The Game Awards 2024: Highlights and Top Contenders

The Game Awards 2024 nominees have been announced, setting the stage for one of the most exciting events in gaming. With seven nominations each, “Astro Bot” and “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” are leading the pack.

Dubbed the “Oscars of gaming,” this annual event celebrates achievements across the gaming industry and attracts millions of viewers worldwide. This year, the ceremony also marks its 10th anniversary, making it a significant milestone for the awards.

Scheduled for December 12 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the show will be hosted by Geoff Keighley. The event includes 29 competitive categories, with the coveted Game of the Year award being the highlight.

Meet the Game of the Year Contenders

Astro Bot has captured hearts as a delightful celebration of PlayStation’s 30-year journey. Released in September, this charming platformer featuring Sony’s lovable robot mascot has earned widespread praise, maintaining an exceptional 94 score on Metacritic and selling 1.5 million copies in just two months.

Balatro tells an inspiring indie success story. Created by a mysterious solo developer known as LocalThunk, this innovative poker-based card game could make history as the first independent game without major publisher backing to win the top prize. Its clever use of 150 unique joker cards adds exciting twists to traditional poker mechanics.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth continues Square Enix’s ambitious remake trilogy. While some players debated its story changes and technical performance, the game’s massive world and engaging side activities have earned it significant acclaim. Having won “Most Anticipated Game” at last year’s ceremony, expectations are running high.

Metaphor: ReFantazio proves the team behind Persona 5 hasn’t lost their touch. This medieval fantasy RPG tackles serious themes like racism and politics while delivering compelling storytelling. Its success is clear, with one million copies sold on launch day – a record for publisher Atlus.

Black Myth: Wukong brings Chinese mythology to life with stunning graphics. Based on the classic novel Journey to the West, this action-adventure game has been particularly successful in China while also finding a dedicated Western audience, selling an impressive 20 million copies in its first month.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree presents an interesting case as downloadable content (DLC) rather than a standalone game. While it’s currently the year’s highest-rated release, some debate whether DLC should qualify for Game of the Year. Nevertheless, its additional dozens of hours of challenging combat and exploration have deeply impressed critics.

The Game Awards 2024: Complete Nominations List

Action and Storytelling Categories

Best Game Direction

• ASTRO BOT
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Narrative

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantanzio
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Silent Hill 2

Technical Achievement Categories

Best Art Direction

• ASTRO BOT
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Neva

Best Score and Music

• ASTRO BOT
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Silent Hill 2
• Stellar Blade

Best Audio Design

• ASTRO BOT
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Silent Hill 2

Performance and Impact Categories

Best Performance

• Briana White (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
• Hannah Telle (Life is Strange: Double Exposure)
• Humberly González (Star Wars Outlaws)
• Luke Roberts (Silent Hill 2)
• Melina Juergens (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)

Innovation in Accessibility

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Diablo IV
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Star Wars Outlaws

Games for Impact

• Closer the Distance
• Indika
• Neva
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Community and Service Categories

Best Ongoing Game

• Destiny 2
• Diablo IV
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• No Man’s Sky

Independent Game Categories

Best Independent Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Neva
• UFO 50

Best Debut Indie Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Manor Lords
• Pacific Drive
• The Plucky Squire

Platform-Specific Categories

Best Mobile Game

• AFK Journey
• Balatro
• Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
• Wuthering Waves
• Zenless Zone Zero

Best VR/AR Game

• Arizona Sunshine Remake
• Asgard’s Wrath 2
• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Metal: Hellsinger VR
• Metro Awakening

Genre Categories

Best Action Game

• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Stellar Blade
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Action/Adventure Game

• ASTRO BOT
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Silent Hill 2
• Star Wars Outlaws
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Best RPG

• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Fighting Game

• Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO
• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
• Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• MultiVersus
• Tekken 8

Best Family Game

• ASTRO BOT
• Princess Peach: Showtime!
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Plucky Squire

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• Age of Mythology: Retold
• Frostpunk 2
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
• Manor Lords
• Unicorn Overlord

Best Sports/Racing Game

• F1 24
• EA Sports FC 25
• NBA 2K25
• Top Spin 2K25
• WWE 2K24

Best Multiplayer Game

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Tekken 8
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Additional Categories

Best Adaptation

• Arcane
• Fallout
• Knuckles
• Like a Dragon: Yakuza
• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Most Anticipated Game

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Grand Theft Auto VI
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• Monster Hunter Wilds

Content Creator of the Year

• CaseOh
• IlloJuan
• Techno Gamerz
• TypicalGamer
• Usada Pekora

Esports Categories

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike 2
• DOTA 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

• 33 (Neta Shapira)
• Aleksib (Aleksi Virolainen)
• Chovy (Jeong Ji-hoon)
• Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok)
• ZyWoO (Mathieu Herbaut)
• ZmjjKk (Zheng Yongkang)

Best Esports Team

• Bilibili Gaming (League of Legends)
• Gen.G (League of Legends)
• NAVI (Counter-Strike)
• T1 (League of Legends)
• Team Liquid (DOTA 2)

After Baldur’s Gate 3’s triumph last year, all eyes are on which game will join the prestigious list of Game of the Year winners.