The D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. It is given in honor of "the single game, without regard to system or delivery mechanism, voted by the membership of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences that best utilizes the chosen medium to entertain users". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.
The most recent winner of the award is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive.
History Category name changes The 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony was held on May 28, 1998, with the licensed adaptation of GoldenEye 007, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, receiving the first award. The award was originally known as Interactive Title of the Year for the 1998 ceremony. It would be renamed Game of the Year at the following year's awards ceremony. For a brief period between 2006 and 2009, the award was presented as Overall Game of the Year.
Indie Games
The first indie that was nominated for Game of the Year was Angry Birds HD, while Journey was the first indie game winner. The only other indie games that had won were Untitled Goose Game, Hades, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. On a yearly basis since 2016, there had been at least one indie game nominee for Game of the Year: 2016: Ori and the Blind Forest 2017: Inside 2018: Cuphead 2019: Into the Breach, Return of the Obra Dinn 2020: Disco Elysium, Outer Wilds, Untitled Goose Game 2021: Hades 2022: Inscryption 2023: Stray, Vampire Survivors 2024: Cocoon 2025: Balatro 2026: Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2026 were the only years that had more than one indie game nominee, with 2020 and 2026 being the years of indie games majority.
Genres The most frequently nominated and winning genres for Game of the Year had been action, adventure, and role-playing games. No strategy game had ever won the award, but fourteen had been nominated: Age of Empires, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, Sacrifice, Sid Meier's Civilization III, Command & Conquer: Generals, Rise of Nations, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Hearthstone, Into the Breach, Inscryption, and Balatro. The Sims was the only simulation game to win the top award, with six others also being nominated: MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, RollerCoaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes, Black & White, Animal Crossing, Nintendogs, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Four rhythm games had been nominated: PaRappa the Rapper, Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, and Rock Band. The only fighting games that had been nominated were Soulcalibur, Tekken Tag Tournament, and WWF No Mercy. The awards ceremony in 2001 had six sports game nominees: FIFA 2001, Links 2001, Madden NFL 2001, SSX, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and Virtua Tennis; SSX 3 and Wii Sports were the only sports games nominated after 2001. Only three expansion packs had ever been nominated (all during the awards ceremony in 2001): Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark, and RollerCoaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes. The only compilation pack that received a nomination for Game of the Year was The Orange Box (which included Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, as well as previously released titles of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One).
Platforms Nearly every Game of the Year nominee had either been released for a home video game console or for personal computer. Pokémon Yellow, Nintendogs, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds were the only nominees that were released for handheld game consoles. There had been six nominees that were released for mobile devices at the time of their nomination: Angry Birds HD, The Walking Dead, Hearthstone, Pokémon Go, Vampire Survivors, and Balatro. Journey, Borderlands 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Inside, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Into the Breach, Disco Elysium, and Hades would eventually be released for mobile devices, but they were not at the time of their nomination.
Other Game of the Year Awards Usually the winner for Game of the Year would also win the award for their respective genre/platform category; the only exceptions had been The Sims, Battlefield 1942, Untitled Goose Game, and It Takes Two. Of the four exceptions, Battlefield 1942 and Untitled Goose Game did not receive any nominations for their respective genre-related category (although the former did win the award for Online Gameplay of the Year, while the latter won for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game). There had been seven winners for Family Game of the Year that were also nominated for Game of the Year: Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Rock Band, LittleBigPlanet, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Astro Bot, with LittleBigPlanet and Astro Bot being the only winners for Game of the Year. Angry Birds HD and Journey were the only winners for Casual Game of the Year that were also nominated for Game of the Year; the latter game won both awards.
