Smilegate’s global game platform STOVE announced the winners of the ‘2025 STOVE Indie Awards’ on the 11th, which highlights the achievements of the indie game creative ecosystem.
The 2025 Stove Indie Awards recognizes games and creators that have achieved significant success on both the platform and user base, among works released in early access or officially through Stove Indie over the past year. Beyond simple awards, the awards focus on expanding the platform-centric indie game ecosystem through promotions and events that engage both creators and users.
This year’s awards were held with a total of 21 nominees, and were more meaningful in that they simultaneously sought to increase awareness of the works and activate the community through user-participatory events.
Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins Game of the Year
The top award, ‘ Game of the Year’ , went to ‘Claire Obscur: Expedition 33’ . This work has consistently received favorable reviews from users both domestically and internationally for its unique worldview, solid narrative, and high level of completion throughout the game.
In particular, it has established itself as a representative title by recording stable performance within the Stove Indie platform, and by being named in the ‘TOP 10’ of this year’s awards, it has once again proven that it is a work that has been continuously chosen by users throughout the year.
A selection of the ‘TOP 10’ works brimming with individuality, transcending genre and scale.
This year’s “TOP 10” features a diverse mix of genres and development scales. Smilegate Publishing titles “Storm Maid” and “Alleyway: Ghost” were selected, along with “Artis Impact,” a one-person game that garnered attention for its deep narrative and unique visuals.
In addition, works with different personalities and genre strengths such as ‘Contract X Romance’ , ‘French Connection’ , ‘Platinum Lab’ , and ‘Lonely Broadcast’ received wide support from users.
Additionally, the open world RPG ‘Drobar – Forsaken Kin’ and the action adventure ‘Eternal Strand’ were also recognized for their gameplay and completeness and made it into the TOP 10.
User Voting: Each work stands out for its individuality.
In categories selected by user voting, the unique strengths and colors of each work were more clearly revealed.
The ‘Heart-fluttering Subculture’ category, which is awarded to works that receive high praise for their sensibility and worldview, went to ‘Please Drink a Glass of Love!’
The “Best Localizer” award went to three translators who worked on the Korean translation of “Drobar – Forsaken Keen.” Their natural translation and terminology were highly praised for significantly contributing to the game’s immersive experience.
The ‘Best Alliance’ category, which highlights long-term communication and collaboration between creators and users, went to ‘Hospital x Life’ , while ‘Lonely Broadcasting’ , which received attention for its collaborative content with creators, won the ‘Creator Spotlight’ category.
‘The Witch’s Garden’ was selected for the ‘Frontier’ category, which is awarded to works that left an impression on global users with experimental attempts and new fun.
Also, as ‘Stove Ambassadors’ , ‘ Zhang Liang002′, a Chinese individual indie game developer and creator who has contributed to the influx of overseas creators, and ‘Dom Dom’, a user who has consistently shared informative content in the Stove Indie community, were selected.
An indie ecosystem created by creators and users together
Stove stated that this awards ceremony confirmed the ongoing success and achievements across the indie game ecosystem. In particular, the promotions and user participation events centered around nominated works played a significant role in strengthening the platform’s communication structure and fostering an environment where creators and users can grow together.
Detailed information on the winners of the ‘2025 Stove Indie Awards’ can be found on the official Stove Indie Awards website .
