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With the year drawing to a close, The Game Awards 2023 has highlighted and showcased some of the best games the industry has to offer. As gaming continues to grow, it has birthed other forms of entertainment and media, which The Game Awards recognizes with awards like Content Creator of the Year and Best Esports Team. Though there were some notable snubs like Hogwarts Legacy, the ceremony reflected the greater tides of the industry, drawing attention to releases that made the biggest impact and moved the medium forward.
As far as notable releases go, Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 dominated at The Game Awards this year, landing eight nominations each, including Game of the Year. Nintendo had an extremely strong presence at the event as well, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder making a big splash. On the other side of things, the hotly anticipated Starfield underperformed at The Game Awards, landing a single nomination for Best RPG, which it lost to Baldur's Gate 3. The coveted Game of the Year award was also handed to Baldur's Gate 3, following the game's distinction as Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards back in November. While Baldur's Gate 3 performed exceptionally well at The Game Awards, a number of other high-quality games were also recognized throughout the event.
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Here is a complete list of all nominees and winners at The Game Awards 2023:
Game of the Year
- Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Entertainment
- Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios [WINNER]
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
- Resident Evil 4 by Capcom
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder by Nintendo
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by Nintendo
Player's Voice Award
- Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios [WINNER]
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty by CD Projekt Red
- Genshin Impact by HoYoVerse
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by Nintendo
Best Game Direction
- Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Entertainment [WINNER]
- Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder by Nintendo
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by Nintendo
Best Narrative
- Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Entertainment [WINNER]
- Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty by CD Projekt Red
- Final Fantasy XVI by Square Enix
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
Best Art Direction
- Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Entertainment [WINNER]
- Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks
- Lies of P by Round 8 Studio
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder by Nintendo
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by Nintendo
Best Score and Music
- Alan Wake 2 - Composer Petri Alanko
- Baldur’s Gate 3 - Composer Borislav Slavov
- Final Fantasy XVI - Composer Masayoshi Soken [WINNER]
- Hi-Fi Rush - Audio Director Shuichi Kobori
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - composed by Nintendo Sound Team
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Best Audio Design
- Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Entertainment
- Dead Space by EA Motive
- Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks [WINNER]
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
- Resident Evil 4 by Capcom
Best Performance
- Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI
- Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Idris Elba as Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Melanie Liburd as Saga Anderson in Alan Wake 2
- Neil Newbon as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 [WINNER]
- Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Innovation in Accessibility
- Diablo IV by Blizzard Entertainment
- Forza Motorsport by Turn 10 Studios [WINNER]
- Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
- Mortal Kombat 1 by NetherRealm Studios
- Street Fighter 6 by Capcom
Games for Impact
- A Space for the Unbound by Mojiken Studio
- Chants of Sennaar by Rundisc
- Goodbye Volcano High by KO_OP
- Tchia by Awaceb [WINNER]
- Terra Nil by Free Lives
- Venba by Visai Games
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends by Respawn Entertainment
- Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red [WINNER]
- Final Fantasy XIV by Square Enix
- Fortnite by Epic Games
- Genshin Impact by HoYoVerse
Best Community Support
- Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios [WINNER]
- Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red
- Destiny 2 by Bungie
- Final Fantasy XIV by Square Enix
- No Man’s Sky by Hello Games
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Best Independent Game
- Cocoon by Geometric
- Dave the Diver by MINTROCKET
- Dredge by Black Salt Games
