The Game Awards nominees prove that 2024 is the year of the JRPG, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor ReFantazio leading the field

The Game Awards nominees for 2024 are in, and if you had any doubt this was the year of the JRPG, the numerous nominations for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor: ReFantazio should put that doubt to rest.

Leading the field with seven nominations apiece are PlayStation exclusives Astro Bot and FF7 Rebirth, narrowly ahead of Metaphor: ReFantazio with six nominations. Those three games are up for the big Game of the Year award, joined by Black Myth: Wukong, Balatro, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

The Game Awards have been around for a while now, though this year's nominees were always going to be a bit different. That's because, per the website FAQ page, "expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes, and remasters" are eligible for a judge's consideration. Shadow of the Erdtree's position in the main GOTY award is testament to that, as are Silent Hill 2's various nods across the categories.

"The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content's release," the website reads. "Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes, and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration."

The call makes enough sense, especially in a year where the likes of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Silent Hill 2 Remake have landed to critical acclaim. How many awards will either snag? You have just under a month to find out who will win what. The Game Awards kick off on December 12 and will be available to watch on YouTube and Twitch.

The Game Awards 2024 nominees

• Game of the Year
  • Astro Bot
  • Balatro
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Best Game Direction
  • Astro Bot
  • Balatro
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Best Action/Adventure Game
  • Astro Bot
  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  • Silent Hill 2
  • Star Wars Outlaws
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Best Role-Playing Game
  • Dragon's Dogma 2
  • Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Best Fighting Game
  • Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
  • Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
  • Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
  • MultiVersus
  • Tekken 8
• Best Action Game
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
  • Helldivers 2
  • Stellar Blade
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
• Innovation in Accessibility
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
  • Diablo 4
  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard
  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  • Star Wars Outlaws
• Best Family Game
  • Astro Bot
  • Princess Peach Showtime!
  • Super Mario Party Jamboree
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
  • The Plucky Squire
• Best Sim/Strategy Game
  • Age of Mythology Retold
  • Frostpunk 2
  • Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
  • Manor Lords
  • Unicorn Overlord
• Best Sports/Racing Game
  • F1 24
  • EA Sports FC 25
  • NBA 2K25
  • TopSpin 2K25
  • WWE 2K24
• Best Ongoing Game
  • Destiny 2
  • Diablo 4
  • Final Fantasy 14
  • Fortnite
  • Helldivers 2
• Best Performance
  • Briana White (Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth)
  • Hannah Telle (Life is Strange: Double Exposure)
  • Humberly González (Star Wars Outlaws)
  • Luke Roberts (Silent Hill 2)
  • Melina Juergens (Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2)
• Best mobile game
  • AFK Journey
  • Balatro
  • Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
  • Wuthering Waves
  • Zenless Zone Zero
• Best Art Direction
  • Astro Bot
  • Black Myth Wukong
  • Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
  • Neva
• Best Score & Music
  • Astro Bot
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
  • Silent Hill 2
  • Stellar Blade
• Best Audio Design
  • Astro Bot
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
  • Silent Hill 2
• Best Adaptation
  • Arcane: League of Legends
  • Fallout
  • Knuckles
  • Like a Dragon: Yakuza
  • Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
• Best Narrative
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio
  • Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
  • Silent Hill 2
• Games for Impact
  • Closer the Distance
  • Indika
  • Neva
  • Life is Strange: Double Exposure
  • Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
  • Tales of Kenzera: Zau
• Best Community Support
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Final Fantasy 14
  • Fortnite
  • Helldivers 2
  • No Man's Sky
• Best Multiplayer
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
  • Helldivers 2
  • Super Mario Party Jamboree
  • Tekken 8
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
• Best Independent Game
  • Animal Well
  • Balatro
  • Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
  • Neva
  • UFO 50
• Best Debut Indie Game
  • Animal Well
  • Balatro
  • Manor Lords
  • Pacific Drive
  • The Plucky Squire
• Best VR/AR Game
  • Arizona Sunshine Remake
  • Asgard's Wrath 2
  • Batman: Arkham Shadow
  • Metal Hellsinger VR
  • Metro Awakening VR
• Content Creator of the Year
  • CaseOh
  • IlloJuan
  • Techno Gamerz
  • Typical Gamer
  • Usada Pekora
• Most Anticipated
  • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
  • Ghost of Yotei
  • Grand Theft Auto 6
  • Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
  • Monster Hunter Wilds
• Best Esports Game
  • Counter-Strike 2
  • Dota 2
  • League of Legends
  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
  • Valorant
• Best Esports Athlete
  • 33
  • Aleksib
  • Chovy
  • Faker
  • ZywOo
  • ZmjjKK
• Best Esports Team
  • Bilibili Gaming (League of Legends)
  • Gen.G (League of Legends)
  • Navi (Counter-Strike)
  • T1 (League of Legends)
  • Team Liquid (Dota 2)

The best games I've played in 2024 did not come out in 2024 – this is your sign to tend to that backlog.