Fantasy epic Baldur’s Gate 3 has been crowned game of the year at the industry’s biggest awards ceremony.
Released for PC and PlayStation 5 earlier this year, and for Xbox consoles during Thursday night’s Game Awards, Baldur’s Gate 3 wowed reviewers with the sheer scope of its world and story, which allows players to impact its direction through the choices they make. Inspired by classic tabletop board game Dungeons And Dragons, it was one of the most critically-acclaimed titles of 2023 and beat Alan Wake 2, Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, and Super Mario Bros Wonder to the prize.
The top honour – presented by actor Timothee Chalamet – was one of six awards won by Belgian developer Larian, including best multiplayer and role-playing game.
Main rival Alan Wake 2, from Finnish studio Remedy, won best narrative, game direction, and art direction. Nintendo’s latest Zelda and Mario titles took home best action/adventure game and best family game respectively, while there was also success for Xbox’s Forza Horizon racing franchise and the long-running Final Fantasy series.
But one of the most nominated games, Spider-Man 2, won none of the seven prizes it was up for.
The Game Awards is known for spending much of its runtime on trailers and adverts for new games. This year included a first look at a collaboration between celebrated game creator Hideo Kojima and Hollywood director Jordan Peele. Another Hollywood star, Matthew McConaughey, was revealed to be the lead in sci-fi action game Exodus. A new Jurassic Park game, Survival, was also announced.
And there were trailers for new instalments in several popular game franchises, including Prince Of Persia and the Japanese fantasy series Monster Hunter.
Host Geoff Keighley, who launched the show in 2014, always looks to secure big reveals to boost excitement for the show and ensure large viewing figures.
But Mr Keighley was criticised for spending too much time on trailers during the three-hour ceremony this year, especially given he failed to acknowledge the thousands of lay-offs the industry has endured.
Companies to have cut jobs include Fortnite maker Epic, The Last Of Us developer Naughty Dog, Tomb Raider’s Crystal Dynamics, and Witcher and Cyberpunk studio CD Projekt Red.
Several awards were also announced without winners being invited up on stage in Los Angeles, while those who did were given very little time for an acceptance speech.
The full list of game winners are listed below:
Game of the year:
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (winner)
- Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Super Mario Bros Wonder
Best game direction:
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (winner)
- Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Super Mario Bros Wonder
Best adaptation:
- Castlevania: Nocturne
- Gran Turismo
- The Last Of Us
- The Super Mario Bros Movie
- Twisted Metal
Best narrative:
- Alan Wake 2 (winner)
- 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
- Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom (winner)
- Lies Of P
- Super Mario Bros Wonder
Best score and music:
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (winner)
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Best audio design:
- Alan Wake 2
- Dead Space
- Hi-Fi Rush (winner)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
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 IV
- 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
- Terra Nil
- Tchia
- Venba
Best ongoing game:
- Apex Legends
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Best community support:
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077
- 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 Game:
- 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 game:
- Alan Wake 2 (winner)
- Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Best RPG:
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (winner)
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Lies of P
- Sea of Stars
- Starfield
Best fighting game:
- God of Rock
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
- Pocket Bravery
- Street Fighter 6
Best family game:
- Disney Illusion Island
- Party Animals
- Pikmin 4
- Sonic Superstars
- Super Mario Bros Wonder (winner)
Best sim/strategy game:
- Advance 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 (winner)
- Diablo IV
- Party Animals
- Street Fighter 6
- Super Mario Bros Wonder
Most anticipated game:
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Hades II
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Tekken 8