The Game Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by The Game Awards. It is given to a video game judged to deliver the best experience across creative and technical fields. The award is traditionally accepted by the game's directors or studio executives. The process begins with over 100 video game publications and websites, which collectively name six games as nominees. After the nominees are selected, the winner is chosen by a combined vote between the jury (90%) and public voting (10%).
Since its inception, the award has been given to eleven video games. Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment has won the award three times and been nominated a record fourteen times, while FromSoftware is the only developer with more than one win. Bethesda Softworks and Capcom are the most nominated companies without a win at four. The most recent winner is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive.
Process and history The Game Awards has a voting jury consisting of over 100 video game media and influencer outlets, which have been specifically selected for their work in critically evaluating video games. Each outlet completes an unranked ballot listing its top five choices; games with the most appearances across the ballots are selected as the nominees. The winners are determined between the jury (90%) and public voting (10%). The public vote is held via the official website and social media platforms such as Discord, Facebook, and Twitter; in China, fan voting is held via Bilibili.
Any game released before a certain date in November prior to the ceremony is eligible for award consideration. As a result, any game released after the cutoff date is eligible in the following year's ceremony, such as 2018's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate nominations at the Game Awards 2019; similarly, games released between the ballot due date in early November and the cutoff date in mid-to-late November are often overlooked, such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in both 2019 and 2020 and Demon's Souls and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020. Early access games available before the cutoff date are eligible, as are live service games regardless of their release year: 2018's Among Us received several nominations in 2020.
The Game Award for Game of the Year is given to a video game judged to deliver the best experience across creative and technical fields. It is presented as the final award of the ceremony and is widely considered its most prestigious honor. Since 2017, the announcement of the winner has been preceded by a medley performance of the scores of each nominee by the Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe. The category was expanded from five to six nominees in 2018.
The award is traditionally accepted by the director of the winning game or an executive from the studio; the first award in 2014 was accepted by Dragon Age: Inquisition executive producer Mark Darrah and BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn. The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley presented the award for the first four ceremonies. Other presenters include directors of past winners—such as 2016 winner Overwatchs lead director Jeff Kaplan in 2018, 2020 winner The Last of Us Part IIs creative director Neil Druckmann in 2021, 2021 winner It Takes Twos director Josef Fares in 2022, 2023 winner Baldur's Gate 3s director Swen Vincke in 2024, and 2024 winner Astro Bots director Nicolas Doucet in 2025—and celebrity guests like Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez in 2019, Christopher Nolan in 2020, and Timothée Chalamet in 2023.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in and boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().
+ Event Game Developer Publisher 2014 Dragon Age: Inquisition BioWare Electronic Arts Bayonetta 2 PlatinumGames Nintendo Dark Souls II FromSoftware Bandai Namco Games Hearthstone Blizzard Entertainment Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Monolith Productions Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 2015 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt CD Projekt Red CD Projekt Bloodborne FromSoftware Sony Computer Entertainment Fallout 4 Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Kojima Productions Konami Super Mario Maker Nintendo EAD Nintendo 2016 Overwatch Blizzard Entertainment Doom id Software Bethesda Softworks Inside Playdead Titanfall 2 Respawn Entertainment Electronic Arts Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Naughty Dog Sony Computer Entertainment 2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo EPD Nintendo Horizon Zero Dawn Guerrilla Games Sony Interactive Entertainment Persona 5 P-Studio Atlus PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds PUBG Corporation Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo EPD Nintendo 2018 God of War Santa Monica Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment Assassin's Creed Odyssey Ubisoft Quebec Ubisoft Celeste Maddy Makes Games Marvel's Spider-Man Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment Monster Hunter: World Capcom Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games 2019 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice FromSoftware Activision Control Remedy Entertainment 505 Games Death Stranding Kojima Productions Sony Interactive Entertainment Resident Evil 2 Capcom Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Bandai Namco Studios Nintendo Sora Ltd. The Outer Worlds Obsidian Entertainment Private Division 2020 The Last of Us Part II Naughty Dog Sony Interactive Entertainment Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo EPD Nintendo Doom Eternal id Software Bethesda Softworks Final Fantasy VII Remake Square Enix Ghost of Tsushima Sucker Punch Productions Sony Interactive Entertainment Hades Supergiant Games 2021 It Takes Two Hazelight Studios Electronic Arts Deathloop Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks Metroid Dread MercurySteam Nintendo Psychonauts 2 Double Fine Xbox Game Studios Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment Resident Evil Village Capcom 2022 Elden Ring FromSoftware Bandai Namco Entertainment A Plague Tale: Requiem Asobo Studio Focus Entertainment God of War Ragnarök Santa Monica Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment Horizon Forbidden West Guerrilla Games Stray BlueTwelve Studio Annapurna Interactive Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Monolith Soft Nintendo 2023 Baldur's Gate 3 Larian Studios Alan Wake 2 Remedy Entertainment Epic Games Publishing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo EPD Nintendo Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment Resident Evil 4 Capcom Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo EPD Nintendo 2024 Astro Bot Team Asobi Sony Interactive Entertainment Balatro LocalThunk Playstack Black Myth: Wukong Game Science Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree FromSoftware Bandai Namco Entertainment Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Square Enix Metaphor: ReFantazio Studio Zero Sega 2025 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Sandfall Interactive Kepler Interactive Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Kojima Productions Sony Interactive Entertainment Donkey Kong Bananza Nintendo EPD Nintendo Hades II Supergiant Games Hollow Knight: Silksong Team Cherry Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Warhorse Studios Deep Silver
Multiple nominations and awards Developers Developer Nominations Wins Nintendo EPD 7 1 FromSoftware 5 2 Capcom 4 0 Insomniac Games 3 Kojima Productions Blizzard Entertainment 2 1 Naughty Dog Santa Monica Studio Guerrilla Games 0 id Software Remedy Entertainment Square Enix Supergiant Games
Publishers Publisher Nominations Wins Sony Interactive Entertainment 14 3 Nintendo 11 1 Bethesda Softworks 4 0 Capcom Electronic Arts 3 2 Bandai Namco Entertainment 1 Blizzard Entertainment 2 Square Enix 0 Supergiant Games
Franchises Franchise Nominations Wins Resident Evil 3 0 Super Mario Elden Ring 2 1 God of War The Legend of Zelda Death Stranding 0 Doom Final Fantasy Hades Horizon Marvel's Spider-Man
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