It’s that time of year again! You’ve heard us argue about these games over the last month, but it’s time to finally reveal the winners of all of our categories, including the coveted Game of the Year! This page will plainly list out all of the winners in all 20 of our categories. If you would like to listen to how we came to these conclusions, you can listen to our deliberation podcasts. All of them can be found here, but each episode will be linked in each part of this article. So, without further ado, let’s get down now!\

Part 1(Listen to how we decided these categories here)

What Took So Long?: Sponsored by What Remains of Edith Finch

• 1) Titanfall 2
• 2) Bayonetta
• 3) Pokemon Sword/Shield

Best Live Game: Sponsored by No Man’s Sky 

• 1) Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• 2) Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• 3) Apex Legends

Best Repolished Oldie: Sponsored by Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2

• 1) Super Mario 3D World/Bowser’s Fury
• 2) Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• 3) Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Best Role Playing Game: Sponsored by Persona 5: Royal

• 1) Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
• 2) Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• 3) Scarlet Nexus

Most Polarizing Game

• 1) 12 Minutes
• 2) MLB 21: The Show
• 3) Battlefield 2042

Part 2 (Listen to how we decided these categories here)

Best Action Adventure Game: Sponsored by Ghost of Tsushima

• 1) Guardians of the Galaxy
• 2) Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
• 3) It Takes Two

Best Gun Game: Sponsored by Doom Eternal

• 1) Halo: Infinite
• 2) Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
• 3) Outriders

Most Anticipated 2022 Games

• Sea of Stars
• Somerville
• Pokémon Legends Arceus
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Forspoken

Most Addictive Game: Sponsored by Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• 1) Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle
• 2) Cookie Clicker
• 3) Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Best Online Game: Sponsored by Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

• 1) Knockout City
• 2) Rocket League
• 3) Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Part 3 (Listen to how we decided these categories here)

Best Score/Soundtrack

• 1) Knockout City (The Soundlings)
• 2) Deltarune (Toby Fox)
• 3) Life is Strange: True Colors (Novo Amor, Gabrielle Aplin, MxMtoon, etc.)

Best Non-Violent Game: Sponsored by Spiritfarer

• 1) Omno
• 2) Unpacking
• 3) Forza Horizon 5

Zeitgeist of the Year: Sponsored by Among Us

• 1) Forza Horizon 5
• 2) Valheim
• 3) Unpacking

Strongest Vibe

• 1) Exo One
• 2) Wavetale
• 3) Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Best Performance

• 1) Erika Mori – Alex Chen (Life is Strange: True Colors)
• 2) Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez – Mantis (Guardians of the Galaxy)
• 3) Maggie Robertson – Alcina Dimitrescu (Resident Evil: Village)

Biggest Disappointment

• 1) Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition
• 2) MLB Games on Consoles (RBI Baseball & MLB The Show 21)
• 3) 12 Minutes

Best Narrative: Sponsored by Tell Me Why

• 1) The Forgotten City
• 2) Inscryption
• 3) Life is Strange: True Colors

Best Character

• 1) Mantis (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy)
• 2) Alex Chen (Life is Strange: True Colors)
• 3) Rivet (Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart)

Best Indie Game

• 1) Road 96
• 2) Inscryption
• 3) The Forgotten City

Part 5 (Listen to how we decided these categories here)

Game of the Year

1. The Forgotten City
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Inscryption
4. It Takes Two
5. Life Is Strange: True Colors
6. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
7. Knockout City
8. Scarlet Nexus
9. Psychonauts 2
10. Resident Evil: Village