Nordic Game Awards 2026 ▽ 7 categories - 21 games

Nordic Game Awards 2026.

Nordic Game Awards 2026 went down in Malmö on May 28, and you would have to look far and wide to find a better gathering of Nordic game developers. The crème de la crème of Nordic developers gathered under one roof.

Truth be told, I did everything in my power to be there. To cover the event, talk to the developers, get a feel for one of the best scenes in the world. It did not pan out this time, but maybe next time?

No prizes for the Norwegian studios this time around, so all we can do is send congratulations to our Scandinavian neighbours.

Nordic Game of the Year

Nordic Game of the YearBest TechnologyBest Audio

ARC Raiders

Embark Studios / Sweden

ARC Raiders took the big sweep, and it is not unexpected. What a game. It sold way more than expected when it launched last year, and it is ridiculously fun. The extraction shooter genre is one we did not know we were missing until ARC Raiders showed up. The audio, gameplay and atmosphere are all great, but the best thing is the sheer number of epic gaming moments that happen way more often in ARC than in any other game. I love it, and the prizes for best game, best audio and best technology are well earned.

ARC Raiders from Embark Studios pulled off a clean sweep with Nordic Game of the Year, plus Best Technology and Best Audio. Personally I love ARC Raiders, and I am impressed by what the Stockholm studio Embark has delivered. Congrats!

Best Art

The Midnight Walk

MoonHood / Sweden

The Midnight Walk from MoonHood took the prize for best art, and there is a good reason for it. I have not played this one, but by the looks of it the atmosphere is incredible. They use claymation in a way that is beautiful and frightening at the same time. Plus it can be played in VR!

Nominees

Dune: Awakening

Funcom / Norway

Norwegian survival MMO on Arrakis with sandworms and desert bases.

Wreckfest 2

Bugbear Entertainment / Finland

Full-contact racing where the metal bends with every impact.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream

River End Games / Sweden

Isometric stealth in a beautiful early-1900s Nordic city.

LEGO Voyagers

Light Brick Studio / Denmark

Two bricks, one journey.

Best Game Design

Split Fiction

Hazelight Studios / EA / Sweden

This co-op game has pulled in wild praise internationally and sits on an overwhelmingly high Steam rating. It deservedly won Best Game Design. The unique thing about it is that the gameplay keeps changing from level to level. The two players get different abilities that force them to play as a team. People love it, and I want to give it a go.

Nominees

ARC Raiders

Embark Studios / Sweden

Post-apocalyptic extraction shooter that became the talk of the town.

Europa Universalis V

Paradox Tinto / Paradox Interactive / Sweden

Deep historical strategy across five centuries of nation building.

Sledders

Hanki Games / Finland

Physics-based snowmobile riding across vast snow-covered mountains.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Funday Games / Denmark

Dwarves with auto-shoot. What more do ya need?

Best Technology

ARC Raiders

Embark Studios / Sweden

ARC Raiders is brilliant, and the unique part is the constant, hovering dread that comes from monsters with an "AI brain." There were claims that Embark trained their in-game monsters the same way Boston Dynamics trains Spot. I do not know if that is true, but the monsters do behave in scary, unpredictable ways, and maybe that is exactly why ARC Raiders won Best Technology.

Nominees

Split Fiction

Hazelight Studios / EA / Sweden

Two-player co-op adventure with mechanics that keep shifting.