r/TheGameAwards

2014: Dragon Age Inquisition: This probably was the favourite to win GOTY. I’d argue just about every other game nominated was better, but considering this was the first year of at the time next gen consoles, I get why the jury would want to nominate something like this, and DQI was voted GOTY from a bunch of other sites.

2015: The Witcher III: Yeah, this was probably the favourite also.

2016: Overwatch: This was either the favourite or a very close second favourite.

2017: The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild: I think the only reason why people at the time thought this game wouldn’t win was “the bias against Japanese games” narrative going on around the time.

2018: God of War: Arguably the first true Game Awards upset. I, along with many people expected RDR2 to easily claim this award. Indeed it won most of the other awards, but God of War won the big prize.

2019: Sekiro: This one really surprised me, because I was fully expecting RE2 Remake to take this one, considering how highly it was rated on other sites at the time.

2020: The Last of Us Part II: As much as haters would like to believe otherwise, the likelihood of this game not winning GOTY was extremely unlikely,

2021: It Takes Two: Deathloop was unquestionably the favourite here, and the fact that it only went home with two awards was shocking. Granted IMO, it’s probably a good thing that it didn’t win GOTY, as for me at least, it was easily the weakest of the six nominees.

2022: Elden Ring: No surprises here.

2023: Baldur’s Gate 3: Before 2023 started, it was looking like an easy win for Tears of the Kingdom. Then awards season came along, and it would’ve been more of an upset if they actually did win the award over BG3.

2024: Astro Bot: Not as guaranteed as some of the other winners, but still a fairly predictable one. As much as Black Myth fanboys would like to believe otherwise (note that I said fanboys not fans) Astro Bot was unlikely to lose this year.

2025: Claire Obscure Expedition 33: If this game somehow didn’t win, it would’ve been the greatest upset since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson.

What are we thinking about its chances at a GOTY nom?

I feel like at first glance I’d dismiss it, I mean, it’s a racer! They never get nominated, not even Forza.

But I’ve been watching reviews, many from outlets on the jury. And the way they talk about this game is with such high praise. Stuff like “the most fun I’ve had all year,” “the best racing game in a generation,” “near perfect game,” and even “top of my favorite games of the year.”

I’m wondering if this may be a sleeper pick.

RE Requiem is the only true lock for a GOTY nominee so far despite the number of great games we have. GTA VI is also a lock but depends on the cutoff day and Ocarina of Time is also almost guaranteed as long as it hits 90+ Metacritic score. The rest of the 3 spots are all up on the air because the competion is insane as we have too many games in the mid and high 80s range already. I expect Castlevania Belmont's Curse to be added to that list as well as Phantom Blade Zero.

I see five

- Game of the Year

-Best Sim/Strategy

-Best Score & Music

-Best RPG

-Best Narrative

I think it's close enough to the TGA's for me to finally give my thoughts on what is most likely to get nominated or to outright win.

First, though, let's start with the elephant in the room: GTA6

If GTA6 gets nominated it will just win. Period. Full-stop. There's just nothing that has come out or will come out that stands any pertinent chance at beating it. The closest thing is OOT's remake but... that's a remake, inherently that is working against it compared to GTA6 being a brand new title. GTA6 almost certainly will be the highest rated game this year as well (97+ metacritic) which further backs this up. If you have a compelling argument for anything that could beat it i'd love to hear it.

The only thing that is up for debate is whether it will get nominated due to it releasing so close to the cutoff date. Odds are it will because it seems the cutoff date will be the 20th this year, and, also, it's unlikely geoff would want to have GTA not have a presence at the awards due to how much viewership and therefore money it being there would bring. The chance it doesn't get nominated, though, is higher than it getting nominated and it somehow not winning.

Taking that into account, the rest of the nominees are just glorified filler nominations for GOTY. That's not to necessarily say the games aren't great or even don't deserve to be nominated, but assuming GTA6 will be there everything else is just there for show at that point. I think the most likely nominees are as follows:

RE9
OOT Remake
Fire Emblem
Mina
Saros

I think this year has had very, very good indie games to where im confident they will nominate at least one just to show love to games that aren't just AAA. Mina is the most likely choice I think because it's a single-player title with a 90 MC and has had enough reviews to have a jury pick it over others. Big Walk is obviously the higher scoring game but that has less review overall for it from critics and it's also in the "friendslop" camp (whether or not you think that term is derogatory or apt is besides the point) in that it's a multiplayer game highly dependent on friends for enjoyment. I don't see it beating Mina out as a result.

OOT remake seems like a shoe in just because of Nintendo's prestige and also because OOT is so highly regarded. The only way it doesn't get nominated is if the remake itself is basically just 1:1 and doesn't do much at all better apart from visuals.

