The Game Awards 2023 Nominees Announced
The full list of nominees in all categories at the Game Awards 2023 has been announced. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 lead the pack with eight nominations in each category.
- You can vote for your favorite game in different categories on the Game Awards website until 6 December at 6:00 pm PT / 9:00 pm ET
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The Game Awards will be broadcast live from the Peacock Theater on December 7 at 4:30 pm PT / 7:30 ET, hosted by Geoff Keighley. In addition to the announcement of the winners, there will also be new game announcements, trailers, live music performances and surprise celebrity participation during the event.
Here is the full list of categories and nominees.
The Game Awards 2023 Nominees
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Game Direction
Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt RED)
- Final Fantasy XVI (Creative Business Unit III / Square Enix)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Hi-Fi RUSH (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- Lies of P (Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Score and Music
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- Alan Wake 2 Composer Petri Alanko (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 Composer Borislav Slavov (Larian Studios)
- Final Fantasy XVI Composer Masayoshi Soken (Creative Business Unit III / Square Enix)
- Hi-Fi RUSH Audio Director Shuichi Kobori (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Composer Nintendo Sound Team (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Audio Design
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Dead Space (Motive / Electronic Arts)
- Hi-Fi RUSH (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.
- Ben Starr in Final Fantasy XVI
- Cameron Monaghan in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Melanie Liburd in Alan Wake 2
- Neil Newbon in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Yuri Lowenthal in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Innovation in Accessibility
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.
- Diablo 4 (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios / Xbox Game Studios)
- Hi-Fi RUSH (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Games)
- Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
Games for Impact
For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.
- A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions / Chorus)
- Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc / Focus Entertainment)
- Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP)
- Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive)
- Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital / Netflix)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Best Ongoing
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)
Best Community Support
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best Independent Game
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- Cocoon (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- DAVE THE DIVER (Mintrocket)
- DREDGE (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
- Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)
Best Debut Indie Game
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- Cocoon (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- DREDGE (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Pizza Tower (Tour de Pizza)
- Venba (Visai Games)
- Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)
Best Mobile Game
For the best game playable on a mobile device.
- Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis (Applibot / Square Enix)
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Sunblink Entertainment)
- Honkai: Star Rail (HoYoverse)
- Monster Hunter Now (Niantic / Capcom)
- Terra Nil (Free Lives / Netflix)
Best VR / AR
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Horizon Call of the Mountain (Guerrilla Games / Firesprite Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- HUMANITY (Tha LTD / Enhance Games)
- Resident Evil Village VR Mode (Capcom)
- SYNAPSE (nDreams)
Best Action Game
For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Dead Island 2 (Dambuster Studios / Deep Silver)
- Ghostrunner 2 (One More Level / 505 Games)
- Hi-Fi RUSH (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- Remnant 2 (Gunfire Games / Gearbox Publishing)
Best Action / Adventure
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games Publishing)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best RPG
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
- Lies of P (Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games)
- Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
- Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Best Fighting
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- God of Rock (Modus Studios Brazil / Modus Games)
- Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Games)
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Ludosity / Fair Play Labs / GameMill Entertainment)
- Pocket Bravery (STATERA STUDIO / PQube)
- Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
Best Family
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- Disney Illusion Island (Dlala Studios / Disney)
- Party Animals (Recreate Games)
- Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Sonic Superstars (Arzest / Sonic Team / SEGA)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Sim / Strategy
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (WayForward / Nintendo)
- Cities: Skylines 2 (Colossal Order / Paradox Interactive)
- Company of Heroes 3 (Relic Entertainment / SEGA)
- Fire Emblem Engage (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
- Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Sports / Racing
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- EA Sports FC 24 (Electronic Arts Vancouver / Electronic Arts Romania / Electronic Arts)
- F1 23 (Codemasters / Electronic Arts)
- Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios / Xbox Game Studios)
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (Milestone)
- The Crew Motorfest (Ubisoft Ivory Tower / Ubisoft)
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Diablo 4 (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Party Animals (Recreate Games)
- Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Adaptation
Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium
- Castlevania: Nocturne (Powerhouse Animation / Netflix)
- Gran Turismo (PlayStation Productions / Sony Pictures)
- The Last of Us (PlayStation Productions / HBO)
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination / Nintendo / Universal Pictures)
- Twisted Metal (PlayStation Productions / Peacock)
Most Anticipated Game
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
- Hades 2 (Supergiant Games)
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)
- Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft)
- Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Entertainment / Arika)
Content Creator of the Year
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2023.
- Ironmouse
- People Make Games
- Quackity
- Spreen
- Sypherpk
Best eSports Game
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.
- Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- PUBG Mobile (Lightspeed Studios)
- Valorant (Riot Games)
Best eSports Athlete
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023, irrespective of game.
- Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-Hyeok (League of Legends)
- Mathieu ‘Zywoo’ Herbaut (Counter-Striker: Global Offensive)
- 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
Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023.
- Evil Geniuses (Valorant)
- Fnatic (Valorant)
- Gaimin Gladiators (Dota 2)
- JD Gaming (League of Legends)
- Team Vitality (Counter-Strike)
Best eSports Coach
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023.
- Christine ‘Potter’ Chi (Evil Geniuses – Valorant)
- 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
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
