Video Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Mobile Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.

Tabletop Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.

XR Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any XR platform.

Trending Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that consistently entertained and kept audiences watching on social platforms with its humor, stories, and more.

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award – Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.

Most Promising New Intellectual Property – Awarded to a new property that risked creating something fresh and that excelled within its genre or category for the year.

Excellence in Art – Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.

Excellence in Animation – Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animation effects and graphics.

Excellence in Design – Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.

Excellence in Gameplay – Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.

Excellence in Musical Score – Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.

Excellence in Multiplayer – Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

Excellence in Narrative – Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

Excellence in SFX – Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

Excellence in Technical Achievement – Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.

Excellence in Visual Achievement – Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.