BAFTA Snubs DLC for GOTY Nominees

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has unveiled its extensive longlist of game contenders for the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards. Discover if your favorite game made the cut!

58 Games Selected from 247 Entries

BAFTA's 2025 Games Awards longlist features 58 exceptional games spanning diverse genres, competing across 17 categories. This selection emerged from a pool of 247 titles reviewed by BAFTA members, encompassing releases between November 25, 2023, and November 15, 2024.

The finalists for each category will be announced on March 4, 2025, with the awards ceremony and winner reveal scheduled for April 8, 2025.

Best Game Contenders: A Top Ten List

The coveted "Best Game" award boasts a strong lineup of ten remarkable titles:

• ANIMAL WELL
• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Recall that in 2024, Baldur's Gate 3 secured this prestigious award, along with five others, from a total of ten nominations.

Notable Exclusions from the "Best Game" Category

While numerous games feature on the broader longlist, some notable titles are absent from the "Best Game" competition. This includes Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Silent Hill 2. This exclusion stems from BAFTA's eligibility rules, which exclude remasters, remakes released outside the eligibility period, and DLC from the main "Best Game" and "British Game" categories. However, such titles may still compete in other categories recognizing craft and originality.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Silent Hill 2 remain contenders in categories such as Music, Narrative, and Technical Achievement. Intriguingly, Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is absent from the BAFTA list, although its presence in other year-end awards, like The Game Awards, is anticipated.

The complete BAFTA Games Awards longlist and category details are accessible on the official BAFTA website.