It’s almost that time of the year! Game awards season is nearly upon us. As much as I love playing video games all year, discussing which ones are the best is dang near just as fun. It’s great to see different opinions and to see awesome video games get recognized.
In recent years, the Game Awards have become a bit of a punching bag, and with good reason. Last year’s Game Awards, in particular, had almost no emphasis on the awards at all. Some major awards were given out in rapid-fire segments where you had no time to even process who had won, and any award speech was cut off before they could say anything meaningful.
Despite this, I still love the Game Awards. Obviously, the new game reveals and trailers are awesome. But the awards are still a big deal. There’s still nowhere else where a video game developer gets to accept an award in front of such a big audience. Of course, I will disagree with some winners or nominees, but the Game Awards almost always seem to have the most logical nominees and winners of any of the year end gaming shows AAA games dominate the show, but indie game sneak into major awards and sometimes win as well. I’m also hopeful that Geoff Keighley (who runs and hosts the show) will be receptive to the feedback from last year.
With that said, expect plenty of Game Awards content here this year. I’m kicking things off by giving my final predictions for which games will get nominated. Based on past history, I think it’s very likely that game awards nominees will be announced next week. I did this exercise three months ago, and I’ve flipped my picks on several things (if you want to compare, you can see my older predictions here). Let’s get to it!
(I skipped categories that I really didn’t have a great feel for. I was not up to figuring out which indie games were “debut” games, for example)
Anything with a * is something I view as a near-lock. 95% level type confidence.
Game of the Year
-Astro Bot*
-Balatro
-Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
-Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth*
-Helldivers II
-Metaphor: Refantazio*
The locks here all seem easy enough to me. Astro Bot, Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio are all three of the highest rated games this year. I have no doubt they will all be in this and in many other categories.
I feel very close to giving Shadow of the Erdtree lock status as well, but my confidence there is closer to 90%. The fact that it is DLC will inevitably create discourse, but the DLC for Cyberpunk 2077 got a nomination in the story category last year, so I don’t see why a DLC couldn’t also get nominated for game of the year. In most cases, I’d say that it is damn near impossible for a DLC to even think about winning game of the year. But Elden Ring is another level of beast when it comes to popularity. Shadow of the Erdtree was also pretty much a full sized game anyway. I feel pretty good about it being in the mix.
The last two are trickier, but I like where I landed. I had been hesitant to throw Balatro in the mix, as indie games don’t reach these highs very often. But Balatro has a lot going in its favor. It has sold millions of copies, including on mobile apps. It is extremely highly rated. Anecdotally, I’ve seen random joke tweets about it go viral on my personal Twitter feed multiple times in the past few months as well. It seems like it has a real place in pop culture right now, and it can’t be discounted.
I really debated hard on the last one. Based on review scores, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth might be the next most logical choice, but I just don’t quite see it. I guess I’d be surprised to see that many JRPGs make this list, even though it has been a phenomenal year for that genre. It feels like votes can steal from each other in that situation, and I think Infinite Wealth gets the short end of the stick because of that.
After that, I also considered Echoes of Wisdom, as Nintendo almost always has at least one game in the game of the year mix. I would not be surprised at all if that happens, but while the review scores for that game are great, they weren’t nearly as high as most of the other Nintendo games that got nominated in past years. I think it falls just a bit short of that level.
So finally, I went with Helldivers II. Helldivers II has a somewhat low Opencritic score for this category. It is at an 83, but that is a bit skewed. A lot of critics downgraded their scores because of the shaky launch with its servers. That is obviously no longer an issue. Helldivers II also dominated gaming discourse in a way few games did this year. It was one of the biggest stories of the year when it came out and has had some positive and negative headlines that have kept it in the conversation all year. It was a tough call, but that is what I’m going with.
Best Game Direction
-Astro Bot*
-Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
-Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth*
-Helldivers II
-Metaphor: Refantazio*
Generally, the best game direction nominees are all completely copied from the best game category. The “big four” were easy choices. I went with Helldivers II over Balatro since I figured a bigger budget game is in a better position for this category over a more lo-fi indie game.
