“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” and “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” lead the 2026 Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards with eight and seven wins, respectively. Dedicated to celebrating achievements across the full spectrum of interactive audio, the 24th annual awards were presented during the GDC Festival of Gaming at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Wednesday.
“This past year showcased some of the most ambitious and imaginative audio work our industry has produced,” said G.A.N.G. President Brian Schmidt in a statement. “The composers, sound designers, dialogue teams and technologists behind these projects continue to expand the possibilities of interactive storytelling.”
There were three ties at the 2026 awards: best cinematic and cutscene audio, best main theme and best voice performance. Following “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” and “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” “Hades II” and “Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” topped the list of winners with four and three trophies.
During the ceremony, Halo Studios Audio Director Becky Allen was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. CEO and Co-Founder of The Halp Network William “Chip” Beaman received the Bob Rice G.A.N.G. Recognition Award, while the Distinguished Service Award was presented to Orchestrator and Production Manager for G.A.N.G. Karina Pardus.
“This year’s honorees represent the very best of our industry, not only through their creative excellence but through their service, leadership, and commitment to the broader game audio community,” said Savina Ciaramella, executive director of G.A.N.G., in a statement.
See the full winners list below.
Audio of the Year
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Best Accessible Audio Design
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment)
Best Audio for a Casual Game
“Destiny: Rising” (2025) (NetEase Games)
Best Audio for an Indie Game
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Best Audio Mix
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Best Cinematic & Cutscene Audio
“Delta Force” (45709) (TiMi Studio Group, Team Jade)
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment)
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Best Ensemble Cast Performance
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
Best Game Audio Article or Publication
“GameSoundCon Game Audio Industry Survey Results 2025” (2025) (GameSoundCon Blog, Written by Brian Schmidt)
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast, or Broadcast
“How the Music of Expedition 33 Became this Composer’s First Game Project” (2025) (The Game Maker’s Notebook, Austin Wintory)
Best Game Foley
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Best Game Music Cover
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ‘Lumière’ for Brass Quintet and Voice” (2025) (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Game Brass, featuring Laura Intravia)
Best Game Trailer Audio
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” | Pre-Order Trailer” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Best Main Theme
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Composed by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” Composed by Woodkid (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Best Music for an Indie Game
“Hades II” Composed by Darren Korb (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Best New Original IP Audio
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
Best Original Song
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ‘Lumière’” Composed by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
Best Original Soundtrack Album
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” (2025) (Laced Records)
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game
“Hades II” (2025) (Supergiant Games)
Best UI, Reward, or Objective Sound Design
“Marvel Rivals” (2024) (NetEase Games, Marvel Games)
Best Voice Performance
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Troy Baker, Indiana Jones; Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
“Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred” (2024) (Judy Alice Lee, Neyrelle; Blizzard Entertainment)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
Dialogue of the Year
“Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” (2024) (Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames)
Music of the Year
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” Composed by Lorien Testard (2025) (Kepler Interactive, Sandfall Interactive)
Sound Design of the Year
“Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” (2025) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions)
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