Last night, the video game industry came together to celebrate the year’s highest achievements at The Game Awards 2023. Over three lively hours, gaming legends were honored, exciting new titles were unveiled, and a handful of developers and games took home the coveted awards.

The most coveted Game of the Year prize went to Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3, the highly anticipated sequel in the classic Baldur’s Gate RPG series. Baldur’s Gate 3 beat out a competitive field including God of War Ragnarök, Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, and Stray. Larian head Swen Vincke accepted the award, thanking fans for supporting Baldur’s Gate for over 20 years.

Remedy Entertainment’s psychological action game Alan Wake 2 also had a standout night, nabbing awards for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best Audio Design. Star Melanie Lynskey took the stage alongside director Sam Lake to celebrate Remedy’s triumphant return to the Alan Wake universe.

On the indie front, standouts included the hand-animated RPG Sea of Stars winning Best Indie Game and magical realist adventure Cocoon landing Best Debut Indie. Over on mobile, MiHoYo’s lovely Honkai: Star Rail took home the Best Mobile Game award.

The show closed out with a final award for Most Anticipated Game, which went to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Producer Yoshinori Kitase accepted and promised fans the next chapter in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project would be well worth the wait when it launches late next year.

With so many amazing games honored across genres, platforms, and categories, The Game Awards highlighted all that gaming has to offer in 2023. Though not every viewer or developer left happy, the celebration sparked enthusiasm for the bright future ahead.

The Game Awards 2023 Winners

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3 – Winner
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

• Alan Wake 2 – Winner
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• Alan Wake 2 – Winner
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Final Fantasy 16
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

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

Best Score / Music

For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy 16 – Winner
• Hi-Fi Rush
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Audio Design

Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.

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

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

• Ben Starr – Final Fantasy 16
• Cameron Monaghan – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Idris Elba – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Melanie Liburd – Alan Wake 2
• Neil Newbon – Baldur’s Gate 3 – Winner
• Yuri Lowenthal – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Games for Impact

For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.

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

Best Ongoing Game

Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.

• Apex Legends
• Cyberpunk 2077 – Winner
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

Best Indie Game

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

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

Best Debut Indie Game

For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.

• Cocoon – Winner
• Dredge
• Pizza Tower
• Venba
• Viewfinder

Best Mobile Game

For the best game playable on a mobile device.

• Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
• Honkai: Star Rail – Winner
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure
• Monster Hunter Now
• Terra Nil

Best Community Support

Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.

• Baldur’s Gate 3 – Winner
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 16
• No Man’s Sky

Best VR / AR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.

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

Innovation in Accessibility

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.

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

Best Action Game

For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.

• Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – Winner
• Dead Island 2
• Ghostrunner 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Remnant 2

Best Action / Adventure Game

For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• Alan Wake 2
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Winner

Best RPG

For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.

• Baldur’s Gate 3 – Winner
• Final Fantasy 16
• Lies of P
• Sea of Stars
• Starfield

Best Fighting Game

For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

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

Best Family Game

For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.

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

Best Sports / Racing Game

For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

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

Best SIM / Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.

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

Best Multiplayer Game

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.

• Baldur’s Gate 3 – Winner
• Diablo 4
• Party Animals
• Street Fighter 6
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Content Creator of the Year

For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.

• IronMouse – Winner
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best Esports Athlete

The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.

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

Best Esports Coach

The Esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• Christine “potter” Chi – Winner
• Danny “zonic” Sorensen
• Jordan “Gunba” Graham
• Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam
• Yoon “Homme” Sung-young

Best Esports Event

Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.

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

Best Esports Game

For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.

• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• Leage of Legends
• PUBG Mobile
• Valorant – Winner

Best Esports Team

Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

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

Most Anticipated Game

Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – Winner
• Hades 2
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Tekken 8

Best Adaptation

Celebrating game-inspired projects across entertainment including TV, movies, comics, and more.

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

Players’ Voice

This category is 100% voted on by fans for their favorite game of 2023.

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