Valve hosts the Steam Awards every year, and it has become one of the biggest award events in PC gaming. It is a fun way for players to appreciate the games they enjoy and give them the recognition they deserve. And the good news is that nominations for the Steam Awards 2025 are now open, which means gamers can start voting for their favorite titles right away.

This year, Valve has prepared 11 categories for players to vote in. These categories cover a wide mix of games and playstyles. There’s even the “Best Game You Suck At” category, an award that celebrates games you love, even if you’re no good at them. You can check out the complete list of categories below:

• Game of the Year Award
• VR Game of the Year Award
• Labor of Love Award
• Best Game on Steam Deck Award
• Better With Friends Award
• Outstanding Visual Style Award
• Most Innovative Gameplay Award
• Best Game You Suck At Award
• Best Soundtrack Award
• Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award
• Sit Back and Relax Award

Nominations can be submitted until December 1

If you want to vote, you can submit your nominations until December 1 at 10 AM PT. This gives you less than a week to go through your library and decide which games deserve a spot. After the nomination period ends, Valve will collect the results and reveal the finalists during the Steam Winter Sale, which starts on December 18. Players will then be able to vote again to choose the winners from each category. And finally, the winners will be announced on January 3 at 10 AM PT, which means the full Steam Awards event will stretch for more than a month. 

Voting is also pretty simple. All you need to do is log in to your Steam account and visit the nominations page. From there, you can vote in 11 different categories. The good news is that you can nominate the same game in multiple categories if you believe it fits. You can also go back and edit your nominations at any time before the deadline, just in case you change your mind.

Valve also gives players a small bonus for participating. After you cast your votes, you will receive the Steam Awards Nomination Committee Badge. The more categories you vote in, the higher the badge level becomes. Each badge level earns you 25 XP, so completing all categories is an easy way to level up your Steam account while supporting your favorite games.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.