UPDATE: Elden Ring won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022!
The Game Awards is a night of celebration for some of the biggest and best titles a year has given gamers. Alongside the awards, a lot of fans also look forward to the big teases and reveals that can happen, such as when Alan Wake 2 was announced at The Game Awards 2021. However, people all over the world will tune in on December 8 this year to see which of their favorite games from 2022 are crowned as the best in their given category, with the biggest prize to take home being the Game of the Year award.
Even with a lot of games being pushed into next year, 2022 has still had some stand-out titles, as shown by the nominees from this year's Game of the Year category. Elden Ring, Stray, God of War: Ragnarok, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Horizon Forbidden West, and A Plague Tale: Requiem are all in the running to take home the grand prize at this year's The Game Awards. With each of these titles each earning a great reception from fans and critics, it appears difficult to predict which will be crowned Game of the Year. But, as many have already pointed out, it seems the prize is up for grabs between two main competitors.
Elden Ring
Considering FromSoftware's history with creating incredibly difficult, but highly praised games, it isn't too surprising that Elden Ring has ended up on the nominees list for this year's Game of the Year award. Back in 2019, FromSoftware's most recent title before Elden Ring Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice took home the prize at that year's Game Awards, so it could be possible for the studio to win two Game of the Year awards for its two latest releases.
There are a lot of things that have stood out about Elden Ring in the months since its release. There's the lore of the world crafted by the renowned Hidetaka Miyazaki and fantasy author George R. R. Martin, the combat that pushes the player to their absolute limit against bosses like Malenia, Blade of Miquella, and a huge amount of customization options. Elden Ring's open-world, though, is where a lot of gamers can become lost in the sheer expansiveness of the game, showing the scale of achievement FromSoftware has managed with its latest release.
Stray
There are likely a few gamers who would not have expected Annapurna and BlueTwelve Studio's Stray to make it onto the nominees list for Game of the Year. However, this charming, third-person adventure title quickly won over the gaming community when it released in July of this year. As Stray allows players to take on the role of a cute cat, it was bound to blow up online, but that isn't the only reason the game received widespread praise.
From its short, well-crafted story to its simple but effective puzzle-solving gameplay, Stray pushes itself into the Game of the Year nominations as one of the more surprising entries, as it is an indie hit that marks BlueTwelve Studio's debut. Even with AAA behemoths still dominating a lot of the gaming space, Stray has shown that indie hits can stand out among the crowd, and that not every game has to be an incredibly expansive experience.
God of War: Ragnarok
Following on from one of the most highly praised titles from recent years is an incredibly tough task. However, God of War: Ragnarok has managed to live up to an even exceed the tremendous hype around it. As the name suggests, God of War: Ragnarok sees the end of Kratos' Norse Saga, as he and Atreus finally square off against Odin, Thor, and some of the other mighty Aesir.
With a cinematic quality that pulls the player in right from the first few minutes, to the visceral gameplay that leaves a sense of satisfaction after every kill, any gamer unconvinced by God of War: Ragnarok's success need only look at the many incredibly positive review scores it has had since its release. With plenty of additional features in God of War: Ragnarok such as its use of the DualSense controllers and accessibility mechanics, it's little wonder why Kratos is again up to take the crown of Game of the Year.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
In a year marred by the delays of big games like Starfield and Redfall, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 managed to impress a lot of gamers before it even came out as Nintendo pushed the release of the game forward from its planned date. When Xenoblade Chronicles 3 actually did launch, it impressed fans of the franchise and the JRPG genre right out of the gate, with a lot of reviews pointing to the title's scale, which marked a vast improvement from previous entries.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3's story, combat, and world impressed fans and critics alike. Even for those new to the franchise, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 managed to be a good jumping off point, as despite a few tie-ins to Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 that might've been missed, everything in the narrative for the sixth game in the series is fairly self-contained. Supporting that story is a cast of beloved characters too, that players got to know a bit better this time around thanks to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 expanding its party size to seven.
Horizon Forbidden West
Since the release of Horizon Zero Dawn back in 2017, a lot of fans couldn't wait to see what would come out of the interesting and post-apocalyptic world Guerrilla Games had crafted next. With the first game proving to be such a success and Aloy appearing constantly in Sony's marketing, it was clear the blue brand had a lot of hope for Horizon Forbidden West, and to many, the sequel delivered, not only matching the experience of Zero Dawn but surpassing it.
Horizon Forbidden West continues Aloy's journey as she tracks down more information about Elisabet Sobeck and the humans of the Old World. Giving the player a new region to explore in the titular Forbidden West, the world of Horizon has been greatly expanded, with desert, jungle, and prairie areas complete with new and deadly machines to fill them. Already Horizon Forbidden West has proven itself as a title worthy of high praise, as it has even won a Game of the Year award earlier in 2022.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
A fictional version of medieval France where a plague causes swarms of rats to infest the lands might not sound like the best video game location to live in, but it has proved to be a successful setting for Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale games. Following the gritty story of siblinghood that is A Plague Tale: Innocence, Requiem picks up a few months after the events of the first game, showing fans a slightly older version of Amicia and Hugo as they continue their struggle for survival.
Despite some early controversy around A Plague Tale: Requiem's limited FPS on consoles, the game has been praised for its strong narrative that manages to build on the original without distancing itself too much from its foundations. There are also some new and interesting gameplay elements in A Plague Tale: Requiem, as Amicia can now be much more violent towards enemies, showing her darker turn and the lengths she'll go to in order to keep Hugo safe.
Final Prediction
While all the games on this list deserve to be on it, and more than a couple could've taken home Game of the Year on another occasion, in 2022 the competition is too stiff, and it all seems to point to either God of War: Ragnarok or Elden Ring taking home the big prize. God of War: Ragnarok is likely to sweep The Game Awards 2022 in other categories, but it seems the Game of the Year award is slightly more poised to go to Elden Ring.
This category could go either way, and a lot of social media is ablaze right now with debates over which title should win between God of War: Ragnarok and Elden Ring. Still, FromSoftware's triumphant, open-world epic seems as if it has a bit more of a lead. With players still pouring hundreds of hours into Elden Ring months after release, the game has proven it's got staying power. Also, it has shown to be FromSoftware's best-selling game to date, which means there are likely a lot of Tarnished out there wanting to vote for the RPG.