The Game Awards Winners: 10 Standout Games

Looking up the winners from The Game Awards? This list highlights ten notable winners from the 2024 ceremony, including the top award, genre honors and player-voted recognition. It is for players deciding what to try next, as well as anyone who wants a quick guide to the games behind the trophies.

1. Astro Bot — Game of the Year

Team Asobi’s Astro Bot won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, alongside awards for Best Game Direction and Best Action/Adventure Game. The PlayStation 5 platformer sends Astro through themed planets to rescue scattered robot companions, with each stage built around a distinct movement idea or gadget.

Its appeal is in how consistently it turns familiar platforming into tactile surprises: Astro can inflate, glide, punch and use specialized transformations without making the controls feel complicated. It is the most direct starting point if you want to see which game took the ceremony’s biggest prize.

2. Balatro — Best Independent Game

Balatro, made by solo developer LocalThunk, won Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game. It is a poker-inspired roguelike deck-builder, not a conventional poker game: players build scoring hands, then use Joker cards and other modifiers to multiply their chips.

Runs are short enough to invite another attempt, but the combinations can become startlingly powerful as the deck and Jokers interact. It suits players who enjoy strategy and experimentation, though its escalating score-chasing loop can be absorbing enough that it is easy to lose track of time.

3. Metaphor: ReFantazio — Best RPG

Atlus’s Metaphor: ReFantazio won Best RPG. Its fantasy story follows a young protagonist and companions competing in a political contest to become the next king, while a dangerous supernatural threat hangs over the kingdom of Euchronia.

The game combines turn-based combat with real-time attacks against weaker enemies and an Archetype system that lets characters adopt different combat roles. If you like substantial role-playing games with party planning, social activities and a carefully structured story, this winner offers all three—but expect a lengthy commitment.

4. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — Best Score and Music

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth received Best Score and Music, recognizing the work of composers including Masashi Hamauzu, Mitsuto Suzuki and Nobuo Uematsu. Its soundtrack ranges from orchestral battle themes to arrangements that shift with the setting and the game’s many side activities.

This is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake project, continuing Cloud and his companions’ journey beyond Midgar. The music is a particular reason to play, but newcomers should know that the story builds on Remake and the 1997 original rather than serving as a wholly separate adventure.

5. Helldivers 2 — Best Ongoing Game

Arrowhead Game Studios’ cooperative shooter Helldivers 2 won Best Ongoing Game. Teams of up to four players deploy to fight alien factions, complete objectives and call in powerful Stratagems such as airstrikes and support weapons.

Its defining pleasure is also its danger: friendly fire is always possible, so a poorly placed explosive can take out teammates as readily as enemies. The award recognized a game shaped by continuing updates and community participation; it is a stronger fit if you enjoy coordinated multiplayer than if you mainly want a solo campaign.

6. Tekken 8 — Best Fighting Game

Tekken 8 won Best Fighting Game, bringing Bandai Namco’s long-running 3D fighting series to a new entry centered on the conflict between Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. Its Heat system encourages aggressive play, giving fighters access to enhanced attacks and pressure during a round.

The game offers a story mode, online matches and practice tools, so players can learn at different speeds. Fighting games reward practice and match-up knowledge; the trophy is a useful reason to investigate it, not a promise that every match will be easy for beginners.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — Best Family Game

Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom won Best Family Game. It puts Princess Zelda in the lead role, using the Tri Rod to create “echoes”—copies of objects and creatures she has encountered—to solve puzzles and overcome enemies.

That ability makes problem-solving unusually flexible: a bed can become a platform, while an echoed monster can fight on Zelda’s behalf. Its bright presentation and inventive puzzles make it approachable for a range of ages, while the freedom to test solutions gives experienced players room to experiment.

8. Black Myth: Wukong — Players’ Voice

Black Myth: Wukong won Players’ Voice, an award decided by public voting rather than the jury-led process used for many other categories. Developed by Game Science, the action role-playing game draws on the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West, casting the player as the Destined One.

Combat centers on a staff, transformations and spells, with large, formidable opponents shaping the journey. Its player-voted win reflects audience enthusiasm, while its demanding action makes it most appealing to players willing to learn enemy patterns and retry difficult encounters.

9. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II — Games for Impact

Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II won Games for Impact, a category recognizing games with a meaningful message or social impact. It continues the story of Senua, a Pict warrior in ninth-century Iceland, through a cinematic action adventure that emphasizes atmosphere and performance.

The game’s presentation uses close-up character animation, stark landscapes and layered sound to create an intense experience. Its subject matter and unsettling audio-visual style are not a lighthearted fit for everyone, but players interested in focused, story-led games may find its approach distinctive.

10. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle — Best Action/Adventure Game

MachineGames’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle won Best Action/Adventure Game. Set in 1937 between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, it follows Indiana Jones as he investigates a mystery involving ancient sites and a worldwide conspiracy.

Rather than focusing only on gunfights, the game mixes exploration, puzzles, stealth and the use of Indy’s whip. That variety makes it a strong choice for players who want an adventure built around discovery and character, whether or not they have played the developer’s previous action games.

How to Choose

Start with the kind of play you want, not just the award. For a polished platformer, look at Astro Bot; for a story-heavy role-playing commitment, consider Metaphor: ReFantazio or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. If you want repeatable runs and strategic choices, Balatro is a very different proposition from a cinematic adventure.

Also check the platform before deciding: these winners are not all available on the same systems. Consider whether you prefer solo play or cooperative and competitive multiplayer, how much difficulty you enjoy, and whether a game is part of a continuing story. The awards identify recognition, not a universal ranking of what you will enjoy most.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024?
Astro Bot won Game of the Year.

What year’s winners are listed here?
This list covers winners from The Game Awards 2024, held in December 2024.

Did one game win multiple awards?
Yes. Astro Bot also won Best Game Direction and Best Action/Adventure Game.

How is Players’ Voice decided?
Players’ Voice is determined by public voting, unlike categories decided through the awards’ jury process.

Does winning mean a game is right for every player?
No. Categories recognize particular achievements, while your preferred genre, platform, play style and tolerance for difficulty matter more to your choice.

Final Thoughts

The 2024 winners span platforming, role-playing, fighting, strategy and cooperative action, so the list is less a single recommendation than a set of different starting points. Pick the game whose style fits your interests, then use its award as context for why it stood out.

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