The winners of the Dutch Game Awards 2025 were announced at the leading award show for the Dutch games industry. The ceremony took place on December 3 during Dutch Game Week at the Chassé Theater in Breda.
Winners
The Dutch Game Awards feature multiple categories, from Best Game to Best Innovation, as well as four Special Awards. The winners were selected by a professional and diverse jury.
And the winners are…
Best Game: Grunn – Sokpop Collective
Best Art: SCHiM – Extra Nice
Best Audio: The Knightling – Twirlbound
Best Narrative: Herald: The Interactive Period Drama – Complete Edition – Wispfire
Best Technology: Prologue: Go Wayback! – PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions
Best Game Design: Grunn – Sokpop Collective
Best Applied Game: Freequency – Hulan
Best Debut Game: Luma Island – Feel Free Games
Best Student Game: The Final Print – Dummy Detectives (BUas)
The biggest winner this year is Grunn by Sokpop Collective. The jury selected Grunn as the winner in the categories Best Game and Best Game Design “Going into this game without prior knowledge, it initially feels like a pleasant gardening sim. After trimming some hedges and cutting grass… things suddenly turn unsettling. Before you know it, you’re caught in a survival mystery exploration game with your pulse quickening as you speedrun through possibilities for different endings. In retrospect, subtle design choices guide players to explore further and piece the story together. The deliberately blurred art and atmospheric audio set an effective stage, allowing the game to gradually evolve into something genuinely eerie. The game’s commercial success suggests this isn’t something you play just once: players return repeatedly to unravel the mystery.”
Best Technology is won by Prologue: Go Wayback! from PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions. The jury said: “The game’s machine learning technology perfectly aligns with its goal of innovating and pioneering new approaches to game development. The technology introduces a fresh, forward-thinking method for building infinite game worlds that’s more accessible and creative, fundamentally changing how future games are made and played, not just in the Netherlands, but worldwide. ‘Prologue’ generates vast, unique worlds on players’ own computers without requiring internet servers. This scalable approach means the technology can grow to support even larger games or more players in the future, including massive online worlds.”
Regarding Hulan with the Best Applied Game award for Freequency, the jury said: “Developed over many years by a substantial consortium of academic partners, experts, and specialists, Freequency genuinely improves the lives of people suffering from tinnitus. While the applied game design remains limited and purely functional, what matters most is that it actually works—and impressively so. The real reward comes after playing: a life no longer dominated by tinnitus.”
SCHiM from Extra Nice wins Best Art: “Strong art direction doesn’t just enhance this game… it IS the game. That is very much the case in this cheerful puzzle game, which features a genuinely novel protagonist whose world comes alive through detailed artwork and masterful shadowplay. The result is an instantly recognizable, utterly consistent, and wholly unique style. It’s confident, it’s atmospheric and it’s very, very Dutch.”
Best Audio is won by The Knightling from Twirlbound: “The Knightling’s soundtrack is an orchestral masterpiece. Its uplifting melodies draw players into a realm of mystery and wonder. The music knows when to be small, but it doesn’t ‘shield’ away from being as expansive as the game’s entire world. A world filled with satisfying sounds that help players understand and genuinely feel the impact of their actions.”
Herald: The Interactive Period Drama – Complete Edition from Wispfire wins Best Narrative: “The story, characters, and dialogue keep players invested until the very end. These narrative elements carry the player through the entire experience, compensating for occasionally suboptimal controls. Supported by high-quality voice actors, the game sets an ideal stage for an intriguing plot and offers strong replayability. The power of this storyline kept the judges engaged until the final moments.”
The team of Feel Free Games with Luma Island wins the Best Debut award: “This is an exceptionally confident game that knows exactly what it wants to offer and delivers it wholeheartedly. Nothing about it reveals this as a studio debut. The cozy, stress-free gameplay has attracted more than enough players to make it a commercial success, and it’s easy to see why: there’s plenty to explore, collect, and craft, with ongoing quests that maintain its momentum. If this is island life, sign us up!”
Best Student Game is won by The Final Print by Dummy Detectives (BUas): “A beautifully crafted and layered game experience. The team made bold narrative choices, creating an intriguing and unique story. Despite the absence of a hint mechanism and a few minor bugs, the judges are fully confident this team can deliver quality experiences.”
Special Awards
The Special Awards are intended for studios, individuals, or initiatives that may operate more behind the scenes but remain important for the Dutch games industry. The winners are:
Inclusion Award – René Otto
“René is a driving force in the industry, helping wherever he can. He has been an open and vocal advocate for inclusion for many years, backing his words with action by supporting marginalized teams and individuals, providing them with opportunities, and sponsoring relevant initiatives. On top of that, René and his team at Deviant Legal publish free resources for everyone, including his Guide to Publishing Agreements, and offer free consultations for indie developers.”
Best in Business – Poki
“Headquartered in Amsterdam, Poki’s reach is truly global, bringing together millions of players every day. As an independent Dutch company, Poki competes with giants like YouTube Playables. In June 2025, Poki surpassed 1 BILLION monthly gameplays for the very first time! This achievement firmly establishes Poki’s position as the world’s leading platform for web games and demonstrates their ability to capture and grow a loyal global audience. This milestone reflects years of continuous innovation and long-term partnerships with game developers.”
Best Studio – MiniclipNL: GameBasic Studio
“MiniclipNL prides itself on handling nearly everything in-house. The management team goes above and beyond to support their employees. Completely in the spirit of their soccer games, they treat employees like star players. The company invests heavily in training through coaching sessions and Knowledge & Strategy Days. Health is prioritized with buffet lunches, massages, annual flu shots, and hybrid working options and much, much more. And it shows! The company enjoys very low turnover, and numerous employees have already celebrated their 10-year anniversaries.”
Career Achievement – Ivo Wubbels
“Ivo is the Founder and CEO of Engine Software, which celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year. Under his leadership, Engine Software has become the oldest continuously active game studio in the Netherlands. Ivo has kept Engine Software relevant across numerous console generations, from handhelds to modern consoles and cloud platforms. When the heyday of licensed handheld games faded, Engine Software pivoted into porting and the multi-platform space. The Doetinchem-based company has maintained its independence while operating at a modest scale of 20 to 30 employees, demonstrating a stable and sustainable business model, perhaps also reflecting a bit of that pragmatic Achterhoek mentality.
Ivo has mentored countless developers and provided a stable platform for many careers, maintaining a homegrown studio that punches well above its weight on the international stage. His industry involvement traces back to the MSX demoscene, revealing genuine grassroots, passion-driven origins. His journey from demoscene enthusiast to successful business owner mirrors the maturation of the Dutch game development ecosystem itself.”
A huge congratulations to all winners!
(photos: Arno Landsbergen)