The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Awarded
Game of the Year
Best Graphics, Technical
Best Multiplatform Game

Nominated
Best RPG
Best Voice Acting
Best Sound Design
Best Story
Best Atmosphere
Best Original Music

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Fallout 4

Awarded
Best RPG
Best Atmosphere

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Original Music
Best Multiplatform Game

---

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Awarded
Best Xbox One Exclusive
Best Action-Adventure Game
Best Sound Design

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Graphics, Technical
Best Voice Acting
Best Story
Best Atmosphere
Best Original Music

---

Superbeat: Xonic

Awarded
Best PlayStation Vita Exclusive

---

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

Awarded
Best Original Music

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best RPG

---

Rare Replay

Awarded
Best Reissue

Nominated
Best Xbox One Exclusive

---

Super Mario Maker

Awarded
Best Wii U Exclusive
Best Platformer

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Graphics, Artistic

---

Bloodborne

Awarded
Best PlayStation 4 Exclusive

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Action-Adventure Game
Best Atmosphere

---

Mortal Kombat X

Awarded
Best Fighter

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Multiplayer Game

---

Path to Luma

Awarded
Best Puzzler

Nominated
Best Mobile Exclusive

---

Destiny: The Taken King

Awarded
Best Shooter

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Sound Design
Best Multiplatform Game
Best Multiplayer Game

---

Rocket League

Awarded
Best Driving Game
Best Multiplayer Game

Nominated
Game of the Year

---

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5

Awarded
Most Disappointing Game

---

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Awarded
Best Voice Acting

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Action-Adventure Game
Best Graphics, Technical
Best Story
Best Multiplatform Game

---

Her Story

Awarded
Best Indie Game

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Story

---

Yoshi’s Woolly World

Awarded
Best Graphics, Artistic

Nominated
Best Platformer

---

Soma

Awarded
Best Story

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Voice Acting
Best Sound Design
Best Atmosphere
Best Original Music
Best PC Exclusive

---

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void

Awarded
Best PC Exclusive
Best Strategy Game

Nominated
Game of the Year

---

Lara Croft GO

Awarded
Best Mobile Exclusive

Nominated
Best Graphics, Artistic

---

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

Awarded
Best 3DS Exclusive

Nominated
Best Reissue

---

Forza Motorsport 6

Nominated
Best Sound Design
Best Driving Game
Best Xbox One Exclusive

---

Ori and the Blind Forest

Nominated
Best Graphics, Artistic
Best Indie Game
Best Platformer

---

Splatoon

Nominated
Best Graphics, Artistic
Best Multiplayer Game
Best Wii U Exclusive

---

Axiom Verge

Nominated
Best Indie Game

---

Westerado: Double Barreled

Nominated
Best Indie Game

---

Titan Souls

Nominated
Best Indie Game

---

Until Dawn

Nominated
Game of the Year
Best Voice Acting
Best Graphics, Technical
Best PlayStation 4 Exclusive

---

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Nominated
Best Graphics, Technical
Best RPG
Best Wii U Exclusive

---

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

---

Hatred

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

---

The Order: 1886

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game

---

Star Wars Battlefront

Nominated
Most Disappointing Game
Best Shooter

---

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Nominated
Best Multiplayer Game
Best Shooter

---

Dying Light

Nominated
Best Action-Adventure Game
Best Multiplatform Game

---

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Nominated
Best Action-Adventure Game
Best 3DS Exclusive

