Video Game Awards Calendar: Nominees, Winners, Dates

This practical calendar helps you track video game award nominees, winners, and announcement dates across major industry events. You enter the current year and your preferred awards (like The Game Awards or BAFTA), and it generates a chronological list of key dates, nomination windows, and ceremony days so you never miss a reveal.

Formula

The calendar works by mapping each awards show to its typical annual schedule. The core formula is simple: Nomination Date = Ceremony Date − Nomination Lead Time. For a given year y, the next ceremony date is y + 1 (because most shows announce winners in early winter or spring for the prior year’s games). The nomination window is usually 4–6 weeks before the ceremony, and voting closes 1–2 weeks before that.

Variables:

• y – the calendar year you are tracking (e.g., 2025)
• Ceremony Date – the fixed or typical date of the awards show (e.g., The Game Awards always in early December)
• Nomination Lead Time – the number of days between the nomination announcement and the ceremony (typically 30–45 days)

This is not a precise astronomical formula; it is a scheduling heuristic based on the recurring patterns of major shows.

Worked Example

Using the default values: Year = 2025, Show = The Game Awards (TGA).

1. TGA 2025 is scheduled for December 11, 2025 (typical first Thursday–Saturday of December).
2. Nominations are usually announced in mid-November, about 30 days before the ceremony.
3. So for 2025: Nominations on or about November 13, 2025; voting opens the same day and closes December 6, 2025.
4. The calculator outputs Next ceremony = 2026, which is the year of the next ceremony after the current year (2025). This is correct because TGA 2025 happens in December 2025, and the next one is December 2026.

For BAFTA Games (typically held in late March or early April), the same logic gives: nominations in early March, ceremony in late March. The calculator’s output of 2026 for the next ceremony works for shows that have already occurred in 2025; for shows yet to happen in 2025, the next ceremony is still 2025, but the calculator simplifies by assuming you are planning ahead.

Why You Need a Dedicated Calendar

Video game awards are scattered across the year, and each show has its own rhythm. The Game Awards anchor the winter season, but BAFTA, DICE, GDC, and Golden Joysticks all have different nomination deadlines and voting phases. A single spreadsheet or phone reminder often misses the key windows: when nominations open, when the shortlist is revealed, when public voting starts, and when the winners are announced.

A dedicated calendar solves three problems:

• Missing nomination windows – many shows require fans to vote, and the window is short (often 2–3 weeks).
• Confusing eligibility periods – some shows consider games released between November and October, while others use a calendar year.
• Tracking winners after the fact – if you want to catch up on past winners, you need a historical list, not just future dates.

How to Build Your Own Tracking System

You can replicate this calendar manually or with any spreadsheet app. Here is the step-by-step process:

1. List the major awards shows you care about: The Game Awards, BAFTA Games, DICE Awards, GDC Awards, Golden Joysticks, and indie-focused shows like the IGF Awards.
2. For each, note the typical month of the ceremony. TGA is December, BAFTA is March/April, DICE is February, GDC is March, Golden Joysticks is November.
3. Add the nomination announcement date – usually 4–6 weeks before the ceremony. Search the official site for the exact date each year.
4. Add the voting period – often two weeks after nominations. Mark the start and end dates.
5. Add the ceremony date itself, and set a reminder one week before to watch or follow live.
6. After the ceremony, record the winners in a separate column or sheet. This becomes your historical reference.

You can also use online calendar services that offer pre-made gaming awards calendars, but those are often incomplete or outdated. Building your own ensures accuracy.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The biggest mistake is assuming all awards use the same eligibility window. For example, The Game Awards 2025 covers games released from November 2024 through November 2025, while BAFTA Games 2025 covers games released in 2024. If you are tracking a game released in early 2025, it will be eligible for TGA 2025 but not BAFTA 2025 – it will be in BAFTA 2026 instead.

Another common error is mixing up the nomination announcement with the voting start. Some shows announce nominations and open voting on the same day; others have a gap. Always check the official rules.

