[Industry news] Nominations announced for the 22nd BAFTA Games Awards 2026

This is a press release posted in addition to our usual editorial content.

BAFTA has announces the nominations for the 22^nd BAFTA Games Awards 2026, highlighting an outstanding level of creative excellence from a broad range of UK and international development teams. A total of 42 games across 17 categories were nominated today. View the full list of nominated games here.

The 22^nd BAFTA Games Awards will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London on Friday 17 April 2026. The Awards will be available to watch on BAFTA YouTube here.

The highlights of today’s nominations are:

• 12 nominations for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 
• Nine nominations for Dispatch
• Eight nominations for Ghost of Yōtei
• Seven nominations for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Six nominations for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Five nominations for Arc Raiders
• Nominations in the Game Beyond Entertainment category: And Roger, The Alters, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, Consume Me, Despelote and T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heard of Chornobyl 
• Other games receiving nominations: Atomfall, Ball x Pit, Battlefield 6, Blue Prince, Dead Take, Donkey Kong Bananza, Doom: The Dark Ages, Dune: Awakening, Elden Ring Nightreign, Fallout 76, Hades II, Helldivers 2, Hitman World of Assassination, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Is This Seat Taken?, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, LEGO Party!, Lies of P: Overture, Mafia: The Old Country, Mario Kart World, The Midnight Walk, Monument Valley 3, No Man’s Sky, Peak, Powerwash: Simulator 2, South of Midnight, Split Fiction, Two Point Museum, Vampire Survivors and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. 

Nine out of the 12 nominees in the performance categories receive their first BAFTA nomination, Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, Jennifer English and Kirsty Rider for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; Aaron Paul and Jeffrey Wright for Dispatch; Erika Ishii for Ghost of Yōtei; Tom McKay for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II; Alix Wilton Regan for Lies of P: Overture. 

17 studios are nominated for the first time including six in Debut Game – Ad Hoc; Aggro Crab & Landfall; Compulsion Games; Dogubomb; Embark Studios; Funcom; FuturLab; GSC Game World; Jenny Jiao Hisa et al.; Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena; Moonhood; NEOWIZ; Poti Poti; Sandfall Interactive; SMG Studio; TearyHand Studio; Warhorse Studios.

Tara Saunders, chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, said: “Today’s nominations recognise 42 outstanding games that highlight the very best of the global games industry. This year’s nominations reflect an industry reshaping itself – with a vibrant mix of established studios standing alongside a wide range of independent studios, and a number of development teams earning nominations for the first time. The exceptional craft, artistry and innovation behind these titles shines through. A nomination is an extraordinary achievement, and I extend my warmest congratulations to every nominee for their innovation, hard work and resilience.”

The Awards, including the nominations, are voted for by BAFTA’s global membership, comprising experienced games industry practitioners from a range of backgrounds in game development and production.