The Steam Awards 2025: When Players Get It Right, and When They Don’t
The Steam Awards are never perfect, but they are always revealing. They show what players actually cared about, not what marketing departments wanted them to care about.
In 2025, that led to some genuinely great wins, a couple of extremely safe choices, and at least one award that feels like it missed the point entirely. When the Steam Awards work, they really work. When they don’t, the cracks are hard to ignore.
Silksong Winning Feels Earned
Hollow Knight: Silksong winning is, in my opinion, a genuinely good outcome. Team Cherry stayed quiet, avoided the hype cycle, and then dropped a surprise release late in 2025 that absolutely delivered.
Silksong expands the Hollow Knight universe in all the right ways. The movement is smoother, the combat more expressive, and the aesthetic somehow even more striking. It feels like a game made with confidence and patience, and seeing it recognised here feels earned rather than inevitable.
It also picking up Best Game You Suck At is painfully accurate. I absolutely do suck at it.
Labour of Love Was Predictable, But Still a Bit Disappointing
Baldur’s Gate 3 taking Labour of Love is not surprising. It is an excellent game with continued support.
That said, it is hard not to think about No Man’s Sky here. Few games have undergone such a dramatic transformation over so many years after such a rough launch. Baldur’s Gate 3 feels like the sensible choice. No Man’s Sky still feels like the emotional one.
Steam Deck Category Feels Too Safe Now
Hades II winning Best Game on Steam Deck makes complete sense. It plays brilliantly on the Deck, and I can personally vouch for that.
But this category is starting to feel predictable. There are so many excellent Steam Deck experiences now that the obvious pick almost feels like a missed opportunity to highlight something more surprising. Hades II deserves the win, but it is also the safest possible answer.
Innovation Was the Biggest Miss
ARC Raiders taking the Innovative Gameplay award is the one result that really does not sit right with me. From what I have played, and from what the genre already offers, it feels like a very polished take on familiar survival and extraction shooter ideas.
It looks great, but innovation should mean more than refinement. This felt like a category where visual appeal and hype won out over genuinely new ideas.
Expedition 33 Deserved Its Moment
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 not winning Visual Style may have surprised some, but its Best Soundtrack win is absolutely deserved. The score is emotional, orchestral, and deeply tied to the game’s identity.
It is one of those soundtracks that elevates every scene and stays with you long after you stop playing. A very good call by the voters.
Final Reaction
The Steam Awards 2025 felt stronger than some previous years, especially when they rewarded games that truly delivered rather than just dominated conversation. Silksong winning feels right. Expedition 33 being recognised feels right. Some categories still struggle with definition, and innovation in particular feels like it needs a rethink.
But as a reflection of what players actually cared about this year, the awards mostly did their job.
Not flawless, but not meaningless either.