Fire Emblem is a very strongly rated RPG also from Nintendo that I think is very likely to get a nom. Not quite as guaranteed as OOT but i'd be surprised if it doesn't get it as well.

RE9 has had very strong reviews and has had some of the best user scores of any game period this year. I'd be shocked if this doesn't get it as a result. I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't get a nomination.

Saros is probably a more controversial pick and is a pick im choosing to take a bit of a gamble on contrary to other predictions. I'm choosing Saros over, say, 007, because Saros has reviewed more consistently and also has had less negative feedback about it not feeling complete. Saros's metacritic is a 87 whereas 007 is an 87 on the PS5 version BUT an 84 on the PC version which is the second most reviewed version. It's also a Sony game which may help it edge other games that have a similar score in the same way it would help Nintendo.

The one game that could be a dark horse entry though is Phantom Blade. I'm not really sure how it will end up reviewing but if it lands in the high 80's on metacritic it could very well beat out Saros in my list. But, again, it's a real dark horse candidate and it could end up being anywhere from kinda meh and a flat 8/10 type game like wukong was to a very, very competent near 90 metacritic standout game. We'll see later this month.

I see it getting at least these five:

Game of the year

Game direction

Sound design

Action adventure

Best performance

But do you think it could be in any other categories on top of those? Maybe art direction or something?

PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING ABOUT GTA
please note im going into this with the expectation that GTA VI isnt nominated due to release date issues also this wont be every catagory due to some i straight up have no idea who could win i will work backwards from how their listed on TGA's website starting with

Most Anticipated Game
I will just go with my most anticipated game here and say Persona 6 (going from one game ending in 6 to another with this category)

Best Adaptation
while i myself have only really had a chance to see among us and the Mario galaxy movie i think this award will go to Resident Evil

Best Multiplayer
its Big Walk i don't need to explain myself its one of the three leading indie candidates for GOTY

Best Sports/Racing
Most likely Forza Horizon 6 however i do see a timeline where either Nintendo Switch Sports Resort or Star Wars Galactic Racer

Best Sim/Strategy
This is a category where i feel theres only really 2 games competing and thats Mewgenics and Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave and between the two Fire Emblem is more likely to be picked by the jury IMO

Best Family
or as i call it "what did Nintendo release this year" anyways its Pokemon Pokopia it was a major splash and the most "family" out of the big 3 Nintendo games released this year

Best Fighting
Despite the rocky PC port Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls is the most likely nominee although with the quality of the PC port i do see a timeline where Invincible VS edges out a win

Best RPG
while i myself would count Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave as an RPG the game awards seemingly don't based on how Three Houses and Engage were handled in previous years so instead i will give this to Blood Of Dawnwalker

Best Action/Adventure
this year Best Action/Adventure is stacked with nominees and i see it going to either Resident Evil Requiem, The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina of time, or Mina The Hollower. Between the three i will go with Resident Evil Requiem but its a 50/50 shot that Ocarina Of Time takes it

Best Action Game
This and Action/Adventure are annoying to discern which games belong in which category however i think Ace Combat 8 Wings of Theve will be the winner here however depending on Phantom Blade 0's reception i do see a timeline where they win

Best VR/AR & Best Mobile game
I have no clue i dont play on these platforms much outside of Balatro on my phone

Best Debut Indie Game
this year is an odd one as alot of the biggest indie hits have been from established indie devs however i believe Mouse PI for Hire will take home the gold as it was the one that got the most eyes on it out of every debut indie

Best Independent Game
This one is a major toss up between three nominees IMO, Mewgenics, Mina The Hollower, and BIG WALK and i feel the game awards will give it to Mina The Hollower given the review scores and quantity of reviews alongside the appeal to nostalgia has worked for other winners historically (my mind goes to Sea Of Stars in 2023 despite being underwhelming IMO)

Best Community Support
After the announcement of the Sift dimension along with hints at an end update after all these years i believe that Minecraft will take home best community support

Best Ongoing
I will be completely honest and say i don't play a lot of ongoing live service games but i feel it will go to Fortnite especially for the big gaming themed season which i hear has been a hit

Games For Impact
I don't really know what games will take it here as there haven't been any major games that make me think of the category the only one that vaguely fits it is Mixtape so i will go with that but please for this one correct me and give me a game i haven't heard of to try

Innovation In Accessibility
Simple enough i believe this will go to Marvel's Wolverine as it had so many accessibility features people got heated over it (also I'm no expert in this stuff the most accessibility features i turn on generally are subtitles)

Best Performance
I feel this is a pretty damn obvious one i think Best Performance will go to Angela Sant'Albano as Grace Ashcroft from Resident Evil Requiem She's been the standout performance of the year by far from both what Ive seen and what other people online have said

Best Audio Design
I'm going to go based off what Ive heard as for me i havent played a lot of games with particularly noteworthy audio design that came out this year and say this goes to Ace Combat 8 Wings of Theve

