The nominees for the annual Hugo Awards, a highly esteemed competition honoring fantasy and science fiction literature, have been announced. For our interests, the most relevant category is “Best Game or Interactive Work,” where six video games released throughout 2025 are vying for the award. The nominees, listed alphabetically, are:
- Blue Prince — developed by Dogubomb and published by Raw Fury
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector — developed by Jump Over the Age and published by Fellow Traveller
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive
- Dispatch — developed and published by AdHoc Studio
- Hades II — developed and published by Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong — developed and published by Team Cherry
This nomination for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 comes shortly after its BAFTA win for Game of the Year. This accomplishment allows Sandfall’s work to join Baldur’s Gate 3 in securing the “Game of the Year” recognition at the five major award ceremonies: the Golden Joystick Awards, The Game Awards, DICE Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards, and BAFTA Game Awards. It has been a significant week for the team behind Clair Obscur, as they also celebrated their first anniversary.
Last year, the Hugo Award for Best Game went to Caves of Qud, recognized for the release of its 1.0 version, although the game’s history dates back to 2007. This science fiction title, created by Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat, triumphed over strong competition.
Hades was the first video game to ever win a Hugo Award, achieving this honor in the 2021 ceremony. Other nominees in that inaugural year included Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Blaseball, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, The Last of Us Part 2, and Spiritfarer. The “Best Game or Interactive Work” category became a permanent fixture at the Hugo Awards in 2024. Baldur’s Gate 3 was the recipient that year, marking yet another accolade for Larian Studios’ exceptional game.
While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has achieved widespread acclaim, much like Baldur’s Gate 3 did previously, and Hades II follows in the footsteps of the original Hades, and Blue Prince was lauded at the Thinky Awards, and Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most anticipated titles, the sequel to Citizen Sleeper arguably aligns most closely with the traditional understanding of science fiction, making it a strong contender for the Hugo Award. The winner will be revealed on August 30th.
