Balatro Wins Big at 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards

The indie roguelike deck-building game took home Game of the Year and three other major awards, highlighting a strong year for independent developers.

Balatro, developed by LocalThunk and Playstack, won Game of the Year, Best Debut, Best Design, and the Innovation Award at the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards.
Astro Bot, created by Team ASOBI and Sony Interactive Entertainment, secured awards for Best Audio and Best Technology.
Black Myth: Wukong received Best Visual Art, while Metaphor: ReFantazio was recognized with Best Narrative.
Sam Lake, Remedy Entertainment’s creative director, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Lucas Pope received the Pioneer Award for his contributions to game development.
The Independent Games Festival awarded Consume Me, a personal game by Jenny Jiao Hsia and team, the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game.