The Gayming Awards are returning this summer to celebrate queer geek culture with over a dozen awards.
The annual Gayming Awards is back this June 8 for its third year, including 14 award categories, a stacked list of queer celebrity guests, and some fun comedy segments along the way, all hosted by award-winning voice actor Erika Ishii and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Star, Dawn.
We already know the winner of the LGBTQ+ Content Creator Superstar Award, which will be going to Trixie Mattel! From drag superstar on RuPaul’s Drag Race and All Stars to a podcaster, YouTuber, and Twitch streamer, Gayming Awards 2026 chose Mattel for her “outstanding contribution to queer visibility across content creation and beyond.”
We also know Darion Lowenstein will be receiving the Gayming Icon Award! Lowenstein has over 30 years of experience in the gaming industry and has worked with LGBTQ+ non-profit GLAAD to establish GLAAD Gaming, an education and consultation group that works to bring more authentic LGBTQ+ representation to gaming. Lowenstein has said, “Representation isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between someone feeling like they exist in this world or they don’t.”
Representation isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between someone feeling like they exist in this world or they don’t.
We will be getting four fun guest segments during the show, the very first being a D&D-style scene featuring Drag Artist Alex Stompoly as a Dungeon Master of Chaos, guiding the hosts as they begin the awards. Later on, host Dawn will be joined by fellow Drag Queen Rock M Sakura in a segment called “The Thirsties,” ranking the hotness of different video game characters.
We will also see Leslie Pirritano, CEO of Prisnodo, guiding Drag Queen Farrah Moan as she builds and autographs a custom gaming PC that a viewer could win! For the last segment, we are getting Gaymer Guys Reunited, where the titular Gaymer Guys Chase Kolozsi and Evan Michael Lee will be making their return for the first time in seven years.
Gayming Awards 2026 Categories
Here is the full list of the 14 award categories to be honoured during Gayming Awards 2026.
- Game of the Year Award
- Ball x Pit, Kenny Sun/ Devolver Digital
- Blue Prince, Dogubomb / Raw Fury
- Ghost of Yōtei, Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades II, Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
- South of Midnight, Compulsion Games / Xbox Game Studios
- Gayming Fan Favorite Award
- Date Everything!, Sassy Chap Games / Team17
- Dead By Daylight – Steady Pulse, Behaviour Interactive
- Hades II, Supergiant Games
- Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, DON’T NOD
- Best LGBTQ+ Character Award
- Sir Hans Capon, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Eddie & Volt, Date Everything!
- Kat Mikaelsen, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- Melinoë, Hades II
- Orela Rose, Dead by Daylight
- Samar, Spirit Swap
- Best LGBTQ+ Indie Game Award – Sponsored by Dead By Daylight
- Date Everything!, Sassy Chap Games / Team17
- Monster Prom 4: Monster Con, Beautiful Glitch
- Quantum Witch, NikkiJay
- Spirit Swap, Soft Not Weak LLC
- Tales of Seikyu, ACE Entertainment / Fireshine Games
- The Beekeeper’s Picnic, The Wonder Room
- Community Impact Award
- Boston Gaymers
- Gaymers iNC
- Gaymer Nights
- NYC Gaymers
- Qweerty Gamers
- SlayStation
- LGBTQ+ Voice Actor of the Year Award
- Allegra Clark
- Jay Taylor
- Jennifer English
- Michael Lorz
- Robyn Holdaway
- Tobias Weatherburn
- Industry Diversity Award
- Behaviour Interactive
- DON’T NOD
- Out Making Games (OMG)
- Riot Games
- LGBTQ+ Contribution to ESports Award – Sponsored by Valencia Gay Games 2026
- British Esports Federation
- Cora Kennedy
- Team Liquid
- VALORANT Game Changers
- Queer Geek Entertainment of the Year Award – Sponsored by Q Care Plus
- Dimension 20: Dungeons & Drag Queens Season 2, Dropout
- Harley Quinn: Season 5, DC Studios / HBO Max
- Hazbin Hotel: Season 2, Amazon MGM Studios / SpindleHorse
- Stranger Things: Season 5, Netflix
- The Mighty Nein, Amazon MGM Studios / Critical Role / Titmouse
- The Last of Us: Season 2, Sony Pictures Television / HBO
- Gayming Icon Award
- Awarded to Darion Lowenstein!
- LGBTQ+ Content Creator of the Year – Sponsored by Logitech
- Artemirgaming
- Blizz
- Boyefran
- ghcoffee
- hyjules
- koijay
- phaun
- ravynia
- LGBTQ+ Breakout Content Creator – Sponsored by Logitech
- devoglaer
- haimoonx
- kyacolosseum
- olliedreamer
- philipcroft
- retrowolve
- thefunkobeard
- willjinkies
- LGBTQ+ Streamer Rising Star Class of 2026 – Sponsored by Logitech
- Nominees or winner to be revealed later this month
- Content Creator Superstar – Sponsored by Logitech
- Awarded to Trixie Mattel!
If you would like to watch this sensational show celebrating queer gaming and culture, The Gayming Awards will premiere Monday, June 8, at 10:00 p.m. ET exclusively on WOW Presents.