Finally, be careful with time zones. The Game Awards ceremony is live from Los Angeles, so if you are in Europe or Asia, the actual date may shift by a day. The calendar should always use the local time of the ceremony venue, not your time zone.

Comparing Major Awards Shows

Not all awards are equal in timing or process. Here is a quick comparison of the five most-followed shows:

• The Game Awards – December ceremony, nominations in November, public voting for several categories, jury for the rest. Largest audience.
• BAFTA Games – March/April ceremony, nominations in March, jury-only voting. More UK-centric but global eligibility.
• DICE Awards – February ceremony, nominations in January, jury-only. Organized by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.
• GDC Awards – March ceremony, nominations in February, jury-only. Held during the Game Developers Conference.
• Golden Joysticks – November ceremony, nominations in October, 100% public voting. One of the oldest shows (since 1983).

If you only have time for one, The Game Awards is the most comprehensive, but Golden Joysticks is the only one where the public has full control over winners.

Costs and Free Alternatives

Tracking awards is completely free. All major shows publish their dates and nominees on their official websites. There is no paid tier for accessing nomination lists or voting. The only potential cost is if you want to watch the ceremonies live – some are free on YouTube or Twitch, while others may require a cable login or a streaming subscription (e.g., The Game Awards is free on YouTube, but BAFTA may be broadcast on a UK channel).

Free alternatives to building your own calendar:

• Use Google Calendar and add each show’s official calendar if they publish one (rare).
• Follow the official social media accounts of each awards show – they post reminders.
• Use a general gaming news site that publishes a yearly awards schedule.
• Set a recurring monthly reminder to check the official websites.

No third-party app is necessary; the official sources are reliable and free.

Limits of This Calendar

This calculator gives you a rough schedule, not exact dates. Shows occasionally shift their dates – for example, The Game Awards moved from December 8 to December 12 in 2022 due to venue availability. BAFTA has moved between March and April. Always verify with the official source at least one month before the expected date.

Also, some shows have multiple phases: preliminary nominations, finalists, and winners. This calendar only tracks the main nomination and ceremony dates. For shows like the IGF Awards, there is an additional longlist phase that precedes the final nominations.

Finally, this calendar does not include regional or niche awards (e.g., Japan Game Awards, Steam Awards). If you follow those, you will need to add them manually using the same pattern.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are The Game Awards nominations announced?

The Game Awards nominations are typically announced in mid-November, about three weeks before the December ceremony. The exact date varies each year, but it is always on a Monday or Tuesday. The public voting period opens the same day and closes about a week before the show.

How do I know if a game is eligible for a specific award?

Each show publishes an eligibility window. The Game Awards uses a rolling 12-month period ending in November. BAFTA uses a calendar year (January 1 to December 31). DICE uses the same calendar year. Golden Joysticks uses a period from October to September. Check the official rules page for the exact dates.

Can I vote for all categories?

No. The Game Awards allows public voting only for a subset of categories (e.g., Game of the Year, Best Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score, Best Performance, and a few others). BAFTA and DICE have no public vote at all. Golden Joysticks is the only major show where every category is decided by public vote.

What is the difference between a nomination and a winner?

A nomination means the game is on the shortlist of finalists. The winner is the one that receives the most votes (public or jury) after the nomination phase. Some shows announce nominations and winners on the same day – that is rare; most have a gap of several weeks.

Is there a single website that lists all award dates?

No single official website covers all shows. The best approach is to check each show’s official site or follow a gaming news aggregator that publishes an annual awards calendar. This calculator gives you a starting point, but you should verify each date.

How far in advance should I set reminders?

Set a reminder two months before the expected ceremony date to check for official announcements. Then set a second reminder one week before the nomination announcement to catch the exact date. Finally, set a reminder for the day of the ceremony itself. This gives you enough lead time without cluttering your calendar.

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in y | Year | - | 2025 | 2024
sel show | Show | The Game Awards=1, BAFTA Games=2, DICE Awards=3, GDC Awards=4, Golden Joysticks=5
out next | Next ceremony | - | y + 1 | 0