Game Audio Network Guild 2026 Nominees
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle,” F1 25” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” are among the nominees for the 24th annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) awards.
The awards span 26 categories, including music, sound design, dialogue, technology and interactive audio. Winners will be announced on March 11, 2026, at the G.A.N.G. awards ceremony during the GDC Festival of Gaming at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
Nominees were selected by the G.A.N.G. advisory board members and committees. Additionally, the organization will honor Becky Allen with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Currently, she is the audio director at Halo Studios, where she oversees the creative vision and execution of audio for the Halo universe.
Allen’s three-decade audio career includes senior roles at Microsoft/343 Industries, PopCap Games (EA), Twin Suns Corp, Soundelux Design Music Group, and Gametracks/Danetracks, where she built teams, established pipelines and guided audio strategy for marquee titles such as “Halo Infinite,” “Plants vs. Zombies” and “Peggle 2.”
“Becky has helped shape the sound of iconic worlds while championing inclusion, innovation and collaboration across the industry,” G.A.N.G. ‘s executive director, Savina Ciaramella, said about Allen’s recognition. “We’re honored to recognize her with this award and grateful for the impact she continues to make in the game audio community.”
Voting for the 24th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards opens on Dec. 17 and closes on Jan. 13, 2026.
See the full list of nominees below:
??Audio of the Year
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Delta Force” (2025) (TiMi Studio Group, Team Jade)
“Hades II ” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Best Accessible Audio Design
“F1 25” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Codemasters)
“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” (2024) (Activision, Treyarch)
“Sunlight” (2021 Update) (Krillbite Studio)
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment)
“Borderlands 4” (2025) (2K, Gearbox Software)
Best Audio for a Casual or Social Game
“Destiny: Rising” (2025) (NetEase Games)
“Hearthstone: The Great Dark Beyond” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment)
“League of Legends: Wild Rift” (2025) (Tencent Games , Riot Games, Lightspeed Studios)
“PUBG Mobile” (2025) (Tencent Games/Level Infinite, Lightspeed Studios)
“Honor of Kings” (2025) (Tencent Games/Level Infinite, TiMi Studio Group)
Best Audio for an Indie Game
“The Alters” (2025) (11 bit studios)
“Luto” (2025) (Selecta Play/Astrolabe Games, Broken Bird Games)
“Ghost Town” (2025) (Fireproof Games)
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
“Wildgate” (2025) (Dreamhaven, Moonshot Games)
Best Audio Mix
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Borderlands 4” (2025) (2K, Gearbox Software)
“Marvel Rivals” (2024) (NetEase Games, Marvel Games)
“DOOM: The Dark Ages” (2025) (Bethesda Softworks, id Software)
Best Cinematic & Cutscene Audio
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Delta Force” (45709) (TiMi Studio Group, Team Jade)
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game
“Luto” (2025) (Selecta Play/Astrolabe Games, Broken Bird Games)
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
“Eternal Strands” (2025) (Yellow Brick Games)
“Mindlock – The Apartment” (2024) (USM, Roof Cut Media)
“Infinity Nikki” (2024) (InFold Games, Papergames)
Best Ensemble Cast Performance
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“South of Midnight” (2025) (Xbox Game Studios, Compulsion Games)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Best Game Audio Article or Publication
“Designing Sound for the Centuries in ‘Civilization VII’ – with the Firaxis Sound Team” (2025) (A Sound Effect, Written by Jennifer Walden)
“Unifying the Sonic Experience of ‘Split Fiction’ – with Hazelight Studios’ Game Audio Team” (2025) (A Sound Effect, Written by Jennifer Walden)
“Behind the Captivating Sound of ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ – Huge Interview with the Sandfall Interactive Sound Team!” (2025) (A Sound Effect, Written by Jennifer Walden)
“Game Audio Explained – your guide to making sound for games” (2025) (A Sound Effect, Written by Jennifer Walden)
“GameSoundCon Game Audio Industry Survey Results 2025” (2025) (GameSoundCon Blog, Written by Brian Schmidt)
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast, or Broadcast
“A Matter of Perspective: Mixing Sound in ‘Split Fiction’” (2025) (GDC 2025, Philip Eriksson and Joakim Enigk Sjöberg)
“301 – Hellblade II” (2025) (Tonebenders Sound Design Podcast, Mark Kilborn)
“Ludomusicology Thursday #296: Shadow of the Colossus (featuring Damian Kastbauer)” (2025) (Ludomusicology Thursday, Ryan Thompson, Dana Plank, Julianne Grasso, and Karen Cook)
“How the Music of Expedition 33 Became this Composer’s First Game Project” (2025) (The Game Maker’s Notebook, Austin Wintory)
“Scoring and Implementation in a Multiplayer Horror Game (The Music of The Outlast Trials)” (2024) (GameSoundCon 2024, Tom Salta)
Best Game Foley
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Split Fiction” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Hazelight Studios)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Diablo Immortal: Druid Class” (2025) (Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment & NetEase Games)
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” (2025) (2K, Firaxis Games)
Best Game Music Cover
“Secret of the Forest” (2024) (Chrono Trigger, The Game Brass, Thomas Kresge)
“For Narmer” (2025) (Warframe, Rachel Hardy, John Theodore, Peter Barber, and Jax the Bard)
“Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope” (2025) (Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, JD Winds)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ‘Lumière’ for Brass Quintet and Voice” (2025) (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Game Brass, featuring Laura Intravia)
“Beach Theme” (2025) (Super Mario 3D Land, The Phantom of West Texas Drum and Bugle Corps)
Best Game Trailer Audio
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” | Pre-Order Trailer” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” (2025) (2K, Firaxis Games)
“Project Spectrum | Official Announcement Trailer” (2025) (Tencent Games, TiMi Studio Group)
“Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Official Story Trailer” (2025) (Deep Silver, Warhorse Studios)
“Dune: Awakening – Story Trailer” (2025) (Tencent Games, Funcom)
Best Main Theme
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Composed by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” Composed by Christopher Tin (2025) (2K, Firaxis Games)
“Sword of the Sea” Composed by Austin Wintory (2025) (Giant Squid)
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” Composed by Woodkid (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“For The King II” Composed by John Robert Matz (2025) (Curve Games, IronOak Games)
Best Music for an Indie Game
“Herdling” Composed by Joel Schoch (2025) (Panic, Okomotive)
“Spirit of the North 2” Composed by Pav Gekko (2025) (Silver Lining Interactive, Infuse Studio)
“Eclipsium” Composed by Hudson Bikichky (2025) (CRITICAL REFLEX, Housefire)
“Hades II” Composed by Darren Korb (2025) (Supergiant Games)
“Sword of the Sea” Composed by Austin Wintory (2025) (Giant Squid)
Best New Original IP Audio
“South of Midnight” (2025) (Xbox Game Studios, Compulsion Games)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Split Fiction” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Hazelight Studios)
“KARMA: The Dark World” (2025) (Wired Productions, POLLARD STUDIO LLC)
“Sword of the Sea” (2025) (Giant Squid)
Best Original Song
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ‘Lumière’” Composed by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“South of Midnight ‘Altamaha-Ha’” Composed by Olivier Deriviere (2025) (Xbox Game Studios, Compulsion Games)
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach ‘To the Wilder’” Composed by Woodkid (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Ra Ra BOOM ‘Ra Ra BOOM’” Composed by Drew Marcum and Chris Bergman (2025) (Gylee Games)
“Lost Soul Aside ‘Luminous’” Composed by Yoko Shimomura (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ultizero Games)
Best Original Soundtrack Album
“South of Midnight” (2025) (AMEO PROD. Inc)
“Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune” (2025) (Ubisoft, Lucasfilm Games LLC)
“Sword of the Sea” (2025) (T-65b Records)
“Assassin’s Creed Shadows” (2025) (Ubisoft Music)
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” (2025) (2K)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Laced Records)
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game
“The Alters” (2025) (11 bit studios)
“Wildgate” (2025) (Dreamhaven, Moonshot Games)
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
“Luto” (2025) (Selecta Play/Astrolabe Games, Broken Bird Games)”Knock on the Coffin Lid – Nightmares of Millenis” (2025) (Redboon)
Best UI, Reward, or Objective Sound Design
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Borderlands 4” (2025) (2K, Gearbox Software)
“Wildgate” (2025) (Dreamhaven, Moonshot Games)
“Marvel Rivals” (2024) (NetEase Games, Marvel Games)
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” (2025) (2K, Firaxis Games)
Best Voice Performance
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Troy Baker, Indiana Jones; Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Judy Alice Lee, Neyrelle; Blizzard Entertainment)
“Hades II” (2025) (Judy Alice Lee, Melinoë; Supergiant Games)
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Shioli Kutsuna, Rainy; Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Norman Reedus, Sam Porter Bridges; Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music
“Tempopo” (2025) (CULT Games, Witch Beam)
“Split Fiction” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Hazelight Studios)
“Daft Punk Experience by Epic” (2025) (Epic Games)
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Split Fiction” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Hazelight Studios)
“Borderlands 4” (2025) (2K, Gearbox Software)
“Dying Light: The Beast” (2025) (Techland)
“Marvel Rivals” (2024) (NetEase Games, Marvel Games / NetEase Games)
Dialogue of the Year
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
“Split Fiction” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Hazelight Studios)
“Mafia: The Old Country” (2025) (2K, Hangar 13)
“Infinity Nikki” (2024) (InFold Games, Papergames)
Music of the Year
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Composed by Lorien Testard (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Sword of the Sea” Composed by Austin Wintory (2025) (Giant Squid)
“Spirit of the North 2” Composed by Pav Gekko (2025) (Silver Lining Interactive, Infuse Studio)
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VII” Composed by Christopher Tin, Geoff Knorr & Roland Rizzo (2025) (2K, Firaxis Games)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” Composed by Gordy Haab (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
Sound Design of the Year
“Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Split Fiction” (2025) (Electronic Arts, Hazelight Studios)
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Dragon Age: The Veilguard” (2024) (Electronic Arts, BioWare)
