GAM3 Awards 2025 Final Shortlist Features Record Prize Pool and Top Web3 Games
GAM3S.GG revealed the final shortlist for the GAM3 Awards 2025 on October 20. The fourth annual event recognizes excellence in blockchain gaming across 21 categories. Game of the Year finalists include Off The Grid, Pudgy Party, FIFA Rivals, Parallel, and EVE Frontier.
The competition features a record-breaking prize pool exceeding $7 million. Partners contributing to the awards include Forkast, Magic Eden, Hyperplay, Sequence, BGA, Amazon AWS, and AD Gaming. Final voting opened October 20 and continues until November 17 through the GAM3S.GG platform. Over 750 web3 games underwent evaluation before reaching the final shortlist. The jury panel includes representatives from Konami, Sony, Ubisoft, and Krafton.
The awards ceremony takes place November 21 at the YGG Play Summit in Manila. Yield Guild Games partnered with GAM3S.GG to host the event for the second consecutive year. The ceremony will broadcast globally across major streaming platforms. Thirteen blockchain networks appear among nominees, including Ronin, Immutable, Abstract, Solana, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Polkadot, Base, and Sui.
Recognition System Balances Expert Assessment and Player Input
The voting structure allocates 90 percent weight to jury decisions and 10 percent to community votes for most categories. Two categories rely entirely on community voting: People's Choice and Best Content Creator. The Games' Choice Award allows shortlisted studios to select their preferred titles. This approach maintains industry expertise while incorporating player preferences.
Previous editions demonstrated substantial community engagement. The 2024 awards generated over 1 million votes from 143,000 unique voters. Live viewership reached 48,000 across multiple platforms, with 450,000 views recorded within 24 hours after broadcast. The 2023 event attracted 450,000 votes from 50,000 participants.
The expanded prize pool provides multiple forms of support. Winners receive grants, marketing assistance, infrastructure services, and blockchain resources. These offerings aim to accelerate development for promising titles and studios. The diverse support structure addresses various needs across the web3 gaming ecosystem.
Awards Ceremony Reflects Broader Industry Challenges and Opportunities
The web3 gaming sector experienced mixed developments throughout 2025. CoinDesk reported that daily unique active wallets declined 17 percent in Q2 2025. Funding dropped 93 percent year-over-year to $73 million during the same period. Over 300 web3 games shut down due to sustainability issues.
The market correction revealed concentration patterns. Users migrated toward established titles and major studios. Investors shifted focus to infrastructure projects rather than individual games. Approximately 75 percent of Q2 funding supported foundational technologies like real-time game engines and asset distribution systems.
Despite near-term challenges, market analysts project continued growth. Future Market Insights estimates the global web3 gaming market will expand from $33.7 billion in 2025 to $184 billion by 2035. This represents an 18.5 percent compound annual growth rate. The shift toward AAA-quality games and improved onboarding technologies drives optimism about sector maturation.
Traditional gaming companies continue investing in web3 technologies. Major publishers like Sega and Ubisoft maintain blockchain gaming initiatives. The focus has transitioned from speculative models toward gameplay depth and ecosystem sustainability. This evolution suggests the sector is moving beyond early experimental phases toward more established development practices.
Further Reading
For those interested in decentralized governance structures within gaming and blockchain projects, our comprehensive DAO tooling guide provides detailed analysis of over 100 platforms and tools. The guide covers governance mechanisms, voting systems, and treasury management solutions used across the web3 ecosystem.
