Pixels in Space
newsApril 17, 20263 min read
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BAFTA Game Awards 2026 Ceremony Kicks Off Tonight — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Leads With 12 Nominations

The 22nd BAFTA Games Awards take place tonight at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads with 12 nominations, followed by Dispatch with nine and Ghost of Yotei with eight across 17 categories.

BAFTA Game Awards 2026 Ceremony Kicks Off Tonight — Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Leads With 12 Nominations
The 22nd British Academy Games Awards are finally here. Tonight, April 17, the gaming industry’s finest gather at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall to celebrate the best games of 2025. Content creator Elz the Witch takes the hosting reins for the first time, and a record 42 titles are in the running across 17 categories. The live stream begins at 2:15 PM ET / 7:15 PM BST on both YouTube and Twitch. ## Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Dominates the Nominations Sandfall Interactive’s debut RPG has taken the awards circuit by storm. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the entire field with an astonishing 12 nominations, including Best Game, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Debut Game, Game Design, Music, Narrative, New Intellectual Property, and both Performer categories. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 gameplay Ben Starr (Verso) and Jennifer English (Maelle) are both nominated for Performer in a Leading Role, while Charlie Cox (Gustave) and Kirsty Rider (Lune) compete in the Supporting Role category. That is four acting nominations from a single game — a testament to the strength of Sandfall’s casting and motion capture work. ## Dispatch and Ghost of Yotei Follow Close Behind AdHoc Studio’s Dispatch sits in second place with nine nominations, spanning Best Game, Animation, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Debut Game, Music, and both performer categories. Aaron Paul earns a Leading Role nod as Robert Robertson, while Jeffrey Wright competes in Supporting Role as Chase. Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yotei rounds out the top three with eight nominations, including Best Game, Animation, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Game Design, Music, and Technical Achievement. Erika Ishii is nominated for her leading performance as Atsu. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 scenic shot ## Every Category at a Glance **Best Game** features a stacked lineup: ARC Raiders, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, Ghost of Yotei, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. **British Game** is a strong field this year with Atomfall, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, Mafia: The Old Country, Monument Valley 3, PowerWash Simulator 2, and Two Point Museum all competing. **Debut Game** highlights the fresh talent flooding into the industry. Alongside Clair Obscur and Dispatch, nominees include Consume Me, Despelote, and The Midnight Walk. The **Multiplayer** category features ARC Raiders, Dune: Awakening, Elden Ring Nightreign, Lego Party, Peak, and Split Fiction. For **Evolving Game**, Fallout 76, Helldivers 2, Hitman World of Assassination, No Man’s Sky, Vampire Survivors, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 are all in the running. **Family** brings together Donkey Kong Bananza, Is This Seat Taken?, Lego Party, Mario Kart World, PowerWash Simulator 2, and Two Point Museum. ## The BAFTA Fellowship Ilkka Paananen, co-founder of Supercell and one of the most influential figures in mobile gaming history, will receive the BAFTA Fellowship this evening. Paananen helped build Clash of Clans, Hay Day, Boom Beach, and Brawl Stars into a global mobile empire. The Fellowship is the highest honor BAFTA can bestow. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 battle ## A Ceremony Full of Firsts Nine of the twelve nominees in the performance categories are receiving their first-ever BAFTA nomination. That level of new blood is rare for any awards body, and it reflects how much talent is flowing into the games industry from every direction — film, theater, and motion capture alike. With 42 games represented across all categories, the 22nd BAFTA Games Awards may be the most competitive ceremony in the event’s history. Tune in tonight to see who walks away with the hardware.

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