Did you know that the video games 'Oscars' are coming? Here are 2024 nominations

Which video game will be named the best at the most prestigious gaming industry awards this year? Nominees have been announced and we are sharing them with you.

You might ask: Are video games in the Oscars along with movies? No, at least not yet, although there has already been one precedent when a video game received one of the Academy Awards. Or rather, it was a documentary film directed by Steven Spielberg, a big fan of video games. His film "Colette", included in the 2020 game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, won the Oscar for best documentary in 2021.

However, the gaming industry has its own equivalent of the Oscars. The most prestigious prizes for which the best game releases of the past year compete are the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), held annually as part of Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. This year's GDCA ceremony will be the 24th in a row and will happen very soon, on March 20, 2024, and its nominees have already been announced. Two games are in the lead, each of which received as many as seven nominations. Read on to find out who are the top contenders for the 2024 Video Game 'Oscars'!

The main game at the previous Awards was Elden Ring. This year, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is up for "Game of the Year" and other six other nominations. Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios is also nominated in seven categories, including "Game of the Year". But hot on their heels is Geometric Interactive's indie puzzle game COCOON, which is nominated in five GDCA categories, including "Game of the Year". COCOON is also one of the main contenders for several prizes at the Independent Games Festival Awards 2024. Among the GDCA nominations there is also the "Audience Award" category, and any user can take part in the voting. Dave the Diver from the Mintrocket studio, Sony's blockbuster Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Dredge, released by Team17, will also compete for the "Game of the Year" prize.

Here is a detailed list of the Prize categories and this year's nominees in each category:

• Game of the Year 

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)

Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

• Best Audio 

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Venba (Visai Games)

Honorable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software / Portkey Games), Humanity (tha ltd. and Enhance / Enhance)

• Best Debut 

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)

Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)

Venba (Visai Games)

Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)

Honorable Mentions: BattleBit Remastered (SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse / SgtOkiDoki), Party Animals (Recreate Games / Source Technology), Pizza Tower (Tour De Pizza), Planet of Lana (Wishfully Studios / Thunderful), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble Games)

• Best Design 

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Street Fighter 6 (Capcom), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

• Innovation Award 

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

The Making of Karateka (Digital Eclipse)

Honorable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)

• Best Narrative

Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Venba (Visai Games)

Honorable Mentions: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)

Social Impact Award 
A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions)

Assassin's Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Bordeaux / Ubisoft)

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)

Venba (Visai Games)

Honorable Mentions: Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive), Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games / Annapurna Interactive)

• Best Technology 

Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)

Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo) 

Honorable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Best Visual Art 

Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)

COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)

Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)

Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honorable Mentions: Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Lies of P (Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)