Geoff Keighley’s annual test of patience returned with a packed evening of game announcements and gong-giving. Here’s a complete recap of The Game Awards 2022.
For an event pitched as a celebratory occasion, The Game Awards is often a bit of a slog. It certainly was in 2021 and 2020, as well as in 2019 and 2018. And 2017, come to think of it. Anyway, you get the idea.
In the run-up to this year’s show, producer/host lifeform Geoff Keighley said the ceremony would be “significantly shorter”. However, the event – which was broadcast live from Los Angeles once again – ran for an exhausting 210 minutes.
Despite the length, it was good to see games including God of War Ragnarök, Elden Ring, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Stray recognised for their achievements.
Al Pacino was also cool.
Here’s a rundown of every announcement revealed on the night, plus the complete list of the winners and nominees in each award category.
The Game Awards 2022 Announcements
- Dead Cells – Return to Castlevania – A new tie-in DLC for Motion Twin’s roguelike action game is coming next year.
- Vampire Survivors – Poncle’s roguelike shoot ’em up is out now on mobile.
- Valiant Hearts: Coming Home – A sequel to the Ubisoft classic is arriving soon on Netflix.
- Returnal – Housemarque’s PlayStation 5 hit is confirmed for release on PC in early 2023.
- Hellboy – Well of Wyrd – Mike Mignola oversees this new rogue-lite action game.
- Horizon VR: Call of the Mountain – Pre-orders are now open for Guerilla’s upcoming PSVR 2 adventure.
- Post Trauma – Chills! An old-school, fixed-camera horror adventure is on the way from Red Soul Games.
- Viewfinder – A beautiful perception-bending first-person puzzle game from Robot Turtle.
- Among Us – The game’s new Hide N Seek mode is coming on December 9.
- After Us – The next game from Arise developer Piccolo Studios is due in Spring 2023.
- Replaced – A new action platformer from Sad Cat Studios is set for release on Xbox and PC in 2023.
- Street Fighter 6 – Some spectacular new footage from Capcom’s promising fighting game, which is due for release next June.
- Hades II – Supergiant return with an action roguelike sequel to the multiple 2020 GOTY winner.
- Judas – Ken Levine’s Ghost Story Games reveals its debut title. It’s coming to Xbox, PlayStation and PC, and is very reminiscent of Bioshock.
- Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon – Platinumgames will release an action-adventure fairytale prequel on March 17, 2023.
- Destiny 2: Lightfall – Blasts onto all platforms on February 28, 2023.
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – A new trailer for Rocksteady’s open-world game confirms a final appearance by Kevin Conroy’s definitive Batman.
- The Last of Us Part 1– Confirmed for PC release on March 3, 2023
- Star Wars Jedi Survivor – Impressive footage from Respawn’s upcoming Star Wars sequel. It’s another game due in March. May the force be with us!
- Earthblade – A new tricksy action platformer with Hollow Knight vibes from Celeste developer Maddy Thorson.
- Dune Awakening – A first in-engine look at the upcoming MMO from Funcom and Nukklear.
- Forspoken – Square Enix’s upcoming action RPG now has a free demo on PlayStation 5.
- Genshin Impact – A new character sneak peek.
- Death Stranding 2 – Kojima’s back with more whimsical stranding shenanigans. Lea Seydoux and Norman Reedus star.
- Immortals of Aveum – A glimpse of Ascendant Studios’ debut game.
- Tekken 8 – A new look at Bandai Namco’s highly anticipated festival of fists and feet.
- Nightingale – A welcome chance to check in on the inventive survival-crafting sandbox from Inflexion Games.
- Baldur’s Gate III – Swoon! A beautiful new trailer for Larian Studios’ upcoming RPG. The game now has an August 2023 release window.
- Wayfinder – Airship Syndicate’s online multiplayer game enters Beta next week.
- Diablo 4 – An impressive cinematic trailer for a game created by exhausted, overworked developers. It’s due on June 6, 2023, apparently.
- Horizon Forbidden West – Burning Shore – Aloy goes to Hollywood in the upcoming content expansion for Guerilla’s hit action adventure. Out next April.
- Blue Protocol – Bandai Namco Online has teamed up with Amazon Games for this cool-looking MMORPG. It’s coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC next year.
- Remnant II – I missed this as I made a cup of tea. Google is your friend.
- Transformers Reactivate – A bizarre trailer for Splash Damage’s new Transformers game.
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Keegan-Michael Key reveals the truth about Toad’s head, along with a new clip from the upcoming Mario movie.
- Banishers – OK, so two and a half hours in, and I’m starting to flag. Still, the latest game from Don’t Nod looks moody, atmospheric, and intriguing.
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – New footage from Saber Interactive’s hack-and-slash shooter sequel.
- Meet Your Maker – Something something Beta. Sorry, I was snacking this time.
- Crash Bandicoot – It’s the Crash Bandicoot team-based combat game you never knew you wanted. The latest creation from Toys for Bob is coming to Xbox and PlayStation sometime next year.
- The Lords of the Fallen – A new trailer for Hexworks’ dark fantasy action RPG.
- Crime Boss Rockay City – Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger, Chuck Norris and Vanilla Ice star in this 505-published shooter. It’s out on March 28, 2023
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Idris Elba joins the cast for the game’s Phantom Liberty content expansion
- Armoured Core VI: Fires of Rubicon – FromSoftware shows off a stunning trailer for its mech shooter sequel. The game is due next year.
- Final Fantasy XVI – Naoki Yoshida makes his Game Awards stage debut to present a sensational new trailer for the hugely anticipated Square Enix RPG. Mark June 22, 2023, in your calendar.
