Kepler Interactive and PlayStation Studios both netted eight nominations.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the list of nominees for the 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards, one of the gaming industry’s most notable award shows. Sixty-four total games were nominated, with a handful of 2025’s biggest hits leading the pack.
The full list of nominees for the 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards were shared on the organization’s website. It includes the coveted Game of the Year Award, which sees Arc Raiders, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, and Ghost of Yotei all nominated. Several of these titles took home honors at the Shacknews Awards, including [our 2025 Game of the Year, Dispatch](https://…
Kepler Interactive and PlayStation Studios both netted eight nominations.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the list of nominees for the 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards, one of the gaming industry’s most notable award shows. Sixty-four total games were nominated, with a handful of 2025’s biggest hits leading the pack.
The full list of nominees for the 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards were shared on the organization’s website. It includes the coveted Game of the Year Award, which sees Arc Raiders, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, and Ghost of Yotei all nominated. Several of these titles took home honors at the Shacknews Awards, including our 2025 Game of the Year, Dispatch.
The 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards nominees are as follows:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- South of Midnight
- The Midnight Walk
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
- The Midnight Walk
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Esquie
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Maelle
- Dispatch - Courtney/Invisigal
- Dispatch - Robert Robertson III/Mecha Man
- Ghost of Yōtei - Atsu
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Herdling
- Mario Kart World
- Sword of the Sea
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Arc Raiders
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Lumines Arise
- Split Fiction
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Consume Me
- despelote
- South of Midnight
- The Drifter
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Arc Raiders
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
Action Game of the Year
- Absolum
- Arc Raiders
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Hades II
- Ninja Gaiden 4
Adventure Game of the Year
- Blue Prince
- Dispatch
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Family Game of the Year
- LEGO® Party!
- LEGO® Voyagers
- Lumines Arise
- MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
- POPUCOM
Fighting Game of the Year
- 2XKO
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
- WWE 2K25
Racing Game of the Year
- EA SPORTS F1® 25
- Kirby Air Riders
- Mario Kart World
- Wheel World
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Outer Worlds 2
Sports Game of the Year
- EA SPORTS FC™ 26
- PGA Tour 2k25
- MLB® The Show™ 25
- NBA 2k26
- Rematch
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- The Alters
- Drop Duchy
- Europa Universalis V
- The King is Watching
- StarVaders
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Ghost Town
- Hotel Infinity
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR
- Star Wars: Beyond Victory - A Mixed Reality Playset
- Unloop
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked
- Ghost Town
- Marvel’s Deadpool VR
- The Midnight Walk
- Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Baby Steps
- Blue Prince
- Consume Me
- despelote
- Dispatch
Mobile Game of the Year
- Persona5: The Phantom X
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- WHAT THE CLASH?
- Where Winds Meet
Online Game of the Year
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Mario Kart World
- Marvel Rivals
- Split Fiction
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Arc Raiders
- Blue Prince
- Hades II
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Öoo
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades II
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Game of the Year
- Arc Raiders
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Dispatch
- Ghost of Yōtei
The nominees and winners are decided by a panel of industry peers. The D.I.C.E. Awards will take place on February 12, 2026, at 8 p.m. PT/11 a.m. ET.
News Editor
Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom’s desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_
From The Chatty
