The Game Awards are over and done for this year. We’ve seen world premieres to excite us for the new year of gaming, and watched favorites win awards. If you happened to miss them, worry not! Here’s the full roster of award winners for the Game Awards 2022. And we mean ALL of them.
Best Fighting Game – Multiversus
This free-to-play fighting game bursting with cartoon mayhem takes the award for best fighting game this year. With a number of strong contenders, this comes as a bit of a surprise. With a structure similar to “Super Smash Bros.”, the attractiveness of “Multiversus” is understandable. Not to mention playing some of your favorite cartoon characters. There’s something satisfying about using Shaggy to launch Superman across the screen. Nice job!
Best Performance: Christopher Judge as Kratos in “God of War: Ragnarock”
While his speech was perhaps a little on the long side, the deep tones of Christopher Judge‘s voice were still a delight to listen to. He seemed truly honored to receive the award for Best Performance for his work as Kratos in “God of War: Ragnarok.” He even got a hug from Al Pacino!
Best Debut Indie Game: “Stray”
Up against other tough contenders, we were all thrilled that the lovingly-called “Cat game” “Stray” won the debut indie award. Playing a stray cat in a post-apocalyptic world who finds their way into a city of robots warmed the hearts of gamers everywhere. Available on PS4/5 and PC.
Best Video Game To Television Adaptation – “Arcane“
There’s little doubt that Arcane would take the win for this category. Though it did have a few contenders, the artistry and animation of the “League of Legends” Netflix series blew everyone else out of the water. These videogames are some of the best indoor activities Nashville, or in any other city around the world among all gaming freaks, as well as teenagers that prefer spending a considerable amount of time playing such beautifully conceived games. Available on Netflix.
Best Narrative – “God of War: Ragnarok”
“God of War”‘s revival saw new gameplay and a new Kratos, having to take on the responsibilities of a father and train his son, Atreus. It was massively popular and you couldn’t wander the internet without running into several memes about the “BOY!”. Obviously the game continuing the series takes several awards this year. Available on PS4/5.
Best Art Direction – “Elden Ring”
There can’t be anyone upset by this award going to From Software’s most ambitious RPG to date. From dilapidated medieval castles to a bright red swamp of death, the visuals of “Elden Ring” are breathtaking. With an atmosphere that feels vast and ancient, but bleak and struggling as only a FromSoft game can feel. Great job, guys! Available on PS4/5 and PC.
Best VR/AR Game – “Moss: Book 2”
The adorable game about Quill, the tiny mouse adventurer, won this year’s best VR/AR game. This charming game with clean graphics and simple designs is a huge favorite of Oculus and PSVR users. The steadfast little mouse continues her adventures to restore peace to Moss and keep her precious Glass out of evil hands. Available only for VR supported systems.
Best Sim/Strategy Game – “Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope”
It’s astounding that the Rabbids made popular in “Rayman: Raving Rabbids” have inexplicably become part of the Mario universe in some of the most enjoyable strategy games released by Nintendo. “Sparks of Hope” is the second game of the Mario + Rabbids franchise and has taken the award for best simulation/strategy game this year. Congrats to Mario and his weird not-rabbits companions. Available on Switch.
Best Community Support on Discord – “Final Fantasy XIV”
Community outreach and communication is just as important to the gaming world as is creating games to enjoy. This award goes to the administrators and mediators of gamer discord servers. “Final Fantasy 14“‘s Discord server took this award for always been responsive, understanding, and interactive with their player base.
Best Game for Impact – “As Dusk Falls“
This award is one of our favorites. An award specifically for a game that makes its players feel something. That impacts a life and leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve beaten it. This year, the award goes to “As Dusk Falls”. This stylized interactive drama of choice and consequence touched the lives of every player to experience it. Available on Xbox and Steam.
Best Sports Racing Game – “Gran Turismo 7”
This fast-paced racing sim is the favorite of 2022. Become a professional racer and compete to be number one in this high-gloss, sleek and visually peak racing game. From street-races, to tracks, to customizing your car in hundreds of ways, this one’s definitely for all the car geeks and racing gamers out there. Available on PS4/5.
Best Multiplayer Game – “Splatoon 3“
This one came as a surprise! Beating out MMOs like “Call of Duty” and “Fortnite“, the award for best multiplayer game goes to “Splatoon 3“. These spunky little Inklings have been popular since the first game, but this third installment has seen the love for the game reborn. Battle it out with friends or online, or play out the story in single-player mode. Available only on Nintendo Switch.
Best Audio Design – “God of War: Ragnarok“
Yet another award for Kratos and his son. The God of War team took the award home for best audio design. For the layperson, that means all the monster noises, splashes, crunches, groans, moans, and earth-shattering sound effects that fill the game with atmosphere.
