The Game Awards for 2023 have arrived, and this year promises a multitude of awards. Here is a list of all the nominees and winners at this year's Game Awards.
The Game Awards for 2023 Winners and Nominees
Best Family Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform. | ● 🏆 Super Mario Bros. Wonder 🏆
● Disney Illusion Island ● Party Animals ● Pikmin 4 ● Sonic Superstars |
| Winner: | Super Mario Bros. Wonder |
|---|
What sets Super Mario Bros. Wonder apart from other 2-D Mario games is its lack of a timer. The game allows family members of all ages to just sit back, relax, and play at their own pace. The new power-ups and multiplayer functionality make this game incredibly valuable for enjoyable family moments where members can stomp on goombas and progress through each level as one of their favorite Mario characters.
Innovation in Accessibility
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience. | ● 🏆 Forza Motorsport 🏆
● Diablo 4 ● Hi-Fi Rush ● Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ● Mortal Kombat 1 ● Street Fighter 6 |
| Winner: | Forza Motorsport |
|---|
With its photorealistic graphics, realistic gameplay, and features that make you feel like a real racer, Forza Motorsport has pushed the boundaries of visuals and innovation. This game is running laps on its competitors in the racing and gaming world.
Best Esports Athlete
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023, irrespective of game. | ● 🏆 Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok 🏆
● Mathieu "Zywoo" Herbaut ● Max "Demon1" Mazanov ● Paco "Hydra" Rusiewiez ● Park "Ruler" Jay-Hyuk ● Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen |
| Winner: | Faker |
|---|
Best Esports Coach
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023. | ● 🏆 Christine "Potter" Chi 🏆
● Danny "Zonic" Sorensen ● Jordan "Gunba" Graham ● Remy "XTQZZZ" Quoniam ● Yoon "Homme" Sung-Young |
| Winner: | Christine "Potter" Chi |
|---|
Best Esports Event
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience. | ● 🏆 2023 League of Legends World Championship 🏆
● Blast.TV Paris Major 2023 ● Evo 2023 ● The International Dota 2 Championships 2023 ● Valorant Champions 2023 |
| Winner: | 2023 League of Legends World Championship |
|---|
Best Esports Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform. | ● 🏆 Valorant 🏆
● Counter-Strike 2 ● DOTA 2 ● League of Legends ● PUBG Mobile |
| Winner: | Valorant |
|---|
In just over two years, Valorant has taken over and beaten its sister game, League of Legends, as the best eSports game. It's no surprise, as the game is continuing to grow in its player base, with close to 10 million players worldwide. This game is a team-based first-person shooter where players choose their unique hero and fight it out in a 5v5 game split into two teams, Attackers or Defenders.
Best Esports Team
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023. | ● 🏆 JD Gaming 🏆
● Evil Geniuses ● FNATIC ● Gaiman Gladiators ● Team Vitality |
| Winner: | JD Gaming |
|---|
Content Creator of the Year
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2023. | ● 🏆 IronMouse 🏆
● PeopleMakeGames ● Quackity ● Spreen ● SypherPK |
| Winner: | IronMouse |
|---|
What else is there to say about IronMouse? She's not only a talented singer but she's also the number 1 English streaming VTuber on Twitch and has won countless awards in the past. She's a content creator that not only streams video games but also has her own talk show called "Speak of the Devil."
Best Performance
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture. | ● 🏆 Neil Newborn (Astarion, Baldur's Gate 3) 🏆
● Ben Starr (Clive Rosfield, Final Fantasy XVI) ● Cameron Monaghan (Cal Kestis, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor) ● Idris Elba (Solomon Reed, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty) ● Melanie Liburd (Saga Anderson, Alan Wake 2) ● Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker, Marvel's Spider-Man 2) |
| Winner: | Neil Newborn (Astarion, Baldur's Gate 3) |
|---|
Neil Newbon blew it out of the park with his amazing voice work as Astarion. His performance as the rogue vampire really elevates the character to new heights for fans. Honestly deserves an Oscar Nomination and fans hope Neil returns to voice other characters in the future.
Best Narrative
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game. | ● 🏆 Alan Wake 2 🏆
● Baldur's Gate 3 ● Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty ● Final Fantasy XVI ● Marvel's Spider-Man 2 |
Alan Wake 2 |
| Winner: | Alan Wake 2 |
|---|
Without spoiling the story, Alan Wake 2 blew every player's minds after completing the game. The game took twists and turns that took gamers on a roller-coaster of emotions as they try to help Alan Wake escape this nightmare.
Best Debut Indie Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best debut game created by a new independent studio. | ● 🏆 Cocoon 🏆
● Dredge ● Pizza Tower ● Venba ● Viewfinder |
| Winner: | Cocoon |
|---|
Cocoon is an indie game that surprised players with just how unique direction this game takes in the puzzle genre. The game has you control a bug-like creature where you explore across worlds within worlds and unravel a cosmic mystery.
