After two predictable years of Game of the Year winner , this year’sGame Awardsare set to be a genuine struggle . The 2024 observance , which airs live on Thursday , December 12 , will feature six game duking it out for the same laurels thatElden RingandBaldur ’s Gate 3so handily win . What ’s exciting about this year ’s race ( if you actually like about watching honour shows as a spectator mutant ) is that there ’s no clear frontrunner . Any of the games nominated has a realistic chance to win , and that ’s perhaps the only time that ’s ever happened in the show ’s history .
That ’s great news if you wish drama and terrible news program if you ’re participating in a friendly depend pool . While I ca n’t give you an expert reply on who to put on your prevision ballot , I can give you insight into why each secret plan could pretty win and just as easy lose at Thursday ’s handsome show . Just do n’t blame me if your net picking loses ; no matter what you select , you ca n’t say I did n’t warn you ! ( But if you do get it correct , you may give thanks me , too . )
Astro Bot
Why it could win : There ’s a homely and elementary answer to this one : Astro Botis the best reviewed game of the year . It ’s not hard to see why , either . Astro Botis the accurate variety of worldwide crowd pleaser that be given to sweep up at The Game Awards . It ’s a work of pure entertainment that does what thebest Nintendo gameshave always accomplished so well , but with a technical sheen that makes it feel as spectacular as any modern PS5 game . Considering how split the ballot base will be this yr , especially with multiple RPGs that are sure to split votes , Astro Botmay have an easy fourth dimension acquire consensus thanks to its agreeable platforming and infective energy .
Why it could drop off : Despite looking like a shoe - in on paper , 3D platformers like this do n’t precisely have a history of sweep up at The Game Awards . The honour for the most part tends to go to traditional knowledge - fill up action RPGs or dressed action - risky venture games with mature stories . The only exclusion to that style was whenIt Takes Twowon in 2021 , but even that was a secret plan for onetime audiences . A unfeigned “ class secret plan ” has never won Game of the Year ( Nintendo ’s only winnings is for the mechanically complexThe Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild ) , soAstro Botwill have to work twice as heavy to break the mold this year .
Balatro
Why it could win : While it ’s the dark sawbuck in the race , Balatrocould win for the same reasonableness asAstro Bot : a crowd pleaser benefit from a split panel . It ’ll be hard to find a voter who did n’t have some form ofBalatrophase this yr , getting absolutely sucked into its roguelike poker loop . With its late mobile launch , which may be thebest edition of the plot , the indie hit is more top of judgement than ever . It ’s a hit among both thespian and critics , and that consensus could very well work in its favor .
Why it could recede : IfAstro Botwinning would be precedent - breaking , aBalatrovictory would shatter the show ’s 10 - twelvemonth history . No secret plan likeBalatrohas even been constitute for Game of the Year , let along had a chance at winning . It ’s a minimalist indie roguelike combat against the five glitziest biz release this year . The lamentable truth of The Game Awards is that the deck is stacked against indie games like this . story - driven games with a striking fixed slice rule over ecological niche game no matter how much they ’ve broken into the mainstream zeitgeist . The fact that it ’s nominated at all is a profits in my book .
Black Myth: Wukong
Why it could win : Black Myth : Wukonghas a lot going in its favour even if it may look like a long shot . Despite its polarizing reception , the multitude who love this action mechanism RPGreallylove it . That dedication alone might give it enough votes to queer the finish line . More importantly , Wukongis a monolithic hit with outside audiences , and The Game Awards ’ voting base is n’t just American . The worldwide jury could very well give it an edge in a competitive race , as could the 10 % public buff vote that is used to calculate the succeeder . That last part is crucial here , asWukonghas perhaps the most vocal fanbase behind it , and one that ’s no doubt ready to mobilize so as to get it a win .
