Geoff Keighley is back once again with The Game Awards 2022. This year (like previous years) has included some incredible games from both big and small developers and while there are only a handful of games nominated for Game of the Year, I’d like to think that doesn’t mean the rest of the nominees aren’t worthy of the title. Keighley’s show allows the medium to be celebrated in a way that only Keighley can provide.
For years, Geoff Keighley has been honing his craft and making the seasonal event a can’t miss showcase for publishers, studios, and fans. Across both Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, we have two best-in-class showcases that bring their own personality to the table. Last year’s The Game Awards saw EA and Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two take home the coveted Game of the Year Award in a year filled with big releases including Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok.
Tune in this year as The Game Awards streams live on Thursday, December 8, 2022, from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles beginning at 7:30 ET with a pre-show before kicking off at 8:00 PM ET.
Best Performance
Description: Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture.
- Ashly Burch, Horizon Forbidden West
- Charlotte McBurney, A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Christopher Judge, God of War Ragnarok
- Manon Gage, Immortality
- Sunny Suljic, God of War Ragnarok
Best Art Direction
Description: For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Scorn
- Stray
Best Ongoing Game
Description: Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
Games for Impact
Description: For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.
- A Memoir Blue
- As Dusk Falls
- Citizen Sleeper
- Endling – Extinction is Forever
- Hindsight
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Best Score/Music
Description: For outstanding music, inclusive of a score, original song, and/or licensed soundtrack.
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Metal: Hellsinger
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best Audio Design
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Gran Turismo 7
- Horizon Forbidden West
Best Multiplayer Game
Description: For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
- MultiVersus
- Overwatch 2
- Splatoon 3
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Best Community Support
Description: Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Best Indie Game
Description: For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
Best Indie Debut
Description: For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- Neon White
- Norco
- Stray
- Tunic
- Vampire Survivors
Content Creator of the Year
Description: For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.
- Karl Jacobs
- Ludwig
- Nibellion
- Nobru
- QTCinderella
Best Action/Adventure Game
Description: For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Stray
- Tunic
Best RPG
Description: For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- Elden Ring
- Live A Live
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Triangle Strategy
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best Sports/Racing Game
Description: For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- F1 22
- FIFA 23
- NBA 2K23
- Gran Turismo 7
- OlliOlli World
Best Sim/Strategy
Description: Best game focused on real-time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- Dune: Spice Wars
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Total War: Warhammer III
- Two Point Campus
- Victoria 3
Best Mobile Game
Description: For the best game playable on a mobile device.
- Apex Legends Mobile
- Diablo Immortal
- Genshin Impact
- Marvel Snap
- Tower of Fantasy
Best Family Game
Description: For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Splatoon 3
Best Action Game
Description: For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.
- Bayonetta 3
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
- Neon White
- Sifu
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Best VR/AR Game
Description: For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- After the Fall
- Among Us VR
- Bonelab
- Moss: Book II
- Red Matter 2
Best Fighting Game
Description: For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- DNF Duel
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R
- The King of Fighters XV
- MultiVersus
- Sifu
Best Adaption
Description: Recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adapts a video game to another entertainment medium.
- Arcane: League of Legends
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- The Cuphead Show!
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Uncharted
Innovation in Accessibility
Description: Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.
- As Dusk Falls
- God of War Ragnarok
- Return to Monkey Island
- The Last Of Us Part I
- The Quarry
Best Game Direction
Description: Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Immortality
- Stray
Best Narrative
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Immortality
Game of the Year
Description: Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Stray
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Most Anticipated Game
Description: Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Resident Evil 4
- Starfield
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Most Nominated Games
We also got a glimpse of which titles were the Most Nominated this year. No surprise, God of War Ragnarok leads the charge with Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring tied.
