PlayStation LifeStyle's Game of the Year Awards 2020

We’ve finished our Game of the Year 2020 awards. Check out the links below to see what won.

PSLS Game of the Year 2020 Winners

2020 has been an… interesting year, to say the least. The next-generation of consoles finally launched, hotly anticipated games received painfully disappointing launches, and plenty of late-gen bloomers on the PS4 amazed us with what developers could do on last-gen hardware. As with every year, we’re taking some time as 2020 comes to a close to celebrate the games that released this year, awarding the best of the best with our Game of the Year Awards. Last year, Death Stranding took our top spot. Which game do you think will win it this year?

All of the PSLS Game of the Year awards are chosen by the entire staff—including input from freelancers, contributors, and previous writers where applicable—through an open nomination process and then a final vote on the nominees. You might see some curious omissions or additions in the nominees, not to mention some surprising winners next week, but we think it speaks to the unique voice and diverse interests that the collective PlayStation LifeStyle staff has.

Below the list of nominees, you’ll find a reader’s choice poll where you can cast your own vote. While it won’t have any bearing on our staff awards, we will be posting the reader’s choice winners along with our own selections next week.

Please note that review scores have no bearing on the nominations or winners, as each review was handled by a single writer and the Game of the Year awards account for our full staff.

Today we’re only revealing the nominees. Starting next week on Monday, December 28, we will begin announcing the winners, leading up to our final Game of the Year 2020 award on Friday, January 1, 2021, catapulting us into a new year of games, and our first full year of next-gen consoles.

Check out the list below for all of the PSLS Game of the Year Awards 2020 nominees.

PSLS Game of the Year Awards 2020 Nominees

Game of the Year

The Last of Us Part II
Ghost of Tsushima
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Best PS5 Game

Astro’s Playroom
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Demon’s Souls
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Destiny 2: Beyond Light

Best Publisher

Sony Interactive Entertainment
Bungie
Activision
Annapurna Interactive
Square Enix

Best Indie Game

Telling Lies
Cuphead
Bugsnax
Spelunky 2
Spellbreak

Best PlayStation Exclusive

Spider-Man: Miles Morales
The Last of Us Part II
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Ghost of Tsushima
Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Best Family Game

Dreams
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Best RPG

Final Fantasy VII Remake
Yakuza Like a Dragon
Persona 5 Royal
Temtem
Genshin Impact

Best Action Game

Mafia Definitive Edition
Ghost of Tsushima
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Maneater
The Last of Us Part II

Best Horror Game

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Resident Evil 3
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope
The Last of Us Part II
Amnesia Rebirth

Best Music/Rhythm Game

FUSER
Patapon 2
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
Sackboy: A Big Adventure Music Levels
No Straight Roads

Best PSVR Game

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Iron Man VR
Star Wars Squadrons
Dreams
Paper Beast

Best Adventure Game

The Last of Us Part II
Ghost of Tsushima
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Immortals: Fenyx Rising
Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Best Narrative

The Last of Us Part II
Ghost of Tsushima
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Cyberpunk 2077

Best Sports/Racing Game

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
NBA 2K21
DiRT 5
MLB The Show 2020

Biggest Disappointment

Ubisoft
Cyberpunk 2077
COVID Canceling Everything
Marvel’s Avengers
Godfall

Best DLC/Expansion

Destiny 2: Beyond Light
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath
The Division 2: Warlords of New York
Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part 1
Control: AWE

Best Art Style

Ghost of Tsushima
Cuphead
Dreams
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
The Last of Us Part II

Most Anticipated Game of 2021

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outriders
Deathloop
Horizon Forbidden West
God of War Sequel
Gotham Knights
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil Village

Best Game Soundtrack

Ghost of Tsushima
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
FUSER

Best Shooter

Destiny 2: Beyond Light
Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
DOOM: Eternal
Star Wars Squadrons

Biggest Surprise

Immortals Fenyx Rising
COVID
Ghost of Tsushima
Cyberpunk 2077 Not Getting Delayed Again
Kratos and Master Chief in Fortnite

Best New Idea

DualSense Features
Call of Duty’s Cross-Game Progression
FUSER Music Mixing
PS5 Activity Cards/Control Center

Best Open World

Immortals: Fenyx Rising
Ghost of Tsushima
Assasin’s Creed Valhalla
Genshin Impact
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Best Ongoing Game

Destiny 2
Call of Duty: Warzone
Fallout 76
Final Fantasy XIV
Elder Scrolls Online

Best Performance in a Game

Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima
Laura Bailey as Abby, The Last of Us Part II
Dawn French as Scarlet, Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Nadji Jeter as Miles, Spider-Man: Miles Morales
John Eric Bentley as Barrett Wallace, Final Fantasy VII Remake

Most Impactful Game

Spiritfarer
FUSER
The Last of Us Part II
Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Best Multiplayer

Destiny 2
Call of Duty: Warzone
Spellbreak
Ghost of Tsushima
Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Best Accessibility Options

The Last of Us Part II
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Immortals Fenyx Rising

Industry Person of the Year

Neil Druckmann
Geoff Keighley
Sam Lake
Mark Cerny
Kahlief Adams

Let us know what you think of the nominees and cast your predictions for which games you think will win in each category, and then make your voice heard in our Reader’s Choice poll below.