During the BAFTA Game Awards 2025, a charming robot stole the show and captivated the hearts of gamers from around the world.
Astro Bot won this year’s BAFTA Game Awards despite being in a year full of the best games with an emphasis on gloomy, bloody fantasy adventures, not to mention the job losses and company closures the gaming industry has been seeing. However, though Astro Bot is the biggest winner here, it’s not the only game that deserves praise and recognition.
We’d like you to join us as we take a look at the full list of winners from this year’s BAFTA Game Awards!
BAFTA Best Game of the Year 2025: Astro Bot
Astro Bot has done it again, after garnering another win, this time from BAFTA Game Awards. During the presentation, Sony’s kid-friendly platformer Astro Bot got five awards, namely in Animation, Audio Achievement, Best Game, Family, and Game Design.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the PlayStation, Sony Interactive Entertainment released Astro Bot, a 2024 platform game created by Team Asobi, for the PlayStation 5. It is the first game by Team Asobi since its split from Japan Studio and the fifth overall entry in the Astro Bot series, after Astro’s Playroom (2020).
Astro Bot became the highest-rated game of 2024 after receiving positive reviews from critics. Some critics compared the game to Nintendo titles, especially the Super Mario series, while others appreciated the level design, gameplay, and content.
Here’s a gameplay video you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Artistic Achievement: Neva
Nomada Studio created the puzzle-platform game Neva, which Devolver Digital released. It centers on Alba, a young woman who must traverse four seasons with her wolf friend Neva in a world tainted by evil. October 2024 saw the game’s release on Windows, macOS, the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series X/S.
It won the “Games for Impact” category during The Game Awards 2024, and it has now won Artistic Achievement during the BAFTA Game Awards 2025. Push Square’s Echo Apsey commended the game’s puzzles and fighting, writing that the boss fights were “memorable, challenging, and visually impressive”.
Here’s a gameplay video you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards British Game: Thank Goodness You're Here!
Thank Goodness You’re Here! is an adventure video game that Panic published after Coal Supper developed it. In the game, players assume the character of a traveling salesman who does odd jobs for the people of a strange Northern England town.
It is compatible with Windows, the PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch, macOS, and the PlayStation 5. August 1, 2024, was the date of its release. Critics gave it favorable reviews and praised its absurdist humor.
Aggregator Metacritic explains the gamed got “universal acclaim” on Windows and “generally favorable” ratings for the Switch and PlayStation 5. And now, we can add “BAFTA Game Awards winner” to the title’s list of achievements after winning the best in the British Game category.
Here’s a gameplay video you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Evolving Game: Vampire Survivors
Luca Galante (also known as “poncle”) created and released the 2022 roguelike shoot-em-up video game Vampire Survivors. After a December 2021 early access period, it was made available for macOS, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, and iOS in late 2022. On August 17, 2023, a Nintendo Switch port was made available, and on August 29, 2024, a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 port was made available.
Vampire Survivors won awards at the D.I.C.E. Awards, New York Game Awards, and Golden Joystick Awards. At the British Academy Games Awards, the game received nominations in five categories and took home two of them: Best Game and Game Design. The game is one of the original “bullet heaven” games and inspired many others that use auto-combat elements.
On top of those accolades, the game now has won the Evolving Game for the BAFTA Game Awards 2025.
Here’s a gameplay you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Fellowship: Yoko Shimomura
Now, for this one, the winner is a non-competitive nominee and she’s not a videogame. A Japanese pianist and composer, Yoko Shimomura, is famous for her compositions for video games like the Kingdom Hearts series.
After graduating from Osaka College of Music in 1988, she joined Capcom that same year to start her career in the video game industry. There, Shimomura composed music for a number of video games, such as The King of Dragons, Street Fighter II, and Final Fight.
Here’s a performance using a rare 4-handed piano instrument of “Dearly Beloved” from Kingdom Hearts:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Game Beyond Entertainment: Tales of Kenzera: Zau
The 2024 Metroidvania computer game Tales of Kenzera: ZAU by Surgent Studios with a release done by Electronic Arts under the EA Originals banner came into existence.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU tells the tale of Zau, a young shaman who has to sacrifice three monsters’ spirits to Kalunga, the God of Death, who swears to bring his father back to life. With the ability to wall leap, double jump, and run in the air, Zau is incredibly athletic.
