The Steam Awards open nominations

Valve opened the Steam Awards 2025 nominations until Dec. 1 at 10 am PST. Players will be able to vote for the finalists during the winter sale, with the winners scheduled to be announced on Jan. 3 at 10 am PST.

Here is a list of the available awards: 

• Game of the Year
• VR Game of the Year
• Labor of Love
• Best Game with Friends
• Outstanding Visual Style
• Most Innovative Gameplay
• Best Game You Suck At
• Best Soundtrack
• Outstanding Story-Rich Game
• Sit Back and Relax

Those who nominate a game in at least one category earn a level one of the badge. Completing additional tasks levels it up; finishing the tasks grants a Steam Awards Nomination Committee Badge. To prevent nomination abuse and botting, any non-limited Steam account can nominate and vote in the Steam Awards. Last year, Black Myth: Wukong received Game of the Year, with Metro Awakening VR earning the VR Game of the Year. 

Outside of the Labor of Love category, each nomination must be released after last year’s autumn sale. The Labor of Love award, on the other hand, is intended for games that have been around long enough “to have been shown lots of development love – at least a year or so.” All games before last year’s autumn sale are eligible for this specific nomination, except the previous year’s winners. 

Valve announced three new hardware products earlier this month: Steam Frame, Steam Machine and Steam Controller. The Steam Machine, marketed as a PC gaming setup for the living room, is said to be priced in line with the current PC market, but the offiicla pricing has yet to be revealed.