God of War Ragnarök Wins Big
Going into the night, Sony’s God of War Ragnarök was seen as the frontrunner for top honors after receiving widespread acclaim for its cinematic storytelling, polished gameplay, and visuals pushing the PS5 to its limits. In a significant upset, God of War Ragnarök took home the biggest award of the evening, “Game of the Year.”
It also won “Best Narrative”, “Best Action/Adventure Game”, and “Best Performance” for Christopher Judge’s motion capture work as Kratos. Santa Monica Studio accepted the awards to thunderous applause, celebrating five years of hard work on the God of War franchise. It was a well-deserved sweep for the Blockbuster exclusive.
Other Major Winners
While God of War Ragnarök dominated the top awards, other games also had breakout success. FromSoftware’s Elden Ring won “Game Direction” and “Role Playing” awards, honoring its atmospheric open world. Stray took home the prize for “Best Independent Game”, showcasing how an endearing adventure as a cat can appeal to all.
In other categories, Cult of the Lamb won for “Best Debut Indie”, As Dusk Falls won “Games for Impact”, and Norman Reedus-starring Death Stranding 2 won “Best Ongoing Game”. Music awards went to Olivier Deriviere for A Plague Tale: Requiem.
The Game Awards 2023 highlighted various gaming experiences, from blockbuster exclusives and beloved indies to thoughtful titles raising social issues. But it was God of War Ragnarök that stood above all, cementing its place as one of the all-time great video games.
Here are the key takeaways from the article:
- God of War Ragnarök had a dominant showing at The Game Awards 2023, winning the top prize of “Game of the Year” along with awards for best narrative, action/adventure game, and performance.
- The game’s critical and commercial success in 2022 positioned it as the frontrunner heading into the ceremony. Its sweep of major categories recognized its cinematic storytelling, polished gameplay and technical achievements.
- Elden Ring also found success, taking home awards for best game direction and role-playing game, honoring its atmospheric open world design.
- Indie games like Stray, Cult of the Lamb, and As Dusk Falls showed that smaller titles can still break through, with Stray winning best indie game.
- The awards highlighted a diversity of gaming experiences, from blockbuster exclusives and beloved indies to thoughtful titles addressing social issues.
- But it was God of War Ragnarök’s dominant performance that cemented its place as an all
