43 nominees in 12 categories consist of this year’s line-up, including IGN games of the year Hades, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushima, Half-Life: Alyx, Cloudpunk and many more. You can now vote for your choice of winners on the SXSW website – winners will be selected based on public votes, as well as SXSW staff and adviser votes.
You can see the full list of nominees below.
Video game of the year
Awarded for gameplay that illustrates overall excellence and creates a clear gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- DOOM Eternal – id software / Bethesda Softworks
- Ghost of Tsushima – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades – Super Giant Games
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- The Last of Us Part II – Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Indie Game of the Year
The indie game is awarded which is an excellent example of overall excellence and creates a clear gaming experience on all platforms and genres.
- Bugsnax – Young horses
- Cloudpunk – Ioneland
- Crown Trick – NEXT Studios / Team17
- Deep Rock Galactic – Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Huntdown – Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Ikenfell – Happy Ray Games / Humble Games
- Monster Sanctuary – Moi Rai Games / Team17
- Raji: An Ancient Epic – Nodding Heads Games / Super.com
- Risk of Rain 2 – Hopoo Games / Gearbox Publishing
- The Last Campfire – Hello Games
Table top game of the year
Awarded for the game that illustrates the general excellence and ingenuity of any table game in any genre.
- Calico – Flatout Games
- Fort – Leader Games
- Oceans – North Star Games
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine – KOSMOS
- The Search for Planet X – Renegade Game Studios / Foxtrot Games
VR game of the year
Awarded for the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design on any VR platform.
- Down the Rabbit Hole – Cortopia Studios / Beyond Frames Entertainment
- Half-life: Alyx – Valve
- Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond – Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Star Wars: Squadrons – Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Skydance Interactive
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded for the game that best challenges the ‘norm’ of everyday games and offers a culturally innovative look at a game world, character or game.
- Astro’s Playroom – Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Dreams – Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- If found … – Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive
- Tell Me Why – DONTNOD Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios
- The Last of Us Part II – Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in animation, art and visual achievements
Awarded for the game with the most well-designed and beautiful visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft
- Cloudpunk – Ioneland
- Final Fantasy VII Remake – SQUARE ENIX
- Ghost of Tsushima – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
Excellence in game design
Awarded for the game with the best overall design concept, game mechanics and best execution.
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time – Toys for Bob / Activision
- Desperados III – Mimimi Games / THQ Nordic
- Hades – Super Giant Games
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- Watch Dogs: Legion – Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft
Excellence in score
The game is awarded for the best example of artistic excellence in musical music and how it progresses the narration of the game.
- Cyberpunk 2077 – CD Project Red / CD Project
- DOOM Eternal – id software / Bethesda Softworks
- Final Fantasy VII Remake – SQUARE ENIX
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- Trials of Mana – Xeen / SQUARE ENIX
Excellence in multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- Deep Rock Galactic – Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Spot Publishing
- Huntdown – Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Risk of Rain 2 – Hopoo Games, Gearbox Publishing
- Star Wars: Squadrons – Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- VALORANT – Trick Games
Excellence in narration
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- Ghost of Tsushima – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades – Super Giant Games
- Immortals Fenyx Rising – Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales – Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- The Last of Us Part II – Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in sound design
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and effective sound effects.
- Bugsnax – Young horses
- DOOM Eternal – id software / Bethesda Softworks
- Observer: System Redux – Bloober Team
- Star Wars: Squadrons – Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 – Vicarious Visions / Activision
Excellence in technical performance
Awarded to the game that has fueled the most advanced or effective capabilities of technology and programming.
- Astro’s Playroom – Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Dreams – Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genshin Impact – miHoYo
- Ghost of Tsushima – Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Microsoft Flight Simulator – Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s editor – in – chief of News. Follow him further Twitter. Do you have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Send an email to [email protected].