The Game Awards announced the nominees for the best video games of 2024 across multiple categories Monday. PS5 exclusive Astro Bot and Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lead the pack with seven nominations each, including the coveted Game of the Year honour. Other nominees for the night’s biggest prize include action-RPG Black Myth: Wukong, indie roguelike deckbuilder Balatro, breakout RPG hit Metaphor: ReFantazio and Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree — the first DLC ever to be nominated for Game of the Year.
Metaphor: ReFantazio was also nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music and Best RPG, rounding out a total six nominations. Indie darling Balatro, a poker-inspired roguelike deckbuilder, ended up with third highest nominations with five nods, while Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree garnered four nominations each.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s Game of the Year nomination has irked a section of fans as it’s not a standalone title. The Game Awards now allow for DLCs, remakes and remasters to be nominated in all categories “if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination.” The inclusion of the Elden Ring expansion in the category means that the acclaimed Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth misses out on a Game of the Year nomination.
On the indie side, Animal Well, Balatro, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Neva, UFO 50 made up the nominees for Best Independent Game. Balatro, a breakout hit across platforms this year, was also nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Debut Indie Game and Best Mobile Game. Neva, a puzzle-platformer from publisher Devolver Digital, also received nods for Best Art Direction and Games for Impact, with total three nominations.
The Game Awards 2024 marks the first time since 2019 that a Nintendo-published title isn’t in the running for Game of the Year. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was nominated for Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Family Game.
The Game Awards 2024 will be held live at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 12, 2024, and live streamed globally on online platforms like YouTube and Twitch. The ceremony will be hosted by creator and producer Geoff Keighley. Here’s the full list of nominees:
Game of the Year
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/ Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Balatro (Local Thunk/ Playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/ Bandai Namco)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Best Game Direction
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/ Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Balatro (Local Thunk/ Playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/ Bandai Namco)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Best Narrative
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/ Sega)
Metaphor: ReFantanzio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory/ Xbox Game Studios)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Best Art Direction
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/ Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/ Bandai Namco)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Neva (Nomada Studio/ Devolver)
Best Score and Music
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/ Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Stellar Blade (Shift Up/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Audio Design
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/ Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/ Raven/ Activision/ Xbox)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory/ Xbox Game Studios)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
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 II
Innovation in Accessibility
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/ Raven/ Activision/Xbox)
Diablo IV (Blizzard/ Xbox)
Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare/ EA)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft Montpellier/ Ubisoft)
Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/ Ubisoft)
Games for Impact
Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios/ Skybound Games)
Indika (Odd Meter/ 11 Bit Studios)
Neva (Nomada Studio/ Devolver)
Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine/ Square Enix)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory/ Xbox Game Studios)
Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios/ EA)
Best Ongoing Game
Destiny 2 (Bungie/ SIE)
Diablo IV (Blizzard/ Xbox)
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/ SIE)
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian)
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/ SIE)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best Independent Game
Animal Well (Shared Memory/ Bigmode)
Balatro (LocalThunk/ Playstack)
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo/ Annapurna Interactive)
Neva (Nomada Studio/ Devolver)
UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Best Debut Indie Game
Animal Well (Shared Memory/ Bigmode)
Balatro (LocalThunk/ Playstack)
Manor Lords (Slavic Magic/ Hooded Horse)
Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios/ Kepler Interactive)
The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures/ Devolver)
Best Mobile Game
AFK Journey (FARLIGHT/ Lilith Games)
Balatro (LocalThunk/ Playstack)
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket (Creatures Inc/ TPCI)
Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)
Zenless Zone Zero (miHoYo)
Best VR/ AR Game
Arizona Sunshine Remake (Vertigo Games)
Asgard’s Wrath 2 (Sanzaru Games/ Oculus Studios)
Batman: Arkham Shadow (Camouflaj/ Oculus Studios)
Metal: Hellsinger VR (Lab 42/ The Outsiders/ Funcom)
Metro Awakening (Vertigo Games)
Best Action Game
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/ Raven/ Activision/ Xbox)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/ SIE)
Stellar Blade (Shift Up/ SIE)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive/ Focus Entertainment)
Best Action/ Adventure Game
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/ SIE)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft Montpellier/ Ubisoft)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/ Ubisoft)
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo/ Nintendo)
Best RPG
Dragon’s Dogma 2 (Capcom)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/ Bandai Namco)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/ Sega)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Best Fighting Game
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO (Spike Chunsoft/ Bandai Namco)
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (Arc System Works/ Cygames)
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (Capcom)
MultiVersus (Player First Games/ WB Games)
Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco)
Best Family Game
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/SIE)
Princess Peach: Showtime! (Good-Feel/ Nintendo)
Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Cube/ Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo/ Nintendo)
The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures/ Devolver)
Best Sim/ Strategy Game
Age of Mythology: Retold (World’s Edge/ Forgotten Empires/ Xbox Game Studios)
Frostpunk 2 (11 Bit Studios)
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (Capcom)
Manor Lords (Slavic Magic/ Hooded Horse)
Unicorn Overlord (Vanillaware/ Sega/ Atlus)
Best Sports/ Racing Game
F1 24 (Codemasters/ EA Sports)
EA Sports FC 25 (EA Vancouver /EA Romania / EA Sports)
NBA 2K25 (Visual Concepts/ 2K)
Top Spin 2K25 (Hangar 13/ 2K)
WWE 2K24 (Visual Concepts/ 2K)
Best Multiplayer Game
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/ Raven/ Activision/Xbox)
Helldivers 2 (Arrow Game Studios/ SIE)
Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Cube/ Nintendo)
Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive/ Focus Entertainment)
Best Adaptation
Arcane (Riot/ Fortiche/ Netflix)
Fallout (Bethesda/ Kilter Films/ Amazon MGM Studios)
Knuckles (Sega/ Paramount)
Like a Dragon: Yakuza (Sega/ Amazon MGM Studios)
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Crystal Dynamics/ Legendary/ Netflix)
Most Anticipated Game
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/ SIE)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/ SIE)
Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Retro Studios/ Nintendo)
Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)
Content Creator of the Year
CaseOh
IlloJuan
Techno Gamerz
TypicalGamer
Usada Pekora
Best Esports Game
Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
DOTA 2 (Valve)
League of Legends (Riot Games)
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
Valorant (Riot Games)
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)
