Overview
- The nominees are Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spires (Pinar Toprak), Helldivers 2 (Wilbert Roget II), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Gordy Haab), Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune (Cody Matthew Johnson and Wilbert Roget II), and Sword of the Sea (Austin Wintory).
- The eligibility window ran from Aug. 31, 2024 to Aug. 30, 2025, with criteria tying entries to soundtrack album timing and requiring most tracks be used in the shipped game, with timing discrepancies reviewed case by case.
- Helldivers 2 qualified because its official soundtrack album was released on Sept. 20, 2024, despite the game itself launching in February 2024.
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora qualified through its Secrets of the Spires DLC released on Nov. 28, 2024, and Star Wars Outlaws qualified via its Wild Card and A Pirate’s Fortune DLC within the window.
- Coverage highlights surprise omissions such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Death Stranding 2, with winners to be announced at the Feb. 1, 2026 ceremony.