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CESA has announced the winners of Japan Game Awards 2025 ahead of Tokyo Game Show 2025. Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio particularly won the most prestigious Grand Award from the presentation event.
This award presentation featured the most popular games that were released in Japan between April 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025. The Grand Award winner was chosen from among the 11 titles that received an Award for Excellence. For the record, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom won the Grand Award in the 2024 Japan Game Awards.
The 2025 show retained the Breakthrough and Movement Awards that debuted in the 2024 edition. The Game Designers Award, which is determined by a panel consisting of renowned game creators like Masahiro Sakurai, Yoko Taro, and Toby Fox, also returned with Indika winning it. However, CESA no longer includes Best Sales Awards due to the difficulty in tracking sales figures caused by the prevalence of digital sales.
Here is the full list of winners at the Japan Game Awards 2025:
- Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Award: Nintendo Switch 2
- Special Award: PlayStation Store
- Breakthrough Award: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Movement Award: Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
- Game Designers Award: Indika
- Awards for Excellence: 11 titles
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Urban Myth Dissolution Center
- Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
- Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
- Dynasty Warriors Origins
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-
- Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
- Elden Ring: Nightreign
- Grand Award: Metaphor: ReFantazio
Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio, the Grand Award winner in the Japan Game Awards 2025, is available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