- Sea of Stars by Sabotage Studio [WINNER]
- Viewfinder by Sad Owl Studios
Best Debut Indie Game
- Cocoon by Geometric [WINNER]
- Dredge by Black Salt Games
- Pizza Tower by Tour de Pizza
- Venba by Visai Games
- Viewfinder by Sad Owl
Best Mobile Game
- Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis by Applibot
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure by Sunblink Entertainment
- Honkai: Star Rail by HoYoVerse [WINNER]
- Monster Hunter Now by Niantic
- Terra Nil by Free Lives
Best VR/AR Game
- Gran Turismo 7 by Polyphony Digital
- Horizon Call of the Mountain by Guerrilla Games & Firesprite
- Humanity by Enhance Games & tha LTD
- Resident Evil Village VR Mode by Capcom [WINNER]
- Synapse by nDreams
Best Action Game
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon by FromSoftware [WINNER]
- Dead Island 2 by FromSoftware
- Ghostrunner 2 by One More Level
- Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks
- Remnant 2 by Gunfire Games
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Alan Wake 2 by Remedy Entertainment
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games
- Resident Evil 4 by Capcom
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor by Respawn Entertainment
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by Nintendo [WINNER]
Best RPG
- Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios [WINNER]
- Final Fantasy XVI by Square Enix
- Lies of P by Round 8 Studio
- Sea of Stars by Sabotage Studio
- Starfield by Bethesda Game Studios
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Best Fighting Game
- God of Rock by Modus Studios Brazil
- Mortal Kombat 1 by NetherRealm Studios
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 by Fair Play Labs & Ludosity
- Pocket Bravery by STATERA STUDIO
- Street Fighter 6 by Capcom [WINNER]
Best Family Game
- Disney Illusion Island by Dlala Studios
- Party Animals by Recreate Games
- Pikmin 4 by Nintendo EPD
- Sonic Superstars by Arzest & Sonic Team
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder by Nintendo [WINNER]
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp by WayForward
- Cities: Skylines II by Colossal Order
- Company of Heroes 3 by Relic Entertainment
- Fire Emblem Engage by Intelligent Systems
- Pikmin 4 by Nintendo EPD [WINNER]
Best Sports/Racing
- EA Sports FC 24 by EA Vancouver, EA Romania, & EA Sports
- F1 23 by Codemasters & EA Sports
- Forza Motorsport by Turn 10 Studios [WINNER]
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged by Milestone
- The Crew Motorfest by Ubisoft Ivory Tower
Best Multiplayer
- Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios [WINNER]
- Diablo IV by Blizzard Entertainment
- Party Animals by Recreate Games
- Street Fighter 6 by Capcom
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder by Nintendo
Best Adaptation
- Castlevania: Nocturne by Project 51
- Gran Turismo by PlayStation Productions
- The Last of Us by PlayStation Productions [WINNER]
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie by Illumination & Nintendo
- Twisted Metal by PlayStation Productions
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The Game Awards nominees are out, and Starfield doesn't really have much of a presence at all, which puts Bethesda's future in a precarious spot.
Most Anticipated Game
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth by Square Enix [WINNER]
- Hades II by Supergiant Games
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Star Wars Outlaws by Massive Entertainment
- Tekken 8 by Bandai Namco Studios
Content Creator of the Year
- IronMouse [WINNER]
- PeopleMakeGames
- Quackity
- Spreen
- SypherPK
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2 by Valve
- Dota 2 by Valve
- League of Legends by Riot Games
- PUBG Mobile by Lightspeed & KRAFTON
- Valorant by Riot Games [WINNER]
Best Esports Athlete
- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends) [WINNER]
- 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)
- JD Gaming (League of Legends) [WINNER]
- Team Vitality (Counter-Strike)
Best Esports Coach
- Christine “potter” Chi (Evil Geniuses - Valorant) [WINNER]
- Danny “zonic” Sorensen (Team Falcons - Counter-Strike)
- Jordan “Gunba” Graham (Florida Mayhem - Overwatch)
- Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Team Vitality - Counter-Strike)
- Yoon “Homme” Sung-young (JD Gaming - League of Legends)
Best Esports Event
- 2023 League of Legends World Championship [WINNER]
- Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
- EVO 2023
- The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
- VALORANT Champions 2023
The Game Awards 2023 punctuates a historic year for the video gaming industry, one that was filled with high-profile releases and sleeper indie hits. There likely won't be more big releases before the end of the year, but 2024 is already shaping up to be another landmark annum, with highly anticipated games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Hades 2 set to release.