Baldur’s Gate 3 has claimed the top prizes and several other accolades at the Game Developers Choice (GDC) Awards 2024, becoming the most-awarded game of the show. It’s yet another major GOTY win for the game, which also received the honour at the prestigious Game Awards 2023.
In addition to the coveted Game of the Year prize, Baldur’s Gate 3 also nabbed the award for Best Narrative, Best Design, and the Audience Award.
As for the other winners of the big night, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom won two awards, for Innovation and Best Technology. Visai Games’ cooking narrative adventure Venba took out two awards, for Best Debut and the Social Impact award.
Read: Venba is a Moving Depiction of Diasporic Guilt – Review
Alan Wake 2 also got a nod for Best Visual Art, and Hi-Fi Rush claimed the Best Audio prize. Here’s the rest of the major winners for the GDC Awards 2024.
GDC Awards 2024: Full list of nominees and winners
BEST AUDIO
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks) – WINNER
- 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) – WINNER
- 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) – WINNER
- 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) – WINNER
- 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) – WINNER
- 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) – WINNER
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) – WINNER
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) – WINNER
- 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) – WINNER
- 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)
AUDIENCE AWARD
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
AMBASSADOR AWARD
- Fawzi Mesmar
“An award-winning creative director, game designer, author, public speaker and mentor whose career has spanned over two decades in the games industry and has had a hand in developing well-known franchises such as the Battlefield, Candy Crush, Mario Rabbids, Star Wars and Persona series.”
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Yoko Shimomura
“The respected Japanese composer and pianist who has delighted players across the world thanks to her work creating music for iconic games including Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario RPG, Street Fighter II and Final Fantasy XV.”