---

Need for Speed Heat

Nominated
Best Driving Game

---

Outrun 3D

Nominated
Best Driving Game

---

Project Cars

Nominated
Best Driving Game

---

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

Nominated
Best RPG

---

Xeodrifter

Nominated
Best Platformer

---

Yoshi’s Wooly World

Nominated
Best Platformer

---

Skylanders Superchargers

Nominated
Best Platformer

---

Battlefield: Hardline

Nominated
Best Shooter

---

Halo 5: Guardians

Nominated
Best Shooter
Best Xbox One Exclusive

---

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance

Nominated
Best Strategy Game
Best PlayStation 4 Exclusive

---

This War of Mine

Nominated
Best Strategy Game

---

Prison Architect

Nominated
Best Strategy Game

---

Galactic Civilizations III

Nominated
Best Strategy Game

---

Super Sharp

Nominated
Best Puzzler

---

Stretchmo

Nominated
Best Puzzler

---

Pokémon Picross

Nominated
Best Puzzler

---

Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax

Nominated
Best Fighter

---

Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Nominated
Best Fighter

---

Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late

Nominated
Best Fighter

---

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

Nominated
Best PlayStation 4 Exclusive

---

Tearaway Unfolded

Nominated
Best PlayStation 4 Exclusive

---

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

Nominated
Best Wii U Exclusive

---

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

Nominated
Best Reissue

---

God of War III Remastered

Nominated
Best Reissue

---

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D

Nominated
Best Reissue
Best 3DS Exclusive

---

Chaos Rings III

Nominated
Best Mobile Exclusive

---

Order & Chaos Online II

Nominated
Best Mobile Exclusive

---

The Executive

Nominated
Best Mobile Exclusive

---

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Dispair Girls

Nominated
Best PlayStation Vita Exclusive

---

Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk

Nominated
Best PlayStation Vita Exclusive

---

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~

Nominated
Best PlayStation Vita Exclusive

---

Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library the Monster Seal

Nominated
Best PlayStation Vita Exclusive

---

Hatsune Miku -Project Mirai- DX

Nominated
Best 3DS Exclusive

---

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight

Nominated
Best 3DS Exclusive

---

Heroes of the Storm

Nominated
Best PC Exclusive

---

Undertale

Nominated
Best PC Exclusive

---

Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Nominated
Best PC Exclusive

---

Game of the Year is always the hardest decision to make. What makes the best game of the year? Surely there are more than one, but it’s the one that stands out the most. Usually, it’s revolutionary, groundbreaking in some way, or extremely memorable in every aspect you can think of.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

This was one of the toughest years to decide GotY because of so many great games. It was ultimately a toss up between The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 as both games are amazing and beautiful. What The Witcher 3 outweighed in was more clever storytelling, better side quests, and a less clunky open world. Fallout 4 was great, but it didn’t deviate enough from Fallout 3 to consider it something extraordinary. The Witcher 3 has tight and fun combat (maybe a bit too challenging), the Gwent card game is fun and stands on its own, and it’s the small things that matter here. The overarching story is somewhat forgettable, but the individual characters and run-ins are what you will remember. The game is also one of the best looking this year.

Runner-Ups

Fallout 4

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Bloodborne

---

Rocket League

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The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

---

Until Dawn

---

Rise of the Tomb Raider

---

Super Mario Maker

---

Destiny: The Taken King

---

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

---

Soma

---

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void

Anyone can slap together a great playlist of the current or past greatest hits, but to create something from scratch to bring the world to life is an incredible feat. There were many great original soundtracks this year. Booming and action-packed scores aren’t always the best. Feeling the game itself in the music is where the best lie.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

My favorite game composer, Jeremy Soule, may have had only a bit part in the one song, but the score is fantastic nonetheless and brings back the feeling of Morrowind through and through. With sweeping scores for both exploration and combat, TESO continues the trend of The Elder Scrolls having some of the best video game soundtracks ever written.

Runner-Ups

Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Fallout 4

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Soma

It’s hard to award something that you feel rather than see. The atmosphere in a game isn’t exactly the graphics or how well it plays, but the overall feeling you get from the game world and atmosphere can actually make or break a game without you realizing it.

Fallout 4

Bethesda is masters at crafting excellent worlds, but also great atmospheres. Fallout 4 makes you feel like you are in a post-apocalyptic world and that you are all alone and afraid. The world is a character unto itself in the Fallout series. It’s not just the dead trees and rubble everywhere, but the way the game feels in each building and every area you explore. Dread is a terrible feeling and Fallout has always gotten this downright.

Runner-Ups

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Rise of the Tomb Raider

---

Soma

---

Bloodborne

Stories that are smart and memorable are harder to come by these days. Most games are pumped out with only one aspect concentrated on, but 2015 didn’t leave us without any games that have memorable stories. Whether they are indie games or AAA games they were out there.