Best Score and Music
This is my Hopium Category as Denshattack! has one of the best ost's i have ever heard and is full of VGM royalty in terms of composers and musicians (and its my personal GOTY so i wanted to give it something)

Best Art Direction
There has been one game that since it got revealed Ive kinda known would be the winner of this category and with its gorgeous retro anime aesthetic I'm choosing Orbitals

Best Narrative
Up in the sky is it a bird? is it a plane? no its a game from last year that has been explicitly said by Geoff to be eligible this year for best narrative I'm going with Dispatch

Best Game Direction
Best Game Direction i personally have always taken to be "what game is the most a product of its director" and Mewgenics Screams Edmund Mcmillen more than any other game screams its own director

Game Of The Year
Finally for the big one i believe Game Of The Year will go to Resident Evil Requiem i dont believe The Game Awards would give the win to a Remake but and Requiem is the most similar to what most GOTY winners have been historically

I keep seeing the same debate play out in comments. One group of replies assumes OoT is a game of the year nominee lock, while another group is fully dismissing the game’s prospects because it’s a remake.

The TLDR of my post is that most of this comes down to exactly what kind of remake OoT is, and we still don’t really know, even after the Direct and trailers.

I see 3 rough scenarios:

1. It’s basically a 1:1, faithful remake, with a handful of small new touches (20% chance to be nominated)

This is the Link’s Awakening (2019) playbook. A wildly new art style, some control-based modernization (think jump button in OoT) and maybe some notable new side gimmick somewhere (ie the little dungeon creator thing in Link’s Awakening or the teased improvements to Castle Town in OoT).

To be clear, I think an OoT Remake is always going to have a better shot than Link’s Awakening, given “OoT prestige,” and the fact that much of the voting jury is made up of millennials who grew up on OoT. 

But assuming every dungeon, every quest, and just about every puzzle are otherwise exactly the same (with perhaps a half dozen very small exceptions for accessibility or similar), I think the game is more likely than not to miss a top-6 nomination.

2. It’s 1:1 broadly speaking, but there are hundreds of little new touches (50%)

This assumes you take the teased Castle Town improvements and apply them to literally every area in the game. Maybe all the shops sell a new item or two. The layouts of some towns have been updated. There’s substantially more NPC flavor text, and maybe even a few completely new side quests. They’ve got new fishing, archery and Epona games, etc.

Crucially, in this scenario, my theory is that Nintendo has mostly left the core dungeons untouched. The game becomes a nostalgic fan’s dream, but it’s fundamentally the same game from 1998, with an identical critical path.

3. It’s got some surprising departures, even in the critical path, similar to RE4 Remake (80%)

This is the slam dunk case. Many of the puzzles are redesigned, there’s a surprise brand new temple, some new system within the in-game economy, etc. Maybe even some of the more tedious sections have been streamlined. It’s the “Ocarina you love, but rebuilt and restructured for the modern era.”

No doubt, some fans actually wouldn’t like this, as it would mess with elements of the classic original. But I also think this is where the voting jury would find the vision undeniable. And in fact, if this is the scenario we get, I’d say Ocarina has a decent chance to win outright, not just get nominated. 

Last thought

I’m sure some people will say, “even if it’s ‘just’ scenario #1, I still think it gets a nomination.” 20% of me agrees with you. But more likely, I think the #1 scenario means it falls back into the big pack of ~12 very good 8/10s, most of which won’t make the cut.

simple question if best performance was split into best lead and best supporting performance who are your picks

for me i would personally give the award this year to Jimmie Yamaguchi as Fabio in Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave

also just for fun last year i would have given it to Jeffery Wright as Chase in Dispatch

Lets not pretend gta 6 gonna sweep this year with no effort

So what games we have

Hellraiser looks good but i would be shocked if it gets 85+

Castlevania mid to high 80s

Phantom blade is the dark horse really not confident enough to give a prediction

Ocarina getting a 90+ should be no surprise but it looks like a copy and paste with no major changes

So current nominees should be

Requiem

Fortune weave

Saros

E-day

First light

Ace combat 8

https://preview.redd.it/7op4pemdoath1.png?width=4963&format=png&auto=webp&s=a8f6184da1b9e8935bdad464577351edaf1d3e51

Game of the Year (Contenders) A high Metacritic rating (preferably over 90) is a must; role-playing games and action-adventures are strongly favored.

