The Game Awards 2017: Here Are The Winners

The Game Awards returned for the fourth time today at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to honor the game development art form. The event, which was graced by appearances from celebrities the likes of Guillermo Del Toro, Conan O’Brien, Norman Reedus, and Andy Serkis came to its conclusion with the coveted Game of the Year award, preceded by a riveting orchestral rendition of the nominees’ soundtracks.

While trailers for several upcoming titles, including yet another confusing clip from Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, were shown off through the course of the show, the best games of 2017 and the people behind them took center stage. If you missed the live stream and are looking to catch up, we’ve got you covered. Following are the winners of each award category, as announced at this year’s The Game Awards.

Game of the Year

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD)

Nominees

  • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Persona 5 (Atlus)
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corp.)
  • Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Game Direction

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD)

Nominees

  • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)
  • Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
  • Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (MachineGames / Bethesda)

Best Narrative

Winner: What Remains of Edith Finch (Ian Dallas / Giant Sparrow)

Nominees

  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Tameem Antoniades, Elizabeth Ashman-Rowe / Ninja Theory)
  • Horizon Zero Dawn (John Gonzalez / Ninja Theory)
  • Nier: Automata (Yoko Taro, Hana Kikuchi, Yoshiho Akabane / Platinum Games)
  • What Remains of Edith Finch (Ian Dallas / Giant Sparrow)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Jen Matthies, Tommy Tordsson Bjork / MachineGames)

Best Art Direction

Winner: 

Nominees

  • Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
  • Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
  • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Persona 5 (Atlus)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Score / Music

Winner: NieR: Automata (Keiichi Okabe, Keigo Hoashi)

Nominees

  • Cuphead (Kristofer Maddigan)
  • Destiny 2 (Mike Salvatori, Skye Lewin, C Paul Johnson)
  • NieR: Automata (Keiichi Okabe, Keigo Hoashi)
  • Persona 5 (Shoji Meguro)
  • Super Mario Odyssey (Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fujii, Koji Kondo)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata)

Best Audio Design

Winner: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)

Nominees

  • Destiny 2 (Bungie)
  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
  • Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
  • Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Performance

Winner: Melina Juergens, Hellblade (as Senua)

Nominees

  • Ashly Burch, Horizon: Zero Dawn (As Aloy)
  • Brian Bloom, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (as BJ Blazkowicz)
  • Claudia Black, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (as Chloe Frazer)
  • Laura Bailey, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (as Nadine Ross)
  • Melina Juergens, Hellblade (as Senua)

Games for Impact

Winner: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)

Nominees

  • Bury Me, My Love (The Pixel Hunt / Figs / ARTE / Playdius)
  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
  • Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
  • Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
  • Please Knock on My Door (Levall Games AB)
  • What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Ongoing Game

Winner: Overwatch (Blizzard)

Nominees

  • Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
  • Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar Games)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG. Corp)
  • Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)Warframe (Digital Extremes)

Best Independent Game

Winner: Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)

Nominees

  • Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
  • Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
  • Pyre (Supergiant Games)
  • What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Mobile Game

Winner: 

Nominees

  • Fire Emblem Heroes (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
  • Hidden Folks (Adriaan de Jongh / Sylvain Tegroeg)
  • Monument Valley 2 (ustwo games)
  • Old Man’s Journey (Broken Rules)
  • Super Mario Run (Nintendo)

Best Handheld Game

Winner: 

Nominees

  • Ever Oasis (Grezzo / Nintendo)
  • Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
  • Metroid: Samus Returns (MercurySteam / Nintendo)
  • Monster Hunter Stories (Marvelous / Capcom / Nintendo)
  • Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World (Good-Feel / Nintendo)

Best VR/AR Game

Winner: 

Nominees

  • Farpoint (Impulse Gear / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios)
  • Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
  • Star Trek: Bridge Crew (Red Storm Entertainment / Ubisoft)
  • Superhot VR (Superhot Team)

Best Action Game

Winner: 

Nominees

  • Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
  • Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
  • Nioh (Team Ninja / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Prey (Arkane Studios / Bethesda)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (MachineGames / Bethesda)

Best Action/Adventure Game

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Nominees

  • Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
  • Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive
  • Entertainment)

Best Role-Playing Game

Winner: Persona 5 (Atlus)

Nominees

  • Divinity: Original Sin II (Larian Studios)
  • Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix Business Division 2 / Square Enix)
  • NieR: Automata (Platinum Games / Square Enix)
  • Persona 5 (Atlus)
  • South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Ubisoft San Francisco / Ubisoft)

