It’s “Game Awards” season again, with the Geoff Keighley hosted event returning on December 12th. In preparation for the event, the nominees have been revealed this week. The main headline category is of course the “Game of the Year”, with the 6 nominees up for the award being as follows:
Game of the Year
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
The major headline to take away is the dominance of Indie games (games NOT made by big publishers) across the various categories this year, with 3 Indie games in the Main “Game of the Year” category alone – those being Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong. The other headline is the continued acclaim of “Clair Obscure: Expedition 33”, with it getting a record breaking 12 nominations across different categories. Runner ups for “most nominations” is Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei, with 7 nominations a piece.
The full list of categories and nominees (besides the “Game of the Year” category above) is as follows:
Best Art Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2 On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Audio Design
- Battlefield 6
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Silent Hill f
Best Game Direction
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2
- Split Fiction
Best Multiplayer
- Arc Raiders
- Battlefield 6
- Elden Ring: Nightreign
- Peak
- Split Fiction
Best Narrative
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Silent Hill f
Best Performance
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Jennifer English
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Ben Starr
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Charlie Cox
- Ghost of Yōtei – Erika Ishii
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Troy Baker
- Silent Hill f – Konatsu Kato
Best Score & Music
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Action
- Battlefield 6
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- Hades 2
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Split Fiction
Best Family Game
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Lego Party
- Lego Voyagers
- Mario Kart World
- Sonic Racing Crossworlds
- Split Fiction
Best Fighting Game
- 2XKO
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
- Virtua Fighter 5 REVO
Best Independent Game
- Absolum
- Ball X Pit
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
Best Mobile Game
- Destiny Rising
- Persona 5: The Phantom X
- Sonic Rumble
- Umamusume: Pretty Derby
- Wuthering Waves
Best Ongoing Game
- Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- Marvel Rivals
- No Man’s Sky
Best RPG
- Avowed
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- The Outer Worlds 2
Best Sports/Racing Game
- EA Sports FC 26
- F1 25
- Mario Kart World
- Rematch
- Sonic Racing Crossworlds
Best Strategy/Sim Game
- Civilization 7
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
- Jurassic World Evolution 3
- The Alters
- Tempest Rising
- Two Point Museum
Best VR/AR Game
- Alien: Rogue Incursion
- Arken Age
- Deadpool VR
- Ghost Town
- The Midnight Walk
Best Adaptation
- A Minecraft Movie
- Devil May Cry
- Splinter Cell Deathwatch
- The Last of Us season 2
- Until Dawn
Community Support
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- No Man’s Sky
Debut Indie Game
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Despelote
- Dispatch
- Megabonk
Games for Impact
- Consume Me
- Despelote
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
- South of Midnight
- Wanderstop
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- Brawk
- Chovy
- Forsaken
- Kakeru
- Menard
- Zywoo
Best Esports Team
- Gen.G (League of Legends)
- NRG (Valorant)
- Team Falcons (Dota 2)
- Team Liquid PH (Mobile Legends Bang Bang)
- Team Vitality (Counter-Strike 2)
Content Creator of the Year
- Caedrel
- Kai Cenat
- MoistCr1tikal
- Sakura Miko
- The Burnt Peanut
Most Anticipated Game
- 007 First Light
- Grand Theft Auto 6
- Marvel’s Wolverine
- Resident Evil Requiem
- The Witcher 4
You can participate in choosing the winner by voting at “thegameawards.com” (up through December 10th). The 12th annual Game Awards show will stream live on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2023, across multiple “gamer friendly” streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook, but it was recently announced there will be a new major addition: Amazon Prime will now also be broadcasting the Awards (showing the increased popularity of the event)!
