When Geoff Keighley stepped onto the stage for The Game Awards 2024, the air felt different. We weren't just waiting for a winner; we were watching history try to repeat itself in a way that had the whole internet arguing for months. Shadow of the Erdtree, the massive expansion to FromSoftware’s 2022 masterpiece, wasn't just a side dish. It was a 40-hour feast that forced the industry to ask a spicy question: can a DLC actually be the best game of the year?
The Elden Ring Game Awards 2024 run was weird, brilliant, and honestly, a bit of a lightning rod.
The Expansion That Broke the Rules
For the first time ever, the jury allowed a DLC to compete for the big one. Shadow of the Erdtree snagged a nomination for Game of the Year (GOTY), standing alongside heavyweights like Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Black Myth: Wukong. This wasn't some minor update. Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team at FromSoftware essentially built a whole new game and tucked it inside the original.
Think about that for a second.
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You had people who hadn’t touched the game in two years suddenly getting clobbered by a Divine Beast Dancing Lion. The impact was undeniable. But the nomination itself sparked a civil war on Twitter. Critics argued that a "Game of the Year" should be a standalone experience, while fans pointed at the 95 Metacritic score and basically said, "If it's the best thing we played this year, why shouldn't it win?"
What Elden Ring actually walked away with
While it didn't take home the top trophy—that honor went to Astro Bot—the Elden Ring Game Awards 2024 presence was still massive. It wasn't just there to fill a seat. It was nominated in four major categories:
- Game of the Year
- Best Game Direction
- Best Art Direction
- Best RPG
Even without a sweep, the fact that a $40 expansion was being debated in the same breath as billion-dollar sequels says everything about the quality FromSoftware is putting out. Earlier in the year, it did manage to snag "Best Game Expansion" at the Golden Joystick Awards, which felt like a more natural fit for most people’s categories.
Why the Land of Shadow still matters
Honestly, the reason we're still obsessed with the Elden Ring Game Awards 2024 results isn't just about the trophies. It’s about the bosses. Messmer the Impaler and Promised Consort Radahn became instant icons of difficulty. They weren't just hard; they were a "stop and rethink your entire life" kind of hard.
FromSoftware didn't just add more map. They added layers. They experimented with verticality in a way that made the base game's map look flat by comparison. When you first see the Shadow Keep looming over the horizon, it’s not just a level. It’s a statement.
- Vertical Exploration: You’d find a hole in a swamp that led to a hidden forest that led to a forgotten ruin.
- Scadutree Fragments: A clever mechanic that reset the power scale, making even level 200 players feel like weaklings again.
- Lore Expansion: It finally gave us some answers about Miquella, even if those answers just led to more questions and a lot of heartbreak.
The controversy that won't die
You've probably heard the "DLC isn't a game" argument a thousand times by now. At the Elden Ring Game Awards 2024, this reached a fever pitch. If a DLC can win GOTY, does that mean Fortnite seasons should be eligible? Or Destiny 2 expansions?
The Game Awards jury clarified their stance: if the content is substantial enough and shows enough technical and creative innovation, it's fair game. Shadow of the Erdtree definitely hit those marks. But it lost out to Astro Bot and Metaphor: ReFantazio in several categories, perhaps because the industry wasn't quite ready to crown an expansion as the definitive king of the year.
It’s a weird middle ground. On one hand, Erdtree is better than 99% of the full games released in 2024. On the other, you literally cannot play it without owning the 2022 game. That barrier to entry matters when you're talking about the "best" of a specific calendar year.
The FromSoftware effect
Miyazaki has this habit of moving the goalposts. After Sekiro won in 2019 and Elden Ring won in 2022, the expectations are just... sky-high. Anything less than a total sweep feels like a "loss" to the hardcore community. But looking at the Elden Ring Game Awards 2024 results through a clear lens, being the first DLC to ever stand on that GOTY podium is a win in itself.
It’s a testament to the "Land of Shadow" that we’re even having this conversation. Most DLCs are forgotten three weeks after they drop. This one is still being dissected by lore hunters and speedrunners years later.
What happens next for Tarnished players
If you’re looking at the Elden Ring Game Awards 2024 and wondering if there's more coming, the signs are mixed. Miyazaki has hinted that while this is the only planned DLC for Elden Ring, the world isn't necessarily closed forever. There's always the chance for a sequel or a spiritual successor.
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For now, the best move is to actually finish the DLC if you haven't. Or, if you're a glutton for punishment, try a New Game Plus run with one of the new weapon types like the Great Katanas or the Milady light greatsword. They completely change how the game feels.
The awards are over, the trophies are on the shelves, and the "is it a game?" debate has mostly settled into a dull roar. But the impact of Shadow of the Erdtree on the industry is permanent. It proved that "extra content" can be just as meaningful, artistic, and punishingly beautiful as a full-priced release.
To keep the momentum going, check out the latest patches from FromSoftware that balanced some of those "impossible" boss fights. If you stopped playing because Radahn was too much, now's a great time to head back into the Shadow Realm and finish what you started.