A Celebration of Gaming Excellence: The Game Awards Categories

The Game Awards is an annual event that showcases the incredible diversity and talent within the gaming industry, and celebrates the best in the world of video games. As the gaming industry continues to evolve, so do the awards and categories at this prestigious event.

In this article, we’ll summarise the various categories at The Game Awards 2022, so that you’re all caught up for the big day!

Game of the Year

This one should be obvious. It’s the pinnacle of The Game Awards: the “Game of the Year” category. This award recognises the title that has made the most significant impact on the gaming industry during the year, and it should reflect excellence across the board: in game design, innovation, and overall player experience.

The process for deciding which game gets to take home this coveted award sees over 100 websites and publications dedicated to video games working together to collectively nominate six games as contenders.

Once the nominees have been announced, the winner is decided by a combination of jury voting (this accounts for 90% of the total vote) and public voting (that’s you and me – accounting for the final 10%).

Here’s a look at some of the nominees and winners from previous years.

Year	Game	Developer	Publisher
2022	Elden Ring (WINNER)	FromSoftware	Bandai Namco Entertainment
	A Plague Tale: Requiem	Asobo Studio	Focus Entertainment
	God of War Ragnarök	Santa Monica Studio	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Horizon Forbidden West	Guerrilla Games	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Stray	BlueTwelve Studio	Annapurna Interactive
	Xenoblade Chronicles 3	Monolith Soft	Nintendo
2021	It Takes Two (WINNER)	Hazelight Studios	Electronic Arts
	Deathloop	Arkane Studios	Bethesda Softworks
	Metroid Dread	MercurySteam	Nintendo
	Psychonauts 2	Double Fine	Xbox Game Studios
	Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart	Insomniac Games	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Resident Evil Village	Capcom	Capcom
2020	The Last Of Us Part II (WINNER)	Naughty Dog	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Animal Crossing: New Horizons	Nintendo	Nintendo
	Doom Eternal	id Software	Bethesda Softworks
	Final Fantasy VII Remake	Square Enix	Square Enix
	Ghost of Tsushima	Sucker Punch Productions	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Hades	Supergiant Games	Supergiant Games
2019	Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (WINNER)	FromSoftware	Activision
	Control	Remedy Entertainment	505 Games
	Death Stranding	Kojima Productions	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Resident Evil 2	Capcom	Capcom
	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Bandai Namco Studios	Nintendo
	The Outer Worlds	Obsidian Entertainment	Private Division
2018	God of War (WINNER)	Santa Monica Studio	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Assassin’s Creed Odyssey	Ubisoft	Ubisoft
	Celeste	Maddy Makes Games	Maddy Makes Games
	Marvel’s Spider-Man	Insomniac Games	Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Monster Hunter: World	Capcom	Capcom
	Red Dead Redemption 2	Rockstar Games	Rockstar Games

Best Game Direction

This category celebrates the creative vision and leadership of game directors and designers. It focuses on the unique and outstanding direction that brings a game to life, encompassing everything from storytelling to gameplay mechanics.

Best Narrative

A compelling story is often at the heart of a great game. This award celebrates outstanding storytelling, character development, and narrative delivery.

Best Art Direction

The “Best Art Direction” category acknowledges the outstanding visual aesthetics of a game. It recognises the efforts of artists and designers in creating captivating and visually stunning gaming worlds.

Best Score and Music

Music plays a crucial role in enhancing the gaming experience. This category honours composers and musicians who have contributed exceptional soundtracks to video games, elevating the emotional impact of the gameplay.

Best Audio Design

This one is definitely more technical than the previous category, focusing on the in-game audio and sound design.

Best Performance

The “Best Performance” award is dedicated to outstanding voice acting, motion capture, and character portrayal. It celebrates the talents of actors who bring the digital characters that we know and love (or hate) to life.

Games for Impact

Games have the power to provoke thought and inspire change. This category highlights games that tackle meaningful social issues, creating a positive impact on players and society as a whole.

Best Ongoing Game

Here for a good time, not a long time? How about both! Many multiplayer and online games receive ongoing updates and support. This category recognises titles that have continually evolved and improved since their initial release, keeping players engaged over time.

Best Indie Game

Independent developers often produce some of the most innovative and creative games and “Best Indie Game” celebrates just this. This one is for the achievements of small studios and solo developers who have delivered exceptional gaming experiences.

Best Mobile Game

In an era of mobile gaming, this category recognises the best games designed for smartphones and tablets. It celebrates titles that excel in delivering enjoyable experiences on portable devices.

Best Community Support

This is awarded for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, across social media platforms and via game updates and patches.

Innovation In Accessibility

The “Innovation In Accessibility” award recognises software and/or hardware that is leading the way for the rest the gaming industry to be on the very cutting edge. This encompasses features, technology and content, all designed to allow games to be played, and crucially enjoyed, by the widest possible audience.

Still with us? There are plenty more awards to go around, however these all look at specific genres, so we’ll spare you from stating the obvious.

Best VR / AR

Best Action Game

Best Action / Adventure

Best Role Playing Game

Best Fighting

Best Family

Best Sim / Strategy

Best Sports / Racing

Best Multiplayer

Content Creator of the Year

Best Debut Indie

Best Adaptation

Most Anticipated Game

Best Esports Game

Best Esports Athlete

Best Esports Team

Best Esports Coach

Best Esports Event

And there you have it! Sign up for updates and relive past shows at https://thegameawards.com/ and let us know your predictions for this year in the comments.