The Game Awards GOTY For 2023 Is Baldur's Gate 3

Only reason why it won was because Pikmin 4 wasn't nominated.

"It was up against Baldur's Gate 3, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom."

BG3 was up against itself?

That show was really boring. So many generic sci fi shooter games. Best announcement by far was Sega's (they're crazy), and then Monster Hunter.

I keep planning on playing it sometime but I’m glad they won. And against freaking Legend of Zelda!

@Ralizah aren't we all?

Called it. Kinda figured TOTK wasn't gonna win it over BG3 or Spiderman 2.

I may play this game in a few years.... still not sure.

@imadeanaccount Honestly, I haven't been excited by a AAA release in a long time. I miss the day of wacky concept games. Now it's either a generic open world game, horror game, or FPS.

Big win for Stadia tonight with this one.

@FishyS seriously. I'm truly surprised Yuri Lowenthal didn't win best performance.

I loved Neils performance in BG3. But come on Yuri knocked it out the park as Peter.

Happy for those who voted for BG3. I know this is a Nintendo website but I feel it's obvious that BG3 triumphed.

Overall, this is an ok show. MH Wilds, new Mana game, that 3D Arknights game and FFXVI DLC were the highlight for me

@Kyloctopus Stadia is dead.

Skipped the Game Awards to watch a movie with friends. I guess I didn't miss much, the Keighlys are a waste of time.

Show was alright. Blade, OD were best imo.

Nice to see Pikmin 4 win an award. I was bummed when Fire Emblem Engage didn't win but then I remembered Three Houses won Best Strategy and Player's Voice before. Pikmin has never won an award before so I'm glad it got something.

Congratulations BG! It was this or BOTW that I think deserved the win.

I had hope for TotK winning GOTY but I’m still glad it won something since it definitely deserved an award. I haven’t played BG3 but from what I’ve heard about it I’m glad it won! TotK and Prime Remastered both won GOTY in my heart, it was also nice seeing a game I played this year win something after XC3 won nothing last year. Flute guy was awesome too!

My favorite of the lot is by far Resident Evil 4 but stuff like this doesn't really mean anything anyway so whatever, just like what you like.

You know I'm not gonna lie. I really don't understand the hate for the game awards. I've only watched this years and last years show but I thought they were both pretty good!

@Purgatorium A small dose of existentialism in a comment section lol

To fans of balder’s gate congratulations! 👏

@Ashina oh they’re making a arknights console game? I’ve heard about the mobile game. I’ve always been interested in it because I remember enjoying tower defense games. I probably won’t play the mobile game since I think I’m running low on space and I’m saving space for the new cookie run game and uma musume.

Well deserved and its a stacked year with both TotK and AW2 also being worthy as well.

@luckyseven Haha there were legit game industry reviewers from other publications and websites who said they hadn’t and/or wouldn’t play XBC3 because it was “too long” or “too complicated”.

BD3 is an excellent game for the pre-dominately western focused, gaming industry and audience. It’s a classic western role playing game that’s been updated for the current era. It’s relatable. Especially now that Stranger Things has normalized D&D for the masses, it’s cool now to play it 😉. Glad that the game finally got the upgrade it need to be part of the 21st century.

TOTK is my personal GOTY, followed by Starfield and Pikmin. I’m looking forward to playing Mario Wonder and Baldur’s Gate over the Christmas break. It would have been cool if Zelda won GOTY again, but overall, Nintendo has a lot to be proud of. Gotta say, the new game from Hello Games looks intriguing. Kind of hoping there’s something to do in that big open world they’ve created. Keeping that one on my radar.

I'll buy this next paycheck. And all I can say is, this better be laced in gold, making me dinner, and paying my bills if it took the crown over TotK. I'm highly skeptical, but will give it a fair shake. There's just no game that's done what totk has done imo. But, we'll see.

@Snatcher botw did win though 🤭

I got the game a few weeks ago and it is ok to me. But I am not into d&d like that. And the way it plays is not completely clicking with me yet. I suppose the game journalists play d&d cause the average person is not going to get this game right away. And I am playing on ps5 so it adds another weird dimension to it. Tears of the kingdom just delivered for me. And it changed the game. But I suppose to each their own.

