The Game Awards debuted on Thursday, December 8th at 4:30 PST. Lots of awesome announcements were made, and some outstanding games were given the spotlight, including the coveted Game of the Year award. In case you missed it, here’s the rundown.
Announcements
Many exciting titles to be released were announced throughout the show, the vast majority of these being new games from popular series. A couple of notable franchise continuations announced were Final Fantasy 16, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Among Us: Hide-N-Seek.
Despite this, trailers of some interesting completely new games debuted as well. Some of these include “Judas” by the creator of Bioshock Ken Levine, and “Immortals of Aveum” by developers of Halo and Bioshock.
In addition, we also got another new look at the upcoming Mario Movie and DLC announcements for games like Fire Emblem Engage and Horizon Forbidden West.
Awards
The prestigious awards announced throughout the night were given to only the best of the best, taking careful consideration to every aspect of what makes a video game great, and the best parts of a strong community. Read to the end to find out the winner of 2022’s Game of the Year!
Best Esports Event
This award celebrates this year's greatest event in every way for Esports players and viewers.
Winner: 2022 League of Legends Championship
Best Esports Coach
Behind every player is an excellent coach. This award is dedicated to the best of the best leader.
Winner: Matheus "Bzka" Tarasconi
Best Esports Team
Teamwork and camaraderie equal success. This team showed outstanding proficiency in such.
Winner: Loud-Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
This player's top-tier performance stood out among many and received the highest recognition for it.
Winner: Jacob "Yay" Whiteaker
Best Esports Game
While many multiplayer games work as excellent competition material, one stood out as the perfect playing field for the most intense head-to-head matches.
Winner: Valorant
Most Anticipated Game
For new games, hype and positive community response can make or break sales. This game had the largest amount of excitement around its upcoming release.
Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom
Best Adaptation
Turning a game into a movie or series is a difficult challenge to take on, but one rose above as an accurate translation of its source.
Winner: Arcane: League of Legends
Best Debut Indie
You don’t need a big developer to make a quality game, and this award honors an indie game that absolutely proved this statement.
Winner: Stray (Bluetwelve Studio/Annapurna)
Content Creator of the Year
Content creators are a foundation of the gaming community and provide spirit and connection with players. This creator made a legacy with their contributions this year.
Winner: Ludwig
Best Multiplayer
Multiplayer games provide a space for teamwork, friendly competition, or intense battles, and being together with everyone from friend groups to strangers. This year, one game stood out from the rest to provide the ideal platform.
Winner: Splatoon 3
Best Sports/Racing Game
For gamers who love fast-paced competition, racing games and games based on in-person sports are perfect. Out of many, one stuck out as the fan favorite.
Winner: Gran Turismo 7
Best Sim/Strategy
Games that require quick thinking and strategy can provide exhilarating gameplay. This game cemented itself as this year’s prime choice.
Winner: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Best Family
Some prefer to involve the whole family in gaming experiences, and there are many options for such. One made it to the top as 2022’s perfect family game.
Winner: Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Best Fighting
If you’re looking for intense and fast-paced gameplay, fighting games are the ideal choice. this award is made for this year's most exhilarating fighting title.
Winner: Multiversus
Best Role Playing
It can be a great opportunity for a break to step into different shoes for a bit, and this title for best role-playing game highlights what gamers loved playing as this year.
Winner: Elden Ring
Best Action/Adventure
Action and Adventure games are a classic game genre that continues in its overall popularity to this day. Audience tastes evolve over the years, and this award shows what kind of quests we favored going on this year.
Winner: God of War Ragnarok
Best Action
Punches, explosions, and deadly weapons are what you can expect to see from this category's nominees, but only one made it to the top for the most exciting action-packed title.
Winner: Bayonetta 3
Best VR/AR
As VR and AR continue to evolve over recent years, so too do games that implement their features. 2022 provided some amazing titles made for virtual reality, so an award to show them off is to be expected.
Winner: Moss: Book II
Innovation and Accessibility
Games of all kinds deserve to be able to be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of individual ability. This game includes the best features for optimal accessibility for players.
Winner: God of War Ragnarok
Best Community Support
Sponsored by Discord, this award shines the spotlight on the game with the best communication with players and handling of updates.
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV
Best Mobile Game
Gaming doesn’t stop on a PC or console, as today's age of technology has extended the world of video games to mobile phones as well.
Winner: Marvel Snap
Best Ongoing
Many creators and devs opt to provide consistent additions and content to keep the game fresh and more exciting. This award is given to the game with the best execution of these.
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV
Games for Impact
Like any form of art, video games can be a platform to relay an important message or morals. One game was awarded the most meaningful and captivating of 2022.
Winner: As Dusk Falls
Best Performance
Games that include voice lines or real-person performance capturing can provide an extra dimension to gameplay. This award goes to an actor who did an outstanding job amplifying the game.
Winner: Christopher Judge (God of War Ragnarok)
Best Audio Design
Quality audio is a must for successful games that want to include sounds to go along with their gameplay. One game was highlighted for its fantastic audio throughout.
Winner: God of War Ragnarok
Best Score and Music
Scores aren’t just for movies. A good score can accentuate the tone and mood of a scene in a game beautifully. The winner of this title provided amazing music along with their great game.
Winner: God of War Ragnarok
Best Art Direction
Visuals are a foundation of a good video game, and games that have beautiful art stand out among players. This game showed exemplary performance in its art and design.
Winner: Elden Ring
Best Narrative
Games that convey a story through progress in play can hold attention and make you want to see it through to the end. The game selected for this award includes a gripping story and excellent progression.
Winner: God of War Ragnarok
Best Game Direction
Most games from well-known creators have a large staff to put together an amazing product, with leaders at its head making sure things run smoothly. One game’s developer stood out for their excellent direction to make the game the best it can be.
Winner: Elden Ring
Game of the Year
The coveted position of Game of the Year is the highest honor, its decision is based on every aspect overall to find which 2022 title rises above all others. Design and artistic factors, as well as coding and development, are all considered to bestow the highest award of the night.
Winner: Elden Ring
Final Thoughts
Overall, 2022’s game awards gave something for everyone to get excited about, no matter their preferences. Do you think the night’s winners deserved their spot? Perhaps you wish another nominee was chosen, or a title not listed. Are there any new games or series additions you’re most excited about? Feel free to let us know on Instagram or Twitter @digitalnightly, or in the comments below!
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