Here’s a gameplay you can watch for reference:
Winner of Multiple BAFTA Game Awards: Helldivers 2
In 2024, Sony Interactive Entertainment will release Helldivers 2, a cooperative third-person shooter game created by Arrowhead Game Studios for the PlayStation 5 and Windows. The game is a direct follow-up to the 2015 film Helldivers. The plot, which takes place in the twenty-second century, centers on the Helldivers, an elite group of shock troopers sent to fight against various human dangers.
Released on February 8, 2024, Helldivers 2 was a critical and financial success, selling over 12 million copies in three months and surpassing 15 million by November 2024. It got multiple accolades and is one of the top 2024 video games.
During the BAFTA Game Awards 2025, Helldivers 2 won both Multiplayer and Music categories, taking a huge W for the title.
Here’s a gameplay you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Game for Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio
The 2024 role-playing video game Metaphor: ReFantazio was created by Studio Zero and released by Sega globally and Atlus in Japan. Metaphor: ReFantazio originally launched in December 2016 under the codename Project Re:Fantasy, no additional details were made public until 2023. On October 11, 2024, ReFantazio was made available for the Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Metaphor: ReFantazio was widely praised for its story, worldbuilding, graphics, gameplay, and themes that reflected real-world issues, both politically and socially. It also sold one million copies on its first day of release across all platforms, despite some criticism for its initial technical issues. It received multiple nominations, including one for Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards.
Fortunately, the game won’t be stuck in nomination limbo because during the BAFTA Game Awards 2025, it won the Narrative category, which it highly deserves.
Here’s a gameplay you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards New Intellectual Property: Still Wakes the Deep
The Chinese Room created the 2024 psychological horror video game Still Wakes the Deep, which Secret Mode released. Its plot centers on Cameron “Caz” McLeary (Alec Newman), an electrician who is stranded on a wrecked oil drilling station in the North Sea in the 1970s with no means of escape while being hunted by enigmatic monsters in inclement weather.
It was released in June 2024 for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows after being announced in June 2023. Although the game’s gameplay, linear structure, and total length were criticized, critics gave it generally excellent reviews, complimenting its plot, ambiance, graphics, sound design, and voice acting. At the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, Still Wakes the Deep garnered two nominations; at the 21st British Academy Games Awards, it received eight nominations and won three.
Fans are happy to know that this amazing horror game won the New Intellectual Property category during the BAFTA Game Awards 2025. It’s good to see such an awesome game get the recognition and attention it so deserves.
Here’s a gameplay you can watch for reference:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Performer in a Leading Role: Alec Newman
The most well-known role played by Scottish actor Mark Alexander Newman (born November 27, 1974) was that of Paul Atreides in the Sci Fi Channel’s 2000 miniseries version of Frank Herbert’s Dune. He earned the British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role for his roles as Cameron “Caz” McLeary in Still Wakes the Deep and Adam Smasher in Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Here’s a voicecast reveal video you can watch:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Performer in a Supporting Role: Karen Dunbar
Karen Dunbar is a Scottish comedian, actor, and author who was born on April 1, 1971. The BBC Scotland sketch comedy series Chewin’ the Fat was her first television appearance (1999–2002). Later, the channel gave her her own show, The Karen Dunbar Show (2003–2006). She was awarded the British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Supporting Role for her role as Finlay’s voice in the 2024 video game Still Wakes the Deep.
Here’s a video of Karen Dunbar voicing Finlay in the game:
Winner of the BAFTA Game Awards Technical Achievement: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
The action-adventure game Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was created by Ninja Theory and released by Xbox Game Studios in 2024. Inspired by Norse mythology and culture, the game is set in 9th-century Iceland and is the follow-up to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017).
On May 21, 2024, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was made available for Windows and Xbox Series X/S. Though several critics pointed out pacing problems and a combat system that prioritizes spectacle over depth, the game’s art direction, graphics, and sound design were universally lauded.
It is a bit sad that although it was the game with the most nominations, the game only won a single category. However, if you ask us, we still consider this a huge win for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, and we congratulate the people who worked on the game!
Here’s a gameplay you can watch for reference:
The BAFTA Game Awards 2025 Has Yielded Some Great Results
We are so happy to introduce the list of winners for The BAFTA Game Awards 2025 and we hope that y’all have a great time reading it. If you want to read some other games, go on and read about Doom the Dark Ages system requirements.
Be sure to read our other feature articles to keep up with what’s hot and what’s not in the gaming world. Stay tuned and catch the gaming current with GameEels!
