The ‘Oscars Of Gaming’ Is Back In L.A.: The Global Show With 150M Viewers Returns For Its Twelfth Year

The twelfth annual Game Awards return to Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on Dec. 11, 2025, hosting a live, globally streamed celebration of the year’s biggest achievements in the video game industry. Widely regarded as the “Oscars of Gaming,” the Game Awards showcase a night of award presentations, orchestral performances, and world-premiere trailers. Though the Game Awards are often not as heavily publicized as mainstream awards shows like the Oscars, the show’s viewership actually blows traditional shows out of the water, with over 150 million viewers streaming it on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and, for the first time this year, Prime Video. The Game Awards 2025 -------------------- This year’s competition is particularly exciting, with the French indie *RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 * making history with a record-setting 12 nominations , including for Game of the Year (GOTY). Other GOTY contenders include *Death Stranding 2: On the Beach*, *Donkey Kong Bananza*, and *Kingdom Come: Deliverance II*, alongside indie games *Hades II* and *Hollow Knight: Silksong*. Game Awards nominations are determined by an international jury of over 100 media and influencer outlets. Then, the final winners are decided with a blended vote, weighted 90% by the international jury and 10% by the public. The show is expected to deliver its usual mix of major awards, live entertainment, and exciting world premieres. About the Game Awards --------------------- The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley produced and launched the awards show in 2014, to create a prestigious event for the video game industry that would be comparable to those of the film and music industries. Over a decade later, the show is now widely seen as the industry’s flagship awards night , with a range of categories including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Performance, and Best Independent Game. With a combination of major game reveals and celebrity appearances, the Game Awards are a global phenomenon , providing a yearly snapshot of how the gaming industry is developing and where it’s headed next. Source: https://secretlosangeles.com/game-awards-most-watched-los-angeles/