The Game Awards, since its inception, has been one of if not the biggest gaming award show out there. Sure, there are others, but The Game Awards always seems to bring the most hype and excitement. Especially when it comes to their Game of the Year category.
Of course, when choosing the best anything, opinions will clash. With that in mind, let’s look back at the previous Game of the Year winners, and you can decide if The Game Awards got it right or wrong.
All of the Game of the Year Winners
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Overwatch
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- God of War
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- The Last of Us Part II
- It Takes Two
- Elden Ring
- Baldur’s Gate 3
2014 Game of the Year Winner: Dragon Age: Inquisition
The fight for Game of the Year was fierce during the show’s first year. But in the end, it was Bioware’s Dragon Age: Inquisition that took the award home. But was it the right choice? That’s up to you to decide. Here are the other games it was competing against:
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Dark Souls 2
- Bayonetta 2
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
2015 Game of the Year Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Look, all of the 2015 nominees were amazing, but this category belonged to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It’s many people’s favorite game, and everyone knew it would win. However, maybe you think one of these games should have won:
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Bloodborne
- Super Mario Maker
- Fallout 4
2016 Game of the Year Winner: Overwatch
It’s very impressive that Overwatch is still going strong 7 years later, but it’s even more impressive that it won the Game of the Year award in 2016. It had strong competition in the form of some extremely popular games; let’s check some of them out:
- Titanfall 2
- Doom
- Inside
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
2017 Game of the Year Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It’s been 6 years since this game came out, and fans have been counting the days until its sequel releases. This a testament to how beloved the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is, so it should come as no surprise that it won in 2017. But maybe another game deserved to win; take a look at the other nominees and decide:
- PlayerUnknow’s Battlegrounds
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Persona 5
2018 Game of the Year: God of War
A decade ago, God of War was very popular. But even its hardcore fans probably never imagined that not only would it become that popular again, but that it would surpass that level of fame. The 2018 version of God of War reinvigorated the franchise, and it ended up winning the Game of the Year in 2018. Let’s look at the competition it had:
- Monster Hunter: World
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption
- Celeste
2019 Game of the Year Winner: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
After getting two of their games nominated but not winning, FromSoftware finally won the big one with their game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Although this game is amazing and people love it, it was surprising that it won over the juggernaut that is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Here are the rest of the nominees:
- Resident Evil 2
- The Outer Worlds
- Death Stranding
- Control
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
2020 Game of the Year Winner: The Last of Us Part II
Although the game might have been divisive with players, it was a hit at the award show. It won in numerous categories, including Game of the Year. 2020, in particular, was stacked with great games, and all of them had a strong argument for why they should win. The other nominees were:
- Hades
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Doom Eternal
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
2021 Game of the Year Winner: It Takes Two
Hazelight, the developer of It Takes Two, had a popular game in A Way Out. However, nobody expected their next game to be as huge as it was. It Takes Two took the world by storm, and it won in 2021. Let’s look at the competition it had:
- Resident Evil Village
- Metroid Dread
- Deathloop
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Psychonauts 2
2022 Game of the Year Winner: Elden Ring
No offense to the other games that were nominated, but everyone knew that the real competition was between two specific games, God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring. These two colossuses fought, and Elden Ring came out the victor. Check out the other games that were in contention:
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Stray
- God of War: Ragnarok
2023 Game of the Year - Baldur’s Gate 3
When Baldur’s Gate 3 came out in 2023, it immediately hit the ground running. The game’s peak number of concurrent players on Steam was 875,343, and it received multiple 10/10 ratings from gaming publications such as IGN and Gamespot.
Again, this year was just a case of the other nominees being great, but one game in particular just shining a bit brighter.
- Alan Wake 2
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
So, what do you think? Were any games snubbed? Or did they hit the mark every year? Make sure to say in the comment section below.
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