Game of the Year 2023 – The Nominees

2023 has been an eventful year. And while the everyday world news has delivered a persistent stream of depressing developments on this spinning blue marble of rampant lunacy we call home, as far as video game releases have been concerned, we've been up to our ears in quality fare. Yes, there have been horrible layoffs, cuts, studio closures, and a whole heap of other horrible crap, but this is a time to look at the more positive stuff we've been treated to this year.

We've had a litany of truly remarkable indie games, two delicious servings of Like a Dragon (a personal highlight), the long-awaited return of Alan Wake, the transcendent Baldur's Gate 3, and a smattering of wonderful surprises. It's been a good year for games – so much so that 2024 is going to have a lot to live up to. Anyway, enough blather. On with our Game of the Year nominations!

Oh, and be sure to have the merriest of Christmases! We'll see you here next week for the Game of the Year winners.

Game of the Year 2023 Nominees

Best Story

• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Cassette Beasts

Best Performance

• Takaya Kuroda as Kazuma Kiryu in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
• James McCaffrey as Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2
• Xalavier Nelson Jr. as James Savage in El Paso, Elsewhere
• Idris Elba as Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Neil Newbon as Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3

Best Multiplayer

• The Finals
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Party Animals
• Street Fighter 6
• Moving Out 2

Best Visuals

• Alan Wake 2
• Resident Evil 4
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Best Audio

• Hi-Fi Rush
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Resident Evil 4
• Alan Wake 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Best Fresh Gameplay Feature

• Chants of Sennaar's Language Decoding
• Hogwarts Legacy's Room of Requirement
• Cocoon's World Capsules
• Starfield's Ship Builder
• Jusant's Climbing Rope

Best New IP

• Starfield
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Lies of P
• Immortals of Aveum
• Wild Hearts

Best Supported Game

• Vampire Survivors
• Diablo IV
• Fortnite
• Grand Theft Auto Online
• Cyberpunk 2077

Biggest Surprise

• RoboCop: Rogue City
• Hi-Fi Rush
• The Crew Motorfest
• Lies of P
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Best Developer

• CD Projekt RED
• Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
• Remedy Entertainment
• Larian Studios
• Tango Gameworks

Best Publisher

• SEGA
• Capcom
• Xbox Game Studios
• EA
• Thunderful

Best Indie

• Jusant
• Cocoon
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
• Chants of Sennaar
• Sea of Stars

Best Game

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Resident Evil 4
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Starfield