2024 Game Awards Recap: Full List of Winners and Biggest Surprises

2024 Game Awards Recap: Astro Bot Dominates, Surprises and Big Reveals Galore

At the 2024 Game Awards, Astro Bot emerged as the night’s biggest winner, taking home four awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year. The PlayStation 5 exclusive, which takes players on a whimsical adventure through a galaxy to rescue stranded robots, captivated the jury with its creative design and innovative gameplay.

In his emotional acceptance speech, Studio Director Nicolas Doucet paid tribute to the company that inspired Astro Bot’s development—though without directly naming the competition, he referenced his childhood experience with Super Mario Brothers as a pivotal moment that shaped the game.

The night was marked by surprise sweeps and big-budget titles taking center stage. Indie sensation Balatro, developed by solo creator LocalThunk, also made a huge impact, winning Best Debut Indie, Best Independent Game, and Best Mobile Game. Despite its success, the person accepting the award on behalf of LocalThunk used the platform to spotlight other indie games, particularly praising Arco, a pixelated western that had also garnered attention in the indie scene. On the opposite end, Nintendo went home empty-handed, failing to secure any wins despite strong nominations.

Among the night’s biggest reveals were several trailers that left the audience buzzing. A surprise announcement for Elden Ring: Nightreign introduced a new co-op spinoff, while It Takes Two’s Josef Fares teased his upcoming two-player adventure, Split Fiction, slated for release in March. The star-studded night also included a first look at Dispatch, a tongue-in-cheek superhero game featuring voice performances by Aaron Paul and Laura Bailey, and a cinematic teaser for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a brand-new IP from Naughty Dog.

Despite the excitement over the reveals, the ceremony also acknowledged challenges facing the gaming industry, including mass layoffs. Host Geoff Keighley addressed these issues head-on, introducing a new Gamechanger Award, which went to Amir Satvat, a Tencent employee who runs a pro-bono job support site for game developers. As always, The Game Awards included lighthearted moments, with The Muppets—Statler and Waldorf—adding their signature humor to the proceedings, poking fun at the length of the show and the frequent "game commercials" interspersed with award presentations.

In terms of accolades, Astro Bot dominated the awards with wins in Best Game Direction and Best Action/Adventure, while Metaphor: ReFantazio made a strong showing with three wins, including Best Narrative and Best Art Direction. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 also had a successful night, with Melina Juergens winning Best Performance for her portrayal of the titular character. Other major winners included Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for Best Score and Music, Helldivers 2 for Best Ongoing Game, and Black Myth: Wukong for Best Action Game. The night wrapped up with the announcement of Grand Theft Auto 6 as the most anticipated game, with Black Myth: Wukong securing the coveted Player's Voice award.

Full List of Winners:

• Game of the Year: Astro Bot

• Best Game Direction: Astro Bot

• Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio

• Best Art Direction: Metaphor: ReFantazio

• Best Performance: Melina Juergens (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)

• Best Action/Adventure: Astro Bot

• Best RPG: Metaphor: ReFantazio

• Best Multiplayer: Helldivers 2

• Most Anticipated Game: Grand Theft Auto 6

• Player's Voice: Black Myth: Wukong

  
  

The 2024 Game Awards celebrated a remarkable range of gaming experiences, from indie successes to massive AAA releases, setting the stage for an exciting year ahead in the industry.