The finalists for the 24th annual Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 leading at seven nominations each. They’re followed by a starry array of the biggest games of 2023, with other highly-nominated titles including COCOON, Dave the Diver, Dredge, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
As noted, the Game Developers Choice Awards are voted on and decided by game developers, with their unique insight into development processes informing the nominated games.
The winners of each award category will be announced during this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), in a ceremony taking place on 20 March 2024. It will be free to attend for GDC 2024 pass holders, but will also be livestreamed on the official GDC Twitch channel alongside the Independent Games Festival (IGF) awards.
Read: Venba leads Independent Games Festival (IGF) 2024 award nominations
Here’s the full list of finalists for the Game Developers Choice Awards 2024.
Game Developers Choice Awards 2024: Full list of finalists
BEST AUDIO
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honourable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software / Portkey Games), Humanity (tha ltd. and Enhance / Enhance)
BEST DEBUT
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Venba (Visai Games)
- Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)
Honourable Mentions: BattleBit Remastered (SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse / SgtOkiDoki), Party Animals (Recreate Games / Source Technology), Pizza Tower (Tour De Pizza), Planet of Lana (Wishfully Studios / Thunderful), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble Games)
BEST DESIGN
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
Honourable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Street Fighter 6 (Capcom), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)
INNOVATION AWARD
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- The Making of Karateka (Digital Eclipse)
Honourable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)
BEST NARRATIVE
- Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honourable Mentions: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
- A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Bordeaux / Ubisoft)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Honourable Mentions: Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive), Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games / Annapurna Interactive)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
- Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
Honourable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VISUAL ART
- Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
Honourable Mentions: Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Lies of P (Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)
GAME OF THE YEAR
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
Honourable Mentions: Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)