Sounds like TGA was business as usual, AKA I didn't miss much by not watching. I figured I'd give NL and a couple other sites traffic instead.

@Snatcher Don't you mean BotW 2.0?

@graviton Lmao that’s ridiculous. Xenoblade is kind of niche though and they probably thought it was another anime game but I’m glad it’s gotten the love it deserves. Also I’d like to play BG3 someday as it looks really cool but I’ve never touched DND in my life haha

I feel so out of touch because I thoroughly did not enjoy Baldur's Gate 3.

Oh well, congrats to Larian.

@luckyseven Definitely, XBC2 has gotten a lot of “hate” for its more anime style. It baffles me sometime as Final Fantasy isn’t that far in terms of troops and style either. I guess 4K graphics helps. 😂😂

I haven’t had the chance to play BG3, but it definitely sounds like a good fantasy game if it does live up to the hype and all its endings. It’s definitely on my “to play” list haha.

Spidey-2 still the biggest loser of the night

I'm happy to see Larian getting recognition. I wonder if they're just going to make whatever the heck they want now. A blank check Larian game.

@Yoshif3 schadenfreude is truly the hallmark of emotionally mature adults...lol. The irony of how predictable your comment is.

Not surprised Spider-Man 2 got snubbed. Was the most disappointing of the candidates here. Felt like a big step down compared to the first game.

BG3 must come to the next Nintendo console. Currently Act 2 on DoS 2! So good.

Yep, sounds about right. No way Zelda is winning game of the year twice after reusing the same open world but with minor changes. Even Majora's Mask, a sequel to Ocarina of Time, had a drastically different overworld which felt new to explore.

But of course, am betting Nintendo Life users will heavily disagree.

@LikelySatan don’t worry, as long as people like you keep praising the game, I will keep singing my tune. And I’ll be here for a long time. Don’t know why is it any different from what you do.
You praise it, I despise it.
Balanced.
We Zelda“purists” can comment as much as you Zelda “newbies” do
It’s THAT simple. And you’d better get used to it or hit that ignore button.

Also, insert why-are-you-so-obsessed-with-me.gif

Honestly, having played both... I agree with BG3 being GOTY over TotK. BG3 has a lot better writing, does a lot more, and isn't really a sequel to an older game. (BG2 was really different)

TotK is my number 2.

The DnD folks made themselves known tonight. ToTK is my game of the year. The show as a whole...was kinda mid. The only
exciting announcement out of left field was the remakes to some SEGA classics and that game by Moon Studios.

@Arawn93 When it came to story, yeah it definitely was.

Last game felt more focused while this one felt like those Spider-Man movies that had too many villains and were trying to rush through having character arcs to get to the climax. Completely all over the place. Still a good game, though. But I'm curious how the next game will be? If it's going to drop Peter in favor of Miles, then I'll lose interest immediately.

Insomniac Spider-Man games are great and all. But I'm not really a fan of the focus on themes of activism they've been putting into these games recently and there doesn't seem to be more interpersonal stories going on between Peter and his larger cast of friends/supporting characters.

@Yoshif3 I got the first NES Zelda when it was released, but I really don't care to show how "hardcore" I am, lol. Cause I'm not 12.
Series don't change, they die. Or we get Skyward Sword 2. The worst future.
"We Zelda“purists” can comment as much as you Zelda “newbies” do
It’s THAT simple. And you’d better get used to it or hit that ignore button." This was absolutely hilarious, but happy to oblige.

@LikelySatan but then we got TotK … which did as much damage to the series as Skyward, dividing the fanbase. At least Skyward was a unique entry, had a unique graphical style, character development, ACTUAL music, temples, unique characters, items. TotK is just a mediocre shadow and copy/paste of BOTW

What is hilarious is how obsessed you are with me, I love pulling your strings. Works every, single, time. And that is as predictable as ever.

