From Software’s Elden Ring has gone two-for-two during the 2022-2023 awards season after the RPG captured “Game of the Year” honors at the conclusion of last night’s DICE Awards ceremony. The RPG’s distinctive dark fantasy aesthetic was honored with four other awards, also winning for “Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction,” “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design,” “Outstanding Technical Achievement,” and, of course, “Role-Playing Game of the Year.”
It was a good night for From Software, though the mighty God of War was not always so easily toppled.
Before the show, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences bestowed a dozen nominations on God of War: Ragnarok. But while it might have missed the big prize, Kratos and company collected more statuettes than any other game at the DICE Awards. Developers from Sony Santa Monica would climb up on stage seven times, starting with the award for “Adventure Game of the Year.”
The team would also be honored for their narrative work (“Outstanding Achievement in Story” and “Outstanding Achievement in Character” for Kratos himself), graphical prowess (“Outstanding Achievement in Animation” and “Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction”), and audio work (“Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition” and “Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design”).
The only other game to win multiple awards at the 2022-2023 DICE Awards was Vertical Robot’s Red Matter 2, which was triumphant in both immersive reality categories (“Immersive Reality Technical Achievement” and “Immersive Reality Game of the Year”).
Many of the remaining awards were distributed amongst some of the biggest surprises from 2022. The vampire-less Vampire Survivors sunk its teeth into the “Action Game of the Year” award. The full-fledged Premium Edition of Dwarf Fortress paid off more than 15 years of anticipation with a win for “Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year.” And the addictive Marvel Snap was named “Mobile Game of the Year.”
You’ll find a replay of last night’s ceremony, which was hosted by Greg “GameOverGreggy” Miller and IGN’s Stella Chung, after the break, along with a full list of winners and nominees.
Game of the Year
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Stray
- Vampire Survivors
Mobile Game of the Year
- WINNER: Marvel Snap
- Diablo Immortal
- Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
- Immortality
- Poinpy
Online Game of the Year
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ll
- FIFA 23
- Marvel Snap
- Rumbleverse
Action Game of the Year
- WINNER: Vampire Survivors
- Bayonetta 3
- Grounded
- Neon White
- Sifu
Adventure Game of the Year
- WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Norco
- Stray
- Tunic
Family Game of the Year
- WINNER: Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Kirby’s Dream Buffet
- Lost In Play
- Trombone Champ
Fighting Game of the Year
- WINNER: MultiVersus
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
- The King of Fighters XV
- Rumbleverse
- SpiderHeck
Racing Game of the Year
- WINNER: Gran Tursimo 7
- F1 22
- Need For Speed Unbound
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- Citizen Sleeper
- Weird West
- World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Sports Game of the Year
- WINNER: OlliOlli World
- FIFA 23
- Mario Strikers: Battle League
- MLB The Show 22
- NBA 2K23
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- WINNER: Dwarf Fortress
- Ixion
- Midnight Suns
- Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
- Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- WINNER: Tunic
- Immortality
- Neon White
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
- Vampire Survivors
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- WINNER: Kratos – God of War: Ragnarok
- Alejandro Vargas – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
- Atreus – God of War: Ragnarok
- Aloy – Horizon: Forbidden West
- Guybrush Threepwood – Return to Monkey Island
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Marvel Snap
- Tunic
- Vampire Survivors
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Immortality
- Tunic
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Metal: Hellsinger
- Moss: Book II
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
- Gotham Knights
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Somerville
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
- Elden Ring
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
- Immortality
- Norco
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Teardown
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
- Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
- Elden Ring
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Moss: Book II
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
- The Callisto Protocol
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Stray
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- WINNER: Red Matter 2
- Among Us VR
- Cosmonious High
- The Last Clockwinder
- Moss: Book II
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- WINNER: Red Matter 2
- Cosmonious High
- The Last Clockwinder
- Moss: Book II
- Tentacular
Hall of Fame
- WINNER: Tim Schafer