The Game Developers Choice Awards have arrived and look to honor the best of the best in the world of video games from 2023. This year’s show has 12 categories and the winners are chosen by industry professionals from around the world.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 are leading the way going into tonight with seven nominations each, and both are part of a surprising yet wonderful list of nominees for the best game of 2023 that also includes Cocoon, Dave the Diver, Dredge, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
As we’ve seen in awards shows in the past, any game can emerge victorious, and we’ll be covering the show live and updating the list below, so be sure to stay tuned to see the winners of the Game Developers Choice Awards 2024!
BEST AUDIO
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)Venba (Visai Games)Honorable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Diablo IV (Blizzard
Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software / Portkey
Games), Humanity (tha ltd. and Enhance / Enhance)
BEST DEBUT
COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)Venba (Visai Games) – WINNERViewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)Honorable Mentions: BattleBit Remastered (SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse / SgtOkiDoki),
Party Animals (Recreate Games / Source Technology), Pizza Tower (Tour De Pizza), Planet of Lana
(Wishfully Studios / Thunderful), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble
Games)
BEST DESIGN
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios) – WINNERCOCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)Honorable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Street Fighter 6 (Capcom), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)
INNOVATION AWARD
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo) – WINNERThe Making of Karateka (Digital Eclipse)Honorable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Marvel’s
Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios /Bethesda Softworks), Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)
BEST NARRATIVE
Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games) – WINNERBaldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)Venba (Visai Games)Honorable Mentions: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Dredge (Black Salt Games /
Team17), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games /Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions)Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Bordeaux / Ubisoft)Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)Venba (Visai Games)Honorable Mentions: Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
(Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony
Interactive Entertainment), Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive), Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games /
Annapurna Interactive)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo) – WINNERHonorable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Cyberpunk 2077:
Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix),
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VISUAL ART
Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games) – WINNERCOCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)Honorable Mentions: Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17),
Lies of P (Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Super
Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)
GAME OF THE YEAR
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)Honorable Mentions: Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games), Diablo IV (Blizzard
Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Starfield (Bethesda
Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)