Gaming's Oscars night is upon us - here are our picks for the top awards

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The biggest nighttime successful gaming - the closest happening the manufacture has to its ain Oscars ceremonial - is astir upon us.

Live from Los Angeles successful conscionable a fewer days, The Game Awards volition honour the champion the mean had to connection this year, honouring everything from the biggest blockbusters to the smallest autarkic debuts.

Gaming newsman Martin Kimber and technology newsman Tom Acres are present with their tips for immoderate of the astir competitory categories - and you tin support scrolling for the afloat database of nominees.

Best game

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Stray
Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Martin's pick: Horizon Forbidden West

It's precise hard to propulsion disconnected a palmy sequel, but Guerrilla Games has done conscionable that. You'll conflict to find a prettier crippled with a bigger, much expansive map. It offers fantabulous replayability and frankincense worth for money, it is addictive, and did I notation it's pretty? Plus, robot dinosaurs! What's not to like?!

Tom's pick: Stray

Quite the debut from French indie workplace BlueTwelve Studio. This amazingly moving dystopian escapade painted a bleak yet hopeful representation of the fragility of life, and however it endures. Not contented with nuanced commentary connected capitalism and its interaction connected the planet, you besides play arsenic a precise cute cat. And there's a meow button!

'Robot dinosaurs' made their instrumentality successful Guerilla's sequel

Stray features inarguably the cutest main quality of the year

Best narrative

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Immortality

Martin's pick: Horizon Forbidden West

In the archetypal Horizon, it felt similar the developers came up with the conception of robot dinosaurs and built the full crippled astir that idea. However, this sequel boasts a overmuch much fleshed retired story, captivating adjacent the players who conscionable privation to instrumentality connected a mechanised velociraptor with a bow and arrow.

Tom's pick: God Of War Ragnarok

God Of War's reinvention 4 years agone was a triumph, plucking the vengeful protagonist Kratos retired of his Greek comfortableness portion and into Norse mythology - with a son, nary less. The alien successful a unusual onshore setup was inherently little caller this time, but his metamorphosis from 1 of gaming's astir two-dimensional meatheads into a touching and relatable depiction of fatherhood goes from spot to strength, with rather the affectional pay-off.

Horizon Forbidden West was 1 of the champion looking games of the year

Kratos meets each mode of large characters connected his latest journey, including Ratatoskr the squirrel

Best creation direction

Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Scorn
Stray

Martin's pick: God Of War Ragnarok

I played this precocious with immoderate friends, who genuinely couldn't archer the quality betwixt the cinematics and the gameplay. If you fundamentally privation a playable, convulsive Pixar film, this is the crippled for you.

Tom's pick: Elden Ring

FromSoftware's games person ever boasted tremendous creation direction, and each person brought its dark, phantasy tendencies to bigger audiences. Elden Ring was a collaboration with Game Of Thrones creator George RR Martin, showcased by the sheer scope and item of its world. There's an astir impossible-to-imagine level of variety, with each country you crook invariably offering thing new. Best creation oregon not, it's decidedly got the most.

God Of War Ragnarok boasts immoderate typically tremendous creatures

The scope and assortment of Elden Ring's satellite is unmatched. Pic: Bandai Namco

Best household game

Kirby And The Forgotten Land
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope
Nintendo Switch Sports
Splatoon 3

Martin's pick: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

If I could springiness this crippled each of the supra awards, I would. It's been truthful agelong since they released 1 of these, I was disquieted they'd messiness with the cleanable look - but they didn't. Collectible characters, stud multipliers and hilarious cinematics each marque a return. A must-play for every household subordinate (and Star Wars nerd).

Tom's pick: Nintendo Switch Sports

I didn't realise however overmuch I missed the thrill of household contention successful Wii Sports until its spiritual successor arrived connected Nintendo's Switch console. As was the lawsuit with the original, your mileage with each athletics volition alteration and tennis and bowling stay by acold the best, but each is boosted by acold much precise question controls and online multiplayer.

Bowling was 1 of the highlights of Nintendo's instrumentality to sports games. Pic: Nintendo

Best multiplayer game

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
MultiVersus
Overwatch 2
Splatoon 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Martin's pick: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II

Boy, this crippled is hard. It's truthful bloomin' hard. I haven't died this overmuch successful a crippled since… well, ever. But the caller multiplayer maps are well-designed, the weapon play is satisfying and balanced, and it's fast. Infinity Ward has had a agelong clip to cleanable the FPS formula, and they've done conscionable that.

Tom's pick: Splatoon 3

Infinity Ward whitethorn person perfected the FPS formula, but Nintendo has a monopoly connected futuristic paintball. Splatoon 3 was precise overmuch much of the same, with an accent connected the more. While the fast-paced matches and choky controls were acquainted to anyone who played anterior instalments, a bolstered enactment of maps, modes, and weapons made it a worthy introduction successful a bid which remains dissimilar thing other astir six years aft it debuted.

Best crippled direction

Elden Ring
God of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Immortality
Stray

Best people and music

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Metal: Hellsinger
Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Best audio design

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Gran Turismo 7
Horizon Forbidden West

Best performance

Ashly Burch, Horizon Forbidden West
Charlotte McBurney, A Plague Tale: Requiem
Christopher Judge, God Of War Ragnarok
Manon Gage, Immortality
Sunny Suljic, God Of War Ragnarok

Games for impact

A Memoir Blue
As Dusk Falls
Citizen Sleeper
Endling - Extinction is Forever
Hindsight
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

Best ongoing game

Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Genshin Impact

Best indie game

Cult Of The Lamb
Neon White
Sifu
Stray
Tunic

Best debut indie

Neon White
Norco
Stray
Tunic
Vampire Survivors

Best assemblage support

Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
No Man's Sky

Best mobile game

Apex Legends
Diablo Immortal
Genshin Impact
Marvel Snap
Tower Of Fantasy