The Gayming Awards 2025 has announced its list of nominations across ten categories on Tuesday with two left out to be revealed in June. The Game of the Year nominations may be somewhat controversial as they include Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which received a mixed response from fans. A far better-received game, Dragon's Dogma 2, has also been nominated as a potential Game of the Year winner.

The Gayming Awards Has Life is Strange: Double Exposure Against Paper Mario and More

Strangely, two remasters have been announced as two of the Game of the Year nominees at The Gayming Awards, and a major winner for many outlets (including The Game Awards), Astro Bot, has been snubbed entirely. This is possibly due to the Awards wanting to "celebrate the achievements within the global gaming culture that represent and champion the LGBTQ+ experience," according to the company.

With that in mind, the Game of the Year nominees include the following:

  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Bioware / EA
  • Dragon's Dogma 2 – Capcom
  • Fear the Spotlight – Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games
  • Life is Strange: Double Exposure – Deck Nine / Square Enix
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Intelligent Systems / Nintendo
  • The Last of Us Part II Remastered – Naughty Dog / PlayStation

"We have an amazingly diverse roster of nominees for this year’s Gayming Awards," said Gayming Magazine and Awards Founder Robin Gray. "From AAA games to impactful LGBTQ+ indie games, there’s truly something for everyone to enjoy."

The other categories and their nominees include the following:

  • Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award
    • Caravan SandWitch – Studio Plane Toast / Dear Villagers
    • Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Bioware / EA
    • Dragon's Dogma 2 – Capcom
    • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – Square Enix
    • Life is Strange: Double Exposure – Deck Nine / Square Enix
    • The Last of Us Part II Remastered – Naughty Dog / PlayStation

  • Industry Diversity Award
    • Blizzard Entertainment
    • Code Coven
    • Limit Break
    • Rare

  • Community Impact Award – sponsored by Fireshine Games
    • Boston Gaymers
    • Charlotte Gaymers Network
    • NYC Gaymers
    • QueerVox
    • The*gamehers
    • Stream for a Cause

  • Best LGBTQ+ Character Award
    • Bazz – Concord – Firewalk Studios / PlayStation
    • Micah-10 - Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Bungie / PlayStation
    • Michelle - Sorry We're Closed – à la mode games / Akupara Games
    • Rook - Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Bioware / EA
    • Venture - Overwatch 2 – Blizzard Entertainment
    • Vivian - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – Intelligent Systems / Nintendo

  • Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award
    • Beloved Rapture – Rapturous Studio / 2 Left Thumbs
    • Caravan SandWitch – Studio Plane Toast / Dear Villagers
    • Fear the Spotlight – Cozy Game Pals / Blumhouse Games
    • Kitsune Tails – Kitsune Games / Midboss
    • Sorry We're Closed – à la mode games / Akupara Games
    • Tavern Talk – Gentle Troll Entertainment

  • LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year Award
    • Ciarán Strange
    • Erika Ishii
    • JP Karliak
    • Katie Cofield
    • Kieran Regan
    • Mila Jam

  • LGBTQ+ Content Creator of the Year Award
    • ChiChi
    • Ctrlaltquin
    • DataDave
    • GaymerONE1
    • halfmoonjoe
    • Juice Boxx
    • Negaoryx
    • PearlTeese

  • Best LGBTQ+ Contribution to Esports Award
    • Bailey McCann
    • Queer Women of Esports
    • SonicFox
    • Steve Arhancet

  • LGBTQ+ Geek Entertainment of the Year Award - sponsored by MyNerdLife
    • Agatha All Along – Marvel Studios
    • Arcane: Season 2 – Netflix
    • Hazbin Hotel – SpindleHorse Toons / Amazon Studios
    • Heartstopper – Netflix
    • Interview with the Vampire: Season 2 – AMC
    • The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Dead by Daylight – Shudder

Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Dragon's Dogma 2 are two epic RPGs that were released in 2024. They each have a majestic story to follow and memorable characters to meet along the way. The latter game offered a more open experience, giving you the freedom to explore the world at your leisure and coming across secrets, thanks to your pawns already visiting certain areas in their adventures on other players' games. Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers a fun action-RPG combat system that many enjoyed. BioWare's game doesn't seem to be a sales success, however, as EA reported it underperformed. It was also available as a PlayStation Plus game mere months after its release.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure seems to be an intriguing pick for Game of the Year. Our 3/5 review said it has a "scattershot narrative that never comes together." The game itself also has a strange conclusion that led to some fans scratching their heads, wondering why the series is taking a Marvel Cinematic Universe-like direction.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure currently has a Mixed reception on Steam as of the time of writing by reviewers.

While it's strange to not see Final Fantasy VII Rebirth nominated as a Game of the Year contender, it's up for the Gayming Magazine Readers’ Award, which will be decided by the fans. You can now vote for your favorite game on the Gayming Magazine website. Three other categories, including LGBTQ Content Creator of the Year, Best LGBTQ Character and LGBTQ Geek Entertainment of the Year can also be voted upon.

The Gayming Awards will be streaming live on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 through WOW Presents Plus. Content will also be shared through the awards' official social media channels.