According to Eurogamer.net, the 2025 Steam Award winners are now official after a staggering 43.8 million player votes were cast. The top prize, Game of the Year, went to the long-awaited sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong from Team Cherry, beating out nominees like Arc Raiders and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Other winners included Silent Hill f for Outstanding Visual Style, Arc Raiders for Most Innovative Gameplay, Hades 2 for Best Game on Steam Deck, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for Best Soundtrack. Notably, several major titles like Battlefield 6, Elden Ring: Nightreign, and Eurogamer’s own 2025 Game of the Year, Blue Prince, won nothing. Valve also noted that the biggest-selling games by revenue from December 23rd to 30th were Arc Raiders, Battlefield 6, and Clair Obscur, respectively.
The Awards Vs. The Cash Register
Here’s the thing that really jumps out. There’s a fascinating disconnect between what players voted for and what they actually bought. Arc Raiders, for instance, won Most Innovative Gameplay and was the top-selling game over the holiday period. But it lost Game of the Year to Silksong. Meanwhile, Battlefield 6 was a commercial powerhouse, coming in second in revenue, but it got completely shut out of the awards. So what gives?
It seems like the Steam Awards are less about raw sales power and more about passion. Silksong has been anticipated for years, building a fanbase that’s rabid to finally get their hands on it. That kind of loyalty translates directly into votes. A blockbuster like Battlefield sells millions, but does it inspire that same dedicated, vote-mobilizing fervor? Probably not. The awards are a popularity contest, sure, but they’re measuring a different kind of popularity.
The Notable Snubs
Let’s talk about the games that went home empty-handed. Blue Prince winning Eurogamer’s Game of the Year but getting nothing from Steam players? That’s a stark reminder of the gap between critical darlings and mainstream player taste. And Elden Ring: Nightreign getting snubbed is genuinely surprising. You’d think the Souls-like crowd would be a vocal, voting bloc. Maybe expansion fatigue is setting in, or maybe it just got lost in a very crowded field.
This is the fun part of player-voted awards. They’re messy, unpredictable, and often reflect the community’s mood more than any objective quality metric. It’s not a panel of judges; it’s 43.8 million individual opinions, which is going to produce some weird and wonderful results. And honestly, that’s way more interesting than a predictable sweep by the biggest budget title.
What This Tells Us About 2026
So looking ahead, what’s the trajectory? I think this solidifies that on Steam, a deeply engaged community can outperform pure marketing spend. A game like Silksong, nurtured over years with transparent developer communication, built a voting army. That’s a powerful lesson for developers. It also highlights the Steam Deck as a legit platform now, with its own award category. Hades 2 winning that is a no-brainer, but it cements the idea that Deck compatibility isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a feature players actively celebrate.
Basically, the 2025 Steam Awards show a platform ecosystem that’s maturing. Players are distinguishing between the games they buy in a holiday sale and the games they truly love. They’re rewarding innovation and style as much as pure polish. And they’re reminding everyone that on Steam, the community’s voice is loud, chaotic, and ultimately decides what gets the crown. Now, let’s see if 2026 can be just as surprising.
