You remember that night in 2014 when Dragon Age: Inquisition took the stage? Most people don't. Or if they do, it’s a hazy memory of Geoff Keighley trying to pivot away from the absolute train wreck that was the Spike VGX era. That was the start of the modern list of game of the year winners, and honestly, it’s been a wild, controversial, and sometimes totally baffling ride ever since.
Winning "Game of the Year" (GOTY) isn't just about being the best. It's about timing. It's about the "vibe" of the industry that specific December. Sometimes, the most polished game wins. Other times, it's the game that made the loudest noise.
If you look at the names etched into the history of The Game Awards, you’ll see masterpiece after masterpiece. But look closer. You'll also see the snubs that still make people lose their minds on Reddit a decade later.
The Heavy Hitters and the Shocker of 2025
The most recent addition to the list of game of the year winners is perhaps one of the most interesting. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swept the 2025 awards. It was a massive win for Sandfall Interactive, a French indie studio that basically came out of nowhere to beat out giants like Death Stranding 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Wait, Silksong actually came out? Yeah, and it even won Best Action/Adventure, but it couldn't quite topple the turn-based revolution of Expedition 33.
Here is how the top spot has shifted over the last few years:
- 2025: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- 2024: Astro Bot
- 2023: Baldur’s Gate 3
- 2022: Elden Ring
- 2021: It Takes Two
Notice a pattern? It's getting harder to predict. We went from a massive, 100-hour CRPG like Baldur's Gate 3 to a pure, joyful platformer like Astro Bot, and then back to a high-concept RPG with Expedition 33. There is no "safe" genre anymore.
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Why Some Wins Still Sting
Let’s talk about 2016. Overwatch.
People are still mad about this one. To be fair, Overwatch was a cultural phenomenon when it launched. It was everywhere. But it beat Uncharted 4, Doom, and Titanfall 2. Critics argued that a multiplayer-only game shouldn't take the top prize over a sweeping narrative epic. It set a precedent that changed the list of game of the year winners forever.
Then there’s 2020. The Last of Us Part II.
It won. It also sparked a firestorm of discourse that arguably hasn't fully died down even now in 2026. While it swept the technical categories, fans of Ghost of Tsushima felt robbed. It's the perfect example of how the jury (which makes up 90% of the vote) often sees things differently than the "Player’s Voice" (the 10% fan vote).
The "Robbed" Games
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018): It lost to God of War. Both are incredible, but RDR2's technical detail was unheard of.
- Bloodborne (2015): It had the misfortune of releasing the same year as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
- Hades (2020): An indie darling that came so close to the sun but couldn't quite beat the Naughty Dog juggernaut.
The Complete TGA Winners List (2014-2025)
If you're looking for the full history since Geoff Keighley took the reins, here it is in prose.
It started with Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014, a win that many felt was a "default" victory because it was a relatively thin year for triple-A releases. 2015 gave us The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a game that defined the open-world RPG for a generation.
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Then came the Overwatch upset in 2016.
Nintendo finally took the crown in 2017 with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that fundamentally changed how we think about exploration. 2018 was the legendary "Dad of War" year, where God of War edged out Rockstar's cowboy simulator.
FromSoftware got their first big win in 2019 with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, proving that "difficult" games could be mainstream hits. Then came the 2020 victory for The Last of Us Part II, followed by the 2021 surprise win for It Takes Two, a co-op only game that proved gameplay is still king.
The last few years have been dominated by "Event" games. Elden Ring (2022) and Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023) were undisputed heavyweights. Astro Bot (2024) was a love letter to PlayStation's history, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025) showed that the indie-to-AAA pipeline is more alive than ever.
Is the "Game of the Year" Award Fair?
Honestly? It depends on who you ask.
The Game Awards use a "blended" voting system. A global jury of over 100 media outlets and influencers decides the vast majority of the outcome. Fans get a say, but it's limited. This is why you often see a gap between what "critics" love and what "gamers" play the most.
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Take Black Myth: Wukong in 2024. It was a massive hit, breaking concurrent player records on Steam. It won the fan-voted awards in many circles, but Astro Bot took the big trophy at the TGA because of its near-perfect critical reception and polish.
The DICE and GDC Factors
The list of game of the year winners actually looks different if you look at other ceremonies. The D.I.C.E. Awards are voted on by industry peers (the developers themselves). The Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) are similar.
Sometimes they align. Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the only games in history to win "The Big Five"—TGA, DICE, GDCA, Golden Joysticks, and BAFTA. That doesn't happen often. Usually, the awards are split. In 2021, while TGA chose It Takes Two, other outlets went with Returnal or Resident Evil Village.
Looking Ahead: Who is Next?
We're already looking at the 2026 slate. With Grand Theft Auto VI looming, most people think the 2026 list of game of the year winners is already decided. But as we saw with Expedition 33 beating Death Stranding 2, nothing is guaranteed.
A game can be technically perfect but lack "soul." A game can be buggy but have a story that changes your life. The winners are usually the ones that manage to do both during a year when everyone is looking.
Actionable Insights for Game Enthusiasts:
- Don't ignore the nominees: Often, the games that didn't win (the "runners-up") are more influential in the long run. Look at Dark Souls II or Doom.
- Check the "Players Voice": If you want to know what the community actually loved, look at the 100% fan-voted categories rather than the main GOTY trophy.
- Diversify your play: The recent wins for Astro Bot and Expedition 33 show that the industry is moving away from the "gritty open-world" fatigue. Trying different genres will give you a better sense of why these games win.
- Watch the Sales: Steam's year-end awards often reflect the list of game of the year winners that people actually spent their money on, which provides a different perspective on "success."
The history of gaming isn't just written by the winners; it's written by the games we're still talking about five years later. Whether it's a small indie co-op or a massive fantasy epic, the "winner" is usually just the beginning of the conversation.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the mid-year releases. Most GOTY winners are released in the first half of the year or the very late "pre-award" window of October. Games released in December almost always have to wait for the following year's cycle.