The BAFTA Game Awards longlist has been revealed – and it’s long.
The awards ceremony has been running since 2004 and celebrates the best of gaming from across the world, as well as the flourishing gaming scene in the UK.
The longlist itself comprises 58 games, with 10 games listed for the prestigious Best Game award. It’s a pleasing mix of indie and AAA, and mirror selections from the Golden Joystick Awards and Game Awards. There’s Black Myth: Wukong, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and crowd-pleaser Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Interestingly, hits like Tekken 8, Silent Hill 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth haven’t made it, though they were included in the general longlist. Similarly, Baldur’s Gate 3, which swept the board back in 2023, has returned to the longlist, presumably for the ongoing work Larian Studios have been doing to improve the game since it launched.
While the longlist mirrors that of other awards ceremonies that have taken place in recent months – such as the Games Awards – there are also a few uniquely British entries.
Chief among these is Thank Goodness You’re Here!, the Yorkshire-set game that has drawn comparisons to Monty Python with its absurdist humour. In a very BAFTA move, several other indie games have also received a welcome nod, including Billy Basso’s Animal Well, the roguelike deck builder Balatro and ethereal adventure Neva. The action platformer The Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, which was also teased during last year’s awards ceremony, has made the longlist too.
The winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony on April 8, while the shortlist will be announced on March 4.
The longlist for Best Game:
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 40k: Space Marine 2
The longlist for nominated games:
Animal Well
Astro Bot
Balatro
Baldur’s Gate 3
Batman: Arkham Shadow
Black Myth: Wukong
Botany Manor
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Cat Quest 3
Crow Country
Diablo 4
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
EA Sports F1 24
EA Sports FC 25
Factorio
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 14
Frostpunk 2
Harold Halibut
Helldivers 2
A Highland Song
Hitman World of Assassination
Indika
Kind Words 2
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Lego Horizon Adventures
Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Little Kitty, Big City
Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Minecraft
Neva
No Man’s Sky
Pacific Drive
Paper Trail
Planet Coaster 2
The Plucky Squire
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Sea of Thieves
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Silent Hill 2
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars: Hunters
Stellar Blade
Still Wakes the Deep
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Tactical Breach Wizards
Tales of Kenzera: Zau
Tekken 8
Tetris Forever
Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Tiny Glade
UFO 50
V Rising
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Therapist
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2
World of Warcraft
