The Game Awards 2025: Every Xbox Winner, Big Reveal, and What It Means for Players

The Game Awards 2025 turned into a huge night for Xbox, combining big wins for first- and third-party titles with major reveals like Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, Control Resonant, new Tomb Raider projects, and more. It also doubled as a tease for what’s coming next for Xbox players in 2026 and beyond, from new expansions to a fresh Developer_Direct showcase.

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A blockbuster night for Xbox at The Game Awards 2025

The Game Awards 2025 wrapped up what has been one of Xbox’s strongest years in recent memory, blending prestige wins with a packed slate of world premieres. Xbox, Bethesda, Activision, and Blizzard showed up with new trailers, fresh details on highly anticipated games, and a long list of nominees across nearly every major category. On the show floor, two things were clear: Diablo 4’s future is huge, and Xbox’s bench of narrative and action-heavy games is deeper than ever.​

From a marketing and player perspective, this show functioned as both a victory lap and a roadmap. Fans got closure on some long-running teases (like the next Diablo 4 expansion), confirmation that Control’s universe is expanding, and the surprise reveal that Lara Croft is getting not one, but two new adventures.​

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Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred leads the charge

One of Xbox’s biggest moments was the world premiere of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, the next major expansion for Blizzard’s action RPG. Launching April 28, 2026, Lord of Hatred marks the climax of the current “Age of Hatred” saga, putting Mephisto front and center as the Prime Evil you’ll ultimately face. The campaign takes players to Skovos, an ancient island region with roots deep in Diablo lore, offering a new setting that contrasts sharply with Diablo 4’s earlier zones.

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Gameplay-wise, this is more than a story add-on. Blizzard is introducing two new classes, including the long-requested Paladin, alongside major Skill Tree reworks, an increased level cap, and a rebuilt endgame focused on choice, mastery, and high-stakes rewards. New systems like War Plans, the punishing Echoing Hatred activity, a loot filter, revamped crafting with the return of the Horadric Cube, and a new Talisman item for set bonuses are all designed to refresh the entire experience. For Xbox players, the big takeaway is that Lord of Hatred isn’t just “more Diablo” — it’s a structural overhaul that aims to fix long-running endgame complaints while giving build-crafters a lot more room to experiment.

Pre-Purchase Lord of Hatred Today​

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Control Resonant, Ontos, and a double-hit of Tomb Raider

Remedy’s Control universe is officially back with Control Resonant, a full-blown third-person action RPG set in a paranaturally twisted version of Manhattan. The sequel shifts the focus to Dylan Faden, who is tasked with combating a reality-warping cosmic entity while searching for his sister, FBC Director Jesse Faden. Combat is centered around the Aberrant, a living, shapeshifting melee weapon that evolves alongside Dylan’s expanding suite of supernatural abilities.

Control Resonant leans into more open, interconnected zones and deeper progression systems that let players spec into melee power, mobility, environmental manipulation, or hybrids of all three. For Xbox, this is positioned as a big 2026 tentpole that builds on the original Control’s cult status and pushes it toward full RPG territory.

Horror fans also got a first look at Ontos, the newest game from Frictional Games, the studio behind Amnesia and Soma. Billed as a spiritual successor to Soma, Ontos explores existential sci-fi horror, with Xbox Wire highlighting its emphasis on atmosphere, tension, and morally tricky decisions rather than pure jump scares.

Then there’s Lara Croft. Crystal Dynamics revealed that two Tomb Raider titles are in development: Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst. Legacy of Atlantis appears set to lean into classic tomb-raiding, exploration, and myth-heavy storytelling, while Catalyst is positioned as a more modern, high-intensity action adventure. Both projects underscore Xbox’s strategy of spotlighting beloved third-party franchises tightly aligned with its audience.​

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dominates, South of Midnight and DOOM score wins

On the awards front, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the runaway star of the night and a major win story for Xbox Game Pass. Developed by Sandfall Interactive, the stylish, painterly RPG not only took home Game of the Year but swept a huge swath of categories, including Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie, Best RPG, Best Score and Music, and more. Xbox calls it the biggest new third-party Game Pass title of the year, and its Game Awards performance all but guarantees a second life of discovery for players who haven’t checked it out yet.