Best Narrative
-1000xResist
-Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
-Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth*
-Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
-Metaphor: ReFantazio*
This was a tricky one, but I feel decent about where I landed. Final Fantasy VII: Remake and Elden Ring were both nominated in past years. Both of them being highly rated makes me feel like they should be good to get another nomination.
My other lock besides Rebirth is Metaphor: ReFantazio. Persona 5 actually didn’t get a best narrative nomination when that came out, despite being a game of the year nominee that year. That surprised me, but Metaphor’s story feels levels beyond that one, and it should have no problem making it in.
It’s always scary to predict an indie game in these big categories, but I’ve seen enough passion for 1000xResist that I think it will make it in. There are people advocating hard for that game, and while I’m worried that not enough people played it for it to get the nomination, there aren’t enough strong AAA stories this year to keep it out.
I debated a bit for the last choice. I’d love to see Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden here, but I don’t think it got enough attention to make it. Originally, I predicted Life is Strange: Double Exposure, as that series has gotten narrative nominations before, but sitting at a 73 on OpenCritic makes that feel far less likely. I finally settled on Infinite Wealth. I have my own problems with that story, but it has many undeniably great moments, and it could be a category where the voters give the game its due if they feel bad about leaving it off their game of the year ballots.
Best Art Direction
-Dragon Age: Veilguard
-Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
-Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
-Neva
-Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II*
With only one lock, you can tell this was a tricky one. I’ll start with Hellblade II. I still think that it is the best-looking video game I have ever played. From a visual perspective, that game is damn near flawless. I feel like that game has kind of fallen out of the collective consciousness as the year has gone on, but I’d be stunned if it doesn’t get recognized here.
Rebirth and Erdtree are probably the next two that I feel best about. While I haven’t played Erdtree, it has some stunning environments, and Elden Ring was nominated in this category last time around. And while Rebirth’s visuals have some complaints, the last game got nominated here as well. That game also has some truly amazing open world areas.
I definitely did not expect to put Dragon Age: Veilguard on here, as I mostly saw a lot of chatter from people who did not care for the art style in the early trailers. I’ve mostly seen all those complaints go away on the game’s launch. In my short time playing it so far, I can confirm that it is absolutely stunning. And I dig the character models personally.
The last one was TOUGH. My original thought process was Metaphor: ReFantazio since Persona 5 got a nomination in the year it released. But I’m just not sure. It’s a great looking game, but the color palette is kind of drab, and I just feel like there have been a lot of stunning look games this year. I can’t help but feel like Metaphor will fall just short.
I also considered Star Wars Outlaws, which is an amazing looking game in so many ways. It probably deserves a nomination. But as stated with some other games already, if your review scores overall get too low, it gets tough to get nominated for anything. As great as this game looks, the fact that it is in the mid 7s on Metacritic will probably work against it.
So, I settled on Neva. I haven’t played it yet, but it looks absolutely amazing. The developer’s last game, Gris, also picked up an art direction nomination. Everything here fits to be the indie surprise on the list.
Best Score/Music
-Astro Bot
-Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth*
-Metaphor: ReFantazio*
-Silent Hill 2
-Stellar Blade
I feel close to 100% on these locks. Rebirth has a damn concert series (that I attended!). Meanwhile, Atlus constantly has amazing soundtracks, and Metaphor is on another level with its music.
From there, it gets trickier. I feel close to 80% on Astro Bot making the cut. It has a ridiculously catchy soundtrack, and as the game of the year favorite, it is going to get into more categories.
I don’t feel amazing about Stellar Blade, but I decided to throw that in here as well. There are a lot of “epic” soundtracks this year. Stellar Blade has some of that, but it also has jazzy elements and other unique aspects. At the very least, it stands out in a way many others do not. That could matter a lot.
