The Game Awards 2020 is gearing up to shine the spotlight on those video games that stood out between the many releases of this year. But when does it start, and what are its award categories, nominees, winners, and presenters?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Game Awards 2020 will not have a live in-person audience, however, the event promises to stay true to the past years’ high production value, with a large number of nominees spread across different award categories. The winners will also be announced by high profile figures from the video games and film industries.
You’ll be able to watch The Game Awards 2020 for free on major streaming platforms and can also expect a fair share of world premieres and announcements alongside musical performances, on top of everything else.
The Game Awards 2020 Award Categories, Nominees and Winners
When does The Game Awards 2020 start?
The Game Awards 2020 starts on Thursday, December 10, at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT/ 12 AM GMT/1 AM CET. The event will go live from studio locations in Los Angeles, Tokyo and London.
The Game Awards 2020 Awards Presenters
Creator Geoff Keighley has confirmed that The Game Awards 2020 will be presented by a number of high-profile figures from across the video games and film industries.
Keighley himself will continue to host the event with Sydnee Goodman returning as a pre-show host. Below, you’ll find a list of presenters you can expect to see during The Game Awards 2020:
- Brie Larson
- Christopher Nolan
- Gal Gadot
- Jacksepticeye
- John David Washington
- Keanu Reeves
- Nolan North
- Reggie Fils-Aime
- Stephen A. Smith
- Swedish Chef (The Muppets)
- Tom Holland
- Troy Baker
The Game Awards 2020 Awards Categories, Nominees and Winners
The Game Awards 2020 will feature 31 award categories celebrating the best games of the year, while also shining the spotlight on content creators and Esports teams, coaches, and hosts.
The winner for most categories is determined based on a mixture of votes from the event’s voting jury (90%) and public fan votes (10%). The sole exception is the Player’s Voice category, where fan votes alone determine the top game.
Winners are announced on the night of the event. Here is the full list of The Game Awards 2020 award categories and their nominees:
Game of the Year
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- The Last Of Us Part 2 - Winner
Best Game Direction
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
- The Last Of Us Part 2 - Winner
Best Narrative
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- The Last Of Us Part 2 - Winner
Best Art Direction
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima - Winner
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last Of Us Part 2
Best Score and Music
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake - Winner
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last Of Us Part 2
Best Audio Design
- Doom Eternal
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Resident Evil 3
- The Last Of Us Part 2 - Winner
Best Performance
- Ashley Johnson as Ellie - The Last of Us Part 2
- Laura Bailey as Abby - The Last of Us Part 2 - Winner
- Daisuke Tsuji as Jin - Ghost of Tsushima
- Logan Cunningham as Hades - Hades
- Nadji Jeterm as Miles Morales - Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Games for Impact
- If Found...
- Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
- Spiritfarer
- Tell Me Why - Winner
- Through Darkest of Times
Best Ongoing
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fortnite
- No Man's Sky - Winner
Best Indie
- Carrion
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Hades - Winner
- Spelunky 2
- Spiritfarer
Best Mobile Game
- Among Us - Winner
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Genshin Impact
- Legends of Runeterra
- Pokémon Cafe Mix
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout - Winner
- Fortnite
- No Man's Sky
- Valorant
Best VR/AR
- Dreams
- Half-Life: Alyx - Winner
- Marvel's Iron Man VR
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Grounded
- Hyperdot
- The Last of Us Part 2 - Winner
- Watch Dogs Legion
Best Action
- Doom Eternal
- Hades - Winner
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Nioh 2
- Streets of Rage 4
Best Action/Adventure
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Ghosts of Tsushima
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- The Last of Us Part 2 - Winner
Best Role Playing
- Final Fantasy VII Remake - Winner
- Genshin Impact
- Persona 5 Royal
- Wasteland 3
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Best Fighting
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate - Winner
- Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
- Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[CL-R]
Best Family
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Winner
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
Best Sim/Strategy
- Crusader Kings 3
- Desperados 3
- Gears Tactics
- Microsoft Flight Simulator - Winner
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
Best Sports/Racing
- Dirt 5
- F1 2020
- FIFA 21
- NBA 2K21
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 - Winner
Best Multiplayer
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Among Us - Winner
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Valorant
Content Creator of the Year
- Alanah Pearce
- Jay Ann Lopez
- Nickmercs
- Timthetatman
- Valkyrae - Winner
Best Debut
- Carrion
- Mortal Shell
- Raji: An Acient Epic
- Röki
- Phasmophobia - Winner
Best Esports Athlete
- Ian "Crimsix" Porter
- Heo "Showmaker" Su - Winner
- Kim "Canyon" Geon-Bu
- Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro
- Matthieu "Zywoo" Herbaut
Best Esports Coach
- Danny "Zonic" Sorensen - Winner
- Dae-Hee "Crusty" Park
- Fabian "Grabbz" Lohmann
- Lee "Zefa" Jae-Min
- Raymond "Rambo" Lussier
Best Esports Event
- Blast Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals
- Call of Duty League Championship 2020
- IEM Katowice 2020
- League of Legends World Championship 2020 - Winner
- Overwatch League Grand Finals 2020
Best Esports Game
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Fortnite
- League of Legends - Winner
- Valorant
Best Esports Host
- Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez
- Alex "Machine" Richardson
- Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere - Winner
- James "Dash" Patterson
- Jorien "Sheever" Van der Heijden
Best Esports Team
- Damwon Gaming
- Dallas Empire
- G2 Esports - Winner
- San Francisco Shock
- Team Secret
Most Anticipated Game
- Elden Ring - Winner
- God of War
- Halo Infinite
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Breath of the Wild 2
- Resident Evil Village</ul>
Player's Voice
- Doom Eternal
- Ghost of Tsushima - Winner
- Hades
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Last Of Us Part 2
The Game Awards 2020 Reveals
World premieres and game announcements have been a part of the event since its inception and The Game Awards 2020 will have its fair share.
While there will inevitably be quite a few surprises to drive anticipation for the show, a handful of games that will air announcements during The Game Awards 2020 have been revealed.
Viewers can look forward to learning more about Dragon Age 4 and Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, alongside many more titles.
TGA 2020 has also confirmed world premieres for Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War/ CoD Warzone's first season.
Hazelight Studios' Josef Fares will also debut gameplay from the studio's upcoming title It Takes Two. Fans of The Elder Scrolls Online will also learn where the MMORPG's next year will take them.
Glen Schofield – formerly of Sledgehammer Games, studio which he co-founded – will also unveil Striking Distance Studios' first project during the event.
We'll get to see more of publisher Focus Home Interactive's upcoming PvPvE heist game Hood: Outlaws & Legends alongside two other "major reveals."
Aaron Greenberg confirmed that Xbox would have "a couple moments in the show" but also suggested that fans "dial expectations way down versus speculation I am seeing."
Swedish developer Fatshark will show gameplay from grimdark co-op shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide for the first time, while Fortnite will also reveal its newest hunter during the show.
More details will likely follow in the lead-up to The Game Awards 2020 going live this Thursday. We'll be on the lookout and update this article as soon as we spot anything new.
Which games are you rooting for across The Game Awards 2020's award categories? Which titles should have also made the lists? What do you think of TGA 2020's presenters? Let us know in the comments below.
While you're at it, here are our picks for the best PC games of 2020.
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