Megabonk has had one of the strangest journeys to The Game Awards 2025 so far. 
The offbeat, survivors-like action game was briefly in the spotlight as a nominee in the Best Debut Indie category, only to be pulled out by its own creator. Now, in a twist that feels very on brand for an underdog indie, it has reappeared on the show’s radar as one of 30 titles competing for the fan-voted Players’ Voice award.
The story began when Megabonk was announced as a nominee for Best Debut Indie alongside Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Despelote and Dispatch. Shortly after the nominations went live, developer Vedinad publicly explained that the game technically did not qualify, because it is not their first project. They have shipped games before under other studio names, which means Megabonk is not a true debut, even if it is the first time many players have heard of their work.
Rather than quietly accepting the spotlight, Vedinad asked for Megabonk to be withdrawn from the category. It was a rare moment of public integrity in an awards season that is usually about campaigning and visibility at all costs. For many indie developers and players watching from the sidelines, that decision signalled a respect for the rules and for fellow newcomers who rely on debut-focused awards for crucial early recognition.
The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley acknowledged the request soon after, confirming on social media that Megabonk would be removed from the Best Debut Indie ballot. The nomination disappeared, and for a brief moment it looked like Megabonk’s awards run was over before it had really begun.
That is where the Players’ Voice category comes in. Unlike the juried awards, this section is decided entirely by fans across several rounds of online voting. Megabonk has resurfaced here as part of a 30-strong shortlist that will gradually be cut down over three phases. It is now rubbing shoulders with heavyweight releases such as Death Stranding 2, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Arc Raiders, Battlefield 6, Hades 2 and the ever-present Fortnite, turning the quirky survivors-like into a clear underdog in a field dominated by big-budget names.
Vedinad responded to the new nomination with a mixture of disbelief and delight, joking on social media that the team was ‘so back’ after voluntarily stepping away from the earlier category. This time there is no technicality to worry about: the Players’ Voice award is simply about which games players care enough to vote for.
Not everyone is perfectly happy with the ballot, though. Some fans argue that Dispatch, already praised as one of the standout indie releases of the year, deserved to show up in more than a single category. Others are frustrated that acclaimed titles like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers are nowhere to be found on the public voting list, especially when, in their view, a few forgettable inclusions seem to exist mainly to fill out the 30 available slots.
There is also a slice of the audience that has never quite clicked with the auto-attacking, numbers-chasing appeal of survivors-likes in general. For players who bounced off Vampire Survivors and its many imitators, a game where your hero attacks on their own while you focus on dodging and positioning can feel like the title is playing itself. Those people are unlikely to gravitate toward Megabonk, no matter how many nominations it racks up.
For everyone else, Megabonk has quietly built a reputation as one of the stronger takes on the formula. Early impressions describe a satisfying power curve, crunchy combat feedback and enough build variety to keep runs from blurring together, even if the overall level selection is still on the modest side. It is not trying to replace Vampire Survivors, but it does aim to stand on its own rather than merely reskinning what came before.
All of this raises a wider question about what The Game Awards is meant to celebrate. On the one hand, the show is a slick, sponsor-heavy production that naturally leans toward blockbuster titles. On the other, moments like Vedinad stepping aside from a category they did not truly fit, only to resurface in a fan-driven vote, highlight how messy and human the industry can be behind the stage lights.
If Megabonk survives the Players’ Voice voting rounds and pushes deeper into the finals, it will be a story about how honesty did not actually cost an indie its moment. Even if it falls early, the game has already gained something that marketing budgets cannot easily buy: a narrative. Players are talking about why it left one category, why it appeared in another, which games were snubbed and whether a small, strange survivors-like deserves to stand next to the giants of 2025.
That conversation alone may prove more valuable than a trophy. In a year crowded with sequels and safe bets, Megabonk has managed to turn a rules technicality into a memorable storyline about integrity, fan passion and the unpredictable path an indie game can take to the biggest stage in the industry.