For the last one, I debated between Persona 3: Reload and Silent Hill 2. Both are remakes, which makes this interesting. I lean Silent Hill 2 just because I feel like Metaphor might steal some votes that Reload may have gotten otherwise. If that happens, that creates an opening for Silent Hill 2.
Best Audio Design
-Astro Bot*
-Black Myth Wukong
-Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
-Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
-Silent Hill 2
This is a category generally dominated by action and survival horror games, so that is what gets most of the attention here. The one lock is Astro Bot for me. The sound design there was absolutely brilliant with such a fun array of sound effects for anything you did. I’d be kind of surprised if this one didn’t win the award.
From there, it’s all mostly the highest profile and best rated games from this past year in those aforementioned genres. Black Myth Wukong is one of the best rated action games this year. Call of Duty games have a history of being nominated in this category if the game is well received. The first Hellblade actually won this award, so I’d be surprised if the sequel didn’t also get into the mix. Silent Hill 2 was easily the highest-rated survival horror game this year, so it seems likely that it will make it in.
I thought about Dragon Age: Veilguard and Stellar Blade here as well. I really like the audio design for Stellar Blade in particular, but hard cuts had to be made.
Best Performance
-Briana White as Aerith (Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth)
-Cody Christian as Cloud (Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth)
-Kaiji Tang as Ichigan Kasuga (Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth)
-Melina Juergens as Senua (Hellblade II)
-Humberly Gonzales as Kay Vess (Star Wars Outlaws)
This category is brutal. I have next to no confidence here on anything. I feel like at least one if not two voice actors from Rebirth have to be here. Everyone in the cast was so good, and those are some of the highest profile performances this year. I went with the two biggest names here with Cody Christian as Cloud and Briana White as Aerith. I have a few other voice actors I would place higher, even though Cody and Briana are both great, too. But they feel like the most likely.
From there, I went with all lead characters that had big roles and a lot of lines to deliver. Tang does a nice job with the english Kasuga voice, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see him here, even if he didn’t get nominated last time. Juergens won last time she was in Hellblade, so I almost considered making that one a lock, but I couldn’t quite do it. Either way, she seems likely. Finally, I went with Humberly Gonzales from Star Wars Outlaws. She had a lot of lines and performed really well in her role. Despite the game not getting amazing reviews, I think enough people played it, and she did well enough to be remembered here.
Best Independent Game
-1000xResist
-Animal Well*
-Balatro*
-Neva
-Thank Goodness You’re Here
I had a few tough calls with this one and a few easy ones. Balatro and Animal Well are no-brainer locks. Balatro feels like a sure bet to win this award in general for the same reasons as discussed before. Animal Well is also very highly rated and pretty high profile.
From there, I mostly went with the highest rated indies of the year that had some attention. 1000xResist should be here if it makes “best story” like I suspect it will. Even if it doesn’t, I think it has enough acclaim to at least get nominated in this category. Neva is also very highly rated, and I am probably closer to 80% confidence on that one. Any indie that might get nominated in one of the “big” categories has a great shot at making it in this one, and I really won’t be shocked to see Neva in the art direction category.
The last one is the one I struggled the most with. I thought about UFO 50, but I do feel like the PC only release has hurt that game’s attention quite a bit. In terms of ratings, it should be here, but I’m not sure if it will be. I also considered Nine Sols, but I also wonder if being PC only will hold that one back (it releases on consoles later this month). I also lightly considered The Plucky Squire because it did get good reviews and a lot of attention, but I just saw too many holes in that game to put it here. I finally settled on Thank Goodness You’re Here. It is one of the highest rated indies this year and did get a fair amount of buzz.
Best Action Game
-Black Myth Wukong*
-Call of Duty: Black Ops 6*
-Helldivers II*
-Stellar Blade
-Warhammer: Space Marine 2
While I only have two “locks” here, I actually feel pretty good about this list. The action category is kind of narrow and feels easier to parse through. Helldivers II is the really obvious one, especially since I think that it will get a game of the year nomination. I’ve seen a lot of positive buzz for Black Ops 6, and that’s a game that a good chunk of people played, so that also feels like a good bet.
