Hollow Knight Silksong conquers the 2025 Steam Awards

After years of anticipation, internet memes, and agonizing waits, the verdict from the PC gaming community is finally in. The 2025 Steam Awards have concluded, and the results paint a picture of a community that values long-awaited payoffs and artistic integrity over sheer marketing power. With a staggering 43.8 million votes cast by players worldwide, the winners list this year is both a celebration of fan favorites and a slight deviation from the critical consensus found elsewhere in the industry.

The headline story of the event is undoubtedly the triumph of Hollow Knight: Silksong. Team Cherry's sequel, which had become almost mythical in its development cycle, didn't just release; it dominated. Securing the coveted Game of the Year title, Silksong managed to fend off incredibly stiff competition. It stood tall against the likes of Arc Raiders, the narrative thriller Dispatch, the historical RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and the critically acclaimed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This victory serves as a potent reminder that despite the industry's shift towards massive live-service models, a tightly crafted, beautiful, and challenging single-player experience still reigns supreme in the hearts of Steam users.

Beyond the top prize, Hollow Knight: Silksong also took home the Best Game You Suck At award. This dual victory highlights the game's core identity: it is beloved precisely because it refuses to hold the player's hand, offering a punishing yet rewarding difficulty curve that millions of fans were clearly desperate to return to.

However, the awards were not without their surprises and notable exclusions. While Eurogamer and other outlets may have championed titles like Blue Prince as their Game of the Year, the Steam community had other ideas. Blue Prince, along with high-profile releases such as Split Fiction, Where Winds Meet, and the expansion Elden Ring: Nightreign, walked away empty-handed. Even Battlefield 6, despite its massive commercial presence, failed to secure a trophy. This divergence between critical darlings and player choices is often what makes the Steam Awards fascinating; it is a raw, unfiltered metric of what people are actually enjoying at home.

That isn't to say other major hits were ignored. Arc Raiders, which SteamDB data identified as the platform's highest-revenue earner during the holiday period, secured the Most Innovative Gameplay award. It is a fitting nod to a game that has clearly captured the engagement of the masses, even if it missed out on the big GOTY trophy. Similarly, Hades 2 continued Supergiant Games' winning streak by claiming the Best Game on Steam Deck award, cementing its status as the definitive portable experience for the year.

In the aesthetic categories, the revival of a classic horror franchise took center stage. Silent Hill f won the Outstanding Visual Style award, proving that the series still possesses the power to unsettle and mesmerize players with its art direction. Meanwhile, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, despite missing out on GOTY, was recognized for its auditory excellence, winning the Best Soundtrack award.

The narrative category saw a win for Dispatch, which took home the Outstanding Story-Rich Game award, suggesting that players are still hungry for immersive, text-heavy, or narrative-driven experiences that prioritize writing over explosions. On the lighter side, the Better with Friends award went to Peak, and the Sit Back and Relax award was given to the delightfully titled RV There Yet?, showcasing the breadth of genres that thrive on the PC platform.

Perhaps the least surprising, yet most enduring result, was the Labor of Love award. Baldur's Gate 3 once again claimed this prize. Larian Studios’ RPG has effectively become the new titan of this category, creating a legacy of long-term support that keeps players engaged years after release. It speaks to a development philosophy that the Steam community is eager to reward repeatedly.

VR gaming also had its moment, with The Midnight Walk taking home the VR Game of the Year. It is a reminder that while VR remains a niche compared to traditional screens, the quality of experiences within that space continues to evolve and impress.

Valve closed the announcements with a message of gratitude to the millions who voted and the developers who filled 2025 with such diverse experiences. As the industry looks toward 2026, the results of these awards send a clear message: players are willing to wait for quality, they cherish difficult gameplay, and they remain loyal to developers who support their games for the long haul. The absence of awards for some of the year's biggest commercial blockbusters proves that on Steam, at least, hype alone is not enough to secure a legacy.