As part of NY Games Week and New York Comic Con, the Fashion in Gaming Awards showcased live for the first time in history at the Javits Center on Thursday, October 8th. This inaugural event celebrated the skins, outfits, and the creative side of the video game industry. Hosted by Punchline’s Aiden Panko and Liam Moore, the event was filled with skits, trivia, giveaways, heartfelt speeches, and more.

The Fashion in Gaming Awards features ten categories, and below are the 2026 winners:

Best Dressed Hero: Zagreus; Hades; Super Giant Games

The ultimate hero who defines iconic, cutting-edge moments in digital fashion.

Best Dressed Villain: Sephiroth; Final Fantasy VII; Square Enix

Crowning the top game antagonist elevating fashion in gaming, avant-garde aesthetics.

Most Stylish Game: Infinity Nikki; Papergames

Awarding the title that transforms character design into high art through bold, groundbreaking use of fashion.

Best Cultural Representation: Ghost of Tsushima/Yotei; Sucker Punch Productions

Spotlighting outstanding cultural authenticity and creativity in Black hair, traditional attire, hairstyles, accessories, and more.

Best Fashion Collaboration: Exclusible x e.l.f. Cosmetics

Spotlighting standout partnerships between games and real-world brands.

Best Indie Fashion Game: Hollow Knight Silksong; Team Cherry

Celebrating small studios excelling in fashion-driven gameplay.

Best Gaming Cosplay: Springtrap; Five Nights at Freddy’s

Gaming oriented cosplayers are critiqued by style experts and crowned based on audience favorite.

Most Promising Designer: Marium Mujahid

Recognizing the top digital fashion designer with best potential in gaming.

Best Fashion Gaming Influencer: Clovergirlie

Honoring influencers blending fashion and gaming with creative, engaging content.

Designer of the Year: Tetsuya Nomura; Final Fantasy VII Remake; Square Enix

Awarding the top visionary designer shaping fashion in gaming.

In addition to the awards and skits, there were several appearances and fireside chats. One of whom was Patrizia Barkley, an Operations and Communications Manager who touched upon women in gaming. Only a shocking 12% of video game protagonists are female. This shed a light on a need for strong women in video games, and she shared a heartfelt video of various female streamers and content creators.

Last, but certainly not least, there was a Fireside Chat with Scorched Nebraska, the folks for presented the Fashion in Gaming Awards. Scorched Nebraska is an indie studio, and CEO Ashly Mims-Filipiak and CSO Taylor Mims spoke about their passion for games, including Street Fighter and Monopoly. They also spoke about their upcoming table-top game, Scorched Nebraska and even handed some out during trivia. Ashly and Taylor spoke from the heart, explaining how a table-top version of their idea would best represent what they want to share with the greater community.

“Scorched Nebraska is a post-post-apocalyptic MMO where quiet order still hums beneath the dust. Power belongs to players who notice things first—who read the land, connect the dots, and turn knowledge into territory, craft, and story” –Scorched Nebraska

Read more about the game HERE.

It was a lovely event with lots of laughs, great music, and inspiring speeches. I hope to see this event grow in the coming years.

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