A decade of Evolving Games and counting

Continually evolving a game with regular updates and enhancements to improve players experience and keep a story moving forward is a big commitment. Both creators and players alike invest their time in exploring the possibilities an evolving game format offers to keep discovering new and expanding worlds. And that’s part of what makes the Evolving Game category at the BAFTA Games Awards so exciting.

So, in anticipation of the upcoming 2026 BAFTA Games Awards level up your knowledge of the last decade as we take a look at some of the past Evolving Game winners and catch up with this year’s longlisted category contenders…

The first Evolving Games BAFTA winner was Rocket League in 2017. A hybrid arcade-style soccer/ vehicular mayhem adventure it put players in control of a customizable rocket powered car playing a soccer game. And showing the diversity of this awards category the following year’s winner Overwatch came from an entirely different genre. Overwatch saw players joining forces to succeed against a common enemy in a multiplayer first-person shooter game where you took on a combat-ready team of intelligent machines known as Omnics.

In the years since the first Evolving Game Award fantasy worlds have been a frequent fixture. Multiplayer battle royale game Fortnite, with major seasonal overhauls every few months and regular in-game special events has offered constantly changing environments to explore. The dark fantasy world of Path of Exile has given players a chance to defeat ancient gods and great evil as they journey through the mysterious world of Wraeclast. And over 30 million adventurers worldwide have enjoyed real time combat as they journeyed through Final fantasy XIV Online’s fantasy region of Eorzea.

The longlist for this year’s Games Awards has already been announced and once again is full of a wide range of games genres to explore and enjoy. But who will make the nominations list on 12 March?

• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Fallout 76
• Helldivers 2
• Hitman World of Assassination
• Marvel Rivals
• No Man’s Sky
• Sea of Thieves
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• Vampire Survivors
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

You can read more about them and the other longlisted games across all categories now. Share your predictions with us on our Instagram, X and Bluesky.

The 2026 BAFTA Games Awards winners will be announced on Friday 17 April. The awards, which are voted for by our expert membership of over 1,400 experienced professionals, celebrate the very best games of the past year and the talent who make them.

Get ready ahead of time by exploring this year’s nominees and share which games you are most excited about with us on socials by tagging @BAFTAGames.