The New York Videogame Critics Circle has announced the winners across various categories, recognising the best games, actors, journalists, and more at the 2026 New York Game Awards.
While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s award season success continued in claiming the Big Apple Award for best Game of the Year, other prizewinners included Hades II, which won the Statue of Liberty Award for Best World, Ball x Pit, which claimed the Excelsior Award for Best NY Game, and Donkey Kong Bananza, which was awarded the Central Park Children’s Zoo Award for Best Kids Game.
The Pokémon Company was also honoured as the recipient of the 2026 Andrew Yoon Legend Award, which recognises “industry icons and organisations that exhibited a significant, sustained body of work demonstrating exceptional artistic achievement and innovation.”
The award is named after Andrew Yoon, who was a founding member of the New York Game Critics Circle. Past recipients of the award include Sam Lake, Neil Druckmann, Reggie Fils-Aimé, Phil Spencer, Tim Schafer, Jerry Lawson, Jade Raymond, Richard Garriott, Todd Howard, Ralph Baer and Hideo Kojima.
List of 2026 New York Game Awards Winners
Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game: Blue Prince
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game: Blippo+
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World: Hades II
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game: South of Midnight
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game: Jennifer English as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Excelsior Award for Best NY Game: Ball x Pit
Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game: Lumines Arise
Central Park Children’s Zoo Award for Best Kids Game: Donkey Kong Bananza
A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game: Is This Seat Taken?
High Line Award for Best Remake: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Chumley’s Speakeasy Award for Best Hidden Gem: News Tower
NYC GWB Award for Best DLC: Lies of P: Overture
Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism: People Make Games
Andrew Yoon Legend Award Recipient: The Pokémon Company
