Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth leads the Game Awards 2024 nominations
The Game Awards announced the nominees for the best video games of 2024 in multiple categories on Monday. Square Enix’s PS5 exclusive Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lead the pack with seven nominations each, including the coveted Game of the Year award. Other nominees for the night’s biggest prize include action RPG Black Myth: Wukong, indie roguelike deckbuilder Balatro, breakthrough RPG hit Metaphor: ReFantazio and Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree – the first ever DLC to be nominated for Game of the Year.
Metaphor: ReFantazio was also nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, and Best RPG, for a total of six nominations. Indie darling Balatro, a poker-inspired roguelike deckbuilder, finished with the third highest nominations with five nods, while Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree each picked up four nominations.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s Game of the Year nomination has irked some fans, as it isn’t a standalone title. Thanks to the Game Awards, DLCs, remakes and remasters can now be nominated in all categories “if the jury believes the new creative and technical work is worthy of a nomination.” The inclusion of the Elden Ring expansion in the category means the critically acclaimed Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will miss out on a Game of the Year nomination.
On the indie side, Animal Well, Balatro, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Neva, UFO 50 were the nominees for Best Independent Game. A breakout hit across platforms this year, Balatro was also nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Indie Debut Game, and Best Mobile Game. Neva, a puzzle platformer from publisher Devolver Digital, also received honors for Best Art Direction and Games for Impact, with a total of three nominations.
The 2024 Game Awards will mark the first time since 2019 that a Nintendo-published title will not be eligible for Game of the Year. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was nominated for Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Family Game.
The 2024 Game Awards will be held live at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 12, 2024 and streamed live worldwide on online platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. The ceremony will be hosted by creator and producer Geoff Keighley. Here is the full list of nominees:
Game of the year
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Balatro (local thunk/playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Best game direction
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Balatro (local thunk/playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Best story
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Riches (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/ Sega)
Metaphor: ReFantanzio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Best Art Direction
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Neva (Nomada Studio/Devolver)
Best score and music
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Stellar Blade (Shift Up/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best audio design
Astro Bot (Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/ Raven/ Activision/ Xbox)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Best performance
Briana White, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Hannah Telle, Life is Strange: Double Exposure
Humberly González, Star Wars Outlaws
Luke Roberts, Silent Hill 2
Melina Juergens, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Innovation in accessibility
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/Raven/Activivision/Xbox)
Diablo IV (Blizzard/Xbox)
Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare/EA)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft Montpellier/ Ubisoft)
Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)
Games for impact
Closer to the Distance (Osmotic Studios/ Skybound Games)
Indika (odd meter/ 11 bit studios)
Neva (Nomada Studio/Devolver)
Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine/Square Enix)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios)
Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios/EA)
Best running game
Destiny 2 (Bungie/SIE)
Diablo IV (Blizzard/Xbox)
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
Fortnite (epic games)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/SIE)
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian)
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
Fortnite (epic games)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/SIE)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best independent game
Animal well (shared memory/Bigmode)
Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack)
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo/ Annapurna Interactive)
Neva (Nomada Studio/Devolver)
UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Best Debut Indie Game
Animal well (shared memory/Bigmode)
Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack)
Manor Lords (Slavic magic/hooded horse)
Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios/Kepler Interactive)
The Plucky Squire (all possible futures/devolver)
Best mobile game
AFK trip (FARLIGHT/ Lilith Games)
Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack)
Pokémon Trading Card Game Bag (Creatures Inc/TPCI)
Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)
Zenless Zone Zero (miHoYo)
Best VR/AR game
Arizona Sunshine Remake (Vertigo Games)
Asgard’s Wrath 2 (Sanzaru Games/Oculus Studios)
Batman: Arkham Shadow (Camouflaj/Oculus Studios)
Metal: Hellsinger VR (Lab 42/ The Outsiders/ Funcom)
Metro Awakening (Vertigo games)
Best action game
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/ Raven/ Activision/ Xbox)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/SIE)
Stellar Blade (Up/SIE)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Sabre Interactive/Focus Entertainment)
Best action/adventure game
Astrobot (Team Asobi/ SIE)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft Montpellier/ Ubisoft)
Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Team/ Konami)
Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo/Nintendo)
Best RPG
Dragon’s Dogma 2 (Capcom)
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Riches (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/ Sega)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/ Atlus/ Sega)
Best fighting game
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO (Spike Chunsoft/Bandai Namco)
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (Arc System Works/Cygames)
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (Capcom)
MultiVersus (Player First games/WB games)
Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco)
Best family game
Astrobot (Team Asobi/SIE)
Princess Peach: Showtime! (Good Feel/Nintendo)
Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Cube/Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo/Nintendo)
The Plucky Squire (all possible futures/devolver)
Best sim/strategy game
Age of Mythology: Retold (World’s Edge/Forgotten Empires/Xbox Game Studios)
Frostpunk 2 (11-bit Studios)
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (Capcom)
Manor Lords (Slavic magic/hooded horse)
Unicorn Overlord (Vanillaware/ Sega/ Atlus)
Best sports/racing game
F1 24 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
EA Sports FC 25 (EA Vancouver /EA Romania / EA Sports)
NBA 2K25 (Visual Concepts/ 2K)
Top Spin 2K25 (Hangar 13/ 2K)
WWE 2K24 (Visual Concepts/ 2K)
Best multiplayer game
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Treyarch/Raven/Activivision/Xbox)
Helldivers 2 (Arrow Game Studios/SIE)
Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Cube/Nintendo)
Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (Sabre Interactive/Focus Entertainment)
Best adaptation
Arcane (Riot/Fortiche/Netflix)
Fallout (Bethesda/Kilter Films/Amazon MGM Studios)
Knuckles (Sega/Paramount)
Like a Dragon: Yakuza (Sega/Amazon MGM Studios)
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Crystal Dynamics/ Legendary/ Netflix)
Most anticipated game
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/ SIE)
Spirit of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/SIE)
Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Retro Studios/Nintendo)
Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)
Content creator of the year
CaseOh
IlloJuan
Technogamerz
Typical Gamer
Usada Pekora
Best Esports Game
Counter-Strike 2 (valve)
DOTA 2 (valve)
League of Legends (Riot games)
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
Valorant (Riot games)
Best Esports Athlete
33 (Neta Shapira)
Aleksib (Aleksi Virolainen)
Chovy (Jeong Ji-hoon)
Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok)
ZyWoO (Mathieu Herbaut)
ZmjjKk (Zheng Yongkang)
Best Esports Team
Bilibili Gaming (League of Legends)
Gen.G (League of Legends)
NAVI (counterattack)
T1 (League of Legends)
Team fluid (DOTA 2)