@Fizza Easily deserved to win? I think it's clear Alan Wake 2 and Zelda are easily the better games that deserved GOTY and it especially shows with Alan Wake 2 sweeping all the other awards for best narrative, game design and art direction.

What exactly does Baldur's Gate 3 win game of the year for then? Because it's not for gameplay, storytelling, atmosphere or art direction. It's honestly outclassed by Alan Wake 2, which won all those awards.

Just another reason why these ceremonies are quite irrelevant because they seem to reward GOTY based on hype and popularity.

In the end, Zelda wins where it matters anyway as the number 1 selling game of the year. That's the real qualification of GOTY let's be honest lol.

@sanderev Baldur's Gate 3 had bad writing too though. It didn't deserve GOTY especially after Alan Wake 2 outclassing it everywhere where it matters.

@NintendoByNature Trust me, you'll be disappointed with Baldur's Gate 3.

@Yoshif3 Nah, TOTK isn't mediocre. Also BOTW was great, TOTK is an improvement of BOTW.

So, Switch 2 has it's first game of the Year planned lol. Already a good start and it's not even announcedt yet lmao.

@SlySnake0407 Agreed. Alan Wake 2 just outclasses Baldur's Gate 3 in every aspect. Better gameplay, better writing, better atmosphere, better everything.

Let's be honest, "GOTY" at this ceremony is just based around hype and popularity. It even proved that when Alan Wake 2 beat out BG3 in all the awards for best game direction, gameplay, art direction, story, narrative etc. Yet it doesn't win GOTY? Lol What exactly are they rewarding BG3 GOTY on when their own panel is saying Alan Wake 2 has the better storytelling, atmosphere, gameplay and writing?

For me, Zelda and Alan Wake 2 are the GOTYs.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a strong candidate for the best RPG ever made, and most of its criticism comes from users who never even touched the game. Completely deserved.

@Tyranexx I think he actually meant BOTW 1.5

@TruestoryYep Alan Wake 2 wasn't even nominated. I haven't played it, so I can't comment on it being "the best game". But what I've seen from trailers I likely would disagree with your comment.

Also I can't find Alan Wake 2 on Steam or the Nintendo eShop. So there is that as well.

Baldur's Gate 3 was by no means perfect, especially on release without the latter patches, but I don't mind the win simply due to it being the studio's first big GOTY win in history after making great games for years now.

Breath of the Wild had its shine, Baldur's Gate can have this one.

The next Zelda game will likely be on the GOTY front when it releases, though. Especially since you won't have all of the cool internet minorities spitting on the game for being a sequel.

It's a shame I won't be playing Alan Wake 2 for a while, simply because it's on Epic store (vomit).

@Varkster It's not a competition of the "perfect game", honestly no game would win that. It's the best game of the year, and that honestly is subjective.

at least totk took best action/adventure award but wat baffles me why it didnt take best game music award thats messed up.

I wish there had been a livestream in this site. But still, this edition was truly something, maybe the best one yet?

@Ralizah don't forget critics voted for the games.
If actual gamers voted for it would look totally different as alan wake didn't even sell past 500.000 copies on all platforms.
Baldurs gate 5+ million and mario w and zelda and pikmin together around 50 million.

6 nominees for "Game of the Year"
4 of those competed in the "Best Action/Adventure" category.
Tears won that.
That leaves Baldur (which won) and Wonder.
So I think it is logical to infer that Tears is the Game Awards' #2 best game of the year.

@Yoshif3 I don't know why your comment could be considered an immature comment. It was a fact that, just like Starfield, Spider-Man 2, did not deserve any award by a mile.
Once you got accustomed to the new powers of Zonai, spending hours in gameplay, I got a feeling that I was playing Breath of the Wild again. The sky section was fun though, the best part for me.
I don't think TotK is a bad game, just not enough for waiting five years. And the story did not help... where are all the Zonai on Breath of the Wild? They do not exist at all. People talk a lot about retcons in anime, what about this retcon, huh? xD
I think Tetsuya Takahashi must teach storytelling to the Nintendo Zelda team. Also, the dungeons need to come back, because the four dungeons in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are just larger shrines.

