The Game Awards 2023 nominees have been announced, solidifying this year as one of the best in gaming in a long time. All of the categories are returning from previous shows, with no new ones. Here are some of the biggest categories to watch out for!

Check out the full list of nominees here.

Best Performance

• Ben Starr (Clive Rosfield, Final Fantasy XVI)
• Cameron Monaghan (Cal Kestis, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor)
• Idris Elba (Solomon Reed, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty)
• Melanie Liburd (Saga Anderson, Alan Wake II)
• Neil Newborn (Astarion, Baldur’s Gate III)
• Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2)

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate III (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
• Destiny 2 (Bungie)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best RPG

• Baldur’s Gate III (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
• Lies of P (Round8 Studio/ Neowiz Games)
• Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
• Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/ Bethesda Softworks)

Best Fighting Game

• God of Rock (Modus Studios Brazil/ Modus Games
• Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/ WB Games)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Ludosity/ Fair Play Labs/ GameMill Entertainment)
• Pocket Bravery (STATERA STUDIO/ PQube)
• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)

Best Independent Game

• Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/ Annapurna Interactive)
• Dave the Diver (MINTROCKET)
• Dredge (Black Salt Games/ Team 17)
• Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
• Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/ Thunderful Publishing)

Best Narrative

• Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment/ Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate III (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt Red)
• Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/ SIE)

Best Game Direction

• Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment/ Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate III (Larian Studios)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/ SIE)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)

Game of the Year

• Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment/ Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate III (Larian Studios)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/ SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)

This is only a handful of this year’s nominees. Others include Best Score and Music, Innovation in Accessibility, and Best VR/ AR. What are your votes? Let us know on all of our socials!

The Game Awards 2023 is streaming live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 7th, with the Opening Act starting 7:30p ET/ 4:30p PT.