 

1.        Grand Theft Auto VI (Nov 19^(th)****)

2.        Mina the Hollower (Metacritic 90)

3.        Forza Horizon 6 (Metacritic 90)

4.        Big Walk (Metacritic 91)

5.        Marvel wolverine (91 on PS Store)

6.        Pragmata (Metacritic 85)

7.        Onimusha: Way of the Sword (Metacritic 86)

8.        Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (Metacritic 89)

9.        Crimson desert (Metacritic 78)

10.      Pokémon Pokopia (Metacritic 89)

11.      LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Metacritic 84)

12.      007: First Light (Metacritic 87)

13.      Resident Evil Requiem (Metacritic 89)

14.      Control resonant (Metacritic 84)

15.      The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nov 5^(th)****)

16.      Saros (Metacritic 87)

17.      Phantom blade zero (Oct 29^(th)****)

18.      Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (Oct 15^(th)****)

 

Best Game Direction

• 007 First Light (IO Interactive)
• GTA 6
• Crimson Desert (Pearl Abyss)
• Control: Resonant
• Gears Of War: E-Day
• Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• Resident Evil: Requiem
• Forza Horizon 6 (Playground Games)
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave

 Best Narrative

• 007 First Light
• The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Dispatch
• Phantom blade zero
• Ace Combat 8
• GTA 6
• Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
• Silent Hill: Townfall
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave

 Best Art Direction

• Saros
• Control Resonant
• Crimson Desert
• Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
• Phantom blade zero
• Marvel wolverine

 Best remake / remaster

• Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter
• Gothic 1 Remake
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2
• Star Fox

 Most Anticipated/Wanted Game

• The Witcher 4
• God of War Laufey
• Black Myth: Zhong Kui
• Ananta
• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
• Fable
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
• Resident Evil Veronica
• Final Fantasy VII Revelation

 Best visual design

• Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
• Forza Horizon 6
• Saros
• GTA 6
• Phonopolis
• High on life 2
• Control Resonant
• Orbitals

 Best Audio Design

• Rhythm Heaven Groove
• Big Walk
• Saros
• GTA 6
• Mixtape
• Ace Combat 8
• Marathon
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword

Best Ongoing

• No Man's Sky
• Helldivers 2
• Minecraft
• Fortnite
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• GTA Online
• Apex Legends
• World of Warcraft
• Palworld
• Call of Duty: Warzone

 Best Debut Indie Game

• Big Walk
• Valheim
• Order of the Sinking Star
• Titanium Court
• Mixtape
• Mewgenics
• Denshattack!
• Esoteric Ebb
• Well Dweller
• Mouse: P.I. For Hire
• Reanimal
• Sovereign Tower

 Best Action Game

• Grand Theft Auto VI
• Marvel wolverine
• Pragmata
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Ace Combat 8
• Halo: Campaign Evolved
• 007: First Light
• Gears Of War: E-Day
• SCREAMER
• Resident Evil Requiem
• Control resonant
• Saros
• Phantom blade zero

 Best RPG

• Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
• Nioh 3
• Crimson Desert
• Phantom blade zero
• GTA 6
• Zero Parades: For Dead Spies
• Mewgenics
• Gothic 1 Remake
• Beast of Reincarnation
• Solasta II
• Code Vein II
• Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
• Gothic Remake

 Best Family

• Monkey Palace
• Outsmarted! (2026 Edition)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• DNUP (Down-up)
• Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
• Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
• Super Mario Party

       

Best Sports / Racing

• Forza Horizon 6
• SCREAMER
• EA Sports FC 27
• EA Sports UFC 6
• Starwars Galactic Racer
• Mario Tennis Fever
• NBA 2K27

 Best Multiplayer

• Big Walk
• Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
• Gears of War: E-Day
• Call of duty MW4 (Based on the beta)
• Halo: Campaign Evolved
• Pokémon Pokopia
• Forza Horizon 6
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2
• Call of duty: Warzone
• Fortnite

 Best Adaptation

• Fallout (Season 2)
• Iron Lung
• Resident Evil
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Jumanji: Open World
• Exit 8
• Mortal Kombat II
• Devil May Cry (Season 2)

Best lead performer

• Liam McIntyre – Wolverine in Marvel's Wolverine
• Patrick Gibson – James Bond in 007 First Light
• Aaron Paul – Robert Robertson III in Dispatch
• Angela Sant'Albano – Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem
• Will de Renzy-Martin – Coen in The Blood of Dawnwalker
• Anna Demetriou – Sophia in Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Best supporting performer

• Troy Baker – Nathaniel Essex in Marvel's Wolverine
• Vic Michaelis – Runa Blask in Star Wars Zero Company
• Lennie James – John Greenway in 007 First Light
• Terry O'Quinn – Richard in Silent Hill: Townfall
• Frankie Kevich – Zoe de Vera in Control Resonant
• Grace Saif – Diana in Pragmata

https://preview.redd.it/9tw7hkqhqxsh1.png?width=4963&format=png&auto=webp&s=962a0af14283fd07289fc25e011b49f44daca451

https://preview.redd.it/527l9nqhqxsh1.png?width=4961&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc8b0537cc9efb62ea482187866d93774a1d3572

This is my prediction please. some games i played, some i didn't.