Best Action Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat. | ● 🏆 Armored Cored VI: Fires of Rubicon 🏆
● Dead Island 2 ● Hi-Fi Rush ● Remnant 2 |
| Winner: | Armored Cored VI: Fires of Rubicon |
|---|
The anticipation for Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon was well worth it as fans considered this to be one of the best in the series that delivered in every possible way as its mech building and fighting have never been more fun.
Best Art Direction
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation. | ● 🏆 Alan Wake 2 🏆
● Hi-Fi Rush ● Lies of P ● Super Mario Bros. Wonder ● The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom(2023) |
| Winner: | Alan Wake 2 |
|---|
With no surprise, Alan Wake 2 wins Best Art Direction. The game's hyper-realistic graphics combined with the crime noir style create a gritty tone that immerses players into the world like no other game.
Best VR/AR
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform. | ● 🏆 Resident Evil VR 🏆
● Gran Turismo 7 ● Horizon Call of the Mountain ● Humanity ● Synapse (2023) |
| Winner: | Resident Evil VR |
|---|
Fans had an exciting new way to experience the fantastic game that seamlessly translates into the VR world with Resident Evil Village VR. The game was built perfectly for the first-person survival horror game that had fans on the edge of their toes with this immersive experience. Many Resident Evil fans, especially Dimitrescu fans, argued that this is the best way to experience the game.
Best Mobile Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game playable on a mobile device. | ● 🏆 Honkai: Star Rail 🏆
● Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis ● Hello Kitty Island Adventure ● Monster Hunter Now ● Terra Nil (2023) |
| Winner: | Honkai: Star Rail |
|---|
Just Hoyoverse’s other titles, Honkai: Star Rail is a cross-platform game that blew fans' expectations away with its amazing optimization on mobile, incredibly fun turned-based gameplay, interesting main and side stories, and rewarding Gacha system.
Best Audio Design
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design. | ● 🏆 Hi-Fi Rush 🏆
● Alan Wake 2 ● Dead Space (2023) ● Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ● Resident Evil 4 (2023) |
| Winner: | Hi-Fi Rush |
|---|
Hi-Fi Rush wowed and made players tap to the beat of its impressive implementation of rhythm and audio in the story and its hack-and-slash gameplay. Developed by Tango Gameworks, the story has you play the role of Chai, whose music player is installed inside his chest causing the world around him to be tied to the music in his chest.
Games for Impact
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message. | ● 🏆 Tchia 🏆
● A Space for the Unbound ● Chants of Sennaar ● Goodbye Volcano High ● Terra Nil ● Venba |
| Winner: | Tchia |
|---|
Tchia is an open-world sandbox adventure developed by Studio Acaweb. In this game the player plays as the heroine, Tchia as she sets sail on a tropical adventure to rescue her father who has been abducted by Maevora. Not only is it considered a fun game, but it celebrates the themes of bravery, culture, tradition, friendship, and family in a meaningful way.
Best Score & Music
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack. | ● 🏆 Final Fantasy XVI 🏆
● Alan Wake 2 ● Baldur’s Gate 3 ● Hi-Fi Rush ● The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
| Winner: | Final Fantasy XVI |
|---|
Both fans and critics have long praised Final Fantasy for its outstanding soundtrack. Once again, Masayoshi Soken, the composer of Final Fantasy XVI, has proven that Final Fantasy music will always remain one of its most memorable and best features in the franchise. Fans are already debating whether the song Away from Final Fantasy XVI is one of the top Final Fantasy songs ever made.
Best Independent Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system. | ● 🏆 Sea of Stars 🏆
● Cocoon ● Dave the Diver ● Dredge ● Viewfinder |
| Winner: | Sea of Stars |
|---|
Sea of Stars is an isometric turn-based RPG developed by Sabotage Studios. Fans of retro RPGs were impressed by the retro-inspired game as it is a proper homage to the classics while being a polished game with its addictive gameplay and narrative following the tale of two Children of the Solstice.
Best Community Support
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches. | ● 🏆 Baldur’s Gate 3 🏆
● Cyberpunk 2077 ● Destiny 2 ● Final Fantasy XVI ● No Man’s Sky |
| Winner: | Baldur's Gate 3 |
|---|
Being the sixth installment in the main entry series, Capcom has undoubtedly perfected Street Fighter 6’s gameplay mechanics with its fun Drive System and excellent character roster, multiplayer, and community support. Not only that, but Street Fighter 6 got a much-needed revamp and makeover for its UI and characters. It's the perfect game for returning fans and newcomers who want to experience using a hadouken.
Best Fighting Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat. | ● 🏆 Street Fighter 6 🏆
● God of Rock ● Mortal Kombat 1 ● Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 ● Pocket Bravery |
| Winner: | Street Fighter 6 |
|---|
Being the sixth installment in the main entry series, Capcom has undoubtedly perfected Street Fighter 6’s gameplay mechanics with its fun Drive System and excellent character roster, multiplayer, and community support. Not only that, but Street Fighter 6 got a much-needed revamp and makeover for its UI and characters. It's the perfect game for returning fans and newcomers who want to experience using a hadouken.
