The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, honoring the year’s achievements in the video game industry. In addition to the celebrated Game of the Year award, awards span a wide variety of genres, technical and accessibility achievements, and esports. The following games have been nominated for this year’s awards and are available at Davenport Public Library. (Descriptions below provided by publishers.)
Metaphor: Refantazio – Game of the Year, Best RPG
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio. Enter a unique fantasy world where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince… Control your destiny, face your fears and awaken magical ‘Archetype’ powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an ‘Archetype’, you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party to take down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
Available on: PS5, Coming Soon to: Xbox Series X|S
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth – Best RPG
Two larger-than-life heroes brought together by the hand of fate, or perhaps something more sinister… Ichiban Kasuga, an unstoppable underdog who’s no stranger to crawling up from rock bottom, and Kazuma Kiryu, a broken man facing down his last days, explore Japan and Hawaii in an RPG adventure so big it spans the Pacific.
Available on: PS4 and Xbox Series X|S
Stellar Blade – Best Action Game
The future of humanity rests on a knife’s edge. Earth has been abandoned and is now home to strange and powerful creatures. The only remnant of humanity has fled to a colony in outer space. After traveling from the colony, EVE embarks on a mission on the scarred planet: to save humanity and reclaim Earth from the Nova sapiens – the evil beings who devastated the world. But as EVE confronts Nova sapiens one by one among the ruins and remnants of human civilization and begins to piece together the truth of what happened, she realizes that her mission is anything but simple. In fact, nothing is what it seems.
Available on: PS5
Star Wars: Outlaws – Best Action/Adventure Game
The Galaxy is full of opportunity. Experience the first-ever open world Star Wars™ action-adventure game and explore distinct locations across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as scoundrel Kay Vess, seeking freedom and the means to start a new life. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.
Available on: Xbox Series X|S, Coming Soon to: PS5
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – Best Action/Adventure Game
Dash into a stylish and thrilling action-adventure platformer set in a mythological Persian world where the boundaries of time and space are yours to manipulate. Play as Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new Time Powers and unique super abilities.
Available on: Nintendo Switch
Helldivers 2 – Best Action Game, Best Multiplayer
Fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in this frenetic third-person co-operative team shooter. Do you believe in freedom? Can you stand in the face of oppression – and defend the defenseless? Wage war for peace. Die for democracy. Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth.
Available on: PS5
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Best Action Game, Best Multiplayer
Your Craft is Death. Embody the superhuman skill and brutality of a Space Marine, the greatest of the Emperor’s warriors. Hold at bay the horrors of the galaxy in epic battles on far-flung planets with your deadly abilities and devastating weaponry. Uncover dark secrets to drive back the everlasting night and prove your ultimate loyalty to humanity. Crush the Tyranid swarms. Defend humanity.
Available on: PS5, Coming Soon to: Xbox Series X|S
Tekken 8 – Best Fighting, Best Multiplayer
Fist Meets Fate in Tekken 8. Holding a record for the longest-running video game storyline, the Tekken series begins a new chapter as Tekken 8 continues the tragic saga of the Mishima and Kazama bloodlines, and their world-shaking father-and-son grudge matches starting from 6 months after the closure of the last match. The story of Jin Kazama’s growth and determination marks a new chapter in the timeless saga.
Available on: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
Pacific Drive – Best Debut Indie
Take a ride through a surreal and wild Pacific Northwest. Pacific Drive is a run-based, first-person driving survival game. Your car is your only companion as you navigate a surreal and anomaly-filled reimagining of the Pacific Northwest. Structured as a “road-lite”, each excursion into the wilderness brings unique and strange challenges, as you restore and upgrade your car from an abandoned garage that acts as your home base. With the car as your lifeline, you’ll unravel a long-forgotten mystery as you make your way to the heart of the Olympic Exclusion Zone.
Available on: PS5
Unicorn Overlord – Best Sim / Strategy
From the masterminds that brought 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and Odin Sphere, ATLUS x Vanillaware presents the rebirth of tactical fantasy RPG. Fight against fate and embark on a royal adventure to regain your reign alongside trustworthy allies. Unicorn Overlord combines the timeless tactical RPG genre with overworld exploration and innovative battle system for a unique epic fantasy experience in the iconic Vanillaware style.
Available on: Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Family
Save Hyrule—this time with Princess Zelda! After Princess Zelda was captured by Ganon, the swordsman Link stormed in to rescue her. After a fierce battle, Link appeared to defeat the villain, but was suddenly dragged down into a mysterious rift in the ground and disappeared. These strange rifts began to appear all over Hyrule, swallowing up others, including the King and his advisors. Left alone, it’s now up to Princess Zelda to save her kingdom in a brand-new adventure in the Legend of Zelda series!
Available on: Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Best Family, Best Multiplayer
Join the jumbo jamboree! The Mario Party series is back and more jam-packed than ever! With over 110 minigames, new online and offline modes, and plenty of customization choices, there’s something for every kind of partygoer! Get in the groove with 3 motion modes! Cook to the beat! Flap to fly! Roll to the goal! It’s Bowser vs. the world in 2 online modes!: Koopathlon; Bowser Kaboom Squad.
Available on: Nintendo Switch
Princess Peach: Showtime – Best Family
Take the stage as Peach! Help Peach save the Sparkle Theater from the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, who have set the stage for the ultimate tragedy. Joined by Stella, the theater’s guardian, Peach is ready to save the day! Power up with transformations and use showstopping abilities to call curtains on this tragedy. What transformations are hiding just behind the curtain?
Available on: Nintendo Switch
TopSpin 2k25 – Best Sports / Racing
Play tennis as or against today’s up and coming tennis stars as well as iconic players in Grand Slam competitions and international arenas, and choose to study at TopSpin Academy with court master John McEnroe.
Available on: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
WWE 2k24 – Best Sports / Racing
Experience a gripping retelling of WrestleMania’s greatest moments in 2K Showcase of the Immortals in WWE 2K24, where you can relive a collection of some of the most unforgettable, career-defining matches.
Available on: PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
Have a favorite among these games? Cast your vote on The Game Awards website until December 11th at 6:00p CST. Tune in on December 12th at 6:30p CST to watch the Game Awards ceremony on major social and gaming platforms.