The 2024 Game Awards was one for the books, packed with electric moments, tear-jerking speeches, and crazy reveals. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, this event celebrated the best of the gaming world while giving fans a peek into what is to come. For anyone who missed the live show, or just wants to relive some of the highlights, here is a full recap of the winners and most surprising announcements from gaming’s biggest night.
The Winners of the Night
Game of the Year: Eclipse Chronicles
The most prestigious award of the evening went to the open-world RPG Eclipse Chronicles, which stole players’ hearts with its intricate storytelling, stunning visuals, and innovative gameplay mechanics. This game, hailing from Lunar Studios, won against strong contenders such as Titan Horizon and Echoes of Eternity. Touched by emotion, the developers took to the stage and dedicated the award to their fans and the late composer of the unforgettable soundtrack for the game.
Best Narrative: The Silent Path
But this indie darling proved that a good story trumps any big-budget game. The Silent Path tugs at the heartstrings with a story of loss and redemption, taking home the award for Best Narrative. The moment marked a milestone for indie games and how they’re slowly-but-surely leaving their mark on the industry.
Best Multiplayer: Warzone Nexus
The multiplayer crown went to Warzone Nexus, a fast-paced battle royale that introduced innovative mechanics like dynamic weather effects and evolving battle zones. Its active community and innovative updates kept players hooked all year.
Best Art Direction: Celestial Dreams
For its ethereal visuals and unique artistic style, Celestial Dreams took the Best Art Direction award. The game’s hand-painted environments and mesmerizing animations had left a lasting impression on both players and critics alike.
Best Ongoing Game: Starfield Online
Meanwhile, Bethesda’s Starfield Online proved the opposite-that these live-service games could shine too, provided meaningful updates supported them and there was community-driven content. Its huge count of players and engaging expansions earned it Best Ongoing Game.
Other Notable Winners
- Best Indie Game: Luna’s Lament
- Excellent Performance: Alex Martinez plays the character “Dr. Elara” in *Neural Break *.
- Best Audio Design: Riftborne
- Innovation in Accessibility: Infinite Horizons
- Best Mobile Game: Galaxy Battlegrounds
Surprising Game Reveals
While the awards themselves celebrated the best of 2024, the announcements and reveals set up an exciting future for gaming. Here are the most surprising moments from the night:
Elder Scrolls VI Gameplay Reveal
Years of leaks, speculation, and teasers later, Bethesda finally gave fans their first taste of what the Elder Scrolls VI had to offer-a breathtakingly beautiful open-world hammer that’s filled to the brim with dynamic NPCs, innovative NPC interactions, and totally revised combat. Needless to say, this erupted the audience with huge fan reactions; this is easily one of the moments that gained the most conversation this evening.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Release Date
Finally, Team Cherry announced the release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong: June 2025. Along with this announcement came a beautifully new trailer that showed some of the new mechanics, enemies, and areas this game has in store. This news brought relief and joy to the fans who had been awaiting updates regarding the status of the game.
New IP from Naughty Dog: Stellar Horizon
Naughty Dog, however, managed to surprise everybody with the announcement of Stellar Horizon, a sci-fi adventure set in a galaxy far, far away. The teaser seemed to promise a very engaging narrative, complex characters, and visually stunning environments. Considering the studio behind it, expectations are already sky-high.
Final Fantasy XVII
Next up was Square Enix with the announcement of Final Fantasy XVII, a return to its high fantasy roots. The trailer showed off a new turn-based combat system, now with modern enhancements; a sprawling world; and a story that promises to tug at heartstrings.
Collaboration of From Software and Kojima Productions
But it wouldn’t be the most epic if we didn’t bring you one that is probably the most humongous collaboration ever within game history: Hidetaka Miyazaki teaming up with Hideo Kojima in the next project, titled Echoes of the Abyss. With only a short teaser trailer presenting the audience with a flow of some extremely ambiguous imagery and landscapes so magnificently beautiful, there goes complete fan speculation on genre and game playability.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Shadows * Expansion
CD Projekt Red revealed a new chapter of the Cyberpunk 2077 universe: an expansion titled Phantom Shadows. This DLC allows for a darker story, with new locations within Night City and more gameplay mechanics. And the game received wide acclaim since it gained traction once again after the release of larger updates.