GOTY on the Dorito Awards goes to a unoptimized mess that was deemed the year's darling and sacred cow before it was even released, this is a game with minute long or longer loading even on current gen console’s fast SDDs which is utterly insanity and performance that just
***** the bed for a whole portion of the game.

@RiasGremory it's because FF XVI have the best game music .
@MontyCircus Alan Wake 2 is Game Awards' #2 best game of the year for sure. It won more nominations then Zelda

@AnVold Alan Wake 2 wasn't nominated for best game.

@Alex90 because LikelySatan can’t handle when people criticize his favorite game.
His immaturity doesn’t let him realize that people can criticize as much as he praises something.
I’ve stated countless times with arguments and (for example) with actual evidence that the Depths were procedurally generated, coming from the director himself, but he refuses it. It’s like arguing with a flat earther. Just ignore him.

But anyway, this (as well as Aonuma stating they won’t return to a third game) was good because it’s a small step into ditching behind the BOTW/TotK formula and going in a different direction for this beloved franchise.

I consider TotK losing a win.

Imagine watching the entire show just to see Baldur's Gate 3 take the award. I would definitely have regretted it.

Tears beat out Alan Wake for best Action/Adventure game.
Head-to-head. Defeated.

Alan Wake won some awards for certain aspects of its game, but when it came time to compare them directly, Tears came out on top.

And also on top of Spider-Man.
And also on top of Resident Evil.

For example: Imagine 4 racing games get nominated for "Game of the Year". And one of those games win "Best Racing Game". You can then infer/deduce/assume that it is the best overall game of the 4.

There are no runner-ups
To quote Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first you’re last”

anyone who is saying "rigged" "anti Nintendo bias" "BG3 doesn't deserve to win" just shows how close minded you are and that you haven't played Balders Gate 3

@sanderev but it was nominated with BG 3, Mario, Zelda, Spiderman 2 and RE4. And it won 3 awards: best game direction, best narrative and best art direction. Zelda got just one, like Pikmin and Mario.
@MontyCircus but Alan Wake 2 is not adventure or action game. It's 3rd person shooter. So you can't compare it directly because it's really different games. It's not a similar "racing game". RE4 and Spider-Man 2 too.
And Alan Wake 2 won me awards then Zelda. So it's basically #2 best game of the year.

I love Nintendo games and most of my gaming is on the Switch, but I've no need to defend them in a completely partisan way. I liked TotK and Wonder a lot, but there's no doubt BG3 was the best game I played this year. In its own way it allows for just as much freedom and player agency as TotK does, but it also has a more interesting plot, more memorable characters and better world-building in general. So it deserves win the GoTY award.

Lol if Baldurs Gate Players actually played TOTK, the vote would go elsewhere. These awards are pointless! If Baldurs Gate releases on both PlayStation and Xbox and has even pc community support and fanbases , and Zelda only on Switch, how can voters truly pick the better game. I got tired of these awards and even Oskars, because it’s hacked and the winner must be a game that will make most money to the top companies and obviously this is 3 vs 1. Nothing bad against Baldurs Gate 3, but competing with Zelda?!!!! Zelda has 3 world maps-incredible transitions, each world has a special purpose, the lore, the religious and sci-fi ideologies, the story of eternal love and evil, true open world where every item has multiple applications, the mini games and just the amount of gameplay diversity, and game flexibility where nothing is forced and anything is optional- the game can truly be as long as players want and the same can be said about challenge. Not mentioning the skills, summons, and Fusing weapons and creating inventions! If Zelda didn’t win game of the year, it’s a clear example that voting today is not about choosing better quality, but satisfying mass opinions and shaping marketing so nobody gets upset. This is a shame because game quality and contribution should be valued as number one! Hope more people recognise it even if it’s not their cup of tea, and those who did play it most likely agree. TOTK is the best game of all time for all it’s done, and no game will easily surpass it at least for another 6-10 years. This year is rare! And getting a quality release like this not appreciated as they should be is wrong! Game of the year should be a celebration of game in all regards, and I would even say that BG3 is far more niche game than Zelda. It’s almost like letting Superman lose against Flash in terms of skills. But Superman (Link) has a cryptonite weakness, and that’s being released on a system that has two communities or 3 if I count PC against itself, plus Switch is deemed childish. I really feel this is not right and it should have been Zelda and this awards are insult to gaming but that’s life. Hopefully more people get to play both and really see who the true winner!

