	Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Toma Otowa, Keith Leary, Peter Scaturro‡ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Lorien Testard, Alice Duport-Percier Herdling (Okomotive, Panic Inc.) — Joel Schoch Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD) — Atsuko Asahi Sword of the Sea (Giant Squid) — Austin Wintory
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Hiroyuki Hakayama, Justin Scott Wilson, Alex Previty, Noburo Masuda, Derrick Espino, Andres Herrera, Emile Mika, Stephen Schappler‡ ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Bence Pajor, Olof Strömqvist, Simon Svanbäck Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brad Meyer, Josh Lord, Adam Lidbetter Lumines Arise (Enhance Games, Monstars) — Takako Ishida, Noboru Mutoh Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts) — Philip Eriksson	Outstanding Achievement in Story Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Jennifer Svedberg-Yen, Guillame Broche‡ Consume Me (Hexecutable LLC) — Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson Despelote (Panic Inc.) — Julián Cordero, Sebastián Valbuena, Gabe Cuzzillo South of Midnight (Compulsion Games, Xbox Game Studios) — Zaire Lanier, Dani Dee, Farah Brixi The Drifter (Powerhoof) — Dave Lloyd
Outstanding Technical Achievement Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Hideo Kojima, Akio Sakamoto, Megan Tuckwell‡ ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Robert Träffe, Martin Singh-Blom Assassin's Creed Shadows (Ubisoft Québec) — Claude Langlais, Pierre Fortin, Karl Onnée, Thierry Dansereau Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD) — Kenta Motokura, Kazuya Takahashi, Daisuke Watanabe, Wataru Tanaka Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software, Bethesda Softworks) — Billy Khan, Bogdan Coroi, Evan Eubanks, Tiago Sousa

Genre Awards

Action Game of the Year Hades II (Supergiant Games) — Greg Kasavin, Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Darren Korb, Jen Zee, Andrew Wang‡ Absolum (Guard Crush Games, Supamonks, Dotemu) — Micke Moïsa, Jordi Asensio, Cyrille Lagarigue, Maxime Mary ARC Raiders (Embark Studios) — Aleksander Grøndal, Stefan Strandberg, Virgil Watkins Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software, Bethesda Softworks) — Marty Stratton, Hugo Martin Ninja Gaiden 4 (Team Ninja, PlatinumGames, Xbox Game Studios) — Yuji Nakao, Fumihiko Yasuda, Masakazu Hirayama	Adventure Game of the Year Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brian Fleming, Jason Connell, Nate Fox‡ Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury) — Tonda Ros Dispatch (AdHoc Studio) — Nick Herman, Dennis Lenart, Pierre Shorette, Natalie Herman Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD) — Kenta Motokura, Kazuya Takahashi, Wataru Tanaka Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry) — Ari Gibson, William Pellen, Jack Vine, Christopher Larkin
Family Game of the Year Lego Party (SMG Studio, Fictions) — Ashley Ringrose, Mark Fennell, James Milenkovic‡ Lego Voyagers (Light Brick Studio, Annapurna Interactive) — Karsten Lund, Mads Prahm Lumines Arise (Enhance Games, Monstars) — Takashi Ishihara, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Mark MacDonald, Julian Chunovic Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games, Dotemu) — Frederic Gemus, Remi Lavoie Popucom (Countersurge Salient, Gryphline) — Shawn Pan, Sai Li, Louise Chen	Fighting Game of the Year Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse, Atari) — Mike Mika, Steven Johnson‡ 2XKO (Riot Games) — Tom Cannon, Tony Cannon, Shaun Rivera Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom) — Shuhei Matsumoto Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK) — Hayato Konya, Yasuyuki Oda WWE 2K25 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) — Lynell Jinks, Alan Flores, Colin O'Hara
Racing Game of the Year Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD) — Kosuke Yabuki, Shintaro Jikumaru, Kosuke Yabuki‡ F1 25 (Codemasters, Electronic Arts) — Lee Mather, Gavin Cooper, Andrew Watt, Chris Gray, David Williams, Gareth Lewis, Hugh Pearson, Nic Madden, Si Lumb Kirby Air Riders (Sora Ltd., Nintendo) — Masahiro Sakurai, Shinya Saito, Makoto Okazaki Wheel World (Messhof, Annapurna Interactive) — Mark Essen, Kristy Norindr	Role-Playing Game of the Year Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive) — Guillaume Broche, Tom Guillermin, François Meurisse‡ Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Jump Over the Age, Fellow Traveller Games) — Gareth Damian Martin, Amos Roddy, Guillaume Singelin Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver) — Daniel Vávra, Martin Klima Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom) — Kaname Fujioka, Yuya Tokuda, Ryozo Tsujimoto The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios) — Leonard Boyarsky, Brandon Adler, Justin Britch
Sports Game of the Year Rematch (Sloclap, Kepler Interactive) — Pierre Tamo, Edward Sananikone‡ EA Sports FC 26 (EA Vancouver, EA Romania, EA Sports) — John Shepherd, Adam Shaikh, Karim Versi PGA Tour 2K25 (HB Studios, 2K Games) — Peter Jones, Joe Stewart, Ken Alguire, Joel Thompson, David McFarland MLB The Show 25 (SIE San Diego Studio) — Chris Cutliff, Jason Villa, Aaron Luke NBA 2K26 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) — Mike Wang, Greg Thomas, Erick Boenisch	Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year The Alters (11 Bit Studios) — Tomasz Kisilewicz, Szymon Kurek, Jakub Karolczak, Stanislav Mishchenko‡ Drop Duchy (Sleepy Mill Studio, The Arcade Crew) — Jean-Baptiste Oger Europa Universalis V (Paradox Tinto) — Johan Andersson The King is Watching (Hypnohead, tinyBuild) — Semen Itmanyuk, Vladimir Tolmachev StarVaders (Pengonauts, Joystick Ventures) — Eddie Cai, Hansen Liu

