05 December 2023 , 18:00
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The Game Awards is taking place later this week, and aside from the awards being handed out, we're also expecting to finally get an update om the Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox release.
The Game Awards is the final stop on the gaming calendar this year. While we've had the massive GTA 6 trailer this week, things aren't stopping just yet. The show will obviously celebrate some of the best games of 2023 like Alan Wake 2, Street Fighter 6, and Baldur's Gate 3 by handing out awards. But there's bound to be a number of surprise game announcements on the way too.
Here's everything you need to know about The Game Awards including the start time, what to expect, and the categories with our predicted winners.
The Game Awards: start time and how to watch
The Game Awards start time is at 1am GMT on Friday December 8 here in the UK, which is a much more reasonable 8pm EST / 5pm PST on Thursday, December 7. The Game Awards runtime is slated for three hours, meaning the festivities will wrap up at around 4am GMT on Friday, December 8 which is 11pm EST / 8pm PST on Thursday, December 7.
There is a pre-show for The Game Awards which starts half an hour before, meaning you can tune in and get in the mood from 12:30am GMT on Friday, December 8 and 7:30pm EST / 4:30pm PST on Thursday, December 7. The Game Awards pre-show will feature announcements and awards too however, so it's worth a watch.
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You'll can watch The Game Awards on YouTube and Twitch with 4K support, however you can also catch it on Steam, Twitter, Facebook Live, and TikTok – if you'd prefer a subpar format – with the latter four going live alongside the event.
These streams will go live simultaneously, so just pick whatever suits you. You'll also be able to watch them on demand on these channels after the event ends.
The Game Awards: what to expect
As always, The Game Awards is going to be packed to the brim with announcements for games new and old. We already know about a few of these, and have some theories about the ones we haven't heard about yet.
The biggest announcement confirmed for the show already is the Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox release date reveal. This will mean that Xbox players will finally know when they can play highly-acclaimed RPG. As for rumours, Sega and Xbox have been teasing announcements, while the rumour mill has pegged new announcements from Arkane Lyon (creators of Dishonored), and Guilty Gear Strive.
if you ask us, we're expecting Hideo Kojima and Death Stranding 2 to make an appearance at the show, considering the announcement for the original game happened at 2022's The Game Awards and we've heard nothing since. Plus we could see Street Fighter 6's third DLC fighter Ed being shown off too.
We're also set to see a performance from the Old Gods of Asgard (the fictional band from the Alan Wake series played by Finnish band Poets of the Fall) who will undoubtedly be performing The Herald of Darkness from Alan Wake 2.
The Game Awards: categories and predicted winners
It wouldn't be The Game Awards without, y'know, awards. Baldur's Gate 3 is leading the awards with nine nominations, with Alan Wake 2 and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 following behind with eight nominations each; while Nintendo is the most nominated publisher with 15 of them. Here's a rundown of every category, with our predicted winner listed in bold text:
- Game of the Year – Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3 , The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Best Game Direction –Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Best Narrative – Alan Wake 2 , Baldur's Gate 3 , Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Final Fantasy 16, Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Best Art Direction – Alan Wake 2, Hi-Fi Rush, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Lies of P, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Best Score and Music– Alan Wake 2 , Baldur's Gate 3, Final Fantasy 16, Hi-Fi Rush, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Best Audio Design – Alan Wake 2, Hi-Fi Rush , Dead Space, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4
Best Performance – Idris Elba (Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty), Melanie Liburd (Alan Wake 2), Yuri Lowenthal (Marvel's Spider-Man 2), Cameron Monaghan (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), Neil Newbon (Baldur's Gate 3), Ben Starr (Final Fantasy 16)
Games for Impact – A Space for the Unbound , Chants of Sennaar, Goodbye Volcano High, Tchia, Terra Nil, Venba
Best Independent Game – Cocoon, Dave the Diver, Dredge, Sea of Stars, Viewfinder
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Best Debut Indie Game – Cocoon, Dredge, Pizza Tower , Venba, Viewfinder
Best Ongoing Game – Apex Legends, Cyberpunk 2077 , Final Fantasy 14, Fortnite, Genshin Impact
Best Community Support – Baldur's Gate 3 , Cyberpunk 2077, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy 14, No Man's Sky
Best Mobile Game – Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, Honkai: Star Rail, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Monster Hunter Now, Terra Nil
Best VR/AR Game – Gran Turismo 7, Humanity, Horizon Call of the Mountain , Resident Evil Village, Synapse
Best Action Game – Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, Dead Island 2, Ghostrunner 2, Hi-Fi Rush , Remnant 2
Best Action / Adventure Game – Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Best Role Playing Game – Baldur's Gate 3 , Final Fantasy 16, Lies of P, Sea of Stars, Starfield
Best Fighting Game – God of Rock, Mortal Kombat 1, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, Pocket Bravery, Street Fighter 6
Best Family Game – Disney Illusion Island, Party Animals, Pikmin 4, Sonic Superstars, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Best Sim / Strategy Game – Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, Cities: Skylines 2, Company of Heroes 3, Fire Emblem Engage, Pikmin 4
Best Sports / Racing Game – EA FC 24, F1 23, Forza Motorsport, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged, The Crew Motorfest
Best Multiplayer Game – Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo 4, Party Animals, Street Fighter 6, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Innovation in Accessibility – Diablo 4, Forza Motorsport, Hi-Fi Rush, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6
Best Adaptation – Castlevania: Nocturne, Gran Turismo, The Last of Us, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Twisted Metal
Most Anticipated Game – Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Hades 2, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Star Wars Outlaws, Tekken 8
Players' Voice – Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Best Esports Game – Counter Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, Valorant
Best Esports Athlete – Phillip 'ImperialHal' Dosen, Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut, Park 'Ruler' Jae-hyuk, Max 'Demon1' Mazanov, Paco 'HyDra' Rusiewiez, Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok
Best Esports Team – Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, Gaimin Gladiators, JD Gaming, Team Vitality
Best Esports Coach – Christine 'potter' Chi, Jordan 'Gunba' Graham, Rémy 'XTQZZZ' Quoniam, Danny 'zonic' Sørensen, Yoon 'Homme' Sung-young
Best Esports Event – 2023 League of Legends World Championship, BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, Evo 2023, The International 2023, 2023 Valorant Champions
Content Creator of the Year – Ironmouse, People Make Games, Quackity, Spreen, SypherPK
Some of these predictions are based on general critical acclaim and feedback (such as Baldur's Gate 3 being a lock for GOTY) while others are just a hunch (of course Hi-Fi Rush is going to win audio design). However there's always the chance we could be proven wrong!