The Game Awards 2022 Winners
Game of the Year
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment)
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)
Best Game Direction
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
- Immortality (Half Mermaid)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
Best Narrative
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment)
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
- Immortality (Half Mermaid)
Best Art Direction
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
- Scorn (Ebb Software/Kepler Interactive)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
Best Score and Music
- Olivier Deriviere, A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Tsukasa Saitoh, Elden Ring
- Bear McCreary, God of War Ragnarök
- Two Feathers, Metal: Hellsinger
- Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best Audio Design
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward/Activision)
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
Best Performance
- Ashly Burch, Horizon Forbidden West
- Charlotte McBurney, A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Christopher Judge, God of War Ragnarök
- Manon Gage, Immortality
- Sunny Suljic, God of War Ragnarök
Games for Impact
- A Memoir Blue (Cloisters Interactive/Annapurna)
- As Dusk Falls (Interior Night/Xbox Game Studios)
- Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age/Fellow Traveller)
- Endling – Extinction is Forever (Herobeat Studios/HandyGames)
- Hindsight (Team Hindsight/Annapurna)
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games/Finji)
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)
Best Indie
- Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster / Devolver Digital)
- Neon White (Angel Matrix/Annapurna)
- Sifu (Sloclap)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
- Tunic (Tunic Team/Finji)
Best Debut Indie
- Neon White (Angel Matrix/Annapurna Interactive)
- NORCO (Geography of Robots/Raw Fury)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
- TUNIC (TUNIC Team/Finji)
- Vampire Survivors (poncle)
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best Mobile
- Apex Legends Mobile (Lightspeed & Quantum/Respawn/EA)
- Diablo Immortal (Blizzard/NetEase)
- Genshin Impact (HoYovese)
- Marvel Snap (Second Dinner Studios/Nuverse)
- Tower of Fantasy (Hotta Studio/Perfect World/Level Infinite)
Best VR/AR
- After the Fall (Vertigo Games)
- Among Us VR (Schell Games/InnerSloth)
- Bonelab (Stress Level Zero)
- Moss: Book II (Polyarc)
- Red Matter 2 (Vertical Robot)
Best Action
- Bayonetta 3 (Platinum Games/Nintendo)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward/Activision)
- Neon White (Angel Matrix/Annapurna)
- Sifu (Sloclap)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (Tribute Games/Dotemu)
Best Action/Adventure
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
- TUNIC (TUNIC Team/Finji)
Best Role Playing
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- Live a Live (Square Enix/Nintendo)
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Game Freak/Nintendo/TPCI)
- Triangle Strategy (Artdink/Square Enix)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)
Best Fighting
- DNF Duel (Arc System Works/EIGHTING/NEOPLE/NEXON)
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R (CyberConnect 2 Co. Ltd/Bandai Namco)
- The King of Fighters XV (SNK/Plaion)
- MultiVersus (Player First Games/WB Games)
- Sifu (Sloclap)
Best Family
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land (HAL Laboratory / Nintendo)
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Traveller’s Tales/WB Games)
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft Milan/Paris/Ubisoft)
- Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Splatoon 3 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Sim/Strategy
- Dune: Spice Wars (Shiro Games/Funcom)
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft Milan/Paris/Ubisoft)
- Total War: Warhammer III (Creative Assembly/Sega)
- Two Point Campus (Two Point Studios/Sega)
- Victoria 3 (Paradox Development Studio/Paradox Interactive)
Best Sports/Racing
- F1 22 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
- FIFA 23 (EA Vancouver/Romania/EA Sports)
- NBA 2K23 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
- Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital/SIE)
- OlliOlli World (Roll 7/Private Division)
Best Multiplayer
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward/Activision)
- MultiVersus (Player First Games/WB Games)
- Overwatch 2 (Blizzard)
- Splatoon 3 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (Tribute Games/Dotemu)
Most Anticipated
- Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
- Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software/WB Games)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
- Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Content Creator of the Year
- Karl Jacobs
- Ludwig
- Nibellion
- Nobru
- QTCinderella
Best Adaptation
- Arcane: League of Legends (Fortiche/Riot Games/Netflix)
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Studio Trigger/CD Projekt, Netflix)
- The Cuphead Show! (Studio MDHR/King Features Syndicate/Netflix)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Sammy Group/Paramount Pictures)
- Uncharted (PlayStation Productions/Sony Pictures)
Innovation in Accessibility
- As Dusk Falls (Interior Night/Xbox Game Studios)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox/Devolver Digital)
- The Last Of Us Part I (Naughty Dog/SIE)
- The Quarry (Supermassive Games/2K)
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- DOTA 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- Rocket League (Psyonix)
- VALORANT (Riot Games)
Best Esports Athlete
- Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon (Gen.G, LOL)
- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (T1, LOL)
- Finn “karrigan” Andersen ( (FaZe Clan – CS:GO)
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere, CS:GO)
- Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker (Cloud9, Valorant)
Best Esports Team
- DarkZero Esports (Apex Legends)
- FaZe Clan (CS:GO)
- Gen.G (League of Legends)
- LA Thieves (Call of Duty)
- LOUD (Valorant)
Best Esports Coach
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi (Natus Vincere, CS:GO)
- Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi (LOUD, VALORANT)
- Erik “d00mbr0s” Sandgren (FPX, VALORANT)
- Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström (FaZe Clan, CS:GO)
- Go “Score” Dong-bin (Gen.G, LOL)
Best Esports Event
- EVO 2022
- 2022 League of Legends World Championship
- PGL Major Antwerp 2022 The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational
- VALORANT Champions 2022
