The Game Awards 2024, held on 12 December, have come and gone, leaving us with plenty to celebrate, debate, and dissect. Now that the dust has settled and we’ve had time to process the sheer volume of announcements and accolades, it’s worth revisiting the event with a clearer perspective. Did your initial reactions hold up? Were there surprises you didn’t fully appreciate until now? Here’s a reminder of what went down.
The Big Winners at The Game Awards 2024
Astro Bot stole the show, bagging Game of the Year and several other awards. Indie darlings Balatro and Metaphor: ReFantazio also made strong showings, cementing their places in gaming history. Here’s a complete list of the winners:
- Game of the Year: Astro Bot
- Best Game Direction: Astro Bot
- Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Best Art Direction: Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Best Score and Music: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Best Audio Design: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Best Performance: Melina Juergens (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II)
- Innovation in Accessibility: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Games for Impact: Neva
- Best Ongoing Game: Helldivers 2
- Best Community Support: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Best Independent Game: Balatro
- Best Mobile Game: Balatro
- Best VR/AR: Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Best Action Game: Black Myth: Wukong
- Best Action/Adventure Game: Astro Bot
- Best RPG: Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Best Fighting Game: Tekken 8
- Best Family Game: Astro Bot
- Best Sim/Strategy Game: Frostpunk 2 (11 Bit Studios)
- Best Sports/Racing Game: EA Sports FC 25
- Best Multiplayer Game: Helldivers 2
- Best Debut Indie Game: Balatro
- Content Creator of the Year: CaseOh
- Best Esports Game: League of Legends
- Best Esports Athlete: Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
- Best Esports Team: T1 (League of Legends)
- The Game Changer Award: Amir Satvat
- Players’ Voice: Black Myth: Wukong
Were these results what you expected? And, more importantly, do they feel as significant after a week’s reflection?
Major Announcements
This year’s Game Awards didn’t just celebrate 2024’s best—it also teased gaming’s future with a slew of announcements that set the internet ablaze. Let’s take a closer look at the reveals:
The Blockbuster Announcements
- The Witcher 4: Ciri’s Journey: Ciri takes the lead in this highly anticipated instalment.
- Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet (Naughty Dog): Naughty Dog dives into sci-fi with this ambitious new IP, promising deep lore, complex characters, and breathtaking visuals.
- Elden Ring: Nightreign: A standalone co-op spinoff of Elden Ring, set in a new region with expanded lore and mechanics.
- Okami 2 (Capcom): Fans rejoiced at the return of Amaterasu, with the sequel promising to expand on the original’s artful storytelling and stunning visuals.
- Mafia: The Old Country: Travel to 20th-century Sicily in this gritty prequel to the Mafia series.
- Borderlands 4: Gearbox finally revealed a trailer packed with the series’ trademark humour and action.
- The Outer Worlds 2: A new trailer with Guardians Of The Galaxy-style vibes teased what’s next for Obsidian’s quirky RPG.
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: A PC release date was revealed for January 2025.
Indie Gems and Surprises
- Tales Of The Shire: This cosy Lord of the Rings-inspired game is set to release in March 2025.
- Slay The Spire 2: A cheeky new gameplay trailer got fans buzzing.
- Virtua Fighter Returns: The iconic fighting game gets a modern overhaul.
- Core Keeper Devs Announce Kyora: A survival game dripping with gorgeously lit pixel art.
- Thick As Thieves: A co-op stealth-action game focused on betrayal and heists.
- Fragpunk: A chaotic, free-to-play multiplayer game launching March 2025.
- Dispatch: A narrative-driven thriller featuring Willem Dafoe and Florence Pugh.
- Split Fiction: Hazelight’s new co-op game promises an emotional cinematic experience.
- Catly: A trailer featuring CGI cats that ride the line between adorable and uncanny.
Other Highlights
- Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2: Early access is set for 2026.
- The Last Of Us Part II Remastered: PC port with enhanced visuals and modding support arrives on 3 April.
- Killing Floor 3: Coming in March, promising more intense co-op carnage.
- Shadow Labyrinth: A dark platformer that features evil Pacmen.
- Sonic Racing: Crossworlds: A kart racer with multiverse-inspired tracks and mechanics.
- Mechabreak: A chaotic mech combat game launching in Spring 2025.
- Dungeon & Fighter: Arad: A new ARPG from Nexon with dynamic combat.
- Wuthering Waves: Announced for PS5, releasing in 2025.
- Steel Hunters: A trailer announced its playtest, which begins immediately.
- Rematch: A football game from the creators of Sifu, coming Summer of 2025.
- Solo Leveling: The hit webtoon gets its own game next year.
- Game Of Thrones: Kingsroad: A mobile game set to release in 2025.
- One Move Away: A cosy car boot-filling sim coming in 2025.
- The First Berserker: Khazan: Launches 27 March 2025.
- Dying Light: The Beast: A new look at Summer 2025’s intense zombie action.
- Turok Origins: A co-op third-person shooter reviving the dinosaur-filled franchise.
- Den Of Wolves: Showcased its high-stakes heist gameplay.
- Honkai: Star Rail 3.0 Update: Introducing the new world Amphoreus.
- Over 154 Million Live Streams for the 10th Anniversary: Yep, that makes it the most-watched TGA ever.
DLC and Expansions
- Dave The Diver: In The Jungle: A DLC for the hit indie game, set to arrive in late 2025.
- Palworld: Feybreak: A major update lands just in time for Christmas.
- Warframe: 1999: An expansion releasing imminently.
- Helldivers 2: Introduced the new Illuminati faction, available now.
- Fortnite Odyssey: Updates reveal a first-person mode and new gameplay mechanics.
Special Shoutouts
No recap of the Game Awards would be complete without acknowledging some of the night’s standout moments:
- Pedro Eustache, aka “Flute Guy”: The orchestra’s utter gem whose joyous energy is a gift to us all.
- Swen Vincke: Swen’s speech at The Game Awards really hit home. As the mind behind Baldur’s Gate 3, he shared an honest reminder about making games for the love of it, not just for profit. His focus on respecting both developers and players felt so real – exactly what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 so special. More of this, please!
- Ella Purnell: Starring in Arcane AND Fallout? Yeah, it was her year. Werk.
Closing Thoughts
The Game Awards 2024 was a worthy 10-year-anniversary spectacle filled with surprises and triumphs, and it smashed records with 154 million live streams, making it the most-watched TGA ever. It’s awesome to see how much the gaming community has grown, with fans tuning in from all over to catch the biggest moments of the night. This milestone really shows just how huge the event has become in the gaming world! Now that we’ve had time to reflect, what stood out most to you? Were there announcements or winners that gained (or lost) significance as the week unfolded? Let us know your thoughts—and as always, stay unruly!
