The winners of the 2020 Game Awards were announced last night, and in a bit of a surprise, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II won “Game of the Year” at the close of the ceremony.
The critical reaction to Naughty Dog’s sequel was decidedly mixed after its release in June, and fans have likewise been extremely divided in their opinions about the game. But its cinematic story of violence and vengeance certainly won over the judging panel at the Game Awards. In addition to “Game of the Year,” The Last of Us Part II collected statuettes for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio Design,” “Best Action/Adventure Game,” “Innovation in Accessibility,” and “Best Performance” (for Laura Bailey’s Abby).
While The Last of Us Part II was the big winner at the 2020 Game Awards, three other games still managed to walk away with multiple awards. Supergiant’s Hades was crowned “Best Indie Game” and “Best Action Game.” Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake earned “Best Role Playing Game” and “Best Score and Music.” And InnerSloth’s Among Us, which was originally released in 2018, claimed “Best Mobile Game” and “Best Multiplayer.”
A video replay of the 2020 Game Awards can be found after the break, along with more winners (including Half-Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator), and all the nominees.
Jury-Voted Categories
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- WINNER: The Last of Us Part II
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
Best Game Direction
Awarded to a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- WINNER: The Last of Us Part II
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- WINNER: The Last of Us Part II
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- WINNER: Ghost of Tsushima
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part II
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best Score and Music
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Doom Eternal
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part II
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best Audio Design
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- WINNER: The Last of Us Part II
- Doom Eternal
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Resident Evil 3
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture.
- WINNER: Laura Bailey (As Abby) – The Last of Us Part II
- Ashley Johnson (As Ellie) – The Last of Us Part II
- Daisuke Tsuji (As Jin Sakai) – Ghost of Tsushima
- Logan Cunningham (As Hades) – Hades
- Nadji Jeter (As Miles Morales) – Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Games For Impact
For a thought provoking game with a profound pro-social meaning or message.
- WINNER: Tell Me Why
- If Found…
- Kentucky Route Zero
- Spiritfarer
- Through the Darkest of Times
Best Indie Game
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- WINNER: Hades
- Carrion
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Spelunky 2
- Spiritfarer
Best Mobile Game
For the best game playable on a dedicated mobile device.
- WINNER: Among Us
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Genshin Impact
- Legends of Runeterra
- Pokemon Cafe Mix
Best VR/AR Game
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Half-Life: Alyx
- Dreams
- Iron Man VR
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Best Ongoing Game
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- Winner: No Man’s Sky
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fortnite
Best Action Game
For the best game in the action genre focused on combat.
- WINNER: Hades
- Doom Eternal
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Nioh 2
- Streets of Rage 4
Best Action/Adventure Game
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- WINNER: The Last of Us Part II
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Best Role Playing Game
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Genshin Impact
- Persona 5 Royal
- Wasteland 3
- Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Best Fighting Game
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- WINNER: Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus
- One Punch Man: A Here Nobody Knows
- Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
- Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late CL-R
Best Family Game
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
Best Sim/Strategy Game
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Crusader Kings III
- Desperados III
- Gears Tactics
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
Best Sports/Racing Game
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- WINNER: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
- Dirt 5
- F1 2020
- FIFA 21
- NBA 2K21
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.
- WINNER: Among Us
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Valorant
Best Debut Game
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- WINNER: Phasmophobia
- Carrion
- Mortal Shell
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- Roki
Best Community Support
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness. Inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- WINNER: Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
- Valorant
Innovation in Accessibility
Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology, and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.
- WINNER: The Last of Us Part II
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Grounded
- Hyperdot
- Watch Dogs Legion
Best Esports Game
For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support, and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: League of Legends
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Fortnite
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2020, irrespective of game.
- WINNER: Heo “Showmaker” Su – League of Legends
- Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro – Call of Duty
- Ian “Crimsix” Porter – Call of Duty
- Kim “Canyon” Geon-Bu – League of Legends
- Matthieu “ZywOo” Herbaut – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Best Esports Team
The esports team judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2020, inclusive of multi-team organizations.
- WINNER: G2 Esports – League of Legends
- Damwon Gaming – League of Legends
- Dallas Empire – Call of Duty
- San Francisco Shock – Overwatch League
- Team Secret – Dota 2
Best Esports Coach
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2020.
- WINNER: Danny “Zonic” Sorensen – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Dae-hee “Crusty” Park – Overwatch League
- Fabian “Grabbz” Lohmann – League of Legends
- Lee “Zefa” Jae-Min – League of Legends
- Raymond “Rambo” Lussier – Call of Duty
Best Esports Event
Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.
- WINNER: 2020 League of Legends World Championship – League of Legends
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Call of Duty League Championship 2020 – Call of Duty
- IEM Katowice 2020 – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- 2020 Overwatch League Grand Finals – Overwatch
Best Esports Host
The best host or commentator of esports events (both in-venue and/or broadcast) in 2020, irrespective of game or language.
- WINNER: Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
- Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- James “Dash” Patterson
- Jorien “Sheever” Van Der Heijden
Content Creator of the Year
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the industry in 2020.
- WINNER: Valkyrae
- Alanah Pearce
- Jay Ann Lopez
- Nickmercs
- TimTheTatman
Fan-Voted Categories
Player’s Voice
- WINNER: Ghost of Tsushima
- Doom Eternal
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part II
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Most Anticipated Game
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- God of War: Untitled Sequel
- Halo Infinite
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Untitled Sequel
- Resident Evil Village