Berlin, 17 March 2025 – The nominees for the German Computer Game Awards (DE: Deutscher Computerspielpreis) 2025 have now been announced. The jury selected the best German games of the year from the numerous games and prototypes submitted. In the “Best German Game” category, the titles Enshrouded by Keen Games, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders by Megagon Industries und Thronefall by Grizzly Games are all competing for the top recognition in the German gaming industry. The game Enshrouded received the most nominations, being selected a total of three times. The prizes will be awarded on 14 May 2025 at the Palais am Funkturm in Berlin.

A total of 800,000 euros in prize money is allocated across several categories. In the categories of “Best German Game,” “Young Talent Award: Best Debut,” and “Young Talent Award: Best Prototype,” prize money is awarded not only to the winners, but to all nominees.

The best German games of the year are chosen by a jury made up of representatives from the gaming industry, academia, culture, media, and politics. The jury is led by Dr. Sabiha Ghellal, Professor of Experience and Game Design at the Hochschule der Medien (HdM) in Stuttgart. A full list of jury members is available on the DCP website at www.deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/the-award/jury/?lang=en/.

“The outstanding submissions for the German Computer Game Awards 2025 have once again demonstrated the dynamism and innovation of the German games industry. Each game captivates with its unique story, creativity, innovative strength, and technological potential. The diversity of the gaming landscape reflects the dedication of the developers. It was a great pleasure to select the nominees from these remarkable games,” emphasises jury chair Sabiha Ghellal. “I look forward to celebrating the creative diversity and dedication of the developers at the award ceremony in Berlin!”

All 2025 nominees at a glance:

Best German Game (endowed with 100,000 euros for the winning game and 30,000 euros each for the two other nominees)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)
• Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (Megagon Industries)
• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)

Best Family Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• In Season (Strawfools)
• Mindbug Online (Kissaki Studio)
• PRIM (Common Colors / Application Systems Heidelberg)

Young Talent Award: Best Debut (endowed with 60,000 euros for the winning game and 25,000 euros each for the two other nominees)
• Footgun: Underground (Turtle Knight Games / CobraTekku Games)
• Nordhold (Stunforge/ Stunforge & HypeTrain Digital)
• Mindlock – The Apartment (Roof Cut Media / United Soft Media)

Young Talent Award: Best Prototype (endowed with 50,000 euros for the winning game and 25,000 euros each for the four other nominees)
• Blob the Klex (Melena Dressel, Alejandro Rebolledo, Laura Octavianus / Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences)
• Echoes of Mora (Meike Strippel, Namin Hansen, Daria Pankau, Anita-Emmely Franz, Alina Alonzova / HTW Berlin)
• Map Map – A Game About Maps (Pipapo Games / HAW Hamburg)
• Exhibit A (Olivia Falke, Gabrielle Sibucao, Flynn Schrammek, Vivian Kraffert, Martina Miskic, Leonhard Thiel, Fabiola Wörter, Arezou Rezaei / MDH Munich)
• STUNTBOOST (Julian Höltge, Tobias Kozel / Kempten University of Applied Sciences)

Best Innovation and Technology (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games)
• Deine Stimme (Sebastian Grünwald and Reality Twist/ Bavarian State Centre for Political Education)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)

Best Audio Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games)
• Enshrouded (Keen Games)
• ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff / Sven Ahlgrimm)

Best Game Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Between Horizons (DigiTales Interactive / Assemble Entertainment)
• Nordhold (Stunforge / Stunforge & HypeTrain Digital)
• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)

Best Graphic Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)
• PBJ – The Musical (kamibox)
• Songs of Silence (Chimera Entertainment)

Best Mobile Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Bauhaus Bonk (Spoonful Games)
• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games)
• Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 – The dead King’s Secret (Christoph Minnameier)

Best Story (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Mini Mini Golf Golf (Three More Years)
• Tavern Talk (Gentle Troll Entertainment)
• Vampire Therapist (Little Bat Games)

Best Serious Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)
• Deine Stimme (Sebastian Grünwald & Reality Twist / Bavarian State Centre for Political Education)
• Erinnern. Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm (Paintbucket Games / Foundation of Hamburg Memorials and Places of Learning in Memory of the Victims of Nazi Crimes)
• UNHOME – Apart from Society. A virtual reality experience about homelessness. (Curious Company)

Studio of the Year (endowed with 50,000 euros)
• Aesir Interactive (Munich)
• Gentle Troll Entertainment (Würzburg)
• Megagon Industries (Berlin)

Player of the Year (not endowed)
• Dom Schott
• JustNoahDE
• Lunarie_TTV
• STAIY
• Steinwallen

Best international game (not endowed)
• Astro Bot (Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames / ZeniMax Media)
• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

The award ceremony on 14 May at the historic Palais am Funkturm in Berlin will be hosted by TV presenter, actress and author Katrin Bauerfeind and entertainer Uke Bosse. Viewers can watch the award show live at home on Twitch, YouTube and www.deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/?lang=en. Information on the live streams and pre-shows will follow in the coming weeks.

Voting is now open for the Player of the Year category. You can participate through this link until 27 April.

Jury process

After the expert juries have decided on the nominations, the main jury selects the winners based on aspects such as quality, innovative content, fun, cultural and educational appeal as well as impact.