What just happened? It’s that time of year again when the nominations for The Game Awards are revealed. 2024 could be the first time in the event’s 10-year history that an expansion wins Game of the Year, thanks to a rule change that makes these non-standalone games eligible for the GOTY category. It means Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree could walk away with the top prize. Elsewhere, indie title Balatro has been nominated for five awards, including GOTY, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard appears in just one category: Innovation in Accessibility.
Compared to 2023 when we saw the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Marvel’s Spider Man 2, there haven’t been as many obvious GOTY contenders in 2024. It could be why The Game Awards now allows expansions in the category, given that many people name Shadow of the Erdtree as their favorite title from this year. Nevertheless, its win would doubtlessly be a controversial one.
As explained by The Game Awards’ FAQ:
The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release. Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration.
The rest of the GOTY nominees include Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio. I have a feeling that Rebirth, which has the joint-highest number of nominations (seven) alongside Astro Bot, could be crowned winner. Metaphor, meanwhile, is nominated in six categories.
The nominees for Game of the Year at #TheGameAwards on December 12:
Vote Now: pic.twitter.com/jdEKGcYcKw
– Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 18, 2024
Something that most gamers will likely be pleased to see is the poor showing by Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The game has been mired in controversy over everything from its extreme push for inclusivity to the game’s cartoonish looks. Veilguard’s only appearance is in the Innovation in Accessibility category, which honors video games that implement outstanding features, technology, and content to enhance accessibility for players with disabilities.
Some other interesting categories include Best Adaptation, which will hopefully see Fallout win, and the Most Anticipated Game – GTA 6, surely.
Also read: The Best PC Games (You Should Be Playing)
The jury, made up of global press outlets and content creators, will now vote for the winners of each category from the list of nominees. The general public can also vote for their favorites (sign in here), which will count toward 10% of the overall tallies.
The Game Awards will be livestreamed on December 12 starting at 8:00 p.m. ET on YouTube and other platforms. There’s also the usual pre-show that starts 30 minutes earlier.
Full list of categories and nominees
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
- Metapahor: ReFantazio
Best Narrative
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantanzio
- 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 Adaptation
- Arcane
- Fallout
- Knuckles
- Like a Dragon: Yakuza
- Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
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 2)
Best Independent Game
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Neva
- UFO 50
Best Debut Indie Game
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Manor Lords
- Pacific Drive
- The Plucky Squire
Games for Impact
- Closer the Distance
- Indika
- Neva
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Tales of Kenzera: Zau
Best Role-Playing Game
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
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 Action Game
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
- Stellar Blade
Best Strategy Game
- Age of Mythology: Retold
- Frostpunk 2
- 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 40,000: Space Marine 2
Best Fighting Game
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO
- Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
- Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
- MultiVersus
- Tekken 8
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 Mobile Game
- AFK Journey
- Balatro
- Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
- Wuthering Waves
- Zenless Zone Zero
Best VR/AR Game
- Arizona Sunshine Remake
- Asgard’s Wrath 2
- Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Metal: Hellsinger VR
- Metro Awakening
Best Family Game
- Astro Bot
- Princess Peach: Showtime!
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- The Plucky Squire
Most Anticipated Game
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Grand Theft Auto 6
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Monster Hunter Wilds
Innovation In Accessibility
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Diablo IV
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Star Wars Outlaws
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Team
- Bilibili Gaming (League of Legends)
- Gen.G (League of Legends)
- NAVI (Counter-Strike)
- T1 (League of Legends)
- Team Liquid (Dota 2)
Best Esports Player
- 33 – Neta Shapira
- Aleksib – Aleksi Virolainen
- Chovy – Jeong Ji-hoon
- Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok
- ZyWoO – Mathieu Herbaut
- ZmjjKk – Zheng Yongkang
Content Creator of the Year
- CaseOh
- IlloJuan
- Techno Gamerz
- TypicalGamer
- Usada Pekora