The white Steam logo over blurred cards of games in the background.
By
Kyle Gratton
Published 14 minutes ago
Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects.
A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history.
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Around every holiday season, Steam's users select their favorite games of the year in the annual Steam Awards. The platform and its creator, Valve, have been in the spotlight as of late, with the announcement of the potentially pricey Steam Machine, a new Steam Controller, and the Steam Frame VR headset, but attention is now turning back to the games themselves.
Nomination voting for The Steam Awards is now open, and you can vote for your favorite games in 11 distinct categories. Voting is open from now until December 1 at 1pm ET, at which point votes will be tallied and official nominees announced. Another round of voting will then be held during Steam's upcoming Winter Sale, which will decide the winner of each category.
Every Steam Awards 2025 Category
The Steam logo over a catalog of game cards in the background.
All 11 Steam Awards 2025 categories are as follows:
- Game of the Year Award
- VR Game of the Year Award
- Labor of Love Award
- Best Game on Steam Deck Award
- Outstanding Visual Style Award
- Most Innovative Gameplay Award
- Best Game You Suck At Award
- Best Soundtrack Award
- Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award
- Sit Back and Relax Award
There's a stark difference in tone from the self-seriousness of The Game Awards categories, which is the biggest industry-wide gaming awards show. The Steam Awards focus exclusively on Valve's platform, are chosen entirely by votes from users, and have a few sillier categories. The Best Game You Suck At Award is a hilarious stand-out, recognizing the best game out of a subset of specifically difficult ones.
Categories like the Labor of Love Award and the Sit Back and Relax Award are also great, creative ideas for gaming awards. The former is a great recognition for dedicated, hardworking developers, while the latter is a great chance to spotlight the more care-free side of gaming, especially since more traditional GOTY nominees tend to skew toward more serious, narrative-heavy games.
How To Vote In The Steam Awards 2025
Promo art of the Steam Deck running Valve's SteamOS.
Click here to vote for your Steam Awards 2025 nominees.
The link above will take you to the correct page to vote for your favorite games in the Steam Awards 2025 nominations. You'll have to first sign in to your Steam account, then click on the "Choose Your Nominee" button for each of the 11 categories. A search bar will then pop up, which will let you find eligible games. A game is eligible in all but one category by being released following last year's Autumn Sale; the Labor of Love Award is given to games that have been supported for longer, so eligible games for that category were released before last year's Autumn Sale.
You have one week to vote for your nominees before voting closes on December 1. During the upcoming Winter Sale, another round of voting will take place, where you'll choose from the nominees selected in this round. Winners will be announced on January 3, 2026. Be sure to keep an eye on The Steam Awards so you don't miss the next round of voting.
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