Home › Major awards
The 10 biggest Game of the Year awards
Hundreds of outlets hand out a Game of the Year. These ten decide how the season is remembered — between them they cover the press jury, the developers, the players and the two biggest markets on earth.
The season starts in September at Tokyo Game Show and does not finish until the spring ceremonies. Sort by any column.
| Order | Award | When | Country | Who votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan Game Awards | September, at Tokyo Game Show | Japan | Japanese industry body CESA |
| 2 | Golden Joystick Awards | November | United Kingdom | Public vote |
| 3 | Titanium Awards | November, at Fun & Serious Game Festival | Spain | International jury |
| 4 | The Game Awards | Early-to-mid December | United States | Jury of ~100+ global media outlets, plus a public vote weighted at 10% |
| 5 | The Steam Awards | Voting during the Steam Autumn Sale, winners at the start of January | United States | Steam users — the largest voter base of any GOTY award |
| 6 | New York Game Awards | January | United States | New York Videogame Critics Circle |
| 7 | D.I.C.E. Awards | February | United States | Peer vote by members of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |
| 8 | Game Developers Choice Awards | March, during GDC | United States | Peer vote by game developers |
| 9 | BAFTA Games Awards | March or April | United Kingdom | BAFTA members via juried category panels |
| 10 | Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards | Spring | Japan | Famitsu and Dengeki readers plus editorial panels |
Where the big awards disagree
The interesting years are the ones without a consensus. A single ceremony crowning a game is a headline; five of them agreeing is a verdict.
| Year | Golden Joystick Awards | The Game Awards | D.I.C.E. Awards | Game Developers Choice Awards | BAFTA Games Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 All 5 agree | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| 2024 3 split | Black Myth: Wukong | Astro Bot | Astro Bot | Balatro | Astro Bot |
| 2023 All 5 agree | Baldur's Gate 3 | Baldur's Gate 3 | Baldur's Gate 3 | Baldur's Gate 3 | Baldur's Gate 3 |
| 2022 2 split | Elden Ring | Elden Ring | Elden Ring | Elden Ring | Vampire Survivors |
| 2021 4 split | Resident Evil Village | It Takes Two | It Takes Two | Inscryption | Returnal |
The 10 most prolific media outlets
Ranked by how many Game of the Year awards they handed out across our 2003–2021 dataset.