Why it could misplace : I’m going to use the word unprecedented two more times here , which order you all you need to acknowledge about how set and stereotypical The Game Awards winners list is . Wukong‘s issue is a number : 81 . That ’s its currentMetacritic average , and it ’s a very low number for a Game Awards Game of the Year . In fact , of all 60 + games that have been up for the honor , it ’s the second - low - scoring one . While that may vocalize like a whacky reason that it could lose , it ’s not a random number . It ’s a reflection of a interracial vital consensus from the same panel that ’ll be responsible for 90 % of the voting data at the show . Western media voter will have to be fabulously divided for it to win .
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Why it could gain ground : Look , permit ’s just be honest : game critic are full sickos for FromSoftware game . Whether you call it preconception or just consensus , the company ’s specific breed of action RPG come across with voters . It ’s why bothElden RingandSekiro : Shadows Die Twicewon this honor previously . While it may be a DLC , the fact of the thing is thatShadow of the Erdtreeis every bit as telling as those games . It is a meaty expansion that almost feels like anElden Ringsequel . Not only that but it ’s the best retrospect DLC of all time and the secondly - best - look back biz of the year overall , just behindAstro Bot . Never enumerate out Hidetaka Miyazaki .
Why it could lose : OK , say it with me for this one net time : unprecedented!The simple-minded fact of the matter is that a DLC has never won Game of the Year , let alone be nominated . At the conclusion of the day , this is more of an already great plot rather than an enlargement that ’s fully great on its own merits . That has made it a point of controversy during the build to this yr ’s show , which may flex voters against it on rationale . The realness is that Game Awards voting can be just as political as Oscars or Grammys voting . A jury is not immune from acetify on something they otherwise love out of award wash spite . All of that givesShadow of the Erdtreea substantial handicap .
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Why it could get ahead : If I had to put my money on any game this yr , it would beFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth . More than any other nominee , it checks just about every boxful for The Game Awards ’ predictable criterion . A lore - driven action RPG ? Check . Narrative center ? Check . A familiar informatics ? Check . One of the yr ’s best - reviewed games ? Check . This is the exact sort of game that ’s engineered to bolt up awards at a show like this . It helps that it ’s one of the good Final Fantasy games in eld , too . That acquirement may net Square Enix its equivalent of a life accomplishment prize , like when the Oscars finally honor an auteur that ’s managed to never win the heavy one .
Why it could suffer : The longer a biz has been secrete , the more vulnerable it becomes . Backlash is always going to set in with any well - get game , andRebirthhas make its fairish share of it since its February launching . Both its bloated aim andpolarizing endinghave softened its longsighted - term reception . Will that be enough to turn voters aside ? Normally it may not , but it ’s a problem with the race as tight as it is . With four RPGs in the race , apathy could be a orca .
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Why it could win : More than any plot on this list , Metaphor : ReFantazio‘s prospect at winning shank from a wide-eyed answer : It ’s just a great secret plan . Atlus ’ splendid RPG is one of the year ’s substantially - review game for a reasonableness . It has a dense narrative , an implausibly satisfying combat system of rules , stellar fine art direction , and unforgettable music . It ’s a buffet of creative thinking from some of the best RPG makers in the business . If the panel has sour onRebirthby now , Metaphoris the secret plan that ’s most likely to steal away its votes . That might be enough to make it one of the show ’s most scandalous winners ever .
Why it could lose : Metaphor : ReFantaziodoesn’t on the nose have an Achilles ’ cad , but it does n’t have a hole-and-corner weapon either . A slipstream like The Game Awards is about passion , and of all six games nominated for this class ’s honour , Metaphordoesn’t feel like it has the strongest army backing it . It ’s the kind of game that you ’ll systematically see in a lot of top 10 twelvemonth end lists this twelvemonth , but you likely wo n’t find it at the very top of most . In any other year , it would have the reward of being the “ cool small fry ’s picking , ” butBalatrooccupies that role this year . In a airstream against four RPGs with vast living bases , its hard to seeMetaphorwinning that clash of titans .
