Spring is nearly here, and with it comes one of the first of many gaming awards this year, the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) at the GDC Festival of Gaming 2026.
Taking place on March 12, one of the gaming world’s biggest nights sees the runaway hit from yesteryear, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, looking to return to the spotlight.
However, it faces tough competition from various indie giants, making this year’s nominations list a must-watch.
Here are the seven most nominated titles at the GDCA 2026:
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The obvious Goliath in the running for Game of the Year—among seven other nominations—is a turn-based RPG from French indie studio Sandfall Interactive.
Set in the dystopian world of Lumiere, you lead a suicide squad against The Paintress, a godlike figure with the power to erase people of a certain age every year.
Ghost of Yotei
Sony’s critically acclaimed follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima secured five nominations.
Set in the lands surrounding Mount Yōtei in 1603, the game has been praised for the way in which it reinvented its own gold standard, and specifically for its atmosphere and technical merits.
Blue Prince
An underrated giant in the indie space, this title from Dogubomb earned four nominations, taking the fight to the top award too.
This cryptic first-person mystery/strategy title sees players explore an eerie mansion that is a puzzle in itself that presents a singular goal—to find the elusive 46th room laid out in a dead uncle's will.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Nintendo's Donkey Kong Bananza may have won just one award at The Game Awards 2025—in addition to a nomination for the top prize—and yet, it was its wider impact that got everybody talking.
The game is best known for offering a lighter 'toybox' tone as compared to the other games in the fray—as well as a well-crafted kinetic energy—that eaasily makes it a strong challenger.
Split Fiction
As enchanting, fast-paced and genre-uprooting as they come is Hazelight Studios' brilliant co-op game Split Fiction, which turned heads at The Game Awards last year for the sheer genius behind its making.
This multiplayer-only title garnered four nominations, and features two protagonists who are trapped in series of virtual reality worlds from which they must escape.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
This metroidvania giant from indie studio Team Cherry is touted as one of the main indie giants in the fray with Split Fiction and crowd favourite Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for the top award.
Winning Best Action/Adventure game at the Game Awards 2025—in addition to a number of other nominations—Hollow Knight: Silksong sees you play as Hornet, a character who parkours through the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom, crafts tools, and faces brutally precise bosses that frustrate as much as they did in the prequel.
Hades II
Despite fans often appreciating the perfectionism behind this roguelite offering from Supergiant Games, it went from six nominations at The Game Awards 2025 to just one nomination for a quality the veteran developers fixated on: visual art.
Employing unique narrative tools, the game features Hades' daughter Melinoe's quest to defeat her grandfather Chronos, the Titan of Time.