During the 2025 game awards season, *Light and Shadow: Expedition 33*, developed by Sandfall Interactive, swept numerous awards of all sizes and has now won over 320 “Game of the Year” awards worldwide. However, after several weeks of voting, Steam has finally announced the winners of its own game awards—and this time, the top spot went to another indie game from 2025 that also received widespread acclaim.
Unlike other media awards such as the TGA Game Awards, the Steam Game Awards are 100% determined by player votes—from the initial nominations to the final voting—giving every player the chance to support their favorite games of 2025. As in previous years, in addition to awards focused on 2025 releases—such as “Game of the Year,” “Best Art,” and “Best Soundtrack”—the “Sweet Burden” award gives players the chance to recognize games that have been around for a long time and are still being actively updated.
Below is the complete list of this year’s winners and nominees. As the Winter Sale draws to a close, players will have the chance to purchase these award-winning titles at even lower prices.
Game of the Year Award
• *Hollow Knight: Song of Silk* (Winner)
• 《Arc Raiders》
• *Light and Shadow: Expedition 33*
• *Superhero Dispatch Center*
• *Heaven Descends: Redemption 2*
VR Game of the Year Award
• *Midnight Stroll* (Winner)
• 《EA Sports F1 25》
• 《Emissary Zero》
• 《Le Mans Ultimate》
• 《Pavlov》
Sweet Burden Award
• *Baldur’s Gate 3* (Winner)
• 《Dota 2》
• *Jedi Warrior 2*
• *No Man’s Sky*
• 《Rust》
Best Steam Deck Game Award
• *Hades 2* (Winner)
• 《Ball x Pit》
• 《Clover Pit》
• *Deep Rock Galaxy: Survivors*
• *Digimon Story: Strangers in Time*
Better to Share the Joy Than to Enjoy It Alone Award
• *PEAK* (Winner)
• *Battlefield 6*
• 《R.E.P.O.》
• 《Schedule I》
• *The Wonderland of Twin Shadows*
Outstanding Visual Style Award
• *Silent Hill F* (Winner)
• *Doom: The Dark Age*
• 《Dream BBQ》
• *Final Fantasy VII Rebirth*
• *My Little Corgi*
No Limits on Creative Play Award
• *ARC Raiders* (Winner)
• *The Prince of Blue Road*
• *Escape from Duckov*
• *Europa Universalis V*
• 《Mage Arena》
The Ultimate Prize That’ll Drive You Crazy
• *Hollow Knight: Song of Silk* (Winner)
• *Elden Ring: Dark Night Descends*
• *Marvel Showdown*
• *Exile: The Secret Passage 2*
• *The Sixteen Sounds of Yan Yun*
Best Original Soundtrack Award
• *Light and Shadow: Expedition No. 33* (Winner)
• 《Deltarune》
• *Marvel’s Spider-Man 2*
• 《Rift of the NecroDancer》
• *Capital Highway Racing*
Outstanding Story-Driven Game Award
• *Superhero Dispatch Center* (Winner)
• *Light of the Dying: The Trapped Beast*
• *Heaven Descends: Redemption 2*
• 《No, I’m Not A Human》
• *The Last of Us Part II Remastered*
Relaxed and Enjoyable Award
• *Are We There Yet?* (Winner)
• *Relaxing Moments: Sharing Lo-Fi Stories with You*
• 《Megabonk》
• *High-Pressure Water Jet Cleaning Simulation 2*
• *Slime Farm 2*
Source: KOCPC Chinese