The end of the year is always a time to reflect, and the gaming industry is no different.
The 10th annual Game Awards take place in Los Angeles on Thursday, 7 December, celebrating the best interactive entertainment released in 2023.
Sky News looks at the battles in seven of the hottest categories, and the rest are in full underneath.
Game of the year
Alan Wake 2
Baldur’s Gate 3
Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario Bros Wonder
It’s a smorgasbord of blockbuster sequels battling it out for best game, and we think it’s between Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Both were long in the making and took advantage of their lengthy development to upend fans’ expectations and achieve some of the highest review scores of the year.
The former is a love letter to Stephen King, Twin Peaks, and The Twilight Zone, delivering plot twists and jump scares aplenty while boasting some of 2023’s most creatively meta moments; and its fantasy rival has wowed with the seemingly endless permutations players can experience in a story driven by the choices they make.
Best narrative
Alan Wake 2
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Final Fantasy XVI
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Given their storytelling prowess is a key factor in how well they’ve been received, Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 appear destined to slug it out for the narrative prize.
In both cases, it’s not just about how compelling the stories are, but how they’re delivered in ways that only this medium can. For example, Alan Wake’s Helsinki-based studio Remedy combines the game’s striking visuals with live action sequences, consistently challenging your perception of what’s really happening.
With Baldur’s Gate, from Belgian developer Larian, the sheer scope of its Dungeons & Dragons-style quest is astonishing – and the agency it gives means…