Special Awards

Hall of Fame

Evan Wells

Multiple nominations and awards

Multiple nominations

Games that received multiple nominations
Nominations	Game
8	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
8	Ghost of Yōtei
6	ARC Raiders
6	Dispatch
5	Blue Prince
4	Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
3	Hades II
	Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
	Mario Kart World
	The Midnight Walk
2	Consume Me
	Despelote
	Donkey Kong Bananza
	Doom: The Dark Ages
	Ghost Town
	Lumines Arise
	Marvel's Deadpool VR
	Monster Hunter Wilds
	South of Midnight
	Split Fiction

Nominations by company
Nominations	Games	Company
13	3	Sony Interactive Entertainment
9	2	Kepler Interactive
8	1	Sandfall Interactive
8	1	Sucker Punch Productions
6	3	Nintendo
	1	AdHoc Studio
	1	Embark Studios
5	4	Electronic Arts
	1	Dogubomb
	1	Raw Fury
4	3	Xbox Game Studios
4	1	Kojima Productions
3	3	2K Games
	2	Capcom
	2	Panic Inc.
	1	Deep Silver
		Fast Travel Games
		MoonHood
		Supergiant Games
		Warhorse Studios
2	2	Dotemu
	2	NetEase Games
	1	Bethesda Softworks
		Compulsion Games
		Enhance Games
		Fireproof Games
		Hazelight Studios
		Hexecutable
		id Software
		Monstars
		Oculus Studios
		Twisted Pixel Games

Multiple awards

Games that received multiple awards
Awards	Game
5	Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3	Ghost of Yōtei
2	Blue Prince
2	Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Awards by company
Awards	Games	Company
6	2	Kepler Interactive
5	2	Sony Interactive Entertainment
5	1	Sandfall Interactive
3		Sucker Punch Productions
2		Dogubomb
		Kojima Productions
		Raw Fury

References

^ "Evan Wells - Hall of Fame - 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
^ "29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
^ "29th DICE Awards Nominees Announced: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei Lead the Pack". SE7EN.ws. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
^ Weber, Rachel (January 12, 2026). "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei Rule the Annual D.I.C.E. Award Nominations". ign.com. IGN.
^ "29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Winners Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
^ Weber, Rachel. "DICE Awards 2026 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved February 13, 2026.

[Wells-1] "Evan Wells - Hall of Fame - 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 9, 2026.

[Finalists2026-2] "29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 8, 2026.

[Seven2026-3] "29th DICE Awards Nominees Announced: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yōtei Lead the Pack". SE7EN.ws. Retrieved January 8, 2026.

[IGN_DICE_2026_Noms-4] Weber, Rachel (January 12, 2026). "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Ghost of Yotei Rule the Annual D.I.C.E. Award Nominations". ign.com. IGN.

[5] "29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Winners Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.

[IGN_DICE_2026_Winners-6] Weber, Rachel. "DICE Awards 2026 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved February 13, 2026.

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D.I.C.E. Awards
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Game of the Year Mobile Online Independent Game Immersive Reality (Technical Achievement)
Craft Awards	Game Direction Game Design Animation Art Direction Character Original Music Composition Audio Design Story Technical
Genre Awards	Action Adventure Family Fighting Racing Role-Playing Sports Strategy/Simulation
Ceremonies	1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Related	Cybermania '94