Gaming

The Game Awards 2023: How to Watch and What to Expect

ByNews Polite December 4, 2023

What to Expect From The Game Awards 2023

As we mentioned, The Game Awards is always one of the biggest nights in the video game world as it not only honors the great games and developers of the past year, but it also give fans an exciting look into the future with game announcements, trailers, and reveals.

You can check out the full list of The Game Awards 2023 nominees below, but we can quickly say that Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 are at the head of the pack with 8 nominations each. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 received seven nominations and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder nabbed five.

As for Game of the Year, it will be a tough battle between Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Geoff Keighley will once again be the host of The Game Awards, and he and the team have already begun teasing some of the big moments and guest stars of the show. These include the return of Flute Guy, a new game from Sharkmob and Level Infinite, the world premiere of Fortnite’s Rocket Racing reveal trailer, and guest presenters like The Muppets’ Gonzo and Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge. Oh, and we’ll get a performance from Poets of the Fall as the Alan Wake 2 in-universe band Old Gods of Asgard that was based on them.

As for other announcements, they can truly be anything from the biggest AAA games to the titles from the smallest but mightiest one-person developer teams. For context, The Game Awards 2022 show revealed Final Fantasy 16’s release date, had Armored Core 6 and Death Stranding 2 announcements, the news of Idris Elba starring in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and much more.

While many will be hoping for more Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar has already staked its claim on December 5 for the reveal of the game’s much-anticipated first trailer. Could we get something else at The Game Awards? Never say never!

We’d also love to see more of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Fable, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Avowed, the new Mass Effect, Silksong, Star Wars Outlaws, Hades 2, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake, The Plucky Squire, 33 Immortals, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Tekken 8, and so many more.

We also are so excited for the games we didn’t even know we wanted and announcements we’ve been waiting for so long for, like Half-Life 3, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess on Switch, the new Switch, any new games from our favorite franchises like The Last of Us, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Halo, Gears of War, Super Mario Bros., Pokemon, and more.

The Game Awards 2023: Every Game Nominated

Here’s a list of every game with at least one nomination at The Game Awards 2023. The first 10 games listed all received three or more nominations. Sign in to track which nominees you’ve played.

The Game Awards 2023 Nominees

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Final Fantasy 16
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

• Alan Wake 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Lies of P
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Score/Music

For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy 16
• Hi-Fi Rush
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Audio Design

Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.

• Alan Wake 2
• Dead Space Remake
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4 Remake

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

• Ben Starr – Final Fantasy 16
• Cameron Monaghan – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Idris Elba – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Melanie Liburd – Alan Wake 2
• Neil Newbon – Baldur’s Gate 3
• Yuri Lowenthal – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Games for Impact

For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.

• A Space for the Unbound
• Chants of Sennaar
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Tchia
• Terra Nil
• Venba

Best Ongoing Game

Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.

• Apex Legends
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

Best Indie Game

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• Sea of Stars
• Viewfinder

Best Debut Indie Game

For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.

• Cocoon
• Dredge
• Pizza Tower
• Venba
• Viewfinder

Best Mobile Game

For the best game playable on a mobile device.

• Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure
• Monster Hunter Now
• Terra Nil

Best Community Support

Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 16
• No Man’s Sky

Best VR/AR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.

• Gran Turismo 7
• Humanity
• Horizon: Call of the Mountain
• Resident Evil Village
• Synapse

Innovation in Accessibility

Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.

• Diablo 4
• Forza Motorsport
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Street Fighter 6

Best Action Game

For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.

• Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
• Dead Island 2
• Ghostrunner 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Remnant 2

Best Action/Adventure Game

For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• Alan Wake 2
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best RPG

For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy 16
• Lies of P
• Sea of Stars
• Starfield

Best Fighting Game

For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

• God of Rock
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
• Pocket Bravery
• Street Fighter 6

Best Family Game

For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.

• Disney Illusion Island
• Party Animals
• Pikmin 4
• Sonic Superstars
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best Sports/Racing Game

For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

• EA Sports FC 24
• F1 23
• Forza Motorsport
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
• The Crew Motofest

Best SIM/Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.

• Advanced Wars 1+” Re-Boot Camp
• Cities: Skylines 2
• Company of Heroes 3
• Fire Emblem Engage
• Pikmin 4

Best Multiplayer Game

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Diablo 4
• Party Animals
• Street Fighter 6
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Content Creator of the Year

For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.

• IronMouse
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best Esports Athlete

The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.

• Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
• Max “Demon1” Mazanov
• Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
• Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
• Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen

Best Esports Coach

The Esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• Christine “potter” Chi
• Danny “zonic” Sorensen
• Jordan “Gunba” Graham
• Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam
• Yoon “Homme” Sung-young

Best Esports Event

Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.

• 2023 League of Legends World Championship
• Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
• EVO 2023
• The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
• VALORANT Champions 2023

Best Esports Game

For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.

• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• Leage of Legends
• PUBG Mobile
• Valorant

Best Esports Team

Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• Evil Geniuses
• Fnatic
• Gaimin
• JD Gaming
• Team Vitality

Most Anticipated Game

Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Hades 2
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Tekken 8

Best Adaptation

Celebrating game-inspired projects across entertainment including TV, movies, comics, and more.

• Castlevania: Nocturne
• Gran Turismo
• The Last of Us
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• Twisted Metal

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.