@JohnnyMind I guess some people just have nothing better to do. 🤷

I can’t wait for my physical edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 to arrive. I have been wanting to play this game for months, but held off because I refuse to pay $50+ for a digital game.

@Znake Well, then Nintendo could also release the games on PC. Both Microsoft and Sony release some or most games on PC.

@DogDetective You know even the physical version of the game is still digital. Since there is no analog version. (though it being DnD, they could make a DM-book version)

@AnVold Ah I noticed it got nominated, this isn't mentioned in the article. But it is on the Game Awards website.

Zelda TOTK is an amazing game but seriously… the graphics are outdated, looks like PC game from 20 years ago

@Vortexeo if TOTK had won, there wouldn't be any hate.

@Znake lmao i played both...

BG3 deserved the win by a WIDE margin, Totk wasn't bad but it felt too similar to BOTW to me, i spent nearly 300 hours on BOTW, was hard for me to play Totk for more than 80 hours.

I played both, BG3 deserves the win and honestly, it isn't really close, theres a reason why TOTK won only 1 award.

@Tchunga LOL I nearly typed BotW 1.5, but I sorta consider the DLC to fit that bill.

@Yoshif3 I get that you’ve never played totk and hate it for that reason but you don’t need to complain on every article slightly related to the legend of Zelda

not surprising. I played ToTK, and it's also a great game, very well made, but I felt I played Breath of the Wild: Alternative Version, rather than an actual sequel. Really didn't deserve the GOTY for me (unlike BoTW in 2017)

@SlySnake0407 Alternatively, maybe it won because the voters - many of whom are likely to be just as experienced and knowledgeable as you - thought it was the best game of the year.

I know it’s fun to imagine reasons why people who give out these sorts of awards are less objective or more “superficial” than you, but it’s often more reasonable to chalk these things up to a difference of opinion.

For the record, I loved “AW2” and “BG3” - though I’m far more likely to revisit “BG3” in the future, since I personally enjoyed the moment-to-moment gameplay more and found it a lot more “flexible” than “AW2.” For me, “AW2” is a (fantastic) “one-and-done” experience.

@TruestoryYep “after Alan Wake 2 outclassing it everywhere where it matters”

BG3, in my estimation, has more enjoyable (and varied) gameplay. I’d say that kind of matters.

Both games had some of the best writing of the year - but I did find the characters in BG3 more interesting and complex.

In the end, though, AW2 and BG3 are very different games with very different styles of storytelling and gameplay. It just seems kind of silly to act like one is “obviously” so much better than the other, when they both do what they set out to do very well.

The whole show felt very anti Nintendo. I can understand TOTK losing GOTY but why does BG3 win best multiplayer over wonder. And how does the Mario movie which made a billion dollars at the box office lose to the last of us?

The Game Awards are as meaningful as the Oscars and the Grammys; that is, they don't matter at all.

@FawfulsFury And to think they’ve supposedly played the Zelda series over the past 35 years lmao

@sanderev Larian Studios is releasing a physical edition that is for sale exclusively on their website. It includes the game (2 discs for the PS5 version) with all of the in-game DLC included on the discs, a world map, the soundtrack (3 discs), 32 stickers, a poster, two patches, and a deluxe edition box, all of this for $79.99 plus shipping (about $20).

Edit: That went over my head at first. I thought you were referring to the Asian import of the game that still required a download.

@AnVold not by a long shot zelda always had the best music especially the fight with ganondorf.

@stevep totk graphics are fine.

