The Game Awards 2024

What a night! The Game Awards 2024 delivered a proper feast of announcements, with everything from The Witcher 4 to a cheeky new Elden Ring spin-off. But before we dive into the cavalcade of reveals, let’s raise a toast to the delightful Astro Bot, which rather remarkably nabbed Game of the Year, along with Best Family Game, Best Game Direction, and Best Action/Adventure Game. Not bad for a little robot, eh?

Speaking of remarkable moments, the first-ever Game Changers award went to Amir Satvat for his brilliant work helping laid-off game developers find new positions. In these turbulent times for the industry, it’s heartening to see such community-driven initiatives being recognised.

The Big Reveals

Naughty Dog clearly fancied a change of scenery from their usual post-apocalyptic shenanigans, unveiling Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Trading infected for aliens, this sci-fi adventure follows bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun (played by Tati Gabrielle) who finds herself stranded on a mysterious planet. And yes, they’ve somehow roped in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the score. Fancy!

CD Projekt Red finally pulled back the curtain on The Witcher 4, confirming what many fans hoped – Ciri’s taking the protagonist’s chair this time around. While Geralt might be enjoying his retirement in Toussaint, we’ll be following the Lady of Time and Space on her own monster-slaying adventures.

FromSoftware, meanwhile, seems to have caught the multiplayer bug with Elden Ring: Nightreign, a standalone co-op romp through a parallel version of the Lands Between. Set for 2025, it’s not quite Elden Ring 2, but it should tide us over nicely.

And in perhaps the most unexpected announcement of the night, Capcom revealed they’re bringing back both Okami and Onimusha. The former sees Hideki Kamiya returning to the director’s chair, while the latter is slated for 2026.

The Complete Winners List

Game of the Year:

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Game Direction:

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• 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 – WINNER
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Silent Hill 2

Best Art Direction:

• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Metaphor: ReFantazio – WINNER
• Neva

Best Score and Music:

• Astro Bot
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – WINNER
• 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 II – WINNER
• Silent Hill 2

Best Performance:

• Briana White, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Hannah Telle, Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Humberly Gonzalez, Star Wars Outlaws
• Luke Roberts, Silent Hill 2
• Melina Juergens, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – WINNER

Innovation in Accessibility:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Diablo IV
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Prince of Persia: The Lose Crown – WINNER
• Star Wars Outlaws

Games for Impact:

• Indika
• Neva – WINNER
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau
• Closer The Distance

Best Ongoing:

• Destiny 2
• Diablo IV
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2 – WINNER

Best Community Support:

• Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• No Man’s Sky

Best Independent Game:

• Animal Well
• Balatro – WINNER
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Neva
• UFO 50

Best Debut Indie Game:

• Animal Well
• Balatro – WINNER
• Manor Lords
• Pacific Drive
• The Plucky Squire

Best Mobile Game:

• AFK Journey
• Balatro – WINNER
• Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
• Wuthering Waves
• Zenless Zone Zero

Best VR/AR Game:

• Arizona Sunshine Remake
• Asgard’s Wrath 2
• Batman: Arkham Shadow – WINNER
• Metal: Hellsinger VR
• Metro Awakening

Best Action Game:

• Black Myth: Wukong – WINNER
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Stellar Blade
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Action/Adventure Game:

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• 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 – WINNER

Best Fighting Game:

• Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
• Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• MultiVersus
• Tekken 8 – WINNER

Best Family Game:

• Astro Bot – WINNER
• Princess Peach: Showtime
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Plucky Squire

Best Sim/Strategy Game:

• Age of Mythology: Retold
• Frostpunk 2 – WINNER
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
• Manor Lords
• Unicord Overlord

Best Sports/Racing:

• F1 24
• EA Sports FC 25 – WINNER
• NBA 2K25
• Top Spin 2K25
• WWE 2K24

Best Multiplayer:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2 – WINNER
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Tekken 8
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Adaptation:

• Arcane
• Fallout – WINNER
• Knuckles
• Like A Dragon: Yakuza
• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Most Anticipated Game:

• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
• GTA 6 – WINNER
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• Monster Hunter Wilds

Best Esports Game:

• Counter-Strike 2
• DOTA 2
• League Of Legends – WINNER
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Players’ Voice:

• Black Myth: Wukong – WINNER
• Genshin Impact
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Wuthering Waves
• Zenless Zone Zero

Old Friends, New Adventures

It wasn’t just about the big new IPs either. Borderlands 4 showed its cel-shaded face, The Outer Worlds 2 poked fun at itself with a cheeky 2025 release window, and even Pac-Man’s getting an edgy makeover in Shadow Labyrinth. The Game Kitchen, fresh off Blasphemous, is taking a crack at Ninja Gaiden with Ragebound, while It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios revealed Split Fiction, another co-op adventure featuring duelling sci-fi and fantasy worlds.

The awards show has certainly come a long way in its decade-long run. From humble beginnings to this year’s packed showcase, it’s become gaming’s equivalent of the Oscars – just with more dragons, robots, and Pet Shop Boys soundtrack reveals. Here’s to another decade of celebrating the best in gaming!