BAFTA Games Awards 2026: Clear Obscore and Dispatch lead nominations | games

The 22nd Bafta Games Awards kick off in April, and the 2026 nominations list is dominated by French smash Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has 12 nominations and has already won Game of the Year awards at the UK’s Golden Joysticks last November, December’s Game Awards in the US, and February’s Dice Awards in Las Vegas.

Dispatch, a game about a bench-bound superhero who manages a team of superpowered misfits in a call center, received nine nominations. Among them is an award for best performance in a leading role for its star, Aaron Paul, and one for Jeffrey Wright in a supporting role. Sony’s samurai saga Ghost of Yōtei received eight nominations, including Best Game and Best Performance in a Leading Role for Erika Ishii, who plays Atsu.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, from Japan’s Kojima Productions, received seven nominations – but star Norman Reedus did not appear in the best performance category, despite being nominated for his role in the original Death Stranding film in 2020.

Compared to other gaming awards ceremonies, many of which are voted on by the public, BAFTA’s panel-voted list tends to nominate (and honor) a wider range of games. This year, the Ecuadorian soccer memoir Dispilot, the biographical comedy Conscious Me, the fantastic puzzle box Blue Prince, and a game about dementia called And Roger – all made by very small teams or led by single developers – sit alongside big-budget games like Indiana Jones on Xbox and Great Circle. The nominations list includes 42 different games in total.

Games in the “Game Beyond Entertainment” category, dedicated to games that raise awareness of important issues or experiences, are particularly diverse, originating in six different countries. Tara Saunders, Head of Games at BAFTA, said: “This list shows that ‘Beyond Entertainment’ has gone far beyond its niche. It includes everything from intimate indie memoirs to blockbuster films, all of which use games as a way to make big human themes felt, not just seen.”

“An enduring theme for each nominee is how these games don’t lecture. Instead, they translate grief, care, identity, community, and survival into interactive mechanics, so that understanding comes from action. Their success points to a growing trend of players looking for culturally specific stories that resonate… because of their authenticity.”

The Best Game category includes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (released December 2024), Clair Obscur, Arc Raiders multiplayer, Blue Prince, Dispatch, and Ghost of Yōtei. Notably absent was Hollow Knight: Silksong, a firm fan favorite that didn’t find its way onto many big game awards lists, despite winning top prize in the player-voted Steam Awards last year.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 17 in London, and will be broadcast live on BAFTA’s YouTube channel.

Complete nominations below:

Animation

Battlefield 6
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
send
Ute ghost
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silk Song

Artistic achievement

Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
send
Ute ghost
Hollow Knight: Silk Song
South of Midnight

Vocal achievement

Sagittarius Raiders
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
send
Ute ghost
Indiana Jones and the Grand Circle

Best game

Sagittarius Raiders
Blue Prince
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
send
Ute ghost
Indiana Jones and the Grand Circle

British game

Atomvale
Sleeping Citizen 2: Star Transporter
Mafia: The Old Country
Monument Valley 3
Power Wash Simulator 2
Two Point Museum

Debut game

Blue Prince
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
It consumed me
abandoned
send
Midnight walk

Advanced game

Fallout 76
Hell Divers 2
Hitman: World of Assassination
No sky man
Vampire survivors
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

family

Donkey Kong Bananza
Is this seat taken?
Lego party!
Mario Kart World
Power Wash Simulator 2
Two Point Museum

A game that goes beyond entertainment

Changes
And Roger
Sleeping Citizen 2: Star Transporter
It consumed me
abandoned
Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Game design

Ball x hole
Blue Prince
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
Ute ghost
Hades II
Split imagination

Multiplayer

Sagittarius Raiders
Dune: Awakening
Elden Ring Nytrin
Lego party!
Split imagination

music

Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
send
Ute ghost
Hollow Knight: Silk Song
Indiana Jones and the Grand Circle

a novel

Changes
Blue Prince
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Indiana Jones and the Grand Circle
Kingdom Come: The Second Redemption

New intellectual property

Changes
Sagittarius Raiders
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
send
South of Midnight
Split imagination

Actor in a lead role

Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson III in Dispatch
Ben Starr as Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Erika Ishii as Atsu in Ghost of Yuutei
Jennifer English as May in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Tom McKay as Henry Skalitz in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Troy Baker as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Grand Circle

Actor in a supporting role

Alex Wilton Regan as Leah Florence Monad in Lies Of P: Introduction
Charlie Cox as Gustav in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Jane Berry as Leia Cain in Dead Take
Jeffrey Wright as Chase in Dispatch
Kirsty Ryder as Lon in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Troy Baker as Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Artistic achievement

Sagittarius Raiders
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death: The Dark Ages
Ute ghost
Indiana Jones and the Grand Circle
Split imagination