The Game Awards ceremony will take place at 7:30 a.m. on December 8th, Vietnam time. This year, Nintendo leads with the most nominations, with 15. Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 are the frontrunners with 8 nominations each. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 follows closely with 7 nominations, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with 5. Meanwhile, Starfield - one of the most anticipated games of the year from Bethesda and Microsoft - falls short with only 1 nomination.
Here is the full list of categories and nominations for The Game Awards 2023.
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the best experience across all aspects of creativity and technology- 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
An award for a game with outstanding creative vision and innovation in 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
Honoring games with the most exceptional storytelling and narrative development- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Final Fantasy 16
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Best Art Direction
For games with outstanding creative and/or technical achievements 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 games with the most outstanding sound, including background music, original songs, 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 games with the best sound design (audio and sound)- Alan Wake 2
- Dead Space Remake
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4 Remake

Best Performance
Award for the most impressive voice acting, motion capture, and/or acting performance- 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 games that stimulate thought with meaningful and positive messages to society- A Space for the Unbound
- Chants of Sennaar
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Tchia
- Terra Nil
- Venba

Best Ongoing Game
For continuously evolving games that enhance player experience over time.- Apex Legends
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
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Best Indie Game
For games with outstanding creativity and technical excellence developed by small independent publishers or individuals.- Cocoon
- Dave the Diver
- Dredge
- Sea of Stars
- Viewfinder

Best Debut Indie Game
For the best first game from a new independent studio.- Cocoon
- Dredge
- Pizza Tower
- Venba
- Viewfinder

Best Mobile Game
For the best game playable on mobile devices.- Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure
- Monster Hunter Now
- Terra Nil

Best Community Support
Recognizes games that provide outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness, including 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 VR/AR gaming experience across any platform.- Gran Turismo 7
- Humanity
- Horizon: Call of the Mountain
- Resident Evil Village
- Synapse

Innovation in Accessibility
Recognizes software/hardware pushing forward gaming accessibility by adding features, technology, and content to help more people access and enjoy games.- Diablo 4
- Forza Motorsport
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Street Fighter 6

Best Action Game
Recognizes the finest game in the action genre, focusing primarily on combat.- Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
- Dead Island 2
- Ghostrunner 2
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Remnant 2

Best Action/Adventure Game
Recognizes the best game in the action-adventure genre, 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
Recognizes the finest game designed with rich character customization and development, including multiplayer experiences.- Baldur's Gate 3
- Final Fantasy 16
- Lies of P
- Sea of Stars
- Starfield

Best Fighting Game
Recognizes the top game designed around combat competition.- God of Rock
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
- Pocket Bravery
- Street Fighter 6

Best Family Game
Recognizes the best game suitable for playing with family.- Disney Illusion Island
- Party Animals
- Pikmin 4
- Sonic Superstars
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best Sports/Racing Game
Recognizes the best racing, traditional, and non-traditional sports game.- EA Sports FC 24
- F1 23
- Forza Motorsport
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
- The Crew Motofest

Best Sim/Strategy Game
Honoring the games that excel in strategy gameplay or real-time/turn-based simulation.- Advanced Wars 1+' Re-Boot Camp
- Cities: Skylines 2
- Company of Heroes 3
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Pikmin 4

Best Multiplayer Game
Recognizing online multiplayer games with standout gameplay and design, including both co-op and 'very' large multiplayer experiences.- Baldur's Gate 3
- Diablo 4
- Party Animals
- Street Fighter 6
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Content Creator of the Year
For streamers and content creators who have had a significant and positive impact on the gaming community in 2023.- IronMouse
- PeopleMakeGames
- Quackity
- Spreen
- SypherPK

Best Esports Athlete
Recognizing the most outstanding esports athletes based on performance and conduct in 2023.- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Max “Demon1” Mazanov
- Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
- Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
- Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen

Best Esports Coach
Recognizing the most outstanding esports coaches based on performance and conduct in 2023.- Christine “potter” Chi
- Danny “zonic” Sorensen
- Jordan “Gunba” Graham
- Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam
- Yoon “Homme” Sung-young

Best Esports Event
An esports event (spanning one or multiple days) that provides the best experience for participants and spectators.- 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
Recognizing the top electronic sports title delivering the overall best experience for players (including tournaments, community support, and content updates).- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile
- Valorant

Best Esports Team
Acknowledging a specific esports team (not the entire organization) with the most outstanding performance and conduct in 2023.- Evil Geniuses
- Fnatic
- Gaimin
- JD Gaming
- Team Vitality

Most Anticipated Game
Recognizing the games that have been announced with clear potential to drive gaming media forward.- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Hades 2
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Tekken 8

Best Adaptation
Honoring projects inspired by electronic games in the entertainment industry including television, film, comics,...- Castlevania: Nocturne
- Gran Turismo
- The Last of Us
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Twisted Metal
