The Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank played host once again to the most prestigious night in British video games. This year’s ceremony was hosted for the first time by gaming content creator Elz The Witch, and while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arrived as the clear frontrunner with 12 nominations, the evening turned out to be far more competitive than many expected.
Clair Obscur Wins Game of the Year, But Doesn’t Run Away with It
Sandfall Interactive’s French action RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 entered the night as the dominant force on paper, and it did claim the ultimate prize: Best Game. The win caps an extraordinary awards season for the indie studio, which already swept The Game Awards 2025 and the Game Developers Choice Awards. But BAFTA voters had other ideas when it came to the remaining categories. Clair Obscur ultimately took home just three trophies despite its record nomination count.
The two other wins for Expedition 33 were Debut Game (a remarkable feat for a first-time studio taking on a full-scale RPG) and Performer in a Leading Role for Jennifer English, who plays the game’s protagonist Maelle. English beat out a strong field that included Ben Starr, Aaron Paul, Erika Ishii, Tom McKay, and Troy Baker.
The biggest shock of the evening? Clair Obscur‘s acclaimed soundtrack by Lorien Testard, widely regarded as one of the best scores of the year, lost the Music award to Ghost of Yōtei.
Dispatch: The Night’s Other Big Winner
Superhero action game Dispatch matched Clair Obscur with three wins of its own, taking home Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role for Jeffrey Wright, who voiced the character Chase. Dispatch came in with nine nominations (second only to Clair Obscur) and its strong showing across craft categories made it the night’s other standout performer.
All Winners by Category
Best Game
- ARC Raiders
- Blue Prince
- ✅ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Animation
- Battlefield 6
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- ✅ Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Artistic Achievement
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- ✅ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- South of Midnight
Audio Achievement
- ARC Raiders
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- ✅ Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Best British Game
- ✅ Atomfall
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Mafia: The Old Country
- Monument Valley 3
- PowerWash Simulator 2
- Two Point Museum
Debut Game
- Blue Prince
- ✅ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Dispatch
- The Midnight Walk
Evolving Game
- Fallout 76
- Helldivers 2
- Hitman World of Assassination
- ✅ No Man’s Sky
- Vampire Survivors
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Family Game
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Is This Seat Taken?
- ✅ LEGO Party!
- Mario Kart World
- PowerWash Simulator 2
- Two Point Museum
Game Beyond Entertainment
- And Roger
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Consume Me
- ✅ Despelote
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Game Design
- BALL x PIT
- ✅ Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Split Fiction
Multiplayer
- ✅ ARC Raiders
- Dune: Awakening
- Elden Ring: Nightreign
- LEGO Party!
- PEAK
- Split Fiction
Music
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- ✅ Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Narrative
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- ✅ Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- The Alters
New IP
- ARC Raiders
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch
- ✅ South of Midnight
- Split Fiction
- The Alters
Performer in a Leading Role
- Aaron Paul (Dispatch)
- Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei)
- ✅ Jennifer English (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Tom McKay (Kingdom Come: Deliverance II)
- Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
Performer in a Supporting Role
- Alix Wilton Regan (Lies of P: Overture)
- Charlie Cox (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Jane Perry (Dead Take)
- ✅ Jeffrey Wright (Dispatch)
- Kirsty Rider (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
- Troy Baker (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)
Technical Achievement
- ARC Raiders
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- ✅ Ghost of Yōtei
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
Other Highlights from the Ceremony
BAFTA Fellowship went to Ilkka Paananen, co-founder of Finnish mobile studio Supercell (Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars). BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip praised him as a visionary leader who championed creative collaboration throughout his career.
The Bond Moment: Legendary composer David Arnold (known for his James Bond film scores) presented the Music award and, as a bonus, debuted the title track for IO Interactive’s upcoming game 007: First Light, performed by none other than Lana Del Rey.
Charlie Cox (Daredevil: Born Again) presented at the ceremony, notably, he was also nominated for his voice role as Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but lost to Jeffrey Wright.
Atomfall’s British win was a feel-good moment for UK developer Rebellion, whose post-apocalyptic exploration game set in a fictionalized English countryside beat out some stiff competition for Best British Game.
Despelote winning Game Beyond Entertainment was perhaps the most emotionally resonant win of the night, the intimate indie about childhood, football, and memory in Ecuador connecting with BAFTA voters in a way few expected.
Notable Surprises and Snubs
- Clair Obscur going 3-for-12 will raise eyebrows. The game dominated virtually every other major ceremony this cycle
- Blue Prince winning Game Design over Clair Obscur signals BAFTA voters’ appreciation for systemic, puzzle-driven design
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II winning Narrative was a genuine upset given the competition from Clair Obscur and Death Stranding 2
- No Man’s Sky taking Evolving Game over Helldivers 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 felt like a long-overdue recognition of Hello Games’ years-long redemption arc
- Ghost of Yōtei won two awards (Music, Technical Achievement) despite never quite being considered a frontrunner in the pre-ceremony discourse
