The race for the Gamescom Award 2025 trophies is officially underway as the nominees have been announced ahead of the show’s opening in Cologne. This year sees Resident Evil Requiem leading the pack with five nominations, while Borderlands 4 and Crimson Desert follow closely with four each. Donkey Kong Bananza, Hela, and Mario Kart World also made strong showings with three nominations apiece, according to a press release.

An international jury of journalists and content creators reviewed a wide selection of submissions before deciding on the final lists. Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem is the standout in the ARTS category group with recognition in Best Visuals, Best Audio, Best Gameplay, and Most Epic. Gearbox and 2K’s Borderlands 4, Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert, and Bandai Namco’s Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree represent the heavy hitters in the PLATFORM category group.

This year’s GLOBAL categories have been expanded, now including new jury awards such as Best Lineup, Best Booth (Jury Award), and Best Business Booth. On the community side, players will choose the winners for Best Trailer/Announcement, Best Merch, and Best Booth (Consumer Award). Voting opens on Wednesday, August 20, and runs until Thursday, August 21, at 2:00 PM CEST, both online at gamesco, global, and on-site through QR codes.

In the ARTS category group, nominees for Best Visuals include Borderlands 4, Bye Sweet Carole, Crimson Desert, MIO: Memories In Orbit, and Resident Evil Requiem. Best Audio brings in Cairn, Little Nightmares 3, Phantom Blade Zero, Resident Evil Requiem, and Rockbeasts. For Best Gameplay, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hela, Mario Kart World, PVKK: Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant, and Resident Evil Requiem are in contention. Resident Evil Requiem also appears in the Most Epic category alongside Crimson Desert, Dune: Awakening, Super Meat Boy 3D, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Nintendo is well represented with Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World, both landing nominations for Most Entertaining alongside Dispatch, Grounded 2, and Hela. Hela also competes in Most Wholesome, joined by Is This Seat Taken, Star Birds, Tiny Bookshop, and Winter Burrow. Meanwhile, Games for Impact features Cairn, Forever Skies, Hollow Home, Monowave, and Tiny Bookshop.

The PLATFORM categories pit some of the biggest names head-to-head. Best Xbox Game includes Borderlands 4, Crimson Desert, Grounded 2, Little Nightmares 3, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Best PC Game features Anno 117: Pax Romana, Borderlands 4, PVKK, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, and World of Warcraft. For PlayStation, Borderlands 4, Crimson Desert, Cronos: The New Dawn, Pragmata, and Resident Evil Requiem are nominated. Nintendo’s newest hardware is represented in Best Switch 2 Game with Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, and Winter Burrow. On mobile, Arknights: Endfield, Dungeon Clawler, Genshin Impact, Love and Deepspace, and Servant of the Lake round out the nominees.

The GLOBAL awards put focus on both exhibitors and the event experience. Jury awards will determine Best Lineup, Best Booth, and Best Business Booth, while the Heart of Gaming special prize highlights a standout idea, person, or company from the show. Fans will choose their favorite booth, merch and trailer, or announcement through community voting.

Gamescom 2025 runs from August 20 to 24 in Cologne, with Opening Night Live taking place on August 19. As the largest gaming event in the world, the awards serve as an early spotlight on some of the most anticipated titles coming in the months ahead.