Geoff Keighley’s Trailer-Palooza took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles last night… oh, and he also found the time to hand out The Game Awards too! If it felt like there were even more “World Premiere” trailers than ever before, that was by design. Keighley shortened up the already-pretty-short awards portion of the ceremony this year, limiting acceptance speeches from winners to just 30 seconds.
The Game Awards has jumped from controversy to controversy over the past few weeks, and this latest misstep is just the latest in a long line of mistakes made by Keighley.
Even before the nominees were announced, there were calls for the Game Awards host to open the show with a statement about the thousands of layoffs that have ravaged the game industry this year. More recently, he has been criticized by most of the members of the Game Awards Future Class, who asked him to make some kind of public plea for a “long term ceasefire” in Israel’s war on Gaza. Keighley failed to acknowledge either request during last night’s show, and it’s possible the new rules about acceptance speeches were a way to keep the show on-brand.
So the 2023-2024 awards season began on something of a sour note, but a lot of great games received recognition from the judging panel and the public, even if they didn’t have enough time to thank anyone after receiving their statuette.
Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 was the big winner of the night, and the team climbed the steps to the stage a total of six times, including for “Game of the Year” and “Player’s Voice” (it was also the first time a single game had won both awards). Unsurprisingly, the RPG also won “Best Role Playing Game,” as well as “Best Multiplayer” and “Best Community Support.” Neil Newbon rounded out the game’s haul with a “Best Performance” win for his role as Astarion.
Remedy’s Alan Wake II wasn’t far behind, as the survival horror sequel won three statuettes (for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Art Direction”).
Even the hype around 2023 as the best year for gaming ever got a nod, with the rest of the night’s awards going to a wide variety of different titles. Just some of the other winners are The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (“Best Action/Adventure Game”), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (“Best Family Game”), Pikmin 4 (“Best Sim/Strategy Game”), Final Fantasy XVI (“Best Score and Music”), Hi-Fi Rush (“Best Audio Design”), and Sea of Stars (“Best Independent Game”).
A video replay of the 2023 Game Awards can be found after the break, along with a list of all the nominees and winners. Hopefully next year they’ll actually get to speak.
Jury-Voted Categories
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Alan Wake II
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Resident Evil 4
- Spider-Man 2
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Game Direction
Awarded to a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- WINNER: Alan Wake II
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Spider-Man 2
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- WINNER: Alan Wake II
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Spider-Man 2
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- WINNER: Alan Wake II
- Hi-Fi Rush
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Lies of P
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Score and Music
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XVI
- Alan Wake II
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Hi-Fi Rush
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Audio Design
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- WINNER: Hi-Fi Rush
- Alan Wake II
- Dead Space
- Resident Evil 4
- Spider-Man 2
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture.
- WINNER: Neil Newbon (As Astarion) – Baldur’s Gate 3
- Ben Starr (As Clive Rosfield) – Final Fantasy XVI
- Cameron Monaghan (As Cal Kestis) – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Idris Elba (As Solomon Reed) – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Melanie Liburd (As Saga Anderson) – Alan Wake II
- Yuri Lowenthal (As Spider-Man/Peter Parker) – Spider-Man 2
Games For Impact
For a thought provoking game with a profound pro-social meaning or message.
- WINNER: Tchia
- Chants of Sennaar
- Goodbye Volcano High
- A Space for the Unbound
- Terra Nil
- Venba
Best Independent Game
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- WINNER: Sea of Stars
- Cocoon
- Dave the Diver
- Dredge
- Viewfinder
Best Mobile Game
For the best game playable on a dedicated mobile device.
- WINNER: Honkai: Star Rail
- Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
- Hello Kitty Adventure Island
- Monster Hunter Now
- Terra Nil
Best VR/AR Game
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Resident Evil Village: VR Mode
- Gran Turismo 7
- Horizon: Call of the Mountain
- Humanity
- Synapse
Best Ongoing Game
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- WINNER: Cyberpunk 2077
- Apex Legends
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Best Action Game
For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.
- WINNER: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Dead Island 2
- Ghostrunner 2
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Remnant II
Best Action/Adventure Game
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- WINNER: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Alan Wake II
- Resident Evil 4
- Spider-Man 2
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Best Role Playing Game
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Lies of P
- Sea of Stars
- Starfield
Best Fighting Game
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- WINNER: Street Fighter 6
- God of Rock
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
- Pocket Bravery
Best Family Game
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Disney Illusion Island
- Party Animals
- Pikmin 4
- Sonic Superstars
Best Sim/Strategy Game
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Pikmin 4
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
- Cities: Skylines II
- Company of Heroes 3
- Fire Emblem Engage
Best Sports/Racing Game
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- WINNER: Forza Motorsport
- The Crew Motorfest
- EA Sports FC 24
- F1 23
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Diablo IV
- Party Animals
- Street Fighter 6
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Debut Indie
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- WINNER: Cocoon
- Dredge
- Pizza Tower
- Venba
- Viewfinder
Best Community Support
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness. Inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy XIV
- No Man’s Sky
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.
- WINNER: Forza Motorsport
- Diablo IV
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Spider-Man 2
- Street Fighter 6
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.
- WINNER: Valorant
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile
Best Esports Athlete
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023, irrespective of game.
- WINNER: Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Max “Demon1” Mazanov
- Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
- Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
- Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen
Best Esports Team
Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023.
- WINNER: JD Gaming – League of Legends
- Evil Geniuses – Valorant
- Fnatic – Valorant
- Gaimin Gladiators – Dota 2
- Team Vitality – Counter-Strike
Best Esports Coach
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2023.
- WINNER: Christine “potter” Chi
- Danny “zonic” Sorensen
- Jordan “Gunba” Graham
- Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam
- Yoon “Homme” Sung-young
Best Esports Event
Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.
- WINNER: 2023 League of Legends World Championship
- Blast.TV Paris Major 2023
- Evo 2023
- The International: Dota 2 Championships 2023
- Valorant Champions 2023
Content Creator of the Year
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the industry in 2023.
- WINNER: Ironmouse
- People Make Games
- Quackity
- Spreen
- Sypherpk
Best Adaptation
Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium.
- WINNER: The Last of Us
- Castlevania: Nocturne
- Gran Turismo
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Twisted Metal
Most Anticipated Game
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hades II
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Star Wars: Outlaws
- Tekken 8
Fan-Voted Categories
Player’s Voice
- WINNER: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 277: Phantom Liberty
- Genshin Impact
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Spider-Man 2