@Znake Well said! Summed up everything I wanted to say perfectly. TOTK really won't be surpassed for many years in terms of sheer polish, attention to detail and game density, with the only exception being a Switch 2 port with improved resolution/performance!

@FawfulsFury lmao at your fallacy. Wanna bet your house I have a higher completion rate than you? What a poor, childish reply without having an ounce of evidence.

I’ll reply to someone of worth next time.
And whenever you praise the game I’ll be there to despise it. I’ll voice my opinion for a loooong time, so hit the ignore button or shut the hell up and stop wasting my time

Well, this year was weak for fighting games... Especially for Nintendo Switch users like me.

Found the whole thing rather boring. Being a long time game player, back when all games didn't need to run at the speed of light or having strobing light effects for every action taken in the game, I just felt like what I saw was a lot of flashy graphics to hold the players attention. To me, it just makes a mess out of a screen when looking at it. Not that "I can't" keep up with the visuals, it's that I don't think they add to a game as much as the younger crowd does, and often cheapen or lesson the experience. I'm hoping in another 10 years we'll get back to just solid games. There are of course many, but not enough in today's market.

@RiasGremory especially for long shot. FF XVI starts with Phoenix Theme "Away", rised epic level to hight and keeps it til the end of the game. Zelda music and Ganondorf fight not even close to it. Every eikon fight have their own epic theme and every their battle is beautiful masterpiece. My favourite is "Find The Flame" and "Heart of Stone". Usual music is great too.

@AnVold While the game (FfXVI) itself is currently low on my to-play list (I get this feeling of grimdark, game-of-thrones-y mood to it, probably because almost every review i read compared the two, and I personally find that style a bit exhausting, but that's just me), but I'm a big fan of game music and, based on its win and your comment, my interest in the soundtrack is officially piqued.

That aside, Big congrats to BG3, it may not be perfect or for everyone, but it had it in it to become a phenomenon in the best way and is the result of an unbelievable amount of work and love of the craft.

@Znake 100% agree, add to that bg3 was 4 years on early access but no one seems to count that as way less merits than what Nintendo did and also remedy, bg3 win is merely a product of what the industry feels they need at the moment.

@Jiggies bravo !

@FawfulsFury clearly a troll just ignore the poor guy

@whitemage well, you can listen this 3 songs on YouTube and see if you like it or not.

BG 3 is worth it. Indeed the greatest game of 2023.
Congratulations to Larian Studios.

@kfflscnt You would be horribly wrong. Player's Voice is essentially the 100% player voted goty, and bg3 won that.

Hilarious that Yoshi is still going on his “BotW + Tears can die in a fire because MY Zelda preference is better!” unhinged rants just because it didn’t win a GoTY award lol.

@russell-marlow By that logic Spider-Man 2 should get disqualified too if recycling is off the table, but I’m gonna guess PS users will disagree

So a board game won best video game? Reminds me of 2016 when a gambling scam won the same award. Game awards ain't great.

No news for Switch 2 yet even though someone from Nintendo was credit as part of BG3?????

@Arawn93 Am I PS users now all of a sudden??
I don't even own a PS5 but go on then...

At the very least I can say that Spider-Man 2's open world has been enhanced and changed since the first game. Improved graphics, better story, and definitely no lower frame rates or resolution unlike TOTK.

For a game that introduced voice acting in BOTW, they sure don't do much with it besides using it for exposition and minor character moments. Older Zelda games had no voice acting, yet these newer Zelda games still go through the same plot beats. They could remove the voices and it wouldn't change much.

My game of the year was probably Sea of Stars but I haven't and may not play TOTK since I never beat BOTW. I did enjoy my time with AAA Clock as well.

which game won best Bearsex simulator?? oh thats why it won goty.

Zelda should of won, people get spoiled and take it for granted

@Reztobi thats silly logic since you are saying if BotW never happened then TotK would of won. That makes this award a different category than goty. Its the whos the new popular kid in school award

@PLATINUM7 I share your sentiment but replace BG3 with Cyberpunk