The Game Awards 2023 Winners and Nominees: Full Category Breakdown

The Game Awards 2023 had an unusually stacked field, which is a polite way of saying the backlog did not survive the year. From Baldur's Gate 3 to Alan Wake 2, the show covered blockbuster releases, indies, esports, accessibility, adaptations, and future releases worth watching.

The Game Awards 2023 Winners and Nominees

Winners are marked in bold.

Game of the Year

• 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

• 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

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Best Art Direction

• Alan Wake 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Lies of P
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Score and Music

• Alan Wake 2, Composer Petri Alanko
• Baldur's Gate 3, Composer Borislav Slavov
• Final Fantasy XVI, Composer Masayoshi Soken
• Hi-Fi Rush, Audio Director Shuichi Kobori
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Composed by Nintendo Sound Team

Best Audio Design

• Alan Wake 2
• Dead Space Remake
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4 Remake

Best Performance

• Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI
• 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

Innovation in Accessibility

• Diablo 4
• Forza Motorsport
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Street Fighter 6

Games for Impact

• A Space for the Unbound
• Chants of Sennaar
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Tchia
• Terra Nil
• Venba

Best Ongoing

• Apex Legends
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

Best Community Support

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy XIV
• No Man's Sky

Best Independent Game

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• Sea of Stars
• Viewfinder

Best Debut Indie Game

• Cocoon
• Dredge
• Pizza Tower
• Venba
• Viewfinder

Best Mobile Game

• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
• Honkai: Star Rail
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure
• Monster Hunter Now
• Terra Nil

Best VR / AR

• Gran Turismo 7
• Humanity
• Horizon: Call of the Mountain
• Resident Evil Village
• Synapse

Best Action Game

• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
• Dead Island 2
• Ghostrunner 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Remnant 2

Best Action / Adventure

• 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

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P
• Sea of Stars
• Starfield

Best Fighting

• God of Rock
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
• Pocket Bravery
• Street Fighter 6

Best Family

• Disney Illusion Island
• Party Animals
• Pikmin 4
• Sonic Superstars
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best SIM / Strategy

• Advanced Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
• Cities: Skylines II
• Company of Heroes 3
• Fire Emblem Engage
• Pikmin 4

Best Sports / Racing

• EA Sports FC 24
• F1 23
• Forza Motorsport
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
• The Crew Motorfest

Best Multiplayer

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Diablo IV
• Party Animals
• Street Fighter 6
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best Adaptation

• Castlevania: Nocturne
• Gran Turismo
• The Last of Us
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• Twisted Metal

Most Anticipated Game

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Hades 2
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Tekken 8

Content Creator of the Year

• IronMouse
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike 2
• DOTA 2
• Leage of Legends
• PUBG Mobile
• VALORANT

Best Esports Athlete

• Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok
• Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut
• Max "Demon1" Mazanov
• Paco "HyDra" Rusiewiez
• Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk
• Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen

Best Esports Team

• Evil Geniuses
• Fnatic
• Gaimin Gladiators
• JD Gaming
• Team Vitality

Best Esports Coach

• Christine "potter" Chi
• Danny "Zonic" Sorensen
• Jordan "Gunba" Graham
• Remy "XTQZZZ" Quoniam
• Yoon "Homme" Sung-young

Best Esports Event

• 2023 League of Legends World Championship
• tv Paris Major 2023
• EVO 2023
• The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
• VALORANT Champions 2023

Players' Voice

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Genshin Impact
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Highlights and Friction Around the Show

The 2023 ceremony had plenty to show, including special announcements, celebrity appearances, and reveals such as Monster Hunter Wilds. It also drew criticism from viewers who felt the broadcast leaned too heavily on trailers and guests while leaving less room for the awards themselves.

That tension is not new for a showcase of this size, but 2023 made it especially visible. The games were strong, the reveals were loud, and the pacing gave everyone something to argue about afterward. Very efficient, really.

Looking Past The Game Awards 2023

With the 2023 winners settled, attention naturally shifted toward The Game Awards 2024 and the question of whether another year could match this lineup. Until then, the nominee list alone offers more than enough excellent games to catch up on.