The nominations for this year’s Game Awards highlight an outstanding collection of 96 games, developers, and industry professionals competing in multiple categories.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Astro Bot stand at the forefront, each securing seven nominations. Following closely behind, Metaphor: ReFantazio earned six nominations, while Balatro and the Silent Hill 2 remake received five nominations each.
The Game of the Year category features six strong contenders: Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio. The inclusion of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, an add-on to 2022’s Game of the Year winner, aligns with the awards’ guidelines permitting DLC and add-ons if they showcase remarkable creative and technical achievements.
Publisher Standings and Independent Recognition
PlayStation leads the publisher nominations count with 16 nods, while Square Enix and Xbox tied at 12 nominations each. Sega follows with 11 nominations, Bandai Namco secured 7, and Nintendo rounds out the top publishers with 6 nominations.
Independent games received substantial recognition this year. Beyond Balatro’s remarkable performance, titles like Neva, Indika, Animal Well, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, UFO 50, and The Plucky Squire earned nominations in various categories.
The Best Adaptation category highlights the growing success of gaming properties in other media, featuring Arcane, Fallout, Knuckles, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.
Full List of Nominations:
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
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Adaptation
- Arcane
- Fallout
- Knuckles
- Like a Dragon: Yakuza
- Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
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 Performance
- Briana White (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
- Hannah Telle (Life is Strange: Double Exposure)
- Humberly González (Star Wars Outlaws)
- Luke Roberts (Silent Hill 2)
- Melina Juergens (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)
Innovation in Accessibility
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Diablo IV
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Star Wars Outlaws
Games for Impact
- Indika
- Neva
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Tales of Kenzera: Zau
- Closer the Distance
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 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
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 Action Game
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Stellar Blade
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
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 RPG
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Fighting Game
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO
- Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
- Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
- MultiVersus
- Tekken 8
Best Family Game
- Astro Bot
- 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
- Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
- Manor Lords
- Unicorn Overlord
Best Sports/Racing
- F1 24
- EA Sports FC 25
- NBA 2K25
- Top Spin 2K25
- WWE 2K24
Best Multiplayer
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Tekken 8
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Most Anticipated Game
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Monster Hunter Wilds
Content Creator of the Year
- CaseOh
- IlloJuan
- Techno Gamerz
- TypicalGamer
- Usada Pekora
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- 33 (Neta Shapira)
- Aleksib (Aleksi Virolainen)
- Chovy (Jeong Ji-hoon)
- Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok)
- ZyWoO (Mathieu Herbaut)
- ZmjjKk (Zheng Yongkang)
Best Esports Team
- Bilibili Gaming (League of Legends)
- Gen.G (League of Legends)
- NAVI (Counter-Strike)
- T1 (League of Legends)
- Team Liquid (DOTA 2)
The ceremony includes categories for esports, featuring nominations for games like Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Valorant. Outstanding esports athletes nominated include 33 (Neta Shapira), Aleksib (Aleksi Virolainen), Chovy (Jeong Ji-hoon), Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok), ZyWoO (Mathieu Herbaut), and ZmjjKk (Zheng Yongkang).
Public voting opened on The Game Awards website for all categories. The Players’ Voice award, determined entirely by fan votes, will announce its nominees on December 2. The Game Awards 2024 ceremony takes place on December 12, bringing together industry professionals, creators, and fans to celebrate gaming achievements while highlighting upcoming releases through new game announcements and trailers.
The ceremony guidelines allow expansion packs, DLC, remakes, and remasters to compete in all categories when deemed worthy by the jury panel, made up of over 100 global media outlets and influencers.