Soma

Soma is by far one of the most memorable stories in a game I have ever played in my entire life. This game has to be experienced for anyone to understand what I am saying. I was at the edge of my seat and had genuine feelings for all characters in the game. I was frightened for them, happy for them, and hopeful for them. Soma is a rare gem that is hard to come by these days. Sure stories can be good or interesting, but memorable to the point of being burned into your brain forever is such an incredibly hard thing to do. Frictional Games are masters of their craft and it really shows here.

Runner-Ups

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Rise of the Tomb Raider

---

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

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Her Story

Sound design is more than just being loud and obnoxious. Great voice acting, believable sound effects for the game’s era and environment, detailed sounds, varied sounds, and great use of them all in general. It’s very hard to have excellent sound effects and design without feeling canned and repetitive.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider is not just an ambitious open-world, it knows it is. A huge open-world requires excellent sound design and Tomb Raider has it in spades. With realistic sounds of wildlife, wind, rocks falling, and even down to varied footsteps, Rise of the Tomb Raider has a rich sound experience that is just as important as the rest of the game.

Runner-Ups

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Forza Motorsport 6

---

Soma

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Destiny: The Taken King

There are fewer and fewer artistically stunning games these days, but the ones that tend to get overlooked. Everyone wants realistic graphics that push systems to their limits; no one appreciates the artist anymore. It was slim pickings, but what’s out there are beautiful.

Yoshi’s Woolly World

Leave it to Nintendo to come up with some of the most artistic games available. Yoshi’s Wooly World follows the same cute looks as Kirby’s Epic Yarn with gorgeous handcrafted visuals. Each piece of the game looks like a cuddly piece of yarn craft and looks so real on the Wii U.

Runner-Ups

Ori and the Blind Forest

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Splatoon

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Lara Croft GO

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Super Mario Maker

2015 was one of the greatest years for indie games; too many to add here. It was tough picking from a pool of amazing games; a time when AAA games were this way at one point in time. Indie games tend to revolutionize or change a genre in a way that no one else would think of or would think is too risky. Some of the best make us think in new and mysterious ways.

Her Story

While some may say Her Story isn’t much of a game, it does what most makes won’t do; make us think. Believable acting and the use of excellent storytelling give us one of the best indie games ever made. Look past the real acting and into the fact that the game treats gamers like they are smart and can think things out. Her Story is memorable in every way and you will be talking about it for weeks afterward.

Runner-Ups

Axiom Verge

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Westerado: Double Barreled

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Titan Souls

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Ori and the Blind Forest

2015 had some excellent games with great voice acting, but the good voice acting isn’t always going to cut it. There needs to be variety, believe-ability, and character behind it all. Many AAA games tend to have the best budget for this, but a lot seem to fall short.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

For Metal Gear’s long-winded cut scenes you need great voice actors and great characters. Kiefer Sutherland took Solid Snake’s role home with fantastic voice work and a solidly grounded character. He outperforms David Hayter despite hardcore fans preferring his cheesy forced gravelly voice. The other characters are great as well as they act like they are in a movie over a game, and that’s hard to pull off.

Runner-Ups

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Until Dawn

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Soma

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Rise of the Tomb Raider

2015 was a great year for fantastic looking games. With the next-generation hardware in full swing and more powerful PC graphics cards available, this was a year to impress friends. There many games that looked fantastic, even indie games, and there were too many to choose from.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

While many games were on par with The Witcher 3 such as MGS V, The Witcher 3 stood out with a beautifully created fantasy world and an extreme amount of detail in such a large open world that most developers overlook. There have been many open-world fantasy games in the best, but a lot is barren, boring, and downright ugly. The new technology used in The Witcher 3 helps such as Nvidia HairWorks, and even on consoles, the game looked impressive. While the PC version shined the most, The Witcher 3 had an overall amazing performance across all platforms after a few patches.

Runner-Ups

Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Until Dawn

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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

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Xenoblade Chronicles X