We make money playing video games and here’s who will win at The Game Awards

The Game Awards, also known as the gaming Oscars, are in a few weeks, and everyone is guessing who will win.

In a shocking announcement, host Geoff Keighley revealed that DLC would receive its first nomination.

But none anticipated that DLC would receive a nomination for Game of the Year, the most coveted honor.

We have compiled a list of all the Game Awards nominations and forecasted the winners of each of the major categories.

To view our reviews, you can also click on the nominees’ websites.

Best Independent Game Balatro

Balatro, Animal Well, Neva, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and UFO 50 are the nominees.

Independent games have had an amazing year, and each one of these deserves this honor.

While Animal Well is a game you’ll want to play often, UFO 50 is a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s with much more to it than meets the eye.

However, we believe Balatro is guaranteed to win because it is the only game that is simultaneously nominated for Game of the Year.

We were completely engrossed in the roguelike poker game and continued to play even though we never won.

Best Art Direction Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Neva are the nominees.

This category’s nominees cover a wide range of art design, from the harsh and deadly Black Myth: Wukong to the adorable Astro Bot from PlayStation.

Even if we adore Metaphor: ReFantazio’s vibrant universe, the jury typically chooses darker, more graphically intense titles.

For this reason, we believe Shadow of the Erdtree, an Elden Ring DLC, will win this prize.

Best Score Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Stellar Blade, Astro Bot, Silent Hill 2, and Metaphor: ReFantazio are the nominees.

All of these game soundtracks, whether they are Metaphor’s monastic chanting or Stellar Blade’s lighthearted orchestrals, could be listened to repeatedly.

We are aware of the jury, though, and they typically choose something more conventional, just like with art direction.

The beloved improvements for Rebirth are only the cherry on top of the already legendary original music for Final Fantasy 7.

Best Narrative Metaphor: ReFantazio

Nominees: Metaphor: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga, Silent Hill 2, ReFantazio, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

With an illustrious collection of stories like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, Atlus is hard to surpass when it comes to storytelling.

Metaphor: Although ReFantazio is new to the old Persona team, it demonstrates that they are just as adept at handling high fantasy as they are at writing high school.

Having said that, we also want to mention Final Fantasy 7 and Silent Hill 2, two timeless tales that are regarded as some of the greatest ever.

Best Multiplayer Helldivers 2

Tekken 8, Helldivers 2, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Warhammer 40k: Space Marines 2 are among the nominees.

Similar to the Best Independent Game category, each of these titles is deserving of a victory because they have provided us with hundreds of hours of enjoyable gameplay.

Both Mario Party and Black Ops 6 are among the greatest games in the venerable franchise.

But we’re still playing about a month later, and Helldivers 2 seemed like a breath of fresh air during a period when a number of live-service disasters were published.

Most Anticipated Game Grand Theft Auto 6

Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Grand Theft Auto 6, Metroid Prime 4, and Monster Hunter Wilds are among the nominees.

We’re excited awaiting every game on this list, but especially Metroid Prime 4, which was first revealed seven years ago.

But no other series will be able to rouse the populace like a new mainline Grand Theft Auto game.

It will truly be a farce if any other game prevails in this area.

Best RPG Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Elden Ring, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth are among the nominees.

It has been one of the greatest years for RPGs ever, and we rated every game on our list a perfect ten out of ten.

Though we don’t see the voting going that way, we personally would want to see more recent entries in the genre, such as Dragon’s Dogma 2 or Metaphor: ReFantazio, win the title.

This is not to argue that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth isn’t deserving of the distinction. After all, it’s a fantastic remake that is based on one of the greatest games ever made.

Best Action/Adventure Game Astro Bot

Astro Bot, Silent Hill 2, Star Wars Outlaws, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are among the nominees.

Here is another list of nominees that includes games that we would want to play again and that received really high ratings.

Particular recognition should be given to Prince of Persia and Echoes of Wisdom for being entirely original adaptations of well-known series with distinctive and creative gameplay.

They would have been worthy of this honor in any other year, but Astro Bot, one of the greatest games ever made, was also published in 2024.

Best Action Game Black Myth: Wukong

Nominees include Warhammer 40k: Space Marines 2, Stellar Blade, Helldivers 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Black Myth: Wukong.

Few games were as successful as Black Myth: Wukong, which sold millions of copies in its first week and quickly rose to the top of the all-time game rankings.

With its exclusive concentration on the bosses and lack of a vast area with challenging paths in between battles, it offers a fresh interpretation of the soulslike genre.

We were also impressed by Stellar Blade in this category because of its inventive gameplay design that let players transition between genres and its amazing world creation.

Best Direction Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Balatro are the nominees.

The same games are nominated for both Game of the Year and Best Direction, as is customary with The Game Awards.

Rarely does a single game win both categories, and Best Direction is essentially the runner-up for the main prize.

Because of this, we believe Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will take first place in this category, making room for the true Game of the Year.

Game of the Year Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Balatro are the nominees.

This year’s Game Awards, in our opinion, are going to be hot. We’ll not only propose a DLC for Game of the Year, but we’ll also award it the title.

We believe Shadow of the Erdtree is fully worthy of this designation because it is greater than the majority of stand-alone games.

It would be wonderful to see Metaphor: Although ReFantazio wins this title, Western games other than those made by Elden Ring maker FromSoftware are typically given preference at the Game Awards.