The Game Wards 2024 Nominees have been revealed and for the most part, it’s gone fairly as expected with Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 leading the count with 7 nominations each.
It’s the Game of the Year category that’s causing the most debate (as it does every year) with the expected games such as Astro Bot, Black Myth, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor ReFantazio being there, along Balatro with as well as Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree also featuring despite being an expansion for a game that was already nominated (and won) in 2022.
Naturally this has kicked off discussions about whether an expansion or DLC should be eligible to win GOTY, which people feel really passionate about one way or another, and it’s not something that we’ve seen happen before.
It’s worth mentioning that Press Start voted in this year’s awards (as we do every year) as one of the only Australian outlets invited to nominate. The Game Awards are set to take place on Friday, December 13th at 11:30 AM.
THE GAME AWARDS 2024 FULL NOMINEES
Game of the Year
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Game Direction
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Ongoing Game
- Destiny 2
- Diablo 4
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
Best Performance
- Briana White: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Hannah Telle: Life is Strange: Double Exposure
- Humberly Gonzalez: Star Wars Outlaws
- Luke Roberts: Silent Hill 2
- Melina Juergens: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Best Mobile Game
- AFK Journey
- Balatro
- Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
- Wuthering Waves
- Zenless Zone Zero
Best Art Direction
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Neva
Best Score and Music
- Astro Bot
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Silent Hill 2
- Stellar Blade
Best Audio Design
- Astro Bot
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Silent Hill 2
Best Adaptation
- Arcane
- Fallout
- Knuckles
- Like a Dragon: Yakuza
- Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Best Narrative
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Silent Hill 2
Games for Impact
- Closer the Distance
- Indika
- Neva
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure
- Senua’s Saga: Hellbalde 2
- Tales of Kenzera: Zau
Best Community Support
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- Helldivers 2
- No Man’s Sky
Best Multiplayer
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Tekken 8
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Best Independent Game
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Neva
- UFO 50
Best Debut Indie Game
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Manor Lords
- Pacific Drive
- The Plucky Squire
Best VR/AR Game
- Arizona Sunshine Remake
- Asgard’s Wrath 2
- Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Metal: Hellsinger VR
- Metro: Awakening
Content Creator of the Year
- Caseoh
- Illojuan
- Techno Gamerz
- Typical Gamers
- Usada Pekora
Most Anticipated
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Ghost of Yotei
- Grand Theft Auto 6
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Monster Hunter Wilds
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Astro Bot
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Silent Hill 2
- Star Wars Outlaws
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Best Role-Playing Game
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Best Fighting Game
- Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
- GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising
- Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics
- MultiVersus
- Tekken 8
Best Action Game
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Stellar Blade
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Innovation in Accessibility
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Diablo 4
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Star Wars Outlaws
Best Family Game
- Astro Bot
- Princess Peach: Showtime
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- The Plucky Squire
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Age of Mythology: Retold
- Frostpunk 2
- Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
- Manor Lords
- Unicorn Overlord
Best Sports/Racing Game
- F1 24
- EA Sports FC 25
- NBA 2K25
- Top Spin 2K25
- WWE 2K24
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- 33 – Neta Shapira
- Aleksib – Aleksi Virolainen
- Chovy – Jeong Ji-hoon
- Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok
- ZyWoO – Mathieu Herbaut
- ZmjjKk – Zheng Yongkang
Best Esports Team
- Bilibili Gaming
- Gen.G
- Navi
- T1
- Team Liquid
