The Game Awards 2022 nominations announced

The nominations for this year's Game Awards have finally been released – and there's a few surprises on the list.
god of war ragnarok

The Game Awards have become the perfect end-of-year wrap-up; a time to reflect on the massive year that’s come before, and look towards the future of gaming. Each year, a number of video games are awarded for their achievements and popularity, with a range of accolades handed out. This year, the nominee list is looking very starry, with plenty of excellence represented.

As announced by on Twitter, Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok are leading the nomination totals, with seven and ten nominations respectively. This is swiftly followed by Horizon Forbidden West, and a parade of other 2022 hits – including Cult of the Lamb, which nabbed a nomination for Best Indie Game.

Read on for a full list of nominees for The Game Awards 2022.

Note: Public voting is now open for everyone via The Game Awards website.


The full list of nominees for The Game Awards 2022

elden ring game piano controller
Image: FromSoftware

GAME OF THE YEAR

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Stray
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3

BEST GAME DIRECTION

  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Immortality
  • Stray

BEST NARRATIVE

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Immortality

BEST ART DIRECTION

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

BEST SCORE / MUSIC

  • Olivier Deriviere – A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Tsukasa Saitoh – Elden Ring
  • Bear McCreary – God of War: Ragnarok
  • Two Feathers – Metal Hellsinger
  • Yasunori Mitsuda

BEST AUDIO DESIGN

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Gran Turismo 7
  • Horizon Forbidden West
horizon zero dawn tv show project
Screenshot: GamesHub

BEST PERFORMANCE

  • Ashly Birch – Horizon: Forbidden West
  • Charlotte McBurney – A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • Christopher Judge – God of War: Ragnarok
  • Manon Gage – Immortality
  • Sunny Suljic – God of War: Ragnarok

GAMES FOR IMPACT

  • A Memoir Blue
  • As Dusk Falls
  • Citizen Sleeper
  • Endling – Extinction is Forever
  • Hindsight
  • I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

BEST ONGOING GAME

  • Apex Legends
  • Destiny 2
  • Final Fantasy 14 Online
  • Fortnite
  • Genshin Impact

BEST INDIE GAME

  • Cult of the Lamb
  • Neon White
  • Sifu
  • Stray
  • TUNIC

BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME

  • Neon White
  • NORCO
  • Stray
  • TUNIC
  • Vampire Survivors
marvel snap best decks the game awards 2022
Image: Second Dinner

BEST MOBILE GAME

  • Apex Legends Mobile
  • Diablo Immortal
  • Genshin Impact
  • Marvel Snap
  • Tower of Fantasy

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT

  • Apex Legends
  • Destiny 2
  • Final Fantasy 14 Online
  • Fortnite
  • No Man’s Sky

BEST VR/AR GAME

  • After the Fall
  • Among Us VR
  • BONELAB
  • Moss: Book II
  • Red Matter 2

INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY

  • As Dusk Falls
  • God of War: Ragnarok
  • Returnal
  • Return to Monkey Island
  • The Last of Us Part 1
  • The Quarry

BEST ACTION GAME

  • Bayonetta 3
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
  • Neon White
  • Sifu
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • Stray
  • TUNIC
pokemon arceus dlc the game awards 2022
Image: Nintendo

BEST RPG

  • Elden Ring
  • Live a Live
  • Pokémon Legends: Arceus
  • Triangle Strategy
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3

BEST FIGHTING GAME

  • DNF Duel
  • JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R
  • The King of Fighters 15
  • MultiVersus
  • Sifu

BEST FAMILY GAME

  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  • LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
  • Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
  • Nintendo Switch Sports
  • Splatoon 3

BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME

  • F1 22
  • FIFA 23
  • NBA 2K23
  • Gran Turismo 7
  • OlliOlli World

BEST SIM/STRATEGY GAME

  • Dune: Spice Wars
  • Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
  • Total War: WARHAMMER 3
  • Two Point Campus
  • Victoria 3

BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME

  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  • Multiversus
  • Overwatch 2
  • Splatoon 3
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

  • Karl Jacobs
  • Ludwig
  • Nibellion
  • Nobru
  • QTCinderella

BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE

  • Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon (Gen.G, LOL)
  • Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (T1, LOL)
  • Finn “karrigan” Andersen ( (FaZe Clan – CS:GO)
  • Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere, CS:GO)
  • Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker (Cloud9, Valorant)

BEST ESPORTS COACH

  • Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi (Natus Vincere, CS:GO)
  • Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi (LOUD, VALORANT)
  • Erik “d00mbr0s” Sandgren (FPX, VALORANT)
  • Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström (FaZe Clan, CS:GO)
  • Go “Score” Dong-bin (Gen.G, LOL)

BEST ESPORTS EVENT

  • EVO 2022
  • 2022 League of Legends World Championship
  • PGL Major Antwerp 2022
  • The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational
  • VALORANT Champions 2022
riot games valorant game awards
Image: Riot Games / Valorant

BEST ESPORTS GAME

  • CS:GO
  • DOTA 2
  • League of Legends
  • Rocket League
  • Valorant

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

  • DarkZero Esports (Apex Legends)
  • FaZe Clan (CS:GO)
  • Gen.G (League of Legends)
  • LA Thieves (Call of Duty)
  • LOUD (Valorant)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

  • Final Fantasy 16
  • Hogwarts Legacy
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Starfield
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

BEST ADAPTATION

  • Arcane: League of Legends
  • Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
  • The Cuphead Show!
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • Uncharted

The Game Awards 2022 airs live on 8-9 December 2022 via social media platforms.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.