From the BAFTAs and DICE Awards to Golden Joysticks, the global games industry recognizes its groundbreaking studios, releases, teams, and individuals several times annually. Among the most notable awarding bodies, though, is The Game Awards (TGA), a yearly program produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley. Keighly launched The Game Awards in 2014 following his departure from Spike Video Game Awards. In the decade since its inception, the show has taken off, bringing World Premiere game trailers, surprise celebrity appearances, breathtaking musical performances, and, of course, the program’s coveted “Game of the Year” distinction. Last year’s event was the program’s biggest-ever, with TGA reporting an eye-watering 154 million livestreams.
TGA 2025, scheduled for December 11, will be here before we know it. Take a brief break from predicting this year’s GOTY recipient and reflect with me on the show’s past winners. These 11 games took home TGA’s top honor, but some overshadow their counterparts. Let’s dive in, moving from worst to best:
Overwatch (2016)
METACRITIC SCORE: 91/100
In 2016, Overwatch had gamers in a vice grip. The social shooter was like a digital “third place,” and upon launch, was heralded by both critics and players alike. Overwatch‘s bright, sleek visuals, competitive elements, customization features, host of playable “heroes,” and prioritization of social and collaborative elements made this team-based title one for the ages. Say what you will about the sequel, but this game didn’t make more than $1 billion in its first year for no good reason.
It’s not a bad game, but it’s impossible to put Overwatch above some of the 21st century’s best storytelling.
It Takes Two (2021)
METACRITIC SCORE: 88/100
You and your Player 2 take on the roles of May and Cody, a husband-wife duo on the brink of divorce. After you break the news to your young daughter, her tear-stained wish turns you and your spouse from human beings to itty-bitty kids’ toys. Heal your marriage as well as your poor kiddo’s heart, and go through, like, seven boxes of tissues while you do it.
While it’s easily one of the most profound platformers I’ve ever played, I struggle to justify putting it ahead of the more visually remarkable, lore-heavy, and mechanically impressive RPGs on this list.
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014)
METACRITIC SCORE: 85/100
Dragon Age: Inquisition, the third installment in the BioWare-developed high-fantasy franchise, nabbed TGA’s very first “Game of the Year” award. The game also took home a ton of other industry honors from both awards committees and publications. Inquisition received four “Game of the Year” nominations — The Game Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, NAVGTR Awards, and SXSW Gaming Awards — and went home with every one of ’em.
It’s no Origins, though.
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Astro Bot (2024)
METACRITIC SCORE: 94/100
I got my start on PlayStation platformers nearly 30 years ago, and Astro Bot feels like it was made for me. The nostalgic callbacks to early Sony Interactive Entertainment IPs, classic 3D platformer mechanics, satisfying collection and exploration, eye-popping visuals, zany and immersive audio, and so much personality. Does this have the replayability of something like Baldur’s Gate 3? No, but it does have heart, charm, character, and is approachable enough for gamers of all ages and skill levels. Astro Bot didn’t sweep awards season for nothin’!
The Last of Us Part II (2020)
METACRITIC SCORE: 93/100
If the HBO live-action adaptation isn’t gut-wrenching enough for the likes of you, The Last of Us Part II will surely knock the wind out of your sails. Visually remarkable, captivating vocal performances, haunting sounds, and a gritty post-apocalyptic (and fungal) setting. The Last of Us Part II is a textbook example of a sequel doing oh-so right by its predecessor.
Grab a beta-blocker, bro, ’cause you’re gonna need it.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
METACRITIC SCORE: 92/100
The Witcher 3 is the third entry in CD Projekt Red‘s high-fantasy franchise, and in it, our guy Geralt is at his very best. The ultra-immersive world is enough to knock you to your knees, but mixed with the franchise’s rich lore and characters you can’t help but grow attached to, Wild Hunt is in a league of its own. The Witcher has long been beloved by RPG fans, but with Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red really dug their heels in.
The studio is no stranger to eye-watering worlds; the studio behind The Witcher is also responsible for the gritty, futuristic Cyberpunk 2077.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)
METACRITIC SCORE: 90/100
FromSoftware knows what they’re about, and frankly, we do, too. But Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice took players’ assumptions and turned them on their heads. The intense and agonizingly difficult combat is par for the course for FromSoftware, as is its painful parrying, but Sekiro somehow feels more immersive than former FromSoftware titles. The grappling hook feels exhilarating, as if I’m scaling walls myself. Ever catch yourself holding your breath as you make a high-risk, high-reward move? Same. It’s a miracle I wasn’t purple.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
METACRITIC SCORE: 97/100
The game-playing public can’t say much about the Zelda franchise that hasn’t already been said a thousand times over. That being said, Breath of the Wild didn’t accidentally become the Nintendo Switch’s killer app. The 3D adventure game sends players around a rejuvenated, extensive, and explorable Hyrule with new tools and abilities at their disposal. Creativity is incentivized, as is dilly-dallying.
While Ocarina of Time is often heralded as gaming’s zenith, Breath of the Wild (and Tears, for what it’s worth) gives it a run for its money. It only makes sense that the master is, eventually, unseated by its pupil. Ah, such is life.
God of War (2018)
METACRITIC SCORE: 94/100
Fans of mythology, moody visuals, gruesome sparring, and father-son journeys fell over themselves for 2018’s God of War. Together, Kratos and his son Atreus managed to yank the “Game of the Year” distinction right out from under Red Dead Redemption 2‘s Arthur Morgan.
God of War takes the no. 3 spot on the list of bestselling PlayStation 4 games, just behind GTA V (2014) and Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). Earlier this year, Rolling Stone placed God of War at no. 39 on its “50 Greatest Video Games of All Time” list.
Elden Ring (2022)
METACRITIC SCORE: 96/100
Not only is Elden Ring FromSoftware’s magnum opus, but it’s also the genre at its peak. After the awe-inspiring Dark Souls-adjacent epic landed on consoles and Windows PCs, the world seemed to almost slow. If you needed to reach someone, your best bet was via Steam DM, considering they probably called off work for this.
Challenging quests, engaging puzzles, gasp-worthy graphics, rewarding dungeons, enriching exploration, and storytelling and worldbuilding from Game of Thrones‘ George R. R. Martin? I mean, come on.
Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)
METACRITIC SCORE: 96/100
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a CRPG masterpiece. Endless replayability, a masterfully voiced cast of multidimensional characters, sprawling worlds bursting with Easter eggs, and the studio’s enthusiastic mod support? I could go on and on and on…
Though Larian has officially finished updating BG3, it’s still a top dog on Steam gameplay and sales charts. The game’s seamless implementation of more traditional Dungeons & Dragons elements — Ability Checks, a toggleable turn-based mode, limitless Tav customizations and classes, and an unforgiving Honour Mode that permanently scrubs your save file upon complete party loss — has pulled all-new audiences from desktop to tabletop.
Also, the game’s got some of the best NPC dialogue ever. “SCANDALS, VANDALS, WHERE TO BUY SANDALS! It’s all here in the Baldur’s Mouth Gazette!”
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