The Game Awards announced its nominees for Game of the Year 2024 in a livestream Monday. This year’s race for GOTY hasn’t had an obvious frontrunner thus far, making the announcement one of the bigger surprises in the show’s 10-year history.
As of today’s announcement, the six nominees for Game of the Year are locked in, which kicks off the second stage of jury voting. The jury will also select from nominees for categories like Best Mobile Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and more.
The Game Awards are on Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The nominees are as follows, in no particular order.
Game of the Year
Game of the Year is described as, “Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.”
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Game Direction
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Metapahor: ReFantazio
Best Ongoing Game
- Destiny 2
- Diablo 4
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
Best Art Direction
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Neva
Best Mobile Game
- AFK Journey
- Balatro
- Wuthering Waves
- Zenless Zone Zero
- Pokémon TCG Pocket
Best Narrative
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinte Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Silent Hill 2
Best Performance
- Briana White, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Hannah Telle, Life is Strange: Double Exposure
- Humberly Gonzalez, Star Wars Outlaws
- Luke Roberts, Silent Hill 2
- Melina Juergens, Senua’s Saga: Hellbade 2
Best Score & Music
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Silent Hill 2
- Stellar Blade
Best Adaptation
- Arcane
- Fallout
- Knuckles
- Like a Dragon: Yakuza
- Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Best Multiplayer
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Tekken 8
Best Independent Game
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Neva
- UFO 50
Most Anticipated Game
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Grand Theft Auto 6
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Monster Hunter Wilds
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
Content Creator
- CaseOh
- Illojuan
- Techno Gamers
- TypicalGamer
- Usada Pekora
Best Action/Adventure
- Astro Bot
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Silent Hill 2
- Star Wars Outlaws
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Best Action
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
- Stellar Blade
Best Fighting
- Dragon Ball Sparking Zero
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus Rising
- Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection
- Multiversus
- Tekken 8
Innovation in Accessibility
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Diablo 4
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Star Wars Outlaws
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 FC25
- NBA 2K25
- Topspin 2K25
- WWE 2K24
Best Esports Game
- Counter Strike
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- 33
- AleksiB
- Chovy
- Faker
- Zywoo
- Zmjjkk
Best Esports Team
- Bilibili Gaming, League of Legends
- Gen.G, League of Legends
- Navi, Counterstrike
- T1, League of Legends
- Team Liquid, Dota 2
The post The Game Awards announces Game of the Year 2024 nominees appeared first on Polygon.