Guillaume Broche and Alexandre Breton, holding the Debut Game Award for 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' at the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards.

BAFTA via Getty Images

You’d have been forgiven for thinking the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards winners were a foregone conclusion. Admittedly, the biggest prize of the night went to exactly what you’d expect, but as with previous ceremonies in London, plenty of underrated releases were also given their due.

If the 700 or so game of the year awards already earned by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 weren’t enough, it went on to claim another at the BAFTAs. Alongside Best Game, Expedition 33 also grabbed Debut Game and Performer in a Leading Role (Jennifer English as Maelle). It was especially great for the English, the hometown hero, who followed up her 2025 TGA with another individual voice gong.

Still, Expedition 33 wasn’t the runaway winner of the night, despite 12 nominations. Dispatch also picked up a trio of gongs for Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role (Jeffrey Wright as Chase), while Ghost of Yōtei was the only other multiple winner, for Music and Technical Achievement.

As is tradition with the BAFTA Games Awards, a lot of underdogs got their moment in the sun. Despelote, which may be among my five favorite games of 2025, won Game Beyond Entertainment. The underrated South of Midnight beat the likes of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector and The Alters to get New Intellectual Property. LEGO Party!, which I admit didn’t really resonate with me, took home the Family BAFTA. Atomfall, which I effortlessly sank 30 hours into when it landed on Game Pass, rightfully took British Game.

No Man’s Sky, which has been nominated for Best Evolving Game seven years in a row — testament to Hello Games’ incredible comeback after its infamous launch — won the award, its second in the category after picking up the same BAFTA in 2022, and its second big award in six months, after claiming Best Ongoing Game at the Game Awards in 2025.

Finally, the annual BAFTA Fellowship went to Supercell CEO and co-founder Ilkka Paananen for driving “innovation, creativity, and positive change in the screen arts over the course of their career.” Paananen’s work includes Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, and Brawl Stars.

There was one notable snub: the spectacular Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was nominated for six awards, walked home with nothing.