Table of ContentsTable of ContentsBest Student GameExcellence in AudioExcellence in DesignExcellence in NarrativeExcellence in Visual ArtsNuovo AwardSeamus McNally Grand PrizeThe nominees for the 27th Annual Independent Games Festival have been revealed. UFO 50, Thank Goodness Youre Here, and more will compete for this years top honors, the Seamus McNally Grade Prize, but theres one shocker that didnt make the final cut: Balatro.The Independent Games Festival awards ceremony takes place every year at Game Developers Conference, with this years set to take place March 17-21. The show celebrates independent games, often nominating unexpected deep cuts and upcoming games that go on to become critical darlings. Last years ceremony, for instance, featured multiple nominations for 1000xResist ahead of its official release. That would go on to become one of 2024s best-reviewed games.Recommended VideosThis year, six games will compete for the Seamus McNally awards: Caves of Qud, Consume Me, Despelote, Indika, Thank Goodness Youre Here, and UFO 50. The most eye-catching game on that list is Despelote, a narrative coming-of-age story set in Ecuador thats scheduled to launch this year. Its not only up for the Seamus McNally award but also Excellence in Audio, Narrative, and the shows Nuovo Award, which honors more experimental games.Please enable Javascript to view this contentAs for other unreleased games nominated this year, Consume Me leads the pack with five total nominations. Raw Furys upcoming Blue Princealso made a splash this year, racking up an Excellence in Design nomination and an honorable mention for the Seamus McNally Award.The big surprise here is that the Game Awards-winning Balatro didnt make the cut for the Seamus McNally, despite making the honorable mentions list. It wasnt entirely shut out, though, as itll compete in this years Design field.Plenty of other 2024 releases made a major splash. Standouts like Nine Sols, Judero, Tactical Breach Wizards, Children of the Sun, and more all snagged nominations. Heres the full list.Best Student GameA Dual Ascent (Mountain Toad Entertainment / Rubika Supinfogame)DisplaceMen (Eversea Club / leafaleaves)Growth Spurt: A Meandering Intermission into the Afterhours of a Miscalculation (Games for my Computer)Slot Waste (Vinny Roca / pickpanpuck productions)The WereCleaner (Howlin Hugs / USC Games)Year Unknown (Julian Heuser)Honorable MentionsCards of Heart (GoodMind Games), Duck Paradox (Magic Games / Midwest Games), Lost Garden (Ori Shany, Yoni Pushett, Ramon Zerem), Perfect World (Michael Overton Brown), Timeworks (Starworks Studios)Anger Foot (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)Despelote (Julin Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff)Thank Goodness Youre Here! (Coal Supper / Panic)Utopia Must Fall (Pixeljam)Honorable MentionsAnimal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive), Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / Playstack), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)Excellence in DesignBalatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken coda Snyder)Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)Honorable MentionsAnimal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), No Case Should Remain Unsolved (Somi), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Games / Draknek and Friends), Eigengrau (Martin Mauersics), The Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / Playstack)Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken coda Snyder)Despelote (Julin Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)No Case Should Remain Unsolved (Somi)Honorable MentionsBlue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Miniatures (Other Tales Interactive), Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments), Thank Goodness Youre Here! (Coal Supper / Panic), The Thaumaturge (Fools Theory / 11 bit studios)Children of the Sun (Ren Rother / Devolver Digital)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken coda Snyder)Hauntii (Moonloop Games / Firestoke)Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya)Nine Sols (RedCandleGames)Thank Goodness Youre Here! (Coal Supper / Panic)Honorable MentionsCrow Country (SFB Games), Death of the Reprobate (Joe Richardson), Miniatures (Other Tales Interactive), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken coda Snyder)Despelote (Julin Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity (Sam Atlas)Ginger (Kevin Du / lizu ktap)individualism in the dead-internet age: an anti-big tech asset flip shovelware rant manifesto (alienmelon)Starship Home (Creature)tapearia (tapestry) (mut/moochi (with help from plunderludics working group))The Exit 8 (KOTAKE CREATE / Active Gaming Media Inc)Honorable MentionsArctic Eggs (The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, Cameron Ginex / CRITICAL REFLEX), Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya), Onto Maizilind Unto Infinity(Kas Ghobadi, Julin Palacios Gechtman / Kasrah Ghobadi), Price of Flight (WATERBOX), Project Y (Project_Y Production Committee), Refind Self: The Personality Test Game (Lizardry / PLAYISM)Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken coda Snyder)Despelote (Julin Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)Thank Goodness Youre Here! (Coal Supper / Panic)UFO 50 (Mossmouth)Honorable Mentions:Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Nine Sols (RedCandleGames), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)Editors Recommendations