Best Fighting Game

Winner: Injustice 2 (NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Ent)

Nominees

  • Arms (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • Injustice 2 (NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Ent)
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (Capcom)
  • Nidhogg 2 (Messhof Games)
  • Tekken 7 (Bandai Namco Studios / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Family Game

Winner: 

Nominees

  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)
  • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft Paris + Milan / Ubisoft)
  • Sonic Mania (PagodaWest Games, Headcannon / Sega)
  • Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)

Best Strategy Game

Winner: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft Paris + Milan / Ubisoft)

Nominees

  • Halo Wars 2 (Creative Assembly, 343 Industries / Microsoft Studios)
  • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft Paris + Milan / Ubisoft)
  • Total War: Warhammer II (Creative Assembly / Sega)
  • Tooth and Tail (Pocketwatch Games)
  • XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (Firaxis Games / 2K)

Best Sports/Racing Game

Winner: 

Nominees

  • FIFA 18 (EA Vancouver / EA)
  • Forza Motorsport 7 (Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)
  • Gran Turismo Sport (Polyphony Digital / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • NBA 2K18 (Visual Concepts / 2K Sports)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 (PES Productions / Konami)
  • Project Cars 2 (Slightly Mad Studios / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Multiplayer

Winner: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Nominees

  • Call of Duty: WWII (Sledgehammer Games / Activision)
  • Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
  • Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corp.)
  • Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Most Anticipated Game

Winner: The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Nominees

  • God of War (Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Monster Hunter World (Capcom)
  • Red Dead Redemption II (Rockstar Games)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Trending Gamer

Winner: Guy Beahm (“Dr. Disrespect”)

Nominees

  • Andrea Rene (What’s Good Games)
  • Clint Lexa (“Halfcoordinated”)
  • Guy Beahm (“Dr. Disrespect”)
  • Mike Grzesiek (“Shroud”)
  • Steven Spohn (AbleGamers)

Best eSports Game

Winner: Overwatch (Blizzard)

Nominees

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
  • Dota 2 (Valve)
  • League of Legends (Riot)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Rocket League (Psyonix)

Best eSports Player

Winner: Lee Sang-hyeok “Faker” (SK Telecom 1, League of Legends)

Nominees

  • Lee Sang-hyeok “Faker” (SK Telecom 1, League of Legends)
  • Marcelo “coldzera” David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: GO)
  • Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac (FaZe Clan, Counter-Strike: GO)
  • Je-hong “ryujehong” Ryu (Seoul Dynasty, Overwatch)
  • Kuro “KuroK”” Salehi Takhasomi (Team Liquid, Dota 2)

Best eSports Team

Winner: Cloud 9

Nominees

  • Cloud 9
  • FaZe Clan
  • Lunatic-Hai
  • SK Telecom T1
  • Team Liquid

Student Game Award

Winner: Level Squared (Kip Brennan, Stephen Scoglio, Dane Perry Svendsen / Swinburne University)

Nominees

  • Falling Sky (Jonathan Nielssen, Nikolay Savoy, Mohsen Shah / National Film & TV School)
  • From Light (Alejandro Grossman, Steven Li, Sherveen Uduwana / USC)
  • Hollowed (Erin Marek, Jerrick Flores, Charley Choucard / University of Central Florida)
  • Impulsion (Hugo Verger, Remi Bertrand, Maxime Lupinski / IIM)
  • Level Squared (Kip Brennan, Stephen Scoglio, Dane Perry Svendsen / Swinburne University)
  • Meaning (Hariz Yet / DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore)

Best Debut Indie Game

Winner: Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)

Nominees

  • Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
  • Golf Story (Sidebar Games)
  • Hollow Knight (Team Cherry)
  • Mr. Shifty (Team Shifty)
  • Slime Rancher (Monomi Park)

Chinese Fan Game Award

Winner: jx3 HD《剑网3》重制版 (Kingsoft Corporation)

Nominees

  • Honor of Kings《王者荣耀》 (Timi Studio Group)
  • ICEY《艾希》(FantaBlade Network)
  • Gumballs & Dungeons《不思议迷宫》(QcPlay Limited)
  • jx3 HD《剑网3》重制版 (Kingsoft Corporation)
  • Monument Valley 2《纪念碑谷2》(ustwo games)

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Sameed Khan

I write, game, design at times, and revel in sarcasm. You can find me on Twitter.