It’s that time of the year again—GDC 2025 is just around the corner, and the gaming world is buzzing with excitement! Set to take place from March 17 – 21, 2025, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, the Game Developers Conference is the premier event for game creators, industry insiders, and passionate fans to gather, learn, and celebrate the art of making games.
This year’s 27th Annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) Awards promises to be one of the most exciting in recent history, showcasing the very best in indie innovation and creativity. With an increasing number of independent studios pushing the boundaries of storytelling, design, and player interaction, 2024 was a landmark year for indie games. From deeply personal narratives to genre-blending mechanics, last year saw indie developers redefining what’s possible in interactive entertainment.

A major trend in 2024 was the rise of AI-assisted game development, with many small teams leveraging procedural generation, AI-driven animation, and intelligent NPC behavior to create expansive worlds on a budget. Games like The Thaumaturge and Pacific Drive demonstrated how indie studios are using emerging technologies to craft experiences that rival those of AAA developers.
Another standout theme was the return of nostalgic aesthetics with modern twists. Titles like Balatro, a roguelike deckbuilder infused with poker mechanics, and Thank Goodness You’re Here!, a surreal adventure packed with British humor, proved that indie developers continue to experiment with style and substance. The demand for cozy games also grew exponentially, with players seeking relaxing, narrative-driven experiences—leading to the success of games like A Highland Song and Tiny Glade.
Meanwhile, accessibility and diversity took center stage, with more developers prioritizing inclusive game design. Studios focused on bringing diverse perspectives to life, ensuring that characters, narratives, and mechanics reflected a broad spectrum of players and experiences. This shift not only made games more welcoming but also pushed the industry toward more innovative and emotionally engaging storytelling.
Indie Games Take the Spotlight
This year’s frontrunners are Consume Me, a deeply personal game about dieting and body image by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson, and Despelote, an immersive slice-of-life adventure about childhood and soccer by Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena.
With nominations spanning Excellence in Narrative, Design, Visual Arts, and the prestigious Seumas McNally Grand Prize, this year’s IGF Awards will highlight the most ambitious and inspiring indie games of the past year.

What to Expect at GDC 2025
Aside from the IGF Awards, GDC 2025 will feature an array of developer talks, panels, hands-on workshops, and networking events. Attendees can expect insights from top industry leaders, game design secrets from expert developers, and hands-on experiences with cutting-edge game tech.

For indie developers and aspiring game creators, the IGF Pavilion will offer an exclusive opportunity to play nominated games and meet their creators. Plus, the GDC Expo Floor will showcase the latest in game development tools, engines, and platforms, making it a must-visit for anyone in the industry.
Don’t Miss the IGF and GDC Awards
Mark your calendars! The IGF Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, live at GDC and streamed on GDC’s official Twitch channel. Immediately following the IGF Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards will celebrate the year’s biggest achievements in gaming across all platforms.
How to Join the Action
Whether you’re attending in person or tuning in from home, you won’t want to miss the excitement of GDC 2025.
🔹 Get your pass and schedule details here: Official GDC Website
🔹 Follow live updates on Twitter: @Official_GDC
🔹 Check out IGF nominees and vote for the Audience Award: IGF Official Site

The full list of finalists for each category of the 2025 Independent Games Festival, along with “honorable mentions”:
Best Student Game
A Dual Ascent (Mountain Toad Entertainment / Rubika Supinfogame)
DisplaceMen (Eversea Club / leafaleaves)
Growth Spurt: A Meandering Intermission into the Afterhours of a Miscalculation (Games for my Computer)
Slot Waste (Vinny Roca / pickpanpuck productions)
The WereCleaner (Howlin’ Hugs / USC Games)
Year Unknown (Julian Heuser)
Honorable Mentions:
Cards of Heart (GoodMind Games), Duck Paradox (Magic Games / Midwest Games), Lost Garden (Ori Shany, Yoni Pushett, Ramon Zerem), Perfect World (Michael Overton Brown), Timeworks (Starworks Studios)
Excellence in Audio
Anger Foot (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)
Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)
ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff)
Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
Utopia Must Fall (Pixeljam)
Honorable Mentions:
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive), Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / Playstack), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Excellence in Design
Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
Honorable Mentions:
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), No Case Should Remain Unsolved (Somi), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Games / Draknek and Friends), Eigengrau (Martin Mauersics), The Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / Playstack)
Excellence in Narrative
Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games)
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)
No Case Should Remain Unsolved (Somi)
Honorable Mentions:
Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Miniatures (Other Tales Interactive), Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments), Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Coal Supper / Panic), The Thaumaturge (Fool’s Theory / 11 bit studios)
Excellence in Visual Arts
Children of the Sun (René Rother / Devolver Digital)
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
Hauntii (Moonloop Games / Firestoke)
Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya)
Nine Sols (RedCandleGames)
Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
Honorable Mentions:
Crow Country (SFB Games), Death of the Reprobate (Joe Richardson), Miniatures (Other Tales Interactive), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)
Nuovo Award
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity (Sam Atlas)
Ginger (Kevin Du / lizu ktap)
individualism in the dead-internet age: an anti-big tech asset flip shovelware rant manifesto (alienmelon)
Starship Home (Creature)
tapeçaria (tapestry) (mut/moochi (with help from plunderludics working group))
The Exit 8 (KOTAKE CREATE / Active Gaming Media Inc)
Honorable Mentions:
Arctic Eggs (The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, Cameron Ginex / CRITICAL REFLEX) , Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya), Onto Maizilind Unto Infinity (Kas Ghobadi, Julián Palacios Gechtman / Kasrah Ghobadi), Price of Flight (WATERBOX), Project Y (Project_Y Production Committee), Refind Self: The Personality Test Game (Lizardry / PLAYISM)
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)
Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Honorable Mentions:
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX)
Nine Sols (RedCandleGames)
Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
