Imirt Irish Game Awards Winners

The Imirt Irish Game Awards 2025 took place at the Fís Games Summit on the 11th of April. It was a fantastic show where Imirt CEO, Colm Larkin, took to the stage to announce the winners in our twelve categories. We had a total of twelve winners across twelve categories and 21 awards across the evening! The categories were as follows.

Rising Star
Community Hero
Best Upcoming Game
Best Debut Game
Game of the Year 24
Game of the Year 25

Best Game Design
Best Game Art
Best Narrative
Best Game Audio
Best Technical Achievement
Best Analogue Game

Below we detail of our amazing winners/ runner-ups and their incredible projects.

Jamie Gavin

Rising Star

Jamie Gavin is an independent developer who has released a trilogy of science-fiction horror games, The Enigma Trilogy, over the last seven years. This started with 2018’s The Enigma Machine, which was followed up by 2021’s Mothered and 2024’s Echostasis. While Jamie was surrounded by support from the Irish game community, he did this as a solo developer. Jamie is the definition of a Rising Star, a developer who has made his mark with beautiful and impressive art, and we have no doubt he’ll rise further.

Darren Kearney

Community Hero

Darren Kearney is a staple of the Irish Games Community. The work he has done with organisations like Imirt is impressive in its own right, but its his work with Galway Game Jam and the Galway Game Makers Meet Ups that has defined him as a crucial staple of the Irish Games Community and the community within Galway, which is a thriving hub of community activities and supports.

Axyz by Space Lion Studios

Best Upcoming Game

Axyz, by Space Lion Studios, is a “retro gravity switching puzzle game that asks the player to use their environmental and spatial awareness to beat every level”. The game, which released between the end of the judging process and the awards ceremony, is a stylish and calming puzzler that will wrack your brain.

Scrambled Eggs by Jake Horner

Best Game Design - Runner-Up

Scrambled Eggs is an action-packed chicken tower defense game, where we answer the age-old question "Why did the chicken cross the road".

Take on the chicken hordes by sending wacky vehicles with interesting powers, to stop the clucking menace from attacking your corn crops.

Designed as a student project and released for free on Steam, Scrambled Eggs is a chaotic, addictive and fresh take on an established genre.

CROWDED. FOLLOWED. by Night Dial

Best Game Audio - Runner-Up

Night Dial’s Crowded. Followed. is a short and atmospheric horror game. The immersive sounds of this brilliant and terrifying game earned it a spot in the Best Game Audio category for this incredibly talented developer and their debut project.

Battle of Tarot by Rúcach

Best Analogue Game - Runner-Up

Battle of Tarot is an ingenius take on a tabletop card game, taking the strategic action of a game like Hearthstone or Queen’s Blood and applying it to your own existing tarot deck. This two-player card battling game is a joy to play, and all you need is your own tarot deck.

Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios

Best Narrative - Runner-Up

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a triumph in the art of video games, and it’s narrative, which was largely crafted in Larian’s Dublin office, is an essential part of that. This critically acclaimmed RPG needs no introduction but is certainly deserving of eternal praise.

Just Dodge, LOL by Gretham

Best Technical Achievement - Winner

Just Dodge, LOL is a top-down action game that brings a set of trials to the player, while requiring mastering of just one skill: dodging. Earn money, purchase upgrades, and beat challenges to prove that you deserve to be called a Dodge Grandmaster. The game is designed to be hard: no pain - no gain.

Just Dodge, LOL is as unique in its approach to action as it is a technical marvel. Just Dodge, LOL is beautiful, runs like a dream and has an incredibly detailed level editor and uploader to boot.

MOTHERED: A ROLE-PLAYING HORROR GAME by Enigma Studio

Best Narrative - Winner
Game of the Year 24 - Runner-Up

MOTHERED is a first-person horror adventure game with point-and-click mechanics, set in a familiar yet eerily unnatural depiction of home. Set over the course of seven days, you play the role of LIANA - a young girl who's arrived home to stay with her mother after having undergone major surgery.
Upon arriving at your new home, all you find is a strange mannequin who claims to be your mother. Through speaking with this mannequin, you will discover more about the role you play in this world. Can Liana help mother go back to the things they were, or will you find yourself repeating past mistakes?

This critically acclaimed horror game promises to tell a deep and engaging narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Mothered is available on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

Filthy Animals: Heist Simulator by Pewter Games Studio and LoPoly Games

Best Game Art - Runner-Up
Best Technical Achievement - Runner-Up
Game of the Year 24 - Winner

Filthy Animals : Heist Simulator is a chaotic multiplayer heist game for 1-4 players, spanning across 8 different chapters featuring a total of 21 unique heist levels! Take on the role of mutant animals following the orders of Tony, the Filthy Animal Bossman Criminal Mastermind. Wreak havoc through a series of heists starting with a convenience store, a bank robbery, then break into a super secret military base, with missions ranging all the way into outer space!

This chaotic and destructive multiplayer game is available on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

Dungeons and Naggins by Steve Bennett

Best Analogue Game - Winner
Best Debut - Runner-Up
Game of the Year 25 - Runner-Up

Dungeons and Naggins, the brainchild of Irish comedian and game designer Steve Bennett, is an tabletop game that takes the base mechanics of dungeons and dragons and applies them to an easy to pickup game filled with classic Irish humour.

Dungeons and Naggins can be purchased at https://www.dungeonsandnaggins.com/ or you can support the NEWLY LAUNCHED Kickstarter for the ‘Spansion Pack at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dungeonsandnaggins/spansion-packet-dungeons-and-naggins

Amber Isle by Ambertail

Best Game Design - Winner
Best Game Art - Winner
Best Game Audio - Winner
Best Debut Game - Winner
Game of the Year 2025 - Winner

Welcome... to Amber Isle! A shop management/social sim set in a quaint, friendly world of prehistoric animal islanders called Paleofolk!

You’re tasked with running Amber Isle’s only shop. Gather, craft and sell items to meet the needs of your diverse Paleofolk customers. Does your brachiosaur buddy need a canvas as long as his neck? Maybe your microraptor amigo needs a mini-sized chair? Perhaps even some water-proof paper for a plesiosaur in peril? Different customers also have different needs, behaviours and preferences to learn. Haggle, pawn, and counter-offer your way to the top of the Shop Rankings! It’s up to you to run a successful shop to bring Amber Isle back from the brink of fossilisation!

This adorable and cozy shopping/social sim is available on PC and Nintendo Switch. The team at Ambertail excelled themselves with this debut game, and we look forward to seeing what they do next. We’d like to recognise Jordan Bradley for her work on game design and Neil Hughes on their work on audio, as a part of the incredible collective that is Ambertail.

An image of the Imirt Steam Curator List

You can find all of these games on the incredible Steam Curators List, created and run by Imirt volunteers.

Check out the list here: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41458618-Games-From-Ireland/