Back in August, submissions for this year’s SEA Game Awards were opened for indie games in Southeast Asia, and for the first time, games from across the globe are in the running for the new Best International Games Award.

After combing through the many submissions, the SEA Game Awards have announced the forty games that are in the running to win this year’s awards. To recap, the 2022 edition of the SEA Game Awards will feature the following categories:

- Best Game Design Award
- Best Visual Art Award
- Best Innovation Award
- Best Storytelling Award
- Best Technology Award
- Best Audio Award
- Best Student Game Award
- Audience Choice Award
- Rising Star Award
- Grand Jury Award
- Best International Games Award
- Sponsored Award

The forty finalists making it to the next round of the SEA Game Awards 2022 are:

- A Space for the Unbound by Mojiken Studio
- A World of Souls by PPL Studio
- At Your Service by FairPlay Studios Ltd
- Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly by Toge Productions
- Cuisineer by BattleBrew Productions
- DARE by AGONAS Productions
- Determinant by Khor Chin Heong
- Elysium by UOW Malaysia KDU
- End of the Line by UOW Malaysia KDU
- ENDURA by IFIO STUDIO
- Exist.EXE by Skyfeather Games Studio
- Faerie Afterlight by Clay Game Studio
- Gloom and Doom by Neo Tegoel Games
- Grade F: Free or Flunked by Ars Vitae
- Hello Goodboy by Rolling Glory Jam
- Kabaret by Persona Theory Games Sdn Bhd
- Kanamurai by Rai K Games
- Katana Rama by Ghost Machine
- Land Beneath Us by FairPlay Studios Ltd
- Let's Build A Zoo by Springloaded
- Malice by Nimbus Games
- My Lovely Wife by GameChanger Studio
- Never Ending Beyond by One More Dream Studios SDN BHD
- Nusantara Adventures by Moredoor Interactive Sdn. Bhd.
- Once Again by RB Wolf Design
- OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition by SIGONO
- Postknight 2 by Kurechii
- Project Anomaly: Urban Supernatural Investigator by Dark Science
- Pryzm by DrearyWeary
- Rendezvous by Pendopo Multi Creation
- Rhythm Doctor by 7th Beat Games
- SIMULACRA 3 by Kaigan Games
- Sunset Satellite by Twilight Foundry Games
- The Cursed by Outcast Studio
- The Legend of Tianding by CGCG
- The Library of Babel by Tanuki Game Studio
- To Be You by Better.sg
- Troublemaker by Gamecom Team
- Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story 2 by Agate
- Who is He: Let Me Out by Batam State of Polytechnic (4Happy Studio)

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly by Toge Productions and Cuisineer by BattleBrew Productions are some of the standout games in contention, while upcoming games like Once Again by RB Wolf Design and At Your Service by FairPlay Studios should be on everyone’s radar as well.

Student games like Elysium and End of the Line by students of UOW Malaysia KDU are also games that show a lot of promise should they become full experiences someday.

As for the games that are from outside of Southeast Asia, the Taiwanese games The Legend of Tianding by CGCG and OPUS: Echo of Starsong by SIGONO are out now and worth picking up.

The SEA Game Award 2022 winners will be announced at Level Up KL on October 7. Gamers can vote for their favourite game for the Audience Choice Award, and voting ends on September 25.