Content Creator of the Year – Ludwig
Amongst gamer communities there are those we love to watch play, fail, rage, or otherwise stumble their way through video games for our enjoyment. This year’s favorite content creator is Ludwig! At 3.77 million subscribers, this creator has a plethora of reaction videos, game streams, and more to choose from. Good on you, Ludwig. You can find him on Youtube.
Most Anticipated Game – “Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom“
Is anyone surprised? The heavily-anticipated sequel to “Breath of the Wild” have left many vibrating in their seats from its first trailer. The sequel to the first truly open-world Zelda game has shared little about its story, teasing gamers for what’s to come. Following the same style as BotW, there have been rumors the game will take on a darker turn. Many hope the game might involve some darker themes similar to “Majora’s Mask”. But Nintendo has enjoyed simply tantalizing us.
Best Action Game – “Bayonetta 3“
Put on your dancing shoes and blast away the forces of light with demons. “Bayonetta 3” gets the award for best action game of the year. Despite some controversy surrounding the game’s release, it didn’t stop it from being popular enough for a nomination. Curious as to why she looks so different from the first and second games? This Bayonetta’s from an alternate universe, but that’s all we’ll share. Some of us haven’t gotten through the second game yet. Congrats, Bayonetta! Have a drink on us. Bayonetta 3 is available only on Nintendo Switch.
Best Score and Music – “God of War: Ragnarok“
Another win for “God of War: Ragnarok”. This award went directly to the gracious and talented Bear McCreary. The nomination was presented by Animal, Bear’s favorite Muppet. The musician has graced films and television with his sound, and also did the score 2018’s “God of War” and “Call of Duty: Vanguard“, so he’s no stranger to scoring video games. Congratulations, Bear!
Innovation & Accessibility – “God of War: Ragnarok“
Something that isn’t often focused on by the abled, are that video games can sometimes be difficult for people with a handicap. People that are colorblind or hard of hearing can often find games frustrating as they aren’t catered well to people with disabilities or conditions that prevent them from fully enjoying them. That’s why this award is an important one. It reminds developers that their games should be accessible for everyone. “God of War: Ragnarok” took this award as well for creating a massive amount of assists, sliders, and options to make the game playable for all.
Best RPG – “Elden Ring“
Another win for Fromsoft! And can you really argue? The massive RPG is a testament to dedication and striving for excellence. With From Software’s tried and true character creator and leveling system, there’s no shortage of gamers ready and willing to discuss class builds and weapon preferences.
Player’s Voice Award – “Genshin Impact”
This award is always a fun one to experience. This award is decided and voted on by the gaming community. Whatever they’ve been having fun playing is what gets on the roster. This year’s award goes to the popular gatcha RPG “Genshin Impact“. With a huge roster of characters that gets bigger all the time, you never know who you might pull next. With creamy visuals and elegant character designs, this has been a popular title for three years running. Available on PC, iOS, Xbox, PS4/5, and Android.
Best Independent Game – “Stray“
Another surprising win for the little cat that could! What a fantastic achievement for BlueTwelve Studio! They get to take home two trophies for their little orange cat to knock off the shelf! Murtaugh, the real cat the game is based on, is going to be enjoying plenty of pets and piles of catnip, we’re sure! Great job, guys!
Best Action/Adventure Game – “God of War: Ragnarok“
We knew that GoW:R was going to sweep several awards this year. It’s the standout triple-A game of 2022, with gamers singing its praises left and right. So it’s not a surprise that it would receive the award for best action/adventure game. Though going up against “Horizon Forbidden West” might have at least made the devs sweat a little.
Best Ongoing Game – “Final Fantasy XIV“
This year’s most popular, if not the most popular MMORPG, ongoing game award goes to “Final Fantasy XIV” by Square Enix. Though it requires a subscription to play, there’s an enormous world to explore, a massive storyline to follow, and endless hours of gameplay to put under your belt. On top of the sheer volumes of content, the game itself is visually stunning in a way only Final Fantasy can be. Endless costume choices, mounts, and familiars await!
Best Game Direction – “Elden Ring”
Rejoice, tarnished! “Elden Ring” gets another award! This time for best game direction. Which is awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in video games. “Elden Ring” pushed the boundaries of From Software’s capabilities as game developers. With new additions to gameplay and an epic story, helped along by George R.R. Martin, it’s little surprise this game takes home the award.
The Final Category, Game of the Year goes to…”ELDEN RING“!
What a shock!! For “God of War: Ragnorok” to be in such high standing this year, we’re blown away that “Elden Ring” has surpassed Kratos! In all its golden glory, “Elden Ring” is the Game of the Year! As much as we love a story-driven game, the ability to embody your own character and have your own adventure may have been what put this From Software gem over God of War. The volume, artistry, and care taken in creating this RPG of epic proportions wasn’t lost on anyone in the industry. A humbled Hidetaka Miyazaki was all smiles as he graciously accepted the award, thanking gamers for their love of his current masterpiece, motivated to make even more amazing titles.
Watch the 2022 Game Awards in their entirety- including pre-show banter- below:
