Has it been a year already? Let’s be honest. Almost nobody watches Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards because they care about the pat-on-the-back trophy presentations. We’re there for the announcements and trailers. It’s one of the best annual shows for giving us the latest gaming goodness in the form of a shotgun blast to the face.
We sifted through the show and found some of our favorite updates and announcements. It is by no means an exhaustive list, so please forgive us if you don’t see your favorite. Better yet, drop your favorite trailer or announcement in the comments for the rest of us to enjoy.
We’ve also sprinkled in some of the award winners for the three people who care about that. So here we go, in no particular order.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
The Last of US maker, Naughty Dog, surprised us with the reveal of a brand new IP. It’s a sci-fi adventure with a strong female lead character named Jordan A Mun, played by Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). Mun is a bounty hunter looking for a criminal on a desolate planet from which nobody has escaped in 600 years. It should be a nice break from the post-apocalyptic zombie-survival series.
Best Ongoing Game – Hellivers 2, also Best Multiplayer Game
Thick as Thieves
OtherSide Entertainment announced its latest project called Thick as Thieves. It’s a multiplayer stealth action game with at least three playable anti-heroes trying to beat each other out of a heist. The game has an impressive production team that includes Deus Ex creator Warren Spector, Looking Glass Studios founder Paul Neurath, and Thief: The Dark Project lead Greg LoPiccolo. So we have high expectations.
Best Independent Game – Balatro, also Best Mobile Game and Best Debut Indie Game
The Witcher 4
While we knew CD Projekt Red was working on The Witcher 4, we did not really expect it to have any morsels for us this soon. It’s only a cinematic trailer, so there isn’t much to assume from it without further information. However, it seems Ciri is the star of the show. The trailer shows her as a full-fledged witcher sporting the Wolf School’s iconic medium armor, drinking poison, and kicking monster butt. Since we did get to play a short segment of The Witcher 3 as non-witcher Ciri, CDPR likely expanded that idea. Don’t be surprised if we get to play both heroes. It’s just hard to imagine CDPR pushing out a enumerated Witcher game without Geralt. We shall see.
Best Action Game – Black Myth: Wukong, also Best Player’s Voice
Split Fiction
Indie studio Hazelight announced an intriguing title called Split Fiction. It’s a co-op adventure that takes place in two worlds simultaneously. The split-world dynamic reminds us a lot of the 2021 split-world game Medium. However, instead of the two worlds being the real world and the spirit realm, Split Fiction worlds are sci-fi and fantasy. Unsurprisingly, it also has partner-game elements similar to Hazelight’s It Takes Two. It’s a unique idea that puts this one squarely on our radar.
Best VR/AR Game – Arkham Shadow
Mafia: The Old Country
We don’t have much to say about this one other than “Yay!” The Mafia franchise started in 2002 with the titular game. Mafia II launched in 2010, and Mafia III came in 2016. The entire series is excellent but should be played in order, as each subsequent title was progressively more polished than the previous. The Old Country is a prequel to the series set in the early 1900s in Sicily rather than America. If 2K Games and developer Hanger 13 continue with the trend set by its predecessors, The Old Country should be a fine addtion to the franchise.
Best Community Support – Baldur’s Gate 3
Elden Ring Nightreign
Following on the heels of the stupendously successful Elden Ring and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, FromSoftware is taking the Souls-like in a slightly different direction in this co-op action spinoff. The trailer reminds us of other co-op games, notably the Monster Hunter series. Not much else is known about it, so we’ll have to keep our earholes open for details.
Best Narrative – Metaphor: ReFantanzio
The Outer Worlds 2
What else is there to say about this one other than “The Outer Worlds 2, Baby!” If you haven’t played The Outer Worlds, what are you waiting for? It’s a masterpiece from Fallout New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment. Many have rightfully described it as Fallout New Vegas in space. If you don’t like Fallout New Vegas or The Outer Worlds, we can’t be friends. Kidding. Not kidding.
Best Score and Music – Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Borderlands 4
When Gearbox dropped its “NOT ACTUAL GAMEPLAY” teaser for Borderlands 4, it triggered millions of fans’ saliva glands. The short clip gave away absolutely nothing, yet it sent folks chomping at the bit for its vague 2025 release. It was even one fan’s dying wish to play it early, which Gearbox promised to see what it could do. The Game Awards gave us our first glimpse of gameplay that that fan is probably enjoying right now. Don’t expect anything out-of-formula, though – four new hunters, gazillions of guns, and plenty of trouble to get into and out of, as the case may be.
Game of the Year – Astro Bot, also Best Game Direction, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Family Game
There were plenty of other trailers and Game Awards winners that we didn’t have space for, so scrub through the full show (masthead), and let us know what you liked. Also check out our more indepth coverage of The Witcher 4 and Elden Ring Nightreign (queued to go live shortly).