The Game Awards 2018 have come and gone, and while there were a ton of new reveals at the show, there were also awards that celebrated the past year of games. We’ll have our own set of Game of the Year awards later this month, but here are all of the games that were nominated and won for each category at The Game Awards 2018.
The nomination in bold is the winner for that category.
Game of the Year
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Celeste
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Monster Hunter: World
- Red Dead Redemption II
Best Action Game
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Dead Cells
- Destiny 2: Forsaken
- Far Cry 5
- Mega Man 11
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Best Role Playing Game
- Dragon Quest XI
- Monster Hunter: World
- Ni no Kuni II
- Octopath Traveler
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Best Game Direction
- A Way Out
- Detroit: Become Human
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption II
Best Narrative
- Detroit: Become Human
- God of War
- Life is Strange 2: Episode 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption II
Best Ongoing Game
- Destiny 2: Forsaken
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
- Overwatch
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Best Art Direction
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- God of War
- Octopath Traveler
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Best Score/Music
- Celeste
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- Octopath Traveler
- Red Dead Redemption II
Best Audio Design
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Forza Horizon 4
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption II
Best Independent Game
- Celeste
- Dead Cells
- Into the Breach
- Return of the Obra Dinn
- The Messenger
Best Performance
- Bryan Dechart as Connor in Detroit: Become Human
- Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War
- Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption II
- Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man
Games for Impact
- 11-11 Memories Retold
- Celeste
- Florence
- Life is Strange 2
- The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories
Best Mobile Game
- Donut County
- Florence
- Fortnite
- PUBG
- Reigns: Game of Thrones
Best VR/AR Game
- ASTRO-BOT Rescue Mission
- Beat Saber
- Firewall Zero Hour
- Moss
- Tetris Effect
Best Fighting Game
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Soul Caliber VI
- Street Fighter V Arcade Edition
Best Family Game
- Mario Tennis Aces
- Nintendo Labo
- Overcooked 2
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas
- Super Mario Party
Best Strategy Game
- Battletech
- Frostpunk
- Into the Breach
- The Banner Saga 3
- Valkyria Chronicles 4
Best Sports/Racing Game
- FIFA 19
- Forza Horizon 4
- Mario Tennis Aces
- NBA 2K19
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2019
Best Multiplayer Game
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Destiny 2: Forsaken
- Fortnite
- Monster Hunter: World
- Sea of Thieves
Best Student Game
- Combat 2018
- Dash Quasar
- JERA
- LIFF
- RE: Charge
Best Debut Indie Game
- Donut County
- Florence
- Moss
- The Messenger
- Yoku’s Island Express
Best esports Game
- CS:GO
- DOTA 2
- Fortnite
- League of Legends
- Overwatch
Best esports Player
- Dominique “SonicFox” McLean
- Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi
- Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Sung-hygeon “JJoNak” Bang
Best esports Team
- Astralis
- Cloud9
- Fnatic
- London Spitfire
- OG
Best esports Coach
- Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu
- Christian “ppasarel” Banaseanu
- Danny “zonic” Sorensen
- Dylan Falco
- Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi
- Janko “YNk” Paunovic
Best esports Event
- ELAGUE Major: Boston 2018
- EVO 2018
- League of Legends World Championship
- Overwatch League Grand Finals
- The International 2018
Best esports Host
- Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Anders Blume
- Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
- Paul “RedEye” Chaloner
Best esports Moment
- C9 comeback win in triple OT vs FAZE
- G2 beating RNG
- KT vs IG Base Race
- OG’s massive upset of LGD
- SonicFox side switch against Go1 in Dragon Ball FighterZ
Content Creator of the Year
- Dr. Lupo
- Myth
- Ninja
- Pokimane
- Willyrex
Did the winners match what you predicted? Are there any categories that you would have chosen differently? How about the reveals that came out during the show? Were you surprised by Persona 5’s Joker getting announced for Super Smash Bros.? What about the epic Dragon Age tease about the Dread Wolf? Let us know your thoughts on this year’s Game Awards below, and don’t miss all of the new reveals that got shown.
Cian Best of 2018
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God of War
God of War is my favorite game to have been released this year without a shadow of a doubt. In fact, the first ever PSLS Dev Spotlight was shone on none other than Cory Barlog himself—I'll admit that I am a little biased toward Cory, but he really did direct an utterly phenomenal game in God of War. I'm a Norse mythology buff, too, so seeing Kratos taking on the Aesir made me feel as if it were Christmas every day.
Anyway, the reason you should play this if you haven't yet is because it's an innovative, narrative-driven adventure filled with highs and lows that will make you laugh and cry at a moment's notice. Kratos' desire to become a better father is juxtaposed with his usual destructive violence, making God of War an amalgamation of vivid storytelling and visceral combat. This is my own personal GOTY, and I have faith in it to do the business at The 2018 Game Awards.
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Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 was the subject of much controversy this year due to the reports of crunch that surfaced online towards the end of its development. Although the practices involved in making Red Dead Redemption 2 are something that the games industry has failed to address for a very long time, it has to be said that Red Dead Redemption 2 is genuinely a great game. A very important article on Kotaku drew attention to the fact that despite the mistreatment of Rockstar's staff, they would still want you to buy the game that they worked so hard to create.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a spectacle of realism in games, offers a compelling—albeit a bit stretched out—story, and showcases some of the most up-to-date game design in the world right now. If you like your AAAs, you really should look into getting Red Dead Redemption 2, as it's right up your alley.
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Donut County
Ben Esposito's Donut County is one of my favorite games to have been released in a long time—so much so, that at the time of writing this article I've just finished this month's Dev Spotlight, which was shone on Esposito himself. Whether or not this article goes up before or after that is something I'm not sure of right now, but if it is up, check it out. Ben Esposito is brilliant.
Donut County is a charming puzzle game in which you play as a literal hole in the ground. It's lighthearted, funny, and surprisingly hard-hitting. It won't break the bank, either, so if you've not played it yet, do yourself a favor and get yourself a present. You absolutely won't regret it.
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Marvel's Spider-Man
Marvel's Spider-Man is absolutely breathtaking. Insomniac's latest is a huge addition to the canon of superhero games, as it features brilliant combat, meaningful collectibles, and offers one of the most genuinely fun map-traversal mechanics to date. I spent hours just swinging around the rooftops of Manhattan without actually committing to doing anything quest-like.
If you're a fan of the eponymous hero, this is the game for you. This, like God of War, is a PS4 exclusive, so as a reader of PlayStation LifeStyle, you're one of the people this game was designed for. Check it out if you haven't yet, and if you have—well, dive right back in and start cleaning up Manhattan! Marvel's Spider-Man is a hell of a ride that you'd seriously be missing out on if you opted not to play it.
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Assassin's Creed Odyssey
The Assassin's Creed franchise lost its way for a while, but Ubisoft's Odyssey carries on from Origins, offering an immersive, historically-based game rooted in a beautiful and utterly packed world. It is important to note that this is more in line with Greek mythology than actual history, but if you haven't gotten to know Kassandra yet, you really should.
Odyssey is a step in the right direction for Assassin's Creed. If you, like me, became a skeptic of the franchise in recent years, give Odyssey a chance to draw you right back in.
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Celeste
I must confess—I haven't actually finished Celeste yet. It is, however, already more than deserving of a place on my GOTY list. Celeste is a breathtakingly beautiful platformer from TowerFall creator Matt Makes Games, and you really should check it out. Celeste launched to unanimously positive reviews and is the only indie game to have been nominated for the official 2018 Game of the Year list. I think this could well be one of the most innovative and affecting games to have been released in quite some time. Please, check it out. You'll love it.
