Love. Revenge. Happiness. Jealousy. Camaraderie. Great stories do more than move the player from A to B. The Best Storytelling award celebrates the games that engage our emotions with deft scripting and technical brilliance.
Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit I Publisher: Square Enix
Best Multiplayer Game celebrates the finest competitive and co-op experiences released in the last 12 months. Be they local split-screen, or massively multiplayer online experiences, these are games best-played with friends, enemies - or both.
Developer: Embark Studios Publisher: Embark Studios
Best Visual Design rewards technical brilliance and artistic flair. These are the games that push the limits of console or PC hardware, or that create coherent, immersive, worlds that we never want to leave, which burn bright in the memory long after we've finished playing.
Developer: Saber Interactive Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Best Indie Game celebrates independent games from small-to-midsize developers spanning genres including puzzlers, tactical RPGs, adventure games, shooters… as well as those games that defy description. The best indie games unite imagination, style, and innovation with inventive, rewarding controls to reinvigorate your love of gaming.
Developer: Odd Meter Publisher: 11 Bit Studios
Best Indie Game - Self Published is a new category for games that have been developed and published by a small team or developer. The award recognises the increasingly broad definition of 'indie' games, with a special focus on teams without the financial or technical support of a larger games publisher; and titles entering markets less well served by traditional publishing.
Developer: Aggro Crab Publisher: Aggro Crab
Shooters. MMORPGs. Sports. Racing. Strategy. Still Playing - PC & Console celebrates games from all genres that we just can't stop playing, be they ever-popular online communities or games that receive frequent updates. This award recognises vibrant online worlds and ongoing games that are dedicated to delighting both newcomers and long-standing players.
Pick your three favorite games from the list below in order of preference, your first pick being #1, second being #2 etc. Don't worry! You can scroll further down and adjust your order if you change your mind. Once happy, click 'Submit Your Answers' and you will move onto the next category.
Developer: Valve Publisher: Valve
Developer: Digital Extremes Publisher: Digital Extremes
Developer: Epic Games Publisher: Epic Games
Our Studio of the Year award celebrates the development team or studio of any scale that has produced exceptional titles or updates over the last 12 months, setting the bar for technical best-practice, community management and studio culture.
Best Game Expansion recognises a major game update or DLC expansion released in the last 12 months that significantly enhances the existing game experience and deserves adulation in its own right.
Developer: FromSoftware, Inc. Publisher: FromSoftware, Inc., Bandai Entertainment
Best Audio Design recognises games with outstanding sound design that elevate the playing experience to leave a lasting impression.
Developer: Ninja Theory Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Best Soundtrack recognises the games that gave us earworms thanks to an impeccable suite of tracks that carefully sidekick the adventure, whether it was spooky, cosy or even a bit of both.
Developer: inkle Ltd Publisher: inkle Ltd
Our Best Lead Performer award recognises the talented actors who delivered standout performances in video games over the past 12 months.
Senua, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
Our Best Supporting Performer award recognises the legendary thespians who delivered emphatic supporting roles in video games over the past 12 months.
The Furies, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
PC Game of the Year recognises games that were released exclusively on PC hardware - or that offered significant PC upgrades - and were released in the last 12 months.
Developer: Coffee Stain Studios Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Console Game of the Year shines a spotlight on the finest PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo titles of the last 12 months, with a special focus on exclusive games from first-party and third-party studios.
Developer: Team Asobi Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Best Early Access Game award recognises games that launched into early access in the last 12 months and made a significant impact.
Developer: Slavic Magic Publisher: Hooded Horse
Best Gaming Hardware spans consoles, PC components, accessories, controllers and more, recognising the tech that made class-leading enhancements in the last 12 months or created new ways to play. Which piece of hardware hit that sweet spot of design, functionality and desirability for you?