From there, I feel best about Stellar Blade and Black Myth Wukong. Those are both high-profile action games that reviewed quite well.
Space Marine 2 also got a lot of positive buzz and rounds out the top 5. The main game I considered putting here in place of Space Marine 2 was Hellblade II, but I feel like the other 5 got a bit more attention throughout the year.
Best Action/Adventure Game
-Astro Bot*
-Dragon’s Dogma 2
-Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown*
-Silent Hill 2*
-The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom*
Screw it. I’m going FOUR LOCKS here! Astro Bot is obviously the easiest pick here. Silent Hill 2 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown also feel like easy choices based on their reviews.
From there, it’s just tough to see a Zelda game not making the list, so Echoes of Wisdom is in.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an odd one, as I’m not sure if it will get nominated here or in the RPG category. Public perception also dipped on that game quite a bit after launch. If Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t make it, I would guess that the very highly acclaimed Animal Well will make an appearance here as well.
Best Role Playing Game
-Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree*
-Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth*
-Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth*
-Persona 3: Reload
-Metaphor: Refantazio*
The four locks here are pretty easy. Elden Ring was in the RPG category last time around, so it seems obvious that the DLC will make it here, too. Rebirth and Metaphor are game of the year nominee locks, so that was also easy enough. If Infinite Wealth gets snubbed for the overall game of the year, I also don’t see how it could also be snubbed here.
From there, I still feel best about Persona 3: Reload rounding out this category. It was very highly rated and was played by enough people. The dark horses here would be SMTV: Vengeance and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. But I think Reload edges both out.
Best Family Game
-Astro Bot*
-Lego Horizon Adventures
-Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door*
-Super Mario Party Jamboree
-The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
I questioned whether Astro Bot could get in here and in the action adventure category, but I feel safe saying that should be doable. Pikmin 4 was in family and sim/strategy last year, so it can definitely make it into two categories.
I feel pretty safe with The Thousand Year Door as well. It reviewed really well, and past Paper Mario games have made it to this category before as well.
From there, I think I feel best about Super Mario Party Jamboree making it in, as that also reviewed well.
Lego Horizon Adventures feels like a good bet to make it in, but I am worried about the fact that it doesn’t release until November 14th. If enough voters have review codes, it still should make it.
I also feel weirdly nervous about locking in Echoes of Wisdom. Back in 2019, the Link’s Awakening remake did not make it in for best family game. I’m just going to assume that is an odd oversight and that it will make it in this time, but I’m not quite sure what to do with that one.
Best Sim/Strategy Game
-Age of Mythology: Retold
-Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024*
-Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
-Satisfactory*
-Unicorn Overlord*
This isn’t a big genre of mine, but I feel like three of these are pretty easy locks. I was a little worried about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 releasing too late to make it in, but it was released around the same time in 2020 and still managed to win this award. Unicorn Overlord is absolutely incredible and very highly rated, and should make it in. Satisfactory is sitting at a 90 on Opencritic and should be a safe bet as well.
From there, Kunitsu and Age of Mythology are both well reviewed, and were played by enough people where I think they have a good shot of making it in.
Best Multiplayer Game
-Call of Duty: Black Ops 6*
-Dragonball: Sparkling Zero
-Helldivers II*
-Tekken 8*
-Warhammer: Space Marine 2
The three locks here are easy enough. Tekken 8 is a very highly rated fighting game. Helldivers II has a shot as a game of the year nominee, and Black Ops 6 is a very popular game with good ratings.
I saw some nice feedback for both Sparkling Zero and Space Marine 2 since their somewhat recent releases (I had a fair bit of fun with Space Marine 2 personally), so I think those games will beat out the new Mario Party game here.
If you got this far, thanks for reading! This piece was a fair bit of work, so if you enjoyed it and follow me on one of my main social media feeds, reposts and retweets are always appreciated!
Big Nerd Gaming 
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