GDC Awards 2023: Elden Ring Is Named Game of the Year, God of War Ragnarök Wins Audience Award

Other notable 2022's titles such as Stray, Pentiment, and Immortality, were among the winners, too.

The official winners of the GDC Awards 2023 were revealed during a ceremony at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The winners were selected, as usual, by the International Choice Awards Network, which is an exclusive invitation-only organization consisting of game creators.

Elden Ring, which had previously won Game of the Year at The Game Awards and the D.I.C.E. Awards as well as received this top prize from numerous outlets, once again has been awarded the title of Game of the Year. Apart from the ceremony's most prestigious award, FromSoftware's title also earned two additional prizes – for Best Visual Art and Best Design.

God of War Ragnarök by Sony Santa Monica also garnered three awards, including the Audience Award (the only prize chosen by a public vote), Best Audio, and Best Technology. Other well-received titles from the past year, such as Stray, Pentiment, and Immortality, were also among the winners of the GDC Awards 2023.

The Pioneer Award was presented posthumously to Mabel Addis, who was recognized as the first female game designer, game narrative designer, and edutainment game designer. She was honored for her contribution to the gaming industry by creating the very first text-based computer game for IBM, titled The Sumerian Game.

In addition, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to John Romero, co-founder of id Software and designer of iconic games such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, and many others.

Here's the full list of this year's nominees, winners, and honorable mentions:

Best Debut

  • Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive)
  • NORCO (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury)
  • Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive) [WINNER]
  • TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)
  • Vampire Survivors (poncle)

Honourable Mentions: Chained Echoes (Matthias Linda, Deck13), Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), MARVEL SNAP (Second Dinner Studios, Inc., Nuverse), The Case of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games, Playstack), Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios LLC)

Best Audio

  • Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment) [WINNER]
  • Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
  • Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)

Honourable Mentions: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment), Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive), Persona 5 Royal (ATLUS, SEGA), Splatoon 3 (Nintendo), TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)

Best Design

  • Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment) [WINNER]
  • Marvel Snap (Second Dinner Studios, Inc., Nuverse)
  • Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive)
  • Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
  • TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)


Honourable Mentions: Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games, Kitfox Games), God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment), IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid), Vampire Survivors (poncle) 

Best Narrative

  • God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games, Finji)
  • IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
  • Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios) [WINNER]
  • Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox, Devolver Digital)


Honourable Mentions: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment), Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age, Fellow Traveller), Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment), NORCO (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury), Roadwarden (Moral Anxiety Studio, Assemble Entertainment) 

Best Technology

  • A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Beenox, Treyarch, High Moon Studios,
  • Sledgehammer Games, Activision Shanghai, Demonware, Toys for Bob, Activision)
  • Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment) [WINNER]
  • Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honourable Mentions: Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games, Kitfox Games), Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive, Focus Entertainment), IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid), Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive), Teardown (Tuxedo Labs)

Best Visual Art

  • Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment) [WINNER]
  • God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios)
  • Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)

Honourable Mentions: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment), Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive), OlliOlli World (Roll7, Private Division), TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)

Innovation Award

  • Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid) [WINNER]
  • Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive)
  • Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios)
  • Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)

Honourable Mentions: Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games, Kitfox Games), God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios LLC)

Social Impact Award

  • As Dusk Falls (INTERIOR/NIGHT, Xbox Game Studios)
  • Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age, Fellow Traveller) [WINNER]
  • Endling – Extinction Is Forever (Herobeat Studios, HandyGames)
  • I Was A Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games, Finji)
  • OlliOlli World (Roll7, Private Division)
  • We Are OFK (Team OFK)

Honourable Mentions: Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games, Skybound Games), God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment), Hindsight (Team Hindsight, Annapurna Interactive), NORCO (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury), Terra Nil (Free Lives, Devolver Digital)

Audience Award

  • God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment) [WINNER]

Game of the Year

  • Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Entertainment) [WINNER]
  • God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
  • Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment, Xbox Game Studios)
  • Stray (BlueTwelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
  • TUNIC (TUNIC Team, Finji)

Honourable Mentions: Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age, Fellow Traveller), Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, Devolver Digital), Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment), MARVEL SNAP (Second Dinner Studios, Inc., Nuverse), Neon White (Angel Matrix, Annapurna Interactive), Vampire Survivors (poncle)

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Published 23 March 2023
Ana Kessler