Most Anticipated Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward. | ● 🏆 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 🏆
● Hades 2 ● Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth ● Star Wars Outlaws ● Tekken 8 |
| Winner: | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth |
|---|
The long-awaited sequel to the 2020 remake of Final Fantasy VII does not need any introductions. With over 7 million copies sold as of September 2023, it's no wonder why this was voted as the most anticipated game. Fans are eager to see how Square Enix will adapt arguably the most important and emotional section of the original.
Best Ongoing Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time. | ● 🏆 Cyberpunk 2077 🏆
● Apex Legends ● Final Fantasy XIV ● Fortnite ● Genshit Impact |
| Winner: | Cyberpunk 2077 |
|---|
Cyberpunk 2077 is an outstanding example of redeeming itself after a disastrous launch. The open-world RPG by CD PROJEKT RED has received a ton of updates and extra content, such as the Edgerunners content and Phantom Liberty DLC.
Best Adaptation
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium | ● 🏆 The Last of Us 🏆
● Castlevania: Nocturne ● Gran Turismo ● The Super Mario Bros. Movie ● Twisted Metal |
| Winner: | The Last of Us |
|---|
The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us is the perfect example of a video game adaptation done right. The series perfectly nails the casting choices, tone, and overall story of the game. With season 2 announced, viewers don't have to know the source material to be a fan of the game, as it's a perfect standalone series to binge.
Best Action/Adventure Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving. | ● 🏆 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 🏆
● Alan Wake 2 ● Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ● Resident Evil 4 ● Star Wars Jedi: Survivor |
| Winner: | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
|---|
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The story continues Link’s journey as he takes on Ganondorf to save Hyrule once more. This sequel expands on the already amazing open world in BOTW, with a plethora of creative tools at your disposal for exploration and combat. Saving Zelda has never been more fun.
Best RPG
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences. | ● 🏆 Baldur’s Gate 3 🏆
● Final Fantasy XVI ● Lies of P ● Sea of Stars ● Starfield |
| Winner: | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
|---|
Baldur's Gate 3 was an RPG game that immersed fans with its amazing in-depth narrative. Based on the popular tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, players will make important choices that shape a tale of "fellowship and betrayal, survival and sacrifice, and the lure of absolute power."
Best Sim/Strategy Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best game focused on real-time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform. | ● 🏆 Pikmin 4 🏆
● Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp ● Cities: Skylines II ● Company of Heroes 3 ● Fire Emblem Engage |
| Winner: | Pikmin 4 |
|---|
Pikmin fans once again got to enjoy the fun real-time strategy where you team up with tiny creatures called Pikmin with new additions like the Ice Pikmin and the dog Oatchi as you explore every corner of this mysterious planet. The game instantly became the best-selling Pikmin game of all time, with over 2.5 million copies sold.
Best Sports/Racing Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game. | ● 🏆 Forza Motorsport 🏆
● EA Sports FC 24 ● F1 23 ● Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged ● The Crew Motofest |
| Winner: | Forza Motorsport |
|---|
Forza Motorsport is a racing video game developed by Turn 10 and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is no surprise this racing game won with its photorealistic visuals, over 500+ playable cars, and world-famous and classic tracks to race on.
Best Multiplayer Game
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform. | ● 🏆 Baldur’s Gate 3 🏆
● Diablo 4 ● Party Animals ● Street Fighter 6 ● Super Mario Bros. Wonder |
| Winner: | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
|---|
Baldur's Gate 3's multiplayer experience effectively encapsulates the essence of a D&D campaign. Only, instead of playing on a board, gamers can play in an online lobby with friends or on a local split-screen. Because there are multiple parties to choose from, playing multiplayer changes the campaign and elevates excitement and difficulty.
Players' Voice
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Award to the game most recognized by players. | ● 🏆 Baldur’s Gate 3 🏆
● Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty ● Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ● Genshin Impact ● The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
| Winner: | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
|---|
It's unsurprising that Baldur's Gate 3 fans would be committed to ensuring that the game wins Player's Voice, given the positive relationship between the studio and its community since day 1.
Best Game Direction
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design. | ● 🏆 Alan Wake 2 🏆
● Baldur's Gate 3 ● Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ● Super Mario Bros. Wonder ● The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
| Winner: | Alan Wake 2 |
|---|
Fans could immerse themselves in a gritty and compelling game thanks to the distinct vision of directors Kyle Rowley and Same Lyke. Players one and all were drawn in by the uniquely bizarre and audacious world that Remedy Entertainment had created.
Game of the Year
| Criteria | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields. | ● 🏆 Baldur's Gate 3 🏆
● Alan Wake 2 ● Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ● Resident Evil 4 Remake ● Super Mario Bros. Wonder ● The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |
| Winner: | Baldur's Gate 3 |
|---|
Baldur's Gate 3 has captivated fans and critics alike with its amazing gameplay, beautiful branching narrative, and immersive role-playing experience. It's for those reasons that Larian Studios’ game was chosen as The Game Award's Game of the Year.
