Hades makes video game history and is the first game to ever win a Hugo Award

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"I'm grateful that the awards are recognizing work in this category"

Hades God Mode
(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Hades has become the only video game to ever win a Hugo Award in recognition of "excellence" in the sci-fi and/or fantasy genre.

As described by the awards' own website, The Hugo Awards were first awarded in 1953, and have been awarded by the World Science Fiction Convention every year since 1955, run by and voted on by fans. 2021 marks the first year ever that video games have been considered, albeit via a "one-off" category set just for this year, with possible plans to eventually introduce a permanent category. 

Supergiant Games' creative director and writer Greg Kasavin was unable to attend the show in person, but shared a wonderful acceptance speech via his Twitter account.

"Wish I could have attended the Hugo Awards in person," Kasavin tweeted (thanks, NME). "I wasn't able to make an acceptance speech there on behalf of the team though did have a few words here. I'm grateful that the awards are recognizing work in this category, much less the work we did!"

"Since early 2020, many of us have spent more time gaming than we ever expected," Hugo Awards co-chair Colette Fozard explained. "This award will offer fans an opportunity to celebrate the games that have been meaningful, joyful, and exceptional over this past year."

ICYMI, Hades is now the highest-rated game available to play on Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles – even though it was only released on those consoles in August. It shot to the top of the best-ranked charts for both next-gen consoles on Metacritic, standing at 93 on both Xbox Series X and PS5.

At the time of writing, in PS5's case, Hades sits just one point above its nearest rival – Demon's Souls, which ranks 92/100 – and three above Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, which scores an aggregate rank of 90. For Xbox Series X, it sneaks in one point above Forza Horizon 5, which stands at 92, and Microsoft Flight Simulator's 90 by 4 points.

Been intrigued by Hades but reluctant to jump in? Read why Heather says Hades has completely changed her perspective on dungeon crawlers and roguelikes. 

Read these Hades tips and tricks to maximize your odds in the Underworld.

Vikki Blake
Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.