The Game Awards 2023: Every Nominee and How to Vote

The Game Awards 2023 panel has revealed the full list of nominees who will be eligible to win at this year’s show. While many of the nominees are relatively unsurprising, there are certainly a few games that did (and didn’t) get nominated that will get people talking.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Game Awards 2023’s nominees and voting process.

The Game Awards 2023: How Voting Works

According to the Game Awards website, Game Awards winners are determined by a “blended vote” that accounts for jury votes and fan votes. The jury votes account for 90% of the voting weight while the fan votes make up the remaining 10%.

Though an example of that formula is not provided, it’s basically best to think of the system like a 10-person voting jury. Nine of the jurors would represent voting individuals of the group, and the 10th person would represent the collective votes of the public (that’s us). So, in a scenario where the other jurors have a tied vote, the 10th vote (the fan vote) would decide the winner.

Why aren’t The Game Awards decided by fan voting? Well, The Game Awards website rightfully notes that such systems create “several challenges.” Most notably, they don’t want the winners to be “‘socially engineered’ in any way.” For more information on what that means, see pretty much every online vote in the history of the internet. Additionally, they recognize that multiplatform games would have an inherent advantage in most categories due to their widespread availability.

The Game Awards 2023: How to Vote

To vote on The Game Awards 2023, you simply need to go to The Game Awards website. After creating an account, you’ll be able to cast a vote in any category.

Please note that accounts are limited to 31 total votes (one per category) and that there is no “Ranked Choice” system for these awards. In other words, the votes you cast should be for the games you want to see win each award.

Currently, fan voting is scheduled to end on December 6 at 6 AM PT.

The Game Awards 2023: Full Nominee List

Here is the full list of nominees for The Game Awards 2023:

Game of the Year

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

Best Game Direction

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

Best Adaptation

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

Best Narrative

Alan Wake 2
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
Lies of P
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Score and Music

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

Best Audio Design

Alan Wake 2
Dead Space
Hi-Fi Rush
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
Tchia
Terra Nil
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 VR Mode
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
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Resident Evil 4
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best RPG

Baldur’s Gate 3
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

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 (Presented by Discord)

Baldur’s Gate 3
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

Content Creator of the Year

IronMouse
PeopleMakeGames
Quackity
Spreen
SypherPK

Best Esports Game

Counter-Strike 2
Dota 2
League of Legends
PUBG Mobile
Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

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

Best Esports Team

Evil Geniuses
Fnatic
Gaimin Gladiators
JD Gaming
Team Vitality

Best Esports Coach

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

Best Esports Event

2023 League of Legends World Championship
Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
EVO 2023
The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
Valorant Champions 2023