Image: Nintendo Life
Strap in, folks, because The Game Awards are almost upon us once again.
Yes, following last year’s 10th anniversary special, Geoff Keighley is sending off 2025 with a bang — if by “bang” you mean a bunch of awards, some big reveals, and more than a few sponsored ads thrown in for good measure.
What’s more, it’s another big year for Switch titles, with the likes of Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World, and some hit indies, including Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II up for awards.
In this guide, we’ll run through everything you need to know about The Game Awards 2025, including when it all kicks off, how to watch along, and the nominees to look out for.
On this page: The Game Awards 2025: Time, Date & How To Watch
What time are The Game Awards 2025?
The Game Awards 2025 will get underway on Thursday, 11th December (or the 12th, depending on your timezone), with Mr Keighley kicking off the Opening Act at LA’s Peacock Theatre from 4:30pm PT. The main show starts at 5pm PT.
Here’s the precise time that the Opening Act will start in your region:
- North America: 4:30pm (Thu) PST / 5:30pm (Thu) MST / 6:30pm (Thu) CST / 7:30pm (Thu) EST
- UK/Ire: 12:30am GMT
- Europe: 1:30am CET / 2:30am EET
- Asia/Oceania: 9:30am JST / 8:30am AWST / 11:30am AEDT
As always, the first 30 minutes will likely give out a few early awards (which should really be in the main show) and feature a bunch of “smaller” announcements. We say smaller, but Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was one of those in 2024, and it was one of the best of the show, in our opinion.
Where can I watch The Game Awards 2025?
You’ll be able to watch The Game Awards 2025 via a whole host of different streaming options. The most prominent are YouTube, Twitch and TikTok, all of which are co-streaming partners, but you’ll also be able to watch along on any of the following sites:
Of course, we’ll also be watching along right here on Nintendo Life, with our live stream chat popping up shortly before the event gets underway for all of your pre-show gossip.
And if you happen to be in LA and want to attend the event in person, you can do so by heading over to the official Peacock Theatre booking site and nabbing a ticket.
How long will The Game Awards 2025 be?
How long is a piece of string?
We don’t have a precise running time for The Game Awards 2025, though it tends to last roughly 3-4 hours, so expect it to be a late one.
Which games have been nominated for The Game Awards 2025?
You can head over to the official Game Awards website if you want to see every nominee across all 29 awards categories.
If it’s just the Switch-relevant ones that you’re after, then we’ve laid out every nominated game available on Switch systems (or coming to them soon) below, and the voting categories they’re in:
- 007 First Light – Most Anticipated Game
- Absolum – Best Independent Game
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Innovation in Accessibility
- BALL x PIT – Best Independent Game
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – Best Fighting
- despelote – Games for Impact, Best Debut Indie Game
- Donkey Kong Bananza – Game of the Year, Best Family
- EA SPORTS FC 26 – Innovation in Accessibility, Best Sports / Racing
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles – Best Sim / Strategy
- Fortnite – Best Ongoing, Best Community Support
- Hades II – Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Independent Game, Best Action
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Game of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Independent Game, Best Action / Adventure
- LEGO Party! – Best Family
- LEGO Voyagers – Best Family
- Mario Kart World – Best Family, Best Sports / Racing
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection – Best Fighting
- No Man’s Sky – Best Ongoing, Best Community Support
- Resident Evil Requiem – Most Anticipated Game
- SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance – Best Action
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – Best Sim / Strategy
- Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Best Family, Best Sports / Racing
- Split Fiction – Best Game Direction, Best Action / Adventure, Best Family, Best Multiplayer
- Two Point Museum – Best Sim / Strategy
Which games will be shown or announced at The Game Awards 2025?
We still don’t have all that much information about what The Game Awards 2025’s ‘Big RevealTM’ will be, though Geoff has been winding everyone up on social media with images of a weird statue in the Californian desert. Whatever could that mean?
regal.inspiring.thickness pic.twitter.com/lY1duUcE1B— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 29, 2025
Otherwise, the only sure-fire announcements we know we can expect are from Archetype Entertainment’s Exodus and The Ascent dev Neon Giant — neither of which are relevant for Switch (2) players, that we know of.
It’s usually best to keep your Nintendo expectations in check for these kinds of things. There’s a near-zero chance we’ll hear anything first-party from the Big N during the event, though with Switch 2 still being the hot new piece of tech in town, there’s every chance we’ll hear about some upcoming third-party releases.
How does voting work for The Game Awards?
Voting for The Game Awards is split between the decisions of the voting jury (90%) and the public (10%).
To cast your vote, head to The Game Awards website and sign up for a free account. Once you’re all signed in, head to the ‘Nominees’ page and click on the relevant categories to cast your vote.
Alternatively, the Players’ Choice award is chosen entirely by the public, with nominees being whittled down across three rounds of voting. You can pick your favourites via the ‘Players’ Voice’ bracket on the TGA website.
Oh yes, and you can also vote for the best creator-made Fortnite island of the year by heading to the special ‘Game Awards’ island in-game and casting your vote.
Help determine the best creator-made Island of the year by dropping into the @TheGameAwards Vote in Fortnite Island!
After you vote, complete puzzle nodes to help power up the ancient portal projector on the Island.
🏝️ https://t.co/Mt4TaGhc8b pic.twitter.com/Fuqjv5NIr0
— Fortnite (@Fortnite) November 23, 2025
Will you be watching The Game Awards? Which games do you predict will take home the trophy? Let us know in the comments.
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Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since.