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For first-party, DOOM: The Dark Ages and South of Midnight both converted nominations into meaningful wins. DOOM: The Dark Ages secured the Innovation in Accessibility award, highlighting how far id Software has gone in making its brutal combat more approachable to a wider range of players. South of Midnight, meanwhile, won Games for Impact, spotlighting Compulsion Games’ narrative and thematic ambition. Both titles also landed in other categories like Best Action/Adventure and Innovation in Accessibility, reinforcing Xbox’s push on both gameplay and inclusivity.​

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Xbox first-party nominees

Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks brought a deep slate of titles to the show, covering RPGs, action/adventure, and narrative-driven experiences. Here’s a quick look at the major first-party games highlighted and what they were up for.​

First-party highlights

• Avowed – Nominated for Best RPG, Obsidian’s fantasy RPG continues to build momentum ahead of its broader rollout on Xbox and PC.
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• DOOM: The Dark Ages – Nominated for Best Action/Adventure and winner for Innovation in Accessibility, positioning it as both a hardcore shooter and a leader in inclusive design.
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• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Picked up nods for Best Performance (Troy Baker) and Best Action/Adventure, reflecting excitement around its pulpy cinematic campaign.
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• Ninja Gaiden 4 – Recognized in Best Action/Adventure, signaling that Team Ninja’s brutally precise combat still resonates.
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• The Outer Worlds 2 – Nominated for Best RPG, giving Obsidian another prestige slot at the show.
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• South of Midnight – Nominated for Games for Impact (which it won) and Innovation in Accessibility, reinforcing its status as one of Xbox’s most distinctive new IP.​

For Game Pass and Xbox ecosystem players, this nominee list effectively doubles as a playlist of must-try titles, especially as holiday sales and subscription offers kick in.​

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Third-party winners and nominees on Xbox

Xbox also spotlighted how deep the third-party lineup is on its platforms, especially for players who primarily game on Xbox Series X|S or via Game Pass. Many of the night’s buzziest games are playable there, and several walked away with wins.​

Notable third-party recognition on Xbox

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Available with Game Pass, sweeping Game of the Year, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie, Best RPG, Best Score and Music, and more.
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• ARC Raiders – Took home Best Multiplayer, highlighting Embark Studios’ cooperative, sci-fi shooter as a standout in the online space.
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• Hollow Knight: Silksong – Nominated for Game of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Independent Game, Best Action/Adventure (which it won), and Best Score and Music.
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• No Man’s Sky – Winner for Best Ongoing, cementing its redemption arc as one of the strongest live-service stories in gaming.
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• Battlefield 6 – Winner for Best Audio Design, alongside nominations for Best Multiplayer and Best Action/Adventure, reflecting its technical and cinematic chops.
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• FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves – Special Edition – Winner for Best Fighting Game, joining other fighters like Capcom Fighting Collection 2 and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. in the nominee pool.
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Other notable nominees available on Xbox include Baldur’s Gate 3 (Best Community Support, which it won), Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles (Best Sim/Strategy winner), Monster Hunter Wilds (Best RPG nominee), Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Best Family and Best Sports/Racing), and many more.

Major Xbox and partner standouts at The Game Awards 2025

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Developer_Direct tease and podcast extras

Just before The Game Awards 2025 kicked off, Xbox dropped a special edition of The Official Xbox Podcast packed with extra news for early 2026. The episode confirmed that a new Developer_Direct is coming in January, with Playground Games on the lineup, setting expectations for deeper dives into upcoming Xbox titles. Compulsion Games also revealed that South of Midnight will expand its audience in Spring 2026 when it arrives on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, alongside its presence on Xbox and PC.

See the Xbox Wire blog post for full list of games​

For Xbox fans, the message is consistent: The Game Awards 2025 was more than a trophy count. It was a statement about where the brand is headed, led by big expansions like Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, ambitious new entries like Control Resonant, surprise multi-platform moves, and a Game Pass catalog stacked with award winners.

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