The 2023 GDC Awards recognised the excellence in video games released in 2022, in what was a stellar year for the medium.
The much-acclaimed Elden Ring was naturally one of the frontrunners, with 6 total nominations. It took out the award for Best Design and Best Visual Art, as well as the ultimate award for Game of the Year.
Its co-frontrunner came as a bit of a surprise – the feline adventure game Stray was also up for 6 awards, and ended up taking out Best Debut.
God of War Ragnarok followed up with 5 nomination in total, and ended up taking the awards for Best Audio and Best Technology, as well as the Audience Award.
In a heartening show of talent, independent games once again rubbed shoulders with big-budget AAA games in various categories, with titles like Neon White, Tunic, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, Pentiment and Immortality also being nominated.
Immortality ended up taking the Innovation Award, managing to scoop it from Elden Ring. Pentiment took out the award for Best Narrative, scooping it from games like Immortality, God of War Ragnarok, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, and Return to Monkey Island.
The Pioneer Award was given posthumously to Mabel Addis, recognised as the first female game designer, the first game narrative designer, and the first edutainment game designer. She created the very first text-based computer game for IBM, titled The Sumerian Game.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to John Romero, the co-founder of id Software and designer of iconic games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake among many others.
The 2023 GDC Awards was hosted by Leslee Sullivant, Senior Game Producer at Blizzard Entertainment, and notoriously amusing games industry TikToker.
Read: IGF Awards 2023: Full list of winners and finalists
GDC Awards 2023: Full List of Finalists and Honorable Mentions
Best Debut
- Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive)
- NORCO (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive)
- TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)
- Vampire Survivors (poncle)
Honourable Mentions: Chained Echoes (Matthias Linda, Deck13), Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Marvel Snap (Second Dinner Studios, Inc., Nuverse), The Case of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games, Playstack), Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios LLC)
Best Audio
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment) [WINNER]
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
Honourable Mentions: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment), Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive), Persona 5 Royal (ATLUS, SEGA), Splatoon 3 (Nintendo), TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)
Best Design
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment) [WINNER]
- Marvel Snap (Second Dinner Studios, Inc., Nuverse)
- Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
- TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)
Honourable Mentions: Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games, Kitfox Games), God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment), IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid), Vampire Survivors (poncle)
Best Narrative
- God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games, Finji)
- IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
- Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios) [WINNER]
- Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox, Devolver Digital)
Honourable Mentions: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment), Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age, Fellow Traveller), Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment), NORCO (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury), Roadwarden (Moral Anxiety Studio, Assemble Entertainment)
Best Technology
- A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Beenox, Treyarch, High Moon Studios, Sledgehammer Games, Activision Shanghai, Demonware, Toys for Bob, Activision)
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment) [WINNER]
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Honourable Mentions: Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games, Kitfox Games), Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive, Focus Entertainment), IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid), Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive), Teardown (Tuxedo Labs)
Best Visual Art
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment) [WINNER]
- God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
Honourable Mentions: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment), Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive), OlliOlli World (Roll7, Private Division), TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)
Innovation Award
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid) [WINNER]
- Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive)
- Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
Honourable Mentions: Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games, Kitfox Games), God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios LLC)
Social Impact Award
- As Dusk Falls (INTERIOR/NIGHT, Xbox Game Studios)
- Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age, Fellow Traveller) [WINNER]
- Endling – Extinction Is Forever (Herobeat Studios, HandyGames)
- I Was A Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games, Finji)
- OlliOlli World (Roll7, Private Division)
- We Are OFK (Team OFK)
Honourable Mentions: Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games), God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Hindsight (Team Hindsight, Annapurna Interactive), NORCO (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury), Terra Nil (Free Lives, Devolver Digital)
Audience Award
- God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment) [WINNER]
Game of the Year
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
- Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios)
- Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
- TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)
Honourable Mentions: Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age, Fellow Traveller), Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel Snap (Second Dinner Studios, Inc., Nuverse), Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive), Vampire Survivors (poncle)
