We are already halfway through December.
The Game Awards recently brought plenty of excitement, and year-end traditions like buzzwords and kanji of the year are everywhere.
Playing games is fun, but soaking in the memories is great too!
Voting is officially underway on the PlayStation.Blog for the PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year 2023 Awards!
Voting is Now Open for the "PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year 2023 Awards
Covering 18 different categories like the most enjoyable game of the year and the most compelling character, the PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year 2023 Awards are here.
Your votes decide every winning title, so be sure to cast your ballot over at the PlayStation.Blog!
Best New Character
The "Best New Character" category determines the top new character, with nominees coming from hits like Street Fighter 6 and FINAL FANTASY XVI.
- Astarion: Baldur's Gate 3
- Bode Akuna: STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Cid: FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Clive Rosfield: FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Fang: Goodbye Volcano High
- Gale: Baldur's Gate 3
- Garl: Sea of Stars
- Jamie: Street Fighter 6
- Karlach: Baldur's Gate 3
- Kimberly: Street Fighter 6
- Kraven: Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Lae'zel: Baldur's Gate 3
- Manon: Street Fighter 6
- Saga Anderson: Alan Wake 2
- Seyka: Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
- Shadowheart: Baldur's Gate 3
- Solomon Reed: Cyberpunk 2077 expansion pack, “Phantom Liberty”
- Turgle: STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Venom: Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Wyll: Baldur's Gate 3
- P: Lies of P
Best Story
There are plenty of titles deserving of praise for their stories, such as Alan Wake 2—its first new entry in 13 years—and Baldur's Gate 3, which features 17,000 possible endings.
From Japan, FINAL FANTASY XVI and Octopath Traveler II look to have strong support.
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Before Your Eyes
- Diablo IV
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Marvel's Midnight Suns
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Octopath Traveler II
- Resident Evil 4
- Sea of Stars
- Season: A Letter to the Future
- STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
Best Graphical Showcase
Titles that make the most of the PS5's incredible performance also make for tough choices.
The battle effects in FINAL FANTASY XVI are exhilarating, and the immersion provided by Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 cannot be ignored either.
- Alan Wake 2
- Assassin's Creed Mirage
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Cyberpunk 2077 expansion pack, “Phantom Liberty”
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Forspoken
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Lies of P
- Lords of the Fallen
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Remnant II
- Resident Evil 4
- STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Street Fighter 6
Best Art Direction
Awarded to games with brilliant visual presentation and direction, "Best Art Direction" is another category where Baldur's Gate 3 is likely to gather significant support, though indie games like Tchia and Sea of Stars also deserve attention.
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Cocoon
- Diablo IV
- Dredge
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Humanity
- Lords of the Fallen
- Sea of Stars
- Season: A Letter to the Future
- STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R
- Tchia
- Thirsty Suitors
- Venba
Best Audio Design
Sound is indispensable in gaming.
It amplifies battles and sometimes builds tension...
There are many titles that pay close attention not just to the music, but to sound effects as well.
- Alan Wake 2
- ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Ghostrunner 2
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Season: A Letter to the Future
- Street Fighter 6
Soundtrack of the Year
For this one, you can simply vote for the games that delivered truly amazing music.
The music of FINAL FANTASY XVI has won support worldwide, but how will it fare...?
- Alan Wake 2
- ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
- Assassin's Creed Mirage
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Cyberpunk 2077 expansion pack, "Phantom Liberty"
- Diablo IV
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Forspoken
- Ghostrunner 2
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Octopath Traveler II
- Sea of Stars
- Street Fighter 6
Best Accessibility Features
Awarded to titles that achieve diverse gameplay options, "Best Accessibility Features" highlights games like Street Fighter 6, which is well-known for its robust sound accessibility features that let visually impaired users know their distance from opponents and actions through sound.
- Assassin's Creed Mirage
- Diablo IV
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Moving Out 2
- Resident Evil 4
- STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Street Fighter 6
- The Crew Motorfest
Best Use of DualSense
The DualSense controller dramatically enhances the gaming experience by incorporating haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.
Will immersion-focused adventure games have the advantage here?
- Alan Wake 2
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Forspoken
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Season: A Letter to the Future
- STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Street Fighter 6
Best Multiplayer Experience
Everyone loves multiplayer.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is enjoying massive success with its multiplayer across the series, and Diablo IV offers a great casual multiplayer experience too.
Online matches are also the heart and soul of Street Fighter 6, right?
- Baldur's Gate 3
- C-Smash VRS
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Crash Team Rumble
- Dead Island 2
- Diablo IV
- Exoprimal
- Firewall Ultra
- Meet Your Maker
- Nock
- Pavlov VR
- Street Fighter 6
- The Crew Motorfest
Best Ongoing Game
Awarded to titles with live-service models like MMORPGs and online FPS games, "Best Ongoing Game" features titles that are well-known even in Japan, so many of you have likely played all of them!
It's great that games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail can also be played on smartphones.
