We are edging closer and closer to The Game Awards 2022. Yesterday, we covered some of the expected games announcements we suspect will appear at the event. With the show only a few hours away, we want to make a bet on who will walk away with the treasured prize: Game of the Year.
I’ll also speak a bit about the various categories and some titles we should see for the 2023 awards. From there, I’m hoping to hear from you about who you think will win The Game Awards.
What are The Game Awards categories?
Before we make any predictions for The Game Awards 2022, I want to show you all the categories we’ll see at the event. It’s a massive list, plus there will be about 40 game announcements or reveals. That means we can expect this to be a long show.
Here are the categories for The Game Awards this year:
- Game of the Year
- Game Direction
- Narrative
- Art Direction
- Score and Music
- Audio Design
- Performance
- Impact
- Ongoing
- Indie
- Mobile
- Community Sport
- Accessibility Innovation
- VR/AR
- Action
- Action Adventure
- Role Playing
- Fighting
- Family
- Sim/Strategy
- Sports/Racing
- Multiplayer
- Content Creator
- Debut Indie
- Adaptation
- Most Anticipated
- Esports
- Athlete Esports
- Team Esports
- Coach Esports
- Esports Event
The most prestigious award: Game of the Year
While I could write a novel about each and every category, I’m going to reserve the scope of this article to the top award in The Game Awards: the Game of the Year trophy. This is the one that most developers and publishers aim for, celebrating all the hard work that went into making the game.
Let’s take a look at each of the nominees before we predict which one will win.
A Plaque Tale: Requiem
A plague of rats takes centerstage in France as our heroes, Amicia and Hugo, try to stay alive in A Plaque Tale: Requiem. It takes place only a few months after the first game, so you didn’t miss much. There are a few new gameplay elements, and Amicia now has more powerful abilities to unleash.
Stray
If my daughter had any say in who wins Game of the Year at The Game Awards, it would be Stray. She loves cats, and she loves playing as a cat. While I’m sure many gamers would be shocked this made it in as a nominee, I’m not. It’s a fantastic title with a brilliant story and outstanding puzzle elements. It’s a mighty indie game that stands against the other AAA titles for the best game this year.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
While we’ve seen so many delays in game releases this year, Nintendo managed to push Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ahead of schedule. That deserves an award of its own. What makes the game stand out for The Game Awards is the stellar character cast, action gameplay, and impressive combat system. The story isn’t too bad, either.
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Zero Dawn brought a new post-apocalyptic world that gamers absolutely loved. While many sequels don’t live up to the first game, Horizon Forbidden West actually surpassed it and all expectations. You continue as Aloy as you track any signs of the humans from the original world before the apocalypse. The world is now bigger than before, giving you more to explore.
Elden Ring
With the Game of Thrones author, George R. R. Martin, assisting with the lore and story in Elden Ring, there was little chance this game wouldn’t be in the standing for Game of the Year. It has an intense combat system that will test your limits, which is what many gamers enjoy. There are also many customization options and an expansive story with plenty of quests. Bandai Namco also announced recently that the multiplayer section will receive a PvP arena soon!
God of War Ragnarök
With Kratos more focused on Norse mythology now, we were all hyped to see what God of War Ragnarök would deliver. Our hero has been through so much since he turned the tables on Ares in the very first game. Now, he’s heading to challenge Thor, Odin, and many of the other deities and magical beings.
Predictions for the best game at The Game Awards
It’s time to finally make my prediction for Game of the Year during The Game Awards. For me, only two of the above titles really stand out with their exceptional gaming quality: God of War Ragnarök and Elden Ring. Both of these have incredible fantasy and combat elements that make the others stand in their shadows. Horizon Forbidden West is probably a close third.
Elden Ring only has one massive issue when it comes to taking the trophy. It was released early in the year, which means that God of War Ragnarök’s recent launch is still fresh in gamer’s minds. That doesn’t matter, though. More content keeps appearing for the dark fantasy title, and now, PvP battles are coming to it. It has more to offer, there’s a good chance we’ll hear about a DLC reveal at The Game Awards.
God of War Ragnarök might be impressive, but I don’t feel it offers as much as Elden Ring. In the history of the franchise, you mostly play the story to the end, and it’s over. There haven’t really been multiplayer options, and DLCs don’t really exist. In terms of that alone, Elden Ring delivers a better gaming experience.
Of course, it’s up to how the gamers voted. Another significant element that might come into play is that Elden Rings is available on multiple platforms, while God of War Ragnarök only appeared on PlayStation. That means the former contestant has a larger audience than the latter.
As you can tell, my wager is that Elden Ring will take Game of the Year. What do you think?
Praise to the other games
There are a few nominees for smaller and indie games in some of the categories. While these AAA titles above are among many categories, it was great to see some other names appear.
For example, Metal: Hellsinger appears for Best Score and Music, which is absolutely fantastic. I remember reviewing the game for Softonic, and fighting to the beat of the songs was a surreal experience.
While Gran Turismo 7 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II aren’t small games, it was good to see them up for awards in Audio Design and Multiplayer. Fortnite and Genshin Impact are both vying for Best Ongoing Game, while our reviewed Cult of the Lamb is up for Best Indie Game.
I personally voted for Diablo Immortal for Best Mobile Game, as I’ve been a massive fan of the series since the start. Also, Dune: Spice Wars that I reviewed is up for Best Strategy Game, which I feel it deserves. While Two Point Campus is in there too, my heart is loyal to the Dune franchise.
There’s a game I wish I could have voted for as Best Ongoing MMORPG. Elder Scrolls Online has released several content packs this year, with Firesong being the latest DLC. While the game itself isn’t new, it should still receive some recognition for how much it delivers to fans.
Finally, it’s a pity MystiveDev‘s Mirror Forge released too late to be included in The Game Awards. Inspired by Silent Hill, it’s a fantastic horror survival game that launched December 6, 2022. You can read my preview of the demo on Softonic.
Top titles expected for 2023 at The Game Awards
One of the categories in The Game Awards I want to draw your attention to in this section is Most Anticipated Game. There are five nominees, namely:
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Starfield
- Hogwarts Legacy
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Resident Evil 4
While many of these games are tasty to look at, the one I’m the most excited about is Starfield. We’ve waited a long time for a new universe from Bethesda, and I love exploring planets and start systems. I’m still stuck on No Man’s Sky and recently became hooked on the mobile game, Hades’ Star. I’m dying to see what Starfield will have to offer.
Who do you think will win The Game Awards?
Well, there you have it, my thoughts on the best games to win at The Game Awards. It will be exciting to watch the event and see who takes the prices. I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss who eventually took the prize; feel free to let me know who you think will win.
