The gaming world is buzzing with excitement as the nominees for the Game Awards 2023 have been announced. Recognizing excellence in the field of video games, these awards celebrate the best of the best across a wide array of categories.
About Game Awards
The Game Awards stands as a prestigious platform that recognizes and celebrates creative and technical excellence in the global video game industry. This event unifies a diverse mix of game developers, players, and prominent figures from popular culture, highlighting and advancing the role of video games as an incredibly immersive, challenging, and inspiring form of entertainment.
The awards aim not only to honor the outstanding achievements in game design and technology but also to commend those who contribute to the wellbeing of the gaming community. By elevating voices that represent the future of the medium, The Game Awards plays a crucial role in shaping the evolving landscape of video gaming, spotlighting those who push the boundaries and make significant impacts in the industry.
Here’s a rundown of the categories and their respective nominees:
Categories And Nominees
Game of the Year
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Game Direction
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Narrative
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Best Art Direction
- Alan Wake 2
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Lies of P
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Score and Music
- Alan Wake 2, Composer Petri Alanko
- Baldur’s Gate 3, Composer Borislav Slavov
- Final Fantasy XVI, Composer Masayoshi Soken
- Hi-Fi Rush, Audio Director Shuichi Kobori
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Composed by Nintendo Sound Team
Best Audio Design
- Alan Wake 2
- Dead Space
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
Best Performance
- Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield, Final Fantasy XVI
- Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Idris Elba as Solomon Reed, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Melanie Liburd as Saga Anderson, Alan Wake 2
- Neil Newbon as Astarion, Baldur’s Gate 3
- Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Innovation in Accessibility
- Diablo IV
- Forza Motorsport
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Street Fighter 6
Games for Impact
- A Space for the Unbound
- Chants of Sennaar
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Tchia
- Terra Nil
- Venba
- Baldur’s Gate 3
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Best Community Support
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy XIV
- No Man’s Sky
Best Independent Game
- Cocoon
- Dave the Diver
- Dredge
- Sea of Stars
- Viewfinder
Best Debut Indie Game
- Cocoon
- Dredge
- Pizza Tower
- Venba
- Viewfinder
Best Mobile Game
- Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure
- Monster Hunter Now
- Terra Nil
Best VR/AR Game
- Gran Turismo 7
- Humanity
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Resident Evil Village VR Mode
- Synapse
Best Action Game
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Dead Island 2
- Ghostrunner 2
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Remnant 2
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Alan Wake 2
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best RPG
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Lies of P
- Sea of Stars
- Starfield
Best Fighting Game
- God of Rock
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
- Pocket Bravery
- Street Fighter 6
Best Family Game
- Disney Illusion Island
- Party Animals
- Pikmin 4
- Sonic Superstars
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
- Cities: Skylines II
- Company of Heroes 3
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Pikmin 4
Best Sports/Racing
- EA Sports FC 24
- F1 23
- Forza Motorsport
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
- The Crew Motorfest
Best Multiplayer Presented by Discord
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Diablo IV
- Party Animals
- Street Fighter 6
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Adaptation
- Castlevania: Nocturne
- Gran Turismo
- The Last of Us
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Twisted Metal
Most Anticipated Game
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hades II
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Tekken 8
Content Creator of the Year
- IronMouse
- PeopleMakeGames
- Quackity
- Spreen
- SypherPK
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (CS:GO)
- Max “Demon1” Mazanov (Valorant)
- Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (Call of Duty)
- Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk (League of Legends)
- Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen (Apex Legends)
Best Esports Team
- Evil Geniuses (Valorant)
- Fnatic (Valorant)
- Gaimin Gladiators (Dota 2)
- LA Thieves (Call of Duty)
- T1 (League of Legends)
Best Esports Coach
- Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu (Valorant)
- Dylan Falco (League of Legends)
- Go “Score” Dong-bin (League of Legends)
- René “cajunb” Borg (CS:GO)
- Wang “MaomaO” Wei-Yong (League of Legends)
Best Esports Event
- 2023 League of Legends World Championship
- Counter-Strike 2: Major 2023
- Dota 2: The International 2023
- Fortnite World Cup 2023
- Valorant Champions 2023
How the Winners are determined?
The selection process for the winners of The Game Awards is a meticulous and inclusive procedure, incorporating inputs from both industry professionals and the gaming community. The nominees for most categories are chosen by an international jury comprising over 100 media and influencer outlets from around the globe, known for their expertise and history in critical video game evaluation.
This jury is responsible for selecting nominees based on the diverse and collective opinions of their entire editorial teams. Each outlet submits a confidential, unranked ballot listing their top five choices in each category. The games that appear most frequently across these ballots become the nominees. In cases of a tie, more than five nominees can be included in a category.
For specialized categories like esports, accessibility, and best adaptation, dedicated juries are formed to decide the nominees. It’s important to note that Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley does not participate in the jury and has no voting rights on the nominees or winners. Similarly, The Game Awards Advisory Board is not involved in the selection process and learns about the results concurrently with the public.
The final winners are determined through a blended voting system: 90% of the vote comes from the jury, while public fan voting contributes the remaining 10%. Fans can cast their votes for their favorite games through The Game Awards’ official website and Discord server.
In China, fans can vote via platforms like Bilibili and WeChat. This fan voting period is crucial and typically closes a few days before the awards ceremony, ensuring that the voice of the gaming community is heard and integrated into the final decision.