The Game Awards 2022: Start Time, How to Watch, and Every Nominee

The entertainment industry is full of award ceremonies, and gaming is no exception. Countless outlets and organizations give out awards for what they believe are the cream of the crop, but the biggest gaming awards show of them all has to be The Game Awards.

The Game Awards is the brainchild of journalist Geoff Keigley and the spiritual successor to the often woeful Spike Video Game Awards. Audiences have tuned in to watch The Game Awards since it started in 2014, and the event has been running strong ever since. Each year, The Game Award pulls in more and more viewers, and given the quality of 2022’s biggest releases, the ceremony stands a chance of breaking records yet again. Viewers can expect to see titles like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Stray, Elden Ring, and God of War: Ragnarok duking it out for various awards, including the coveted “Game of the Year” trophy.

Since you’ll probably want to join in on the fun, here is everything you need to know about this year’s Game Awards ceremony.

The Game Awards 2022 Start Time and Date

When The Game Awards began, it always aired the first Thursday of December. Several years into its run, though, the ceremony switched to the second Thursday of December. This year’s show will follow that recent pattern.

Audiences can tune in to watch the 2022 Game Awards starting at 8 PM EST/5 PST on Thursday, December 8. Technically, the stream will begin at 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM EST with a 30-minute pre-show, but the event won’t properly begin until after that prelude. That said, those who want to see every reveal and update will likely want to tune into the pre-show. If it’s anything like years past, you can expect to see a few trailers and updates during the build-up to the main event.

Where to Watch The Game Awards 2022

Anyone who is lucky enough to snag a ticket to the 2022 Game Awards can see it live at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. However, most viewers will obviously need to catch the show via streaming services. Thankfully, those staying at home have quite a few options.

According to the Game Awards website, the event will stream on all major gaming-related streaming services. Those include YouTube, Twitch, and even Steam. The Game Awards team is also allowing people to co-stream the event, so there’s a chance you’ll be able to watch it alongside your favorite streamers. In fact, you can sign up to become an official Game Awards co-streamer.

Finally, those of you who are hearing about the ceremony late and want to get in on the fun as soon as possible can start watching the show via the YouTube embed below as soon as it starts!

The Game Awards 2022: Every Award Category and Nominee

2022 was full of amazing games, and odds are you played at least one of them. The Game Awards is celebrating the best of the best, and while some games were only nominated for one category, others managed to garner a surprising (though often deserved) number of nominations. Here is a complete list of every game you can expect to see in the 2022 Game Awards and what they were nominated for:

Game of the Year

A Plague Tale: Requiem, Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Best Game Direction

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

Best Art Direction

Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Scorn, Stray

Best Score and Music

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 Performance

Horizon Forbidden West – Ashley Burch, A Plague Tale: Requiem – Charlotte McBurney, God of War Ragnarok – Christopher Judge, Immortality – Manon Gage, God of War Ragnarok – Sunny Suljic

Games for Impact

A Memoir Blue, As Dusk Falls, Citizen Sleeper, Endling – Extinction is Forever, Hindsight, I was a Teenage Exocolonist

Best Ongoing

Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite, Genshin Impact

Best Indie

Cult of the Lamb, Neon White, Sifu, Stray, Tunic

Best Mobile Game

Apex Legends Mobile, Diablo Immortal, Genshin Impact, Marvel Snap, Tower of Fantasy

Best Community Support

Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite, No Man’s Sky

Innovation in Accessibility

As Dusk Falls, God of War Ragnarok, Return to Monkey Island, The Last of Us Part I, The Quarry

Best VR/AR

After the Fall, Among Us VR, Bonelab, Moss: Book II, Red Matter 2

Best Action Game

Bayonetta 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Neon White, Sifu, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Best Action/Adventure

A Plague Tale: Requiem, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, Tunic

Best Role Playing

Elden Ring, Live a Live, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Triangle Strategy, Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Best Fighting

DNF Duel, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R, The King of Fighters XV, Multiverse, Sifu

Best Family

Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Nintendo Switch Sports, Splatoon 3

Best Sim/Strategy

Dune: Spice Wars, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Total War: Warhammer III, Two Point Campus, Victoria 3

Best Sports/Racing

F1 22, Fifa 23, NBA 2K23, Gran Turismo 7, OlliOlli World

Best Multiplayer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Multiversus, Overwatch 2, Splatoon 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Content Creator of the Year

Karl Jacobs, Ludwig, Nibellion, Nobru, QTCinderella

Best Debut Indie

Neon White, Norco, Stray, Tunic, Vampire Survivors

Best Adaptation

Arcane: League of Legends, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Cuphead Show!, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Uncharted

Most Anticipated Game

Final Fantasy XVI, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4, Starfield, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Esports Game

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2, League of Legends, Rocket League, Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

Jeong “Chovy” Ji-Hoon, Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok, Finn “Karrigan” Andersen, Oleksandr “S1mple” Kostyliev, Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker

Best Esports Team

Darkzero Esports, Faze Clan, Gen.G, LA Thieves, Loud

Best Esports Coach

ANdrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi, Batheus “BZKA” Tarasconi, Erik “D00mbr0s” Sandgren, Robert “Robban” Dahlström, Go “Score” Dong-Bin

Best Esports Event

EVO 2022, 2022 League of Legends World Championship, PGL Major Antwerp 2022, The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, Valorant Champions 2022