Elden Ring Wins “Game of the Year” at 2022-2023 GDC Awards

Hold on to your hats, but From Software’s Elden Ring is now three-for-three at the major year-end awards after it collected a total of three awards, including “Game of the Year,” at the 2022-2023 Game Developers Choice Awards. In addition to the top prize, the development team will need to find room in their trophy case for the “Best Design” and “Best Visual Arts” statuettes.

“Three” was the theme of the night as things definitely happened in threes during the ceremony, starting right at the top with the hosting duties of Leslee Sullivant, a triple threat Game Producer, Writer, and TikTok creator (you’ve absolutely seen at least one of her “stories from the games industry” videos).

The other big winner last night was Sony Santa Monica’s God of War: Ragnarok, which also won three awards. The godlike technical feats performed by Kratos netted “Best Audio” and “Best Technology” for the developer, while a public vote secured the “Audience Award.”

Finally, four other awards went to four very deserving games (the theme suffers when your program has ten awards). Obsidian’s tale of medieval murder, Pentiment, won “Best Narrative.” Immortality‘s innovative use of video was the snared an “Innovation Award” for Half Mermaid. BlueTwelve continued their streak with another “Best Debut” award for Stray. And Citizen Sleeper was given the “Social Impact Award.”

Congratulations also to John Romero, who was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Doom, Quake, and a laundry list of other games; and to the family of Mabel Addis, who was posthumously awarded the Pioneer Award for her work on The Sumerian Game.

The full list of winners, nominees, and honorable mentions from the 2022-2023 GDC Awards can be found after the break.

Game of the Year

• WINNER: Elden Ring
• God of War: Ragnarok
• Immortality
• Pentiment
• Stray
• Tunic

Honorable Mentions
Citizen Sleeper, Cult of the Lamb, Horizon: Forbidden West, Marvel Snap, Neon White, Vampire Survivors

Best Design

• WINNER: Elden Ring
• Marvel Snap
• Neon White
• Stray
• Tunic

Honorable Mentions
Cult of the Lamb, Dwarf Fortress, God of War: Ragnarok, Immortality, Vampire Survivors

Best Visual Art

• WINNER: Elden Ring
• God of War: Ragnarok
• Horizon: Forbidden West
• Pentiment
• Stray

Honorable Mentions
Cult of the Lamb, Neon White, OlliOlli World, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Tunic

Best Narrative

• WINNER: Pentiment
• God of War: Ragnarok
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
• Immortality
• Return to Monkey Island

Honorable Mentions
Citizen Sleeper, Horizon: Forbidden West, Norco, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Roadwarden

Best Audio

• WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
• Elden Ring
• Horizon: Forbidden West
• Metal: Hellsinger
• Stray

Honorable Mentions
Neon White, Persona 5 Royal, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Splatoon 3, Tunic

Best Technology

• WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
• Elden Ring
• Horizon: Forbidden West
• A Plague Tale: Requiem

Honorable Mentions
Dwarf Fortress, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, Immortality, Stray, Teardown

Innovation Award

• WINNER: Immortality
• Elden Ring
• Neon White
• Pentiment
• Stray

Honorable Mentions
Cult of the Lamb, Dwarf Fortress, God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon: Forbidden West, Trombone Champ

Social Impact Award

• WINNER: Citizen Sleeper
• As Dusk Falls
• Endling: Extinction Is Forever
• I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
• OlliOlli World
• We Are OFK

Honorable Mentions
Before Your Eyes, God of War: Ragnarok, Hindsight, Norco, Terra Nil

Best Debut

• WINNER: Stray
• Neon White
• Norco
• Tunic
• Vampire Survivors

Honorable Mentions
The Case of the Golden Idol, Chained Echoes, Cult of the Lamb, Marvel Snap, Trombone Champ

Audience Award

• WINNER: God of War: Ragnarok

Pioneer Award

• WINNER: Mabel Addis

Lifetime Achievement Award

• WINNER: John Romero