The Game Awards Game of the Year: The Winning Games of each year!

The third game in the Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Inquisition, represented a major step forward from its predecessors, taking the franchise into the next generation of consoles with an immersive and visually stunning world. Each player's choice influenced the building of alliances and relationships with complex characters, each wrapped up in their own dilemmas.

As the Inquisitor, players explore a vast open world to seal rifts in the sky and unravel its mysteries. RPG elements are integrated into both dialogue and character customization, offering diverse combinations of skills and builds, as well as extensive replayability due to the high variation of available classes.

These qualities made Dragon Age: Inquisition a landmark of its generation, paving the way for many other RPGs and open-world games. Its successor, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, faces, ten years later, the great challenge of living up to high expectations and leaving its own mark on the gaming industry.

2015 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Geralt of Rivia's adventures have previously been portrayed in games, but it was with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that the character gained notoriety in the industry, starring one of the best action RPGs of all time.

Everything about The Witcher 3 is extremely vivid: the quests are rich in narrative, exploring the vast maps of its open world always brings hidden rewards or hidden threats for Geralt to overcome, the core characters are deeply engaging, and the freedom of choice the player has, in the role of the Witcher, defines their destiny and that of the kingdom - sometimes defining the life or death of some of them.

The game also stands out for its open world, considered one of the best today. The lighting, nature, the behavior of the NPCs and the day and night cycle transform exploration into an immersive experience, allowing players to truly feel like they are inside that universe as Geralt. The success of The Witcher 3 was so influential that it led to the creation of two expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, and a Netflix series starring Henry Cavill.

2016 - Overwatch

Overwatch’s launch took the gaming community by storm and became a global phenomenon, setting new trends in the as a service games market.

With its mix of first-person gameplay, cooperative modes, and maps designed for an interactive experience, coupled with its visual aesthetic and exemplary character development and world-building, Overwatch captured the attention of both casual audiences and eSports enthusiasts and remains relevant in the industry to this day.

Its success led to several reworks, with changes to the quality of life and other elements kept the game up to date with market trends, culminating in Overwatch 2 and ensuring its extension as a dominant force in the genre.

2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The idea of ​​a The Legend of Zelda game with a completely open world and focused on exploration seemed bold for Nintendo, but Breath of the Wild exceeded all expectations, becoming one of the main pillars of contemporary game design and acclaimed by audiences and critics for its innovative approach.

Its non-linear structure rewards with a vast world of Hyrule full of secrets to be discovered. Players can find secret ruins, hidden treasures, collect materials and solve exciting puzzles, keeping the experience challenging and engaging.

Exploration and Freedom are keywords for Breath of the Wild, with the possibility of facing the final boss in the first few hours, and the richness of detail in every aspect of the world has turned it into one of the most acclaimed games in the entire The Legend of Zelda franchise.

2018 - God of War

God of War’s transition into Norse mythology has been met with skepticism by the series’ most ardent fans. However, with the change in narrative focus, Santa Monica Studio managed to present a more mature and humanized Kratos, whose relationship with his son, Atreus, is the core of the fourth game in the series.

The title redesigns several aspects of the previous games, transforming the famous PlayStation series for the new generation. The focus is much more on the narrative, while the combat, less frenetic, benefits from Kratos' wide variety of equipment and weapons, incorporating some Action RPG elements.

The plot is, without a doubt, the game's highlight. Following an older Kratos facing dilemmas from his past and present while traveling with Atreus, the game offers a deep narrative weight. Combined with impressive technical aspects and visuals, God of War transforms itself to leave a remarkable experience for players.

2019 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

FromSoftware's take on the genre established by the company with Dark Souls with a feudal theme transports players to a fictional version of the Sengoku period in Japan in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The innovative gameplay mechanics have made the title as acclaimed as other releases from the studio over the years.

Sekiro incorporates stealth mechanics and combat that requires precision in attacks and parries, in addition to an innovative respawn system, which adds another strategic aspect. The game's striking visual aesthetic has won the admiration of critics and players alike, solidifying it as another masterpiece from FromSoftware.

2020 - The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us is considered one of the best games of all time. Joel and Ellie’s journey through a country ravaged by a deadly fungal pandemic quickly became one of the most captivating stories in gaming, and even spawned an acclaimed television series on HBO Max.

Expectations for the game’s sequel were high and highly anticipated, and The Last of Us Part II delivered one of the most intense experiences in modern gaming as players unveil Ellie’s revenge and her multiple perspectives in a complex, twisty story.

The courage to take bold steps with character and yet creating a powerful narrative full of conflicting emotions turned The Last of Us Part II into one of the most admired games by fans and critics, and despite the controversies surrounding its story, it established itself as a must-play of its generation.

2021 - It Takes Two

It Takes Two stood out as Game of the Year with its innovative gameplay proposals, requiring two simultaneous players to solve puzzles collaboratively. Despite its focus on cooperation, the game doesn't neglect its narrative: the story of a couple on the verge of divorce who are transformed into dolls and must find - together - a way to recover their bodies.

With a highly creative world, It Takes Two brought people together during the period of social isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing a social aspect often neglected in favor of single-player experiences. The simple but captivating narrative challenges players and offers a fascinating experience.

2022 - Elden Ring

Elden Ring set a new precedent for Soulslike games by combining the acclaimed elements of the Dark Souls series with a vast open world, allowing the player to build its story and explore every corner in your own way. The game introduced a new beauty to the concept of an open world, where each enemy represents a lethal threat if the player is not careful.

Written by George R. R. Martin, the world-building in Elden Ring is exemplary: each item, boss and region has its own story, enriching a lore as vast as the world itself. Its narrative follows the formula consecrated in the works of Hidetaka Miyazaki, where the details illuminate the player's knowledge about the game's universe.

Elden Ring left a mark on the industry and continues to maintain a wide base of players fascinated by its lore and gameplay, even two years after its release. With the expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, the game solidifies itself as a timeless hit and will be a reference in its genre for many years to come.

2023 - Baldur’s Gate 3

Awaited for many years, Baldur’s Gate 3 exceeded all expectations, offering the definitive RPG experience for video games. The game has been hailed as the "best D&D campaign simulator of all time" and rightly so: using the setting, characters and world of Dungeons & Dragons, it makes excellent use of several tabletop RPG mechanics.

With a very high standard of customization, builds, possibilities to solve each challenge and dialogues, Larian Studios' game is an extremely ambitious project that has set a milestone in the industry, difficult to surpass or reach. For many, the experience offered by Baldur's Gate 3 is unique, consolidating it as one of the best games of today and a reference from which every RPG developed later can learn a lesson from it.

The tenth edition of The Game Awards will award the best games of 2024, and this year is full of remarkable titles that will make the competition fierce.

Among them, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Tekken 8, Animal Well and the Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree stand out for their positive reception from the public and critics, and you can check out these and other titles on our list of best games of the first half of 2024