Look, the dust has finally settled on the 10th anniversary of the biggest night in gaming, and honestly, the game awards 2024 winners list might be one of the most polarizing we've seen in a decade. If you were scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) or lurking on Reddit the morning after, you probably saw the chaos. Some people are literally over the moon. Others? Well, they’re still trying to figure out how a little blue robot managed to beat out a massive, multi-billion-dollar JRPG epic.
It was a weird night. Fun, but weird.
Geoff Keighley’s show has always been a bit of a circus—half awards ceremony, half a giant billboard for whatever is coming out in 2026. But this year felt different because the competition was so tight. We weren't just looking at one clear frontrunner. We had Black Myth: Wukong breaking the internet, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth carrying the weight of a legendary legacy, and Balatro... a poker roguelike that basically ate everyone's free time for three months straight.
The Big One: Astro Bot Takes the Crown
It actually happened. Astro Bot is your 2024 Game of the Year.
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Team Asobi’s platformer didn't just win; it dominated the conversation. It took home four awards in total, including Best Game Direction and Best Action/Adventure Game. For a lot of us, this felt like a massive win for "pure fun." There’s no battle pass. No live-service roadmap. No 100-hour grind through a depressing wasteland. It’s just a joyous, polished, and incredibly creative love letter to PlayStation’s history.
But man, the backlash was real.
The internet was divided into two camps almost immediately. One side argued that Astro Bot isn't a "serious" enough game to win GOTY. They felt that games with deep, soul-crushing narratives or complex combat systems—like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree or Rebirth—should have taken it. On the other side, you had people pointing out that Astro Bot has a Metacritic score of 94 for a reason. It's technically perfect. It uses the DualSense controller in ways no other developer has figured out yet. It basically reminds you why you liked video games when you were six years old.
What happened to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?
This is where it gets kinda sad for the Square Enix fans. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was a masterpiece in many eyes. It did win Best Score and Music, which was basically a given because the soundtrack is an absolute titan. But it lost the big categories.
Some critics think the "open-world fatigue" might have hurt it. Others think Astro Bot was just the "safer" choice—a game with zero controversy that everyone could agree was at least good. Whatever the reason, seeing Rebirth walk away with fewer trophies than expected was definitely one of the biggest surprises of the night.
The Year of the Indie: Balatro's Triple Threat
If Astro Bot was the king of the night, Balatro was the rogue prince.
Created by a solo developer known as LocalThunk, this poker-themed roguelike did something almost unheard of. It won:
- Best Independent Game
- Best Debut Indie Game
- Best Mobile Game
Three trophies for a game about playing cards. That’s insane. It beat out some heavy hitters and proved that you don't need a $200 million budget to capture the world's attention. If you haven't played it yet, you've been warned: it will ruin your life. You’ll think you’re just playing one more hand, and suddenly it’s 4:00 AM and you’re wondering why you’re dreaming about "Mult" triggers.
Breaking Down the Genre Winners
The game awards 2024 winners across the specific genres actually told a pretty interesting story about where gaming is at right now.
Metaphor: ReFantazio proved that Atlus still owns the JRPG space. It won Best RPG, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. Honestly, it had to. The UI alone is better than most full games. It’s stylish, it’s weird, and it’s a refreshing break from the traditional Persona formula while keeping that same DNA.
Then there’s Black Myth: Wukong. It won Best Action Game and the fan-voted Players' Voice award. This was huge. It was the first Chinese-developed game to really crash the TGA party in this way. While the critics and the "official" jury went with Astro Bot for the top prize, the massive global player base clearly stood behind the Monkey King.
- Best Ongoing Game: Helldivers 2 (Managed to beat Fortnite and FFXIV, which is a wild feat).
- Best Fighting Game: Tekken 8 (Katsuhiro Harada actually showed up to accept it, which is always a highlight).
- Best Adaptation: Fallout (Amazon’s show beat out Arcane, which sparked some heated debates in the animation community).
- Best Performance: Melina Juergens for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. (Her second win for the same character—consistency is key).
Why the Viewership Exploded
Get this: The Game Awards 2024 hit 154 million global livestreams.
That is a 31% jump from the previous year. To put that in perspective, more people are watching Geoff Keighley talk about video games than are watching most major sporting events. A huge chunk of that growth came from China, largely driven by the hype around Black Myth: Wukong.
But even with those massive numbers, the show still faces the same old criticism. Is it an awards show or a marketing event? We saw trailers for The Witcher 4, Naughty Dog’s new IP Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and a new Okami sequel. These "World Premieres" are why people tune in, but they often leave the actual award winners with about 30 seconds to say "thanks" before being played off by the orchestra.
The GTA VI Elephant in the Room
Rockstar didn't even have to show a new trailer to win something. Grand Theft Auto VI won Most Anticipated Game. No surprise there. The fact that a game can win an award just for existing in our imaginations is the most "Game Awards" thing ever. It beat out Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Ghost of Yōtei, which tells you everything you need to know about the hype levels for 2025.
What This Means for Your Backlog
If you’re looking at the game awards 2024 winners and wondering what to play next, the answer depends on what you value.
If you want a tight, polished experience that makes you smile, go get Astro Bot. It’s the closest thing to "perfection" we got this year. If you want a story that will make you rethink your entire existence, Metaphor: ReFantazio is the one. And if you just want to shoot bugs with your friends while yelling about "Managed Democracy," Helldivers 2 is still the undisputed king of multiplayer.
The big takeaway from 2024 is that the "prestige" game is changing. It's not just about who has the most realistic facial animations or the biggest map anymore. It's about who can deliver a cohesive, finished, and fun experience without the baggage of modern industry trends.
Next Steps for You:
- Check out the Balatro demo if you’re on the fence—it’s the most "bang for your buck" winner on the list.
- Watch the orchestral medley from the show on YouTube; the way they blended the Astro Bot and FFVII Rebirth themes was actually incredible.
- Keep an eye on the 2025 release dates for the "Most Anticipated" nominees, because next year is looking even more crowded.
The 2024 awards proved that gaming is broader than ever. Whether you're a fan of high-octane action, deep role-playing, or just a small robot jumping on platforms, there was something to celebrate.