BAFTA Boldly Excludes DLC from GotY Nominees

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has unveiled its extensive longlist for the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards. Discover if your favorite game made the cut!

58 Games Selected from 247 Entries

BAFTA's 2025 Games Awards longlist features 58 exceptional games across 17 categories, chosen from a total of 247 submissions. These games were released between November 25th, 2023, and November 15th, 2024.

The final nominations will be announced on March 4th, 2025, with the awards ceremony taking place on April 8th, 2025.

The highly anticipated "Best Game" award contenders are:

• ANIMAL WELL
• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Following Baldur's Gate 3's six-award sweep at the 2024 ceremony, this year's nominees are poised for a thrilling competition.

While some titles missed the "Best Game" shortlist, they remain eligible for other accolades, including:

• Animation
• Artistic Achievement
• Audio Achievement
• British Game
• Debut Game
• Evolving Game
• Family
• Game Beyond Entertainment
• Game Design
• Multiplayer
• Music
• Narrative
• New Intellectual Property
• Technical Achievement
• Performer in a Leading Role
• Performer in a Supporting Role

Notable Omissions from the "Best Game" Category

Several prominent 2024 releases, including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Silent Hill 2, are absent from the "Best Game" category. This is due to BAFTA's eligibility rules, which exclude remasters, remakes, and DLCs released outside the specified timeframe from the main award. However, these titles remain in contention for other categories, such as Music, Narrative, and Technical Achievement. The absence of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is particularly noteworthy.

The complete BAFTA Games Awards longlist is available on the official BAFTA website.