Astro Bot, Balatro, and Indiana Jones Among Big Winners at D.I.C.E. 28th Annual Awards

Astro Bot wins the Game of the Year at D.I.C.E. 28th Annual Awards, which is another addition to its growing trophy rack following its big win at The Game Awards 2024. Astro Bot beat Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Helldivers 2, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to win the award.

Despite not winning the Game of the Year, Balatro won three awards, namely Best Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Award, and Best Mobile Game of the Year. The Best Fighting Game award went to TEKKEN 8, eclipsing Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns and DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also missed the big prize, but it won Outstanding Achievement in Character, Outstanding Achievement in Story, as well as the Best Adventure Game of the Year.

One of the most memorable moments of the D.I.C.E. Awards came early in the show when journalist Greg Miller made an expletive-laden remark directed at Elon Musk and Donald Trump (“f*** Elon Musk, f*** Donald Trump”). Miller also took a jab at U.S. trade policies, joking that due to chaotic tariff regulations from Washington, the MSRP of a Nintendo Switch 2 would reach $17,000, to which Stella Chung added that it would still be cheaper than eggs. The remark drew a mix of laughter and reactions from the audience.

Here’s the full list of winners and nominees for the 28th D.I.C.E. Awards:

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot by Team ASOBI (Winner)
• Balatro by LocalThunk
• Black Myth: Wukong by GameScience
• Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by MachineGames

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Astro Bot by Team ASOBI (Winner)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 by Treyarch
• FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH by SQUARE ENIX
• Neva by Nomada
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 by Saber Interactive

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Black Myth: Wukong by GameScience (Winner)
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by MachineGames
• LEGO Horizon Adventures by Guerilla Games Studio Gobo
• The Plucky Squire by All Possible Futures
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja Theory

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Watcher from 1000xRESIST
• Yuffie Kisaragi from FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
• Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Winner)
• Indika from INDIKA
• Senua from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Astro Bot by Team ASOBI
• Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios (Winner)
• Monument Valley 3 by ustwo games
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja Theory
• Star Wars Outlaws by Massive Entertainment

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Frostpunk 2 by 11 bit studios
• Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios (Winner)
• Monument Valley 3 by ustwo games
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja Theory
• Still Wakes the Deep by The Chinese Room

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• 1000xRESIST by Sunset Visitor
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by MachineGames (Winner)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio by Studio Zero
• Still Wakes the Deep by The Chinese Room
• Thank Goodness You’re Here! by Coal Supper

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Astro Bot by Team ASOBI (Winner)
• Batman: Arkham Shadow by Camouflaj
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by MachineGames
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II by Ninja Theory
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 by Saber Interactive

Action Game of the Year

• Batman: Arkham Shadow by Camouflaj
• Black Myth: Wukong by GameScience
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 by Treyarch
• Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios (Winner)
• Stellar Blade by SHIFT UP Corporation

Adventure Game of the Year

• 1000xRESIST by Sunset Visitor
• ANIMAL WELL by Shared Memory
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by MachineGames (Winner)
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom by Nintendo, Grezzo
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown by Ubisoft Montpellier

Family Game of the Year

• Astro Bot by Team ASOBI (Winner)
• Cat Quest III by The Gentlebros
• Little Kitty, Big City by Double Dagger
• The Plucky Squire by All Possible Futures
• Super Mario Party Jamboree by Nintendo Cube

Fighting Game of the Year

• Blazing Strike by RareBreed Makes Games
• DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
• Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns by NetherRealm Studios
• TEKKEN 8 by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (Winner)
• UNDERDOGS by One Hamsa

Racing Game of the Year

• F1® 24 by Codemasters (Winner)
• MotoGP™24 by Milestone S.r.l.
• NIGHT-RUNNERS™ PROLOGUE by PLANET JEM

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH by SQUARE ENIX
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare
• ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree by FromSoftware Inc.
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth by Ryu Ga Gotoku
• Metaphor: ReFantazio by Studio Zero (Winner)

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS College Football 25 by Electronic Arts Tiburon
• EA SPORTS FC 25 by EA Vancouver, EA Romania
• MLB® The Show™ 24 by San Diego Studio (Winner)
• NBA 2K25 by Visual Concepts

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Balatro by LocalThunk (Winner)
• Caves of Qud by Freehold Games
• Frostpunk 2 by 11 bit studios
• Tactical Breach Wizards by Suspicious Developments Inc
• Satisfactory by Coffee Stain Studios

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Alien: Rogue Incursion by Survios
• Batman: Arkham Shadow by Camouflaj
• Skydance’s BEHEMOTH by Skydance Games
• Starship Home by Creature (Winner)
• UNDERDOGS by One Hamsa

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Alien: Rogue Incursion by Survios
• Batman: Arkham Shadow by Camouflaj (Winner)
• Escaping Wonderland by Cortopia Studios
• Skydance’s BEHEMOTH by Skydance Games
• UNDERDOGS by One Hamsa

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• ANIMAL WELL by Shared Memory
• Balatro by LocalThunk (Winner)
• Grunn by Sokpop Collective
• INDIKA by Odd Meter
• Mouthwashing by Wrong Organ

Mobile Game of the Year

• Balatro by LocalThunk (Winner)
• Halls of Torment by Chasing Carrots
• Monument Valley 3 by ustwo games
• Paper Trail by Newfangled Games
• Wuthering Waves by Kuro Games

Online Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 by Treyarch
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred by Blizzard Entertainment
• Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios (Winner)
• Marvel Rivals by NetEase Games
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 by Saber Interactive

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• ANIMAL WELL by Shared Memory
• Astro Bot by Team ASOBI (Winner)
• Balatro by LocalThunk
• Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios
• UFO 50 by Mossmouth

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• 1000xRESIST by Sunset Visitor
• ANIMAL WELL by Shared Memory (Winner)
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes by Simogo
• Riven by Cyan Worlds, Inc.
• Thank Goodness You’re Here! by Coal Supper