- Apex Legends
- Black Desert
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Destiny 2
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Fallout 76
- FINAL FANTASY XIV
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
- Gran Turismo 7
- Honkai: Star Rail
- No Man's Sky
- Overwatch 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online
Best Expansion
Even with standalone purchase titles these days, free and paid expansions (DLC) are abundant.
From epilogues of stories to rewarding endgame content, it's great for someone like this writer who loves diving deep into a single game.
Let's vote for your favorite game!
- Cyberpunk 2077 expansion pack, "Phantom Liberty"
- Dead Cells DLC, “Return to Castlevania”
- Destiny 2: Lightfall
- Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
- Resident Evil 4 additional story content, “Separate Ways”
- Tales of ARISE – Beyond the Dawn
Best Sports Game
Sports games like soccer, American football, and racing enjoy a dedicated, enduring popularity.
Team management simulations like F1 Manager 2023 are also nominated!
- C-Smash VRS
- EA SPORTS FC 24
- Madden NFL 24
- NHL 24
- UFC 5
- EA SPORTS WRC
- F1 23
- F1 Manager 2023
- Football Manager 2024 Console
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED 2 - Turbocharged
- NBA 2K24
- The Crew Motorfest
- WWE 2K23
Best Independent Game of the Year
The indie game category, which boasts a passionate fanbase, features 25 nominated titles.
Some titles, like Cocoon and Sea of Stars, are back in the spotlight thanks to the impact of The Game Awards 2023.
- A Space for the Unbound
- Blasphemous 2
- Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
- Bramble: The Mountain King
- Chained Echoes
- Chants of Sennaar
- Cocoon
- Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
- Dredge
- Eternights
- Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery
- Goodbye Volcano High
- Humanity
- Lil Gator Game
- Nour
- Sea of Stars
- Season: A Letter to the Future
- The Talos Principle 2
- Teardown
- The Last Faith
- Thirsty Suitors
- Need for Speed Unbound
- Venba
- Viewfinder
- If You Can Park It
PS VR2 Game of the Year
Released in February 2023, the PlayStation VR2 is more expensive than the PlayStation 5, but considering its performance, it is a high-value VR headset.
With a rich lineup of titles now available, it's a great time to dive into VR!
Personally, Resident Evil is my top recommendation to start with.
- Before Your Eyes
- C-Smash VRS
- Cosmonious High
- Demeo
- Firewall Ultra
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Journey to Foundation
- Kayak VR: Mirage
- Nock
- Pavlov VR
- Puzzling Places
- Red Matter 2
- Resident Evil 4 VR Mode
- RUNNER
- Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition
- Synapse
- Tentacular
- The Foglands
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
- Zenith: The Last City
- The Light Brigade
- The Last Clockwinder
PS4 Game of the Year
Still going strong!
2023 saw many cross-platform releases for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Since many titles scheduled for release in 2024 are PlayStation 5 exclusives, let's get the most out of our current hardware while we still can!
- ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Chants of Sennaar
- Diablo IV
- Dredge
- EA SPORTS FC 24
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Humanity
- Lies of P
- Marvel's Midnight Suns
- NBA 2K24
- Octopath Traveler II
- Persona 5 Tactica
- Resident Evil 4
- Sea of Stars
- STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R
- Street Fighter 6
PS5 Game of the Year
The selection criteria are simple.
Just vote for the title that made you say, "It was simply the best!"
This year has been an absolute bumper crop for games.
- Alan Wake 2
- ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
- Cocoon
- Diablo IV
- Dredge
- EA SPORTS FC 24
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Marvel's Midnight Suns
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- NBA 2K24
- Octopath Traveler II
- Persona 5 Tactica
- Resident Evil 4
- Sea of Stars
- STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Street Fighter 6
Blog Studio of the Year
Vote for the game studios that colored your gaming life this year!
Capcom and Square Enix are nominated from Japan as well!
- Avalanche
- Awaceb
- Black Salt Games
- Blizzard
- Capcom
- CD Projekt RED
- FromSoftware
- Geometric Interactive
- Insomniac Games
- KO_OP
- Larian Studios
- nDreams
- Netherrealm Studios
- Remedy
- Round 8 Studio
- Sabotage Studio
- Square Enix
- Ubisoft
Most Anticipated PlayStation Game of 2024 and Beyond
Anticipated titles are being announced one after another.
Titles like FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Tekken 8... it's so exciting!
- Baby Steps
- Concord
- Destiny 2: The Final Shape
- Dragon's Dogma 2
- Fairgame$
- FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail
- FOAMSTARS
- Grand Theft Auto VI
- Helldivers 2
- Little Nightmares III
- Marathon
- Marvel's Wolverine
- Pacific Drive
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Rise of the Ronin
- Stellar Blade
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
- Tekken 8
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered
- The Plucky Squire
Voting is open until Sunday, December 17, 2023, at 11:59 PM PT!
Let's cast our votes while looking back at the past year over at the PlayStation.Blog!
Look forward to the results announcement once the votes are counted!