The nominees for the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) have been announced.
Astro Bot and Black Myth: Wukong are both up for seven awards, while Animal Well is up for five prizes.
Sony’s platformer and Game Science’s action title are in the running for the coveted Game of the Year award alongside Balatro, Helldivers 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Animal Well, from solo developer Billy Basso and publisher Bigmode, is up for the Best Audio, Best Debut, Best Design, Innovation Award, and Best Visual Art prizes.
A total of 18 games released last year have been nominated across nine awards categories, with the full list republished below.
The winners of the peer-based awards event will be announced at the GDCA ceremony on March 19.
The event is being held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards at GDC 25 in San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.
Members of the public can also vote for their favourite game of 2024 from all 18 of this year’s nominees in the Audience Award ballot.
Baldur’s Gate 3 was the big winner at last year’s GDCA. It won Game of the Year, Best Narrative, Best Design and the Audience Award.
Game Developers Choice Awards
Best Audio
Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Teams SA / KONAMI)
Best Debut
- 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
- Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Honorable Mentions: Manor Lords (Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse), Mullet Madjack (HAMMER95 / Epopeia Games), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Best Design
- Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Lorelai and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development / Nintendo), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Innovation Award
- Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Honorable Mentions: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Coal Supper /Panic), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Best Narrative
- 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)
- Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
- Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / Critical Reflex)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios), Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
Best Technology
- Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
- Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/ Bigmode), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Threyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Demonware /Activision), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Studios Inc / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Best Visual Art
- Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
- Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
- Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)
Social Impact
- 1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)
- Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios)
- Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix)
- Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Honorable Mentions: Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games), Distant Bloom (Ember Trail / Kina Brave), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios / Electronic Arts)
Game of the Year
- Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
- Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
- Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
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