BAFTA Excludes DLC from GotY Nominations

BAFTA has just unveiled their longlist of games considered for nomination in the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards. Dive in to see if your favorite game has made the cut!

BAFTA Reveals List Of This Year’s Notable Games

58 Games From 247 Titles

BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) has revealed their longlist of game nominees for the upcoming 2025 BAFTA Games Awards, featuring 58 standout games across different genres. These games are in the running for nominations across 17 categories. This list was meticulously curated from a pool of 247 titles considered by BAFTA members this year, with each game released between November 25, 2023, and November 15, 2024.

The final nominees for each category will be unveiled on March 4, 2025. The 2025 BAFTA Games Awards ceremony will take place on April 8, 2025, where the winners will be announced and celebrated.

One of the most eagerly awaited categories is the Best Game award. Here is the longlist of 10 exceptional titles that could potentially win this prestigious accolade:

• ANIMAL WELL
• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

In 2024, Baldur’s Gate 3 clinched the Best Game title and also won several other awards, securing a total of six awards after being nominated in ten categories.

While some games didn't make the cut for Best Game, they are still contenders in 16 other categories, including:

• Animation
• Artistic Achievement
• Audio Achievement
• British Game
• Debut Game
• Evolving Game
• Family
• Game Beyond Entertainment
• Game Design
• Multiplayer
• Music
• Narrative
• New Intellectual Property
• Technical Achievement
• Performer in a Leading Role
• Performer in a Supporting Role

FF7 Rebirth And Shadow Of The Erdtree Ineligible For BAFTA’s Best Game

Sharp-eyed gamers might notice that several popular 2024 titles, despite being on the full longlist, are not included in the Best Game category. These include Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Silent Hill 2. This exclusion is due to their classification as remakes, remasters, or DLCs. According to the official BAFTA Games Awards Rules and Guidelines, "Remasters of games released outside of the eligibility period are not eligible for consideration. Full remakes, and substantial pieces of new content, are not eligible in Best Game or British Game but may be eligible in craft categories where they can demonstrate significant originality."

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Silent Hill 2 are still part of the full longlist, competing for spots in categories such as Music, Narrative, and Technical Achievement. However, Elden Ring’s acclaimed DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is absent from BAFTA’s list. The specific reason for this omission is unclear, but Shadow of the Erdtree is expected to feature in other year-end game awards, such as The Game Awards.

You can find BAFTA’s full game longlist, along with the categories they are listed in, on its official website.