The Game Awards 2024 nominations are officially out, and it’s an epic battle royale. Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio are all vying for the coveted Game of the Year award, but they’ll have to face some stiff competition from heavy hitters like Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Game of the Year: A Crowded Field
The Game of the Year category is stacked, with six contenders battling it out for the top spot. Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio are all in the running, but the inclusion of “Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree” has sparked some debate. Is an expansion pack really worthy of a Game of the Year nomination?
The Game Awards’ official criteria state that expansion packs, DLCs, remakes, and remasters are all eligible if the jury deems them worthy. Factors like the newness of the content and its value are taken into consideration. So, it seems “Shadow of the Erdtree” has passed the test, but whether it can snag the top prize remains to be seen.
Leading the Pack
Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are leading the nomination race with seven nods each, followed closely by Metaphor: ReFantazio with six. PlayStation is also dominating the publisher race with a whopping 16 nominations.
Beyond Game of the Year
While the Game of the Year award is undoubtedly the most prestigious, there are plenty of other categories to keep an eye on. Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, and Best Performance are just a few of the awards that will be handed out on the big night. So mark your calendars for December 12th!
Check out the complete Nominee list Below:
Main Categories
- Game of the Year: Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio
- 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: ReFantazio, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Silent Hill 2
- 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
- Best Performance: Hannah Telle (Life is Strange: Double Exposure), Briana White (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), 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
Genre Awards
- 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: Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, MultiVersus, Tekken 8
- Best Family Game: Princess Peach: Showtime!, Astro Bot, Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, The Plucky Squire
- Best Sim/Strategy Game: Frostpunk 2, Age of Mythology: Retold, 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 40K: Space Marine 2
- Best VR/AR Game: Arizona Sunshine Remake, Asgard’s Wrath 2, Batman: Arkham Shadow, Metal: Hellsinger VR, Metro Awakening
Other Awards
- Games for Impact: Closer the Distance, Indika, Neva, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Tales of Kenzera: Zau
- 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
- Best Independent Game: Animal Well, Balatro, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Neva, UFO 50
- Best Debut Indie Game: Balatro, Animal Well, Manor Lords, Pacific Drive, The Plucky Squire
- Best Mobile Game: AFK Journey, Balatro, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero
- 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 Yotei, Grand Theft Auto VI, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Monster Hunter Wilds
- Content Creator of the Year: CaseOh, IlloJuan, Techno Gamerz, TypicalGamer, Usada Pekora
- Best Esports Game: DOTA 2, Counter-Strike 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)
