The Game Awards: These are the nominations for the best games of the year

The Game Awards unveiled the candidates for the 2024 presentation on Monday, finishing off a diverse year in video games. The games highlighted skew towards the typical batch of action and role-playing titles, like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree bringing the FromSoftware juggernaut back to The Game Awards and Black Myth Wukong getting into Game of the Year. However, indies like Balatro and the family game Astro Bot collected a big batch of nominations.

This year, Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have seven nominations each, while Metaphor: ReFantazio has six. Sony Interactive Entertainment leads in terms of companies represented with 16 nominations, with Square Enix and Xbox garnering 12 each, and Sega rounding out the top with 11.

The Game of the Year award (and, by extension, Best Game Direction because the nominees are identical) is an interesting one. The nominations for Game of the Year include Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, as well as a surprising indie hit (Balatro), a DLC expansion to a previous winner (Shadow of the Erdtree), and a popular but critically split action game (Black Myth: Wukong).Balatro received five nominations in total, with the other two receiving four apiece.

Although most of the other nominees were expected, Silent Hill 2 received a nomination for best narrative (the story was written over 20 years ago), Dragon Age: The Veilguard only received one mention, and Star Wars Outlaws, which underperformed for Ubisoft, received three nominations.

The winners will be revealed at the event on December 12, which will also include other game previews and trailers. The entire list of The Game Awards 2024 candidates is below:

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Game Direction

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth Wukong
• Elden Ring; Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Narrative

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Silent Hill 2

Best Art Direction

• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Neva

Best Score & Music

• Astro Bot
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Silent Hill 2
• Stellar Blade

Best Audio Design

• Astro Bot
• Call of Duty Black Ops 6
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Silent Hill 2

Best Performance

• Briana White – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Hannah Telle – Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Humberly Gonzalez: Star Wars Outlaws
• Luke Roberts – Silent Hill 2
• Melina Juergens – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Innovation in Accessibility

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Diablo 4
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Star Wars Outlaws

Games for Impact

• Closer the Distance
• Indika
• Neva
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Best Ongoing Game

• Destiny 2
• Diablo 4
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• No Man’s Sky

Best Independent Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Neva
• UFO 50

Best Debut Indie Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Manor Lords
• Pacific Drive
• The Plucky Squire

Best Mobile Game

• AFK Journey
• Balatro
• Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
• Wuthering Waves
• Zenless Zone Zero

Best VR/AR Game

• Arizona Sunshine Remake
• Asgard’s Wrath 2
• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Metal: Hellsinger VR
• Metro Awakening

Best Action Game

• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Stellar Blade
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Action/Adventure Game

• Astro Bot
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Silent Hill 2
• Star Wars Outlaws
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Best RPG

• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Fighting Game

• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
• Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• MultiVersus
• Tekken 8

Best Family Game

• Astro Bot
• Princess Peach: Showtime!
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Plucky Squire

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• Age of Mythology: Retold
• Frostpunk 2
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
• Manor Lords
• Unicorn Overlord

Best Sports/Racing Game

• F1 24
• EA Sports FC 25
• NBA 2K25
• Top Spin 2K25
• WWE 2K24

Best Multiplayer Game

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Tekken 8
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Adaptation

• Arcane
• Fallout
• Knuckles
• Like a Dragon: Yakuza
• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Most Anticipated

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Grand Theft Auto 6
• Metroid Prime 4 Beyond
• Monster Hunter Wilds