The Game Awards reveals fan-voted Players' Voice nominees, and I'm sorry to say that Megabonk is once again out of the show

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It's been a ride, but the ride is over.

A screenshot of roguelike Megabonk. A skeleton wearing sunglasses performs a trick on a skateboard. In the blurry background, wooden crates fly off into the distance.
(Image credit: vedinad)

The final nominees for the Players' Voice category at The Game Awards 2025 have been announced, and I'm sorry to say that indie darling Megabonk is—again—out of the running. And this time, there's no coming back.

It's been quite a journey for Megabonk. Developer Vedinad withdrew the game from contention in the Best Debut Indie Game category in November, revealing that it wasn't really a debut game at all: Vedinad has previously released games under other studio names. But two weeks later, it elbowed its way back—so back—in the Players' Voice category, which unlike every other TGA category is chosen entirely by fans.

Clair Obscur might seem like the obvious favorite here, because it's the obvious favorite everywhere, but the fact that the Players' Voice category comes down to a public vote—that is, whichever community can most effectively rally its troops to the cause—really opens things up.

Vedinad handled the loss with grace: When Palworld communications director Bucky said on X that Megabonk will "forever be the game of 2025 to me," they replied, "My heart bleeds with you... but just know that your bonks are worth more than any game award."

(Image credit: Megabonk (Twitter))

The Game Awards 2025 get underway with a preshow at 4:30 pm PT/7:30 pm ET on December 11.

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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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