Each autumn the Korean games industry pauses to take stock of itself, and this year that stocktaking began on October 26, when the Korea Games Industry Association published its shortlist for the Korea Game Awards. Twelve titles, from sprawling publisher flagships to modest works by small studios, now stand as candidates to represent the year's Korean games, and the public has been invited to weigh in alongside judges and the press. The list is less a verdict than a mirror, showing how a national industry's large and small ambitions sit side by side before the final reckoning in Busan.
Crimson Desert and AION 2 Lead Nominees for 2026 Korea Game Awards Main Award Shortlist
The public holds a quarter of the outcome, and the judges hold half.
Mark
So what actually happened on October 26?
Mimi
K-GAMES published the nominee list for the Korea Game Awards and opened public voting at the same time. Twelve games are up for the Main Award.
Mark
Crimson Desert and AION 2 get the attention. Why?
Mimi
They're the big-company flagships, an open-world action game from Pearl Abyss and an MMORPG from NCSoft. The report calls them strong contenders for the Grand Prize.
Luke
Worth noting that's a characterization, not a result. Nothing in the report says how the judges lean.
Mark
And Netmarble?
Mimi
Three of the twelve come from its subsidiary developers, the most of any company. That's a count of nominations, not a prediction.
Mark
How much does the public vote matter?
Mimi
Public votes are 25 percent, media 25, and the judging committee 50. So the committee carries the most weight.
Luke
We also don't know how the committee scores or who sits on it. The report doesn't say.
Mark
What about the voice actor category?
Mimi
It started last year. Three nominees, for roles in Monster Taming: STAR DIVE, Crimson Desert, and Imjin War: Joseon's Counterattack.
Luke
Voting closes November 16, and winners across 13 categories come on November 18 in Busan. Everything before that is just a shortlist.
El Pulso
- Twelve Main Award nominees were revealed on October 26, pitting major publisher flagships like Crimson Desert and AION 2 against small-studio newcomers.
- Netmarble leads the field with three titles from its subsidiaries, sharpening competition among the industry's biggest players.
- Public and media voting, each carrying a quarter of the weight, are now open and will close on November 16 at 5:00 PM.
- Judges hold half the outcome, so the final result will hinge on how the committee weighs flagship polish against independent creativity.
- The winners will be unveiled at BEXCO in Busan on November 18, the eve of G-STAR 2026.
Each autumn the Korean games industry pauses to take stock of itself, and this year that stocktaking began on October 26, when the Korea Games Industry Association published its shortlist for the Korea Game Awards. Twelve titles, from sprawling publisher flagships to modest works by small studios, now stand as candidates to represent the year's Korean games, and the public has been invited to weigh in alongside judges and the press. The list is less a verdict than a mirror, showing how a national industry's large and small ambitions sit side by side before the final reckoning in Busan.
On October 26, the Korea Games Industry Association, known as K-GAMES, published the candidate list for this year's Korea Game Awards and opened public online voting the same day. The awards aim to name the titles that best represent the Korean games industry, and the slate spans the Main Award, the Popularity Award, and the Popular Voice Actor Award.
Twelve titles made the Main Award shortlist. Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert and NCSoft's AION 2 come from large publishers, while the rest, including Dokkaebi's World, Monster Taming: STAR DIVE, MIMESIS, and Imjin War: Joseon's Counterattack, range from mid-sized to small developers. Crimson Desert and AION 2 are seen as strong contenders for the Grand Prize, yet Netmarble tops the count with three titles from its subsidiaries.
The Popular Voice Actor Award, introduced last year, has three nominees, including Lee Jae-hyun for Kliff in Crimson Desert and Lee Jang-won for Yi Sun-sin in Imjin War.
Public voting runs until November 16 at 5:00 PM. The final result blends judges (50 percent), public votes (25 percent), and media votes (25 percent). The ceremony follows on November 18 at 4:00 PM at BEXCO in Busan, the day before G-STAR 2026 opens, where winners across 13 categories will be announced.
On October 26, the Korea Games Industry Association, known as K-GAMES, posted the candidate list for this year's Korea Game Awards on its official website and opened public online voting the same day. The awards select the titles that represent the Korean games industry for the year, and the list covers the major categories: the Main Award, the Popularity Award, and the Popular Voice Actor Award.
Twelve titles made the Main Award shortlist. Two come from large publishers: Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert and NCSoft's AION 2. The others are Dokkaebi's World, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, Monster Taming: STAR DIVE, StoneAge: Idle Adventure, Eclipse: The Awakening, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin, Imjin War: Joseon's Counterattack, Zeus: God of Arrogance, Chaos Zero Nightmare, and MIMESIS.
The list mixes genres and company sizes, with flagship releases from major companies sitting beside newer games from small and medium-sized developers. Crimson Desert, an open-world action-adventure, and AION 2, an MMORPG, are regarded as strong contenders for the Grand Prize. By count, though, Netmarble leads: three titles from its subsidiary developers appear on the Main Award list, the most for any company.
The Popularity Award field is smaller, with nine nominees. Crimson Desert, AION 2, Monster Taming: STAR DIVE, and MIMESIS are among them.
The Popular Voice Actor Award, which was established last year, has three nominees. Nam Do-hyeong is nominated for voicing Cloud in Monster Taming: STAR DIVE. Lee Jae-hyun is nominated for Kliff in Crimson Desert, a role also credited under the name Lee Hyun. Lee Jang-won is nominated for Yi Sun-sin in Imjin War: Joseon's Counterattack.
Public voting runs on the official Korea Game Awards website from October 26 until November 16 at 5:00 PM. Main Award winners will be decided by a weighted combination: the judging committee's evaluation counts for 50 percent, public voting for 25 percent, and media voting for another 25 percent. The public therefore holds a quarter of the outcome, and the judges hold half.
The ceremony takes place on November 18 at 4:00 PM at BEXCO in Busan, the day before G-STAR 2026 opens. Winners across 13 categories will be announced there. The next markers are the close of voting on November 16 and the Busan ceremony two days later.
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