The 22nd Bafta Games Awards will be held in April, and the 2026 nominations list is dominated by the impeccably stylish French hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has 12 nominations and has already won game of the year awards at the UK’s Golden Joysticks last November, December’s Game Awards in the US, and February’s Dice Awards in Las Vegas.
Dispatch, a game about a banking superhero forced to run a team of super-powered misfits in a call center, has nine nominations. Among them is best performer in a leading role for its star Aaron Paul, and another for Jeffrey Wright in a supporting role. Sony’s samurai epic Ghost of Yōtei earned eight nominations, including best game and best performer in a leading role for Erika Ishii, who plays Atsu.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, from Japan’s Kojima Productions, earned seven nominations, but star Norman Reedus did not appear in the best performer category, despite being nominated for his role in the original Death Stranding in 2020.
Compared to other games awards ceremonies, many of which are voted for by the public, the panel-voted Bafta shortlist tends to nominate (and honour) a much wider range of games. This year, the Ecuadorian soccer memoir Despelote, the autobiographical coming-of-age comedy Consume Me, the sublime puzzle box Blue Prince, and a game about dementia called And Roger, all created by very small teams or led by solo developers, sit alongside big-budget games like Xbox’s Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. The nomination list includes 42 different games in total.
The games in the “Games Beyond Entertainment” category, games that raise awareness about important topics or experiences, are particularly diverse and originate from six different countries. “This list shows that ‘beyond entertainment’ has gone far beyond niche. It encompasses everything from intimate indie memoirs to blockbusters that use games as a medium to make big human themes felt, not just seen,” said Bafta games president Tara Saunders.
“An ever-present theme for each nominee is how these games don’t preach. Instead, they translate pain, care, identity, community, and survival into interactive mechanics, so understanding comes from action. Their success is indicative of a growing trend of players seeking culturally specific stories that resonate… because of their authenticity.”
The best game category includes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (released in December 2024), Clair Obscur, the multiplayer hit Arc Raiders, Blue Prince, Dispatch and Ghost of Yōtei. Notably absent is Hollow Knight: Silksong, a beloved fan favorite that hasn’t made many of the top gaming awards lists, despite winning the top award at last year’s player-voted Steam Awards.
The ceremony will take place on April 17 in London and will be broadcast live on the Bafta channel. youtube channel.
The full nominations are below:
Animation
Battlefield 6
Death Stranding 2: On the beach
Dispatch
Yotei Ghost
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silk Song
artistic achievement
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the beach
Dispatch
Yotei Ghost
Hollow Knight: Silk Song
South of midnight
Audio achievement
Arch Raiders
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the beach
Dispatch
Yotei Ghost
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
best game
Arch Raiders
prince charming
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Dispatch
Yotei Ghost
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
british game
atomic fall
Citizen Sleeper 2: Vector to the stars
Mafia: the old country
Monument Valley 3
PowerWash 2 Simulator
Two Point Museum
debut game
prince charming
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
consume me
meltdown
Dispatch
The midnight walk
Evolving game
Fall 76
helldivers 2
Hitman: World of Murder
no man’s sky
vampire survivors
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines 2
Family
Donkey Kong Bananza
Is this seat taken?
Lego Party!
Mario Kart World
PowerWash 2 Simulator
Two Point Museum
Game beyond entertainment
The alters
and roger
Citizen Sleeper 2: Vector to the stars
consume me
meltdown
Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl
game design
Ball x hole
prince charming
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Yotei Ghost
Hades II
Split Fiction
Multiplayer
Arch Raiders
Dune: Awakening
Elden Ring Night Reign
Lego Party!
Split Fiction
Music
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the beach
Dispatch
Yotei Ghost
Hollow Knight: Silk Song
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Narrative
The alters
prince charming
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the beach
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
New intellectual property
The alters
Arch Raiders
Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Dispatch
South of midnight
Split Fiction
Artist in a leading role.
Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson III in Dispatch
Ben Starr as Verse in Claro Obscur: Expedition 33
Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei
Jennifer English as Maelle in Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Tom McKay as Henry of Skalitz in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Artist in a supporting role.
Alix Wilton Regan as Lea Florence Monad in Lies Of P: Overture
Charlie Cox as Gustave in Dark Glade: Expedition 33
Jane Perry as Lia Cain in Dead Take
Jeffrey Wright as Chase in Dispatch
Kirsty Rider as Lune in Claro Obscur: Expedition 33
Troy Baker as Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
technical achievement
Arch Raiders
Death Stranding 2: On the beach
Doom: The Middle Ages
Yotei Ghost
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Split Fiction