List of Winners and nominees 1990s + Table keyIndicates the winner YearGameDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)1997/1998 (1st) GoldenEye 007RareNintendoAge of EmpiresEnsemble StudiosMicrosoftBlade RunnerWestwood StudiosVirgin InteractiveFinal Fantasy VIISquareSoftSony Computer EntertainmentPaRappa the RapperNanaOn-ShaQuake II id Software Activision Riven: The Sequel to Myst Cyan Worlds Red Orb Entertainment Turok: Dinosaur Hunter Iguana Entertainment Acclaim Entertainment1998/1999 (2nd) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeNintendo EADNintendoBanjo-KazooieRareNintendoGrim FandangoLucasArtsLucasArtsHalf-LifeValveSierra StudiosMetal Gear SolidKonamiKonamiSid Meier's Alpha CentauriFiraxis GamesElectronic ArtsStar Wars: Rogue SquadronFactor 5, LucasArtsLucasArts1999/2000 (3rd) The SimsMaxisElectronic ArtsAge of Empires II: The Age of KingsEnsemble StudiosMicrosoftDonkey Kong 64RareNintendoPokémon YellowGame FreakSoulcaliburProject SoulNamcoUnreal TournamentEpic Games, Digital ExtremesGT Interactive
2000s YearGameDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)2000 (4th) Diablo IIBlizzard NorthBlizzard EntertainmentAge of Empires II: The ConquerorsEnsemble StudiosMicrosoftAsheron's CallTurbine Entertainment SoftwareBaldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnBioWareInterplay EntertainmentBanjo-TooieRareNintendoChrono CrossSquareSoftSquare Electronic ArtsCommand & Conquer: Red Alert 2Westwood PacificElectronic ArtsDeus ExIon StormEidos InteractiveDisney's Magic Artist 3DDisney InteractiveDisney InteractiveEverQuest: The Ruins of KunarkVerant InteractiveSony Online EntertainmentFIFA 2001EA CanadaElectronic ArtsFinal Fantasy IXSquareSoftSquare Electronic ArtsJet Grind RadioSmilebitSegaLinks 2001Access SoftwareMicrosoftMadden NFL 2001EA TiburonElectronic ArtsMechWarrior 4: VengeanceFASA InteractiveMicrosoftRayman 2: The Great EscapeUbi PicturesUbisoftRollerCoaster Tycoon: Loopy LandscapesMicroProseHasbro InteractiveSacrificeShiny EntertainmentInterplay EntertainmentShenmueSega AM2SegaSkies of ArcadiaOverworksSpyro: Year of the DragonInsomniac GamesSony Computer EntertainmentSSXEA CanadaElectronic ArtsTekken Tag TournamentNamcoNamcoThe Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskNintendo EADNintendoThe Operative: No One Lives ForeverMonolith ProductionsFox InteractiveTony Hawk's Pro Skater 2NeversoftActivisionVirtua TennisSega AM3SegaWWF No MercyAKI CorporationTHQ2001 (5th) Halo: Combat EvolvedBungieMicrosoft Game StudiosBlack & WhiteLionhead StudiosElectronic ArtsIcoJapan StudioSony Computer EntertainmentSid Meier's Civilization IIIFiraxis GamesInfogrames2002 (6th) Battlefield 1942DICEElectronic ArtsAnimal CrossingNintendo EADNintendoGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityRockstar NorthRockstar GamesMetroid PrimeRetro StudiosNintendoRatchet & ClankInsomniac GamesSony Computer Entertainment2003 (7th) Call of DutyInfinity WardActivisionCommand & Conquer: GeneralsEA PacificElectronic ArtsMax Payne 2: The Fall of Max PayneRemedy EntertainmentRockstar GamesPrince of Persia: The Sands of TimeUbisoft MontrealUbisoftRatchet & Clank: Going CommandoInsomniac GamesSony Computer EntertainmentRise of NationsBig Huge GamesMicrosoft Game StudiosSSX 3EA CanadaElectronic ArtsStar Wars: Knights of the Old RepublicBioWareLucasArtsThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind WakerNintendo EADNintendo2004 (8th) Half-Life 2ValveVivendi Universal GamesGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasRockstar NorthRockstar GamesHalo 2BungieMicrosoft Game StudiosKatamari DamacyNamcoNamcoWorld of WarcraftBlizzard EntertainmentVivendi Universal Games2005 (9th) God of WarSanta Monica StudioSony Computer EntertainmentCall of Duty 2Infinity WardActivisionGuitar HeroHarmonixRedOctaneNintendogsNintendo EADNintendoShadow of the ColossusJapan StudioSony Computer Entertainment2006 (10th) Gears of WarEpic GamesMicrosoft Game StudiosGuitar Hero IIHarmonixRedOctaneThe Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionBethesda Game Studios2K GamesThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessNintendo EADNintendoWii Sports2007 (11th) Call of Duty 4: Modern WarfareInfinity WardActivisionBioShock2K Boston, 2K Australia2K GamesRock BandHarmonixMTV GamesSuper Mario GalaxyNintendo EADNintendoThe Orange BoxValveValve, Electronic Arts2008 (12th) LittleBigPlanetMedia MoleculeSony Computer EntertainmentFallout 3Bethesda Game StudiosBethesda SoftworksGrand Theft Auto IVRockstar NorthRockstar GamesLeft 4 DeadValve SouthValveMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the PatriotsKojima ProductionsKonami2009 (13th) Uncharted 2: Among ThievesNaughty DogSony Computer EntertainmentAssassin's Creed IIUbisoft MontrealUbisoftBatman: Arkham AsylumRocksteady StudiosWarner Bros. Interactive EntertainmentCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Infinity WardActivisionDragon Age: OriginsBioWareElectronic Arts
2010s