Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a surprise favourite to win big at the BAFTA Game Awards 2025

Senua’s Saga Hellblade II; a woman has hands wrapped around her face

(Image credit: Xbox)

The BAFTA Game Awards 2025 nominations are out, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is leading the pack. One of the most visually impressive games I've played, Ninja Theory's cinematic Xbox release felt overlooked on release last year, but with 11 nominations, including Best Animation and Artistic Achievement, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II could win big when the winners are announced on Tuesday 8 April 2025.

You can discover why this game has been nominated in so many categories by reading our Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II review and our deep dive into how the game was made, when I spoke with the studio's VFX director Mark Slater-Tunstill and environment art director Dan Attwell.

Other game releases looking to take a BAFTA or two off of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II are Sony's Astro Bot and the impressively weird horror Still Wakes the Deep. Astro Bot was Sony's biggest release of 2024 despite being a fairly low-budget game, while indie game Still Wakes the Deep showcased how Unreal Engine 5 (and great writing) can aid small teams. Read my piece on how Still Wakes the Deep was made and my Still Wakes The Deep review to see why this atmospheric game could win big. Both games have an impressive eight BAFTA Game Award nominations.

Image from Black Myth Wukong, a video game made in Unreal Engine — Black Myth: Wukong was hugely popular, but only gets one BAFTA nomination. (Image credit: Game Science Interactive Technology)

Still Wakes The Deep review; horror scenes on an oil rig — Still Wakes The Deep is a beautifully weird horror game. (Image credit: Secret Mode)

Other games expected to do well at this year's BAFTA Game Awards 2025 include Black Myth: Wukong with six nominations, Helldivers II with five and Animal Well, Balatro, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (will the Call of Duty AI controversy hold it back?) and LEGO Horizon Adventures that all have one nomination each in a mix of categories.

My prediction? It looks like Astro Bot is set to win Best Game and Best Game Design, but I'd expect Senua's Saga: Hellblade II to win in the categories Ninja Theory excel at, such as visual design and technical achievement – though the brilliant Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a good choice too).

Visit the BAFTA Game Awards 2025 website for more details and the full nominations list.

Which game do you think deserves to win big at this year's BAFTA Game Award 2025 – let us know in the comments below.

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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.