We’re getting closer and closer to the end of the year, and that’s means that it’s finally time for the Game Awards. The nominations for the annual awards show were announced earlier today, and Remedy’s Control, Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding, Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds, Capcom’s Resident Evil 2, From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will all be competing for “Game of the Year.”
Host Geoff Keighley isn’t involved in the nominating process, but it still feels strange to realize that he actually appears as a non-player character in Death Stranding. Hideo Kojima’s latest game, and first as an independent developer, ultimately received nine nominations across eight categories (both Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen were nominated for “Best Performance”).
Fans are once again encouraged to vote for their favorite games at the award show’s official website, and fan votes will have a real effect on the outcome, as they’ll count for a 10% share of the voting jury.
The 2019 Game Awards will be held on Thursday, December 12. In addition to all the winners, we can also expect to see a lot of World Premiere Trailers for upcoming games, some of which will be announced in the coming days.
In the meantime, you can find a complete list of all the nominees after the break.
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- Control (Remedy / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Sora + Bandai Namco / Nintendo)
- Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division)
Best Game Direction
Awarded to a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- Control (Remedy / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- A Plague Tale: Innocence (Asobo / Focus Home Interactive)
- Control (Remedy / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division)
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- Control (Remedy / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo / Nintendo)
Best Score/Music
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- Cadence of Hyrule (Brace Yourself Games / Nintendo)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
Best Audio Design
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Control (Remedy / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Gears 5 (The Coalition / Xbox Game Studios)
- Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.
- Ashly Burch, The Outer Worlds (As Parvati Holcomb)
- Courtney Hope, Control (As Jesse Faden)
- Laura Bailey, Gears 5 (As Kait Diaz)
- Mads Mikkelsen, Death Stranding (As Cliff)
- Matthew Porretta, Control (As Dr. Casper Darling)
- Norman Reedus, Death Stranding (As Sam Porter Bridges)
Games for Impact
For a thought provoking game with a profound pro-social meaning or message.
- Concrete Genis (Pixelopus / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
- Kind Words (Popcannibal)
- Life Is Strange 2 (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)
- Sea of Solitude (Jo-Mei Games / Electronic Arts)
Best Ongoing Game
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
Best Mobile Game
For the best game playable on a dedicated mobile device.
- Call of Duty Mobile (TIMI Studios / Activision)
- Grindstone (Capybara Games)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
- Sky: Children of Light (ThatGameCompany)
- What The Golf? (Triband)
Best VR/AR Game
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- Asgard’s Wrath (Sanzaru Games / Oculus Studios)
- Blood & Truth (Sony London Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Beat Saber (Beat Games)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
- Trover Saves the Universe (Squanch Games)
Best Action Game
For the best game in the action genre focused on combat.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Astral Chain (Platinum Games / Nintendo)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Gears 5 (The Coalition / Xbox Game Studios)
- Metro Exodus (4A Games / Deep Silver)
Best Action/Adventure Game
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- Borderlands 3 (Gearbox Software / 2K Games)
- Control (Remedy / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo / Nintendo)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
Best Role Playing Game
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (Capcom)
- The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division)
Best Fighting Game
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- Dead or Alive 6 (Team Ninja / Koei Tecmo)
- Jump Force (Spike Chunsoft / Bandai Namco)
- Mortal Kombat 11 (NetherRealm Entertainment / Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment)
- Samurai Showdown (SNK / Athlon)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Sora + Bandai Namco / Nintendo)
Best Family Game
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo)
- Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Sora + Bandai Namco / Nintendo)
- Yoshi’s Crafted World (Good-Feel / Nintendo)
Best Strategy Game
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- Age of Wonders: Planetfall (Triumph Studios / Paradox Interactive)
- Anno 1800 (Blue Byte Interactive / Ubisoft)
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems + Koei Tecmo / Nintendo)
- Total War: Three Kingdoms (Creative Assembly / Sega)
- Wargroove (Chucklefish)
Best Sports/Racing Game
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (Beenox / Activision)
- Dirt Rally 2.0 (Codemasters / Deep Silver)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 (PES Productions / Konami)
- F1 2019 (Codemasters / Deep Silver)
- FIFA 20 (EA Canada / EA Sports)
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Borderlands 3 (Gearbox Software / 2K Games)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Tetris 99 (Arika / Nintendo)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft)
Best Independent Game
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- Baba Is You (Hempuli)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Katana Zero (Askiisoft / Devolver Digital)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
- Untitled Goose Game (House House / Panic)
Fresh Indie Game (Sponsored by Subway)
Recognizing a new independent studio that released its first game in 2019.
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Gris (Nomada Studio)
- My Friend Pedro (DeadToast Entertainemnt)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital)
- Slay the Spire (Mega Crit)
- Untitled Goose Game (House House)
Best Community Support
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
Best Esports Game
For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
Best Esports Player
The esports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2019, irrespective of game.
- Kyle “bugha” Giersdorf (Sentinels, Fortnite)
- Lee “faker” Sang-Hyeok (SK Telecom, League of Legends)
- Luka “perkz” Perkovic (G2 Esports, League of Legends)
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- Jay “sinatraa” Won (San Francisco Shock, Overwatch)
Best Esports Team
The esports team judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2019, inclusive of multi-team organizations.
- Astralis (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- G2 Esports (League of Legends)
- OG (Dota 2)
- San Francisco Shock (Overwatch League)
- Team Liquid (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
Best Esports Coach
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2019.
- Eric “Adren” Hoag (Team Liquid, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- Nu-Ri “Cain” Jang (Team Liquid, League of Legends)
- Fabian “Grabbz” Lohmann (G2 Esports, League of Legends)
- Kim “kkoma” Jeong-Gyun (SK Telecom, League of Legends)
- Titouan “Sockshka” Merloz (OG, Dota 2)
- Danny “Zonic” Sorensen (Astralis, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
Best Esports Event
Recognizing a singular event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants, in-person fans, and the broadcast audience.
- Evo 2019
- Fortnite World Cup
- Overwatch League Grand Finals
- IEM Katowice
- League of Legends World Championship
- The International
Best Esports Host
The best host or commentator of esports events (both in-venue and/or broadcast) in 2019, irrespective of game or language.
- Eefje “Sjookz” Depoortere
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Paul “Redeye” Chaloner
- Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
- Duan “Candice” Yu-Shuang
Content Creator of the Year
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the industry in 2019.
- Jack “Courage” Dunlop
- Benjamin “Dr. Lupo” Lupo
- Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler
- David “grefg” Martinez
- Michael “shroud” Grzesiek
