At a time when E3 looks to be on its last legs, The Game Awards has surprisingly become the industry’s biggest annual show. While that’s largely due to the often overwhelming number of reveals and announcements that happen during the show, quite a few people still tune in to see who will win the most prestigious awards in gaming.
So far as that goes, the 2022 Game Awards may be the most difficult year to predict in the award show’s recent history. Yes, a couple of big games will likely end up taking home the majority of statues. That happens almost every year. However, every Game Awards category features numerous wild card candidates waiting to sneak in an upset, while some categories consist entirely of those wild card candidates. There are few guaranteed winners this year, which obviously makes the entire show that much more exciting.
That being the case, we just couldn’t wait to share our predictions for who will win this year’s biggest awards. Please note that you’ll find our predictions for each category winner in bold amongst the list of each category’s overall nominees.
Game Awards 2022: Game of the Year Nominees and Predictions
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God of War Ragnarök
Horizon Forbidden West
Stray
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Unless something truly shocking happens, this category looks to be a two-horse race between God of War and Elden Ring. At the moment, there isn’t really a clear favorite between the two, though GoW‘s recent buzz has certainly been quite loud.
While that recency bias might work in GoW’s favor, I’m giving the slight edge to Elden Ring in the 2022 Game Awards’ biggest category. That’s both because I personally think it’s the better game and because its multiplatform status naturally means that it potentially reached (and impacted) more voters.
Game Awards 2022: Best Game Direction Nominees and Predictions
- Immortality
While Immortality gets my “What should win” vote in this category, I’ll be shocked if God of War doesn’t take this one home.
Mind you, GoW certainly deserves the honor. It’s the most ambitious game on this nominee list in terms of its cinematic presentation, and it’s the kind of game that could have fallen apart under the weight of its own ambition if it didn’t have the right team guiding it. It’s a little more traditional and familiar at this point due to the impact of its predecessor, but this is still an obvious call.
Game Awards 2022: Best Narrative Nominees and Predictions
Again, I’d actually give this award to Immortality, and I think this is one major category where Immortality could actually score an upset. However, God of War is once again too obvious of a choice to ignore.
GoW’s narrative is not only exceptional but it is slightly more traditional than what games like Elden Ring and Immortality offer. While I can’t overlook the possibility that enough voters will think outside of the box and give the nod to either of those titles, GoW is just too strong of a candidate to ignore.
Game Awards 2022: Best Art Direction Nominees and Predictions
- Scorn
Historically, this Game Awards category has been incredibly difficult to predict. Not only can the meaning of “art direction” vary wildly from person to person, but voters inevitably have different tastes and preferences when it comes to that somewhat tricky topic.
Having said that, Stray stands apart from the pack to me for a couple of big reasons. Not only is its art direction genuinely incredible (as well as a big part of the game’s appeal), but Stray was nominated for a somewhat surprising number of awards it probably won’t win. This is one of the bigger categories where it might actually snag a victory.
Game Awards 2022: Best Score and Music Nominees and Predictions
Olivier Deriviere, A Plague Tale: Requiem
Tsukasa Saitoh, Elden Ring
Bear McCreary, God of War Ragnarök
Two Feathers, Metal: Hellsinger
Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Every candidate in this category is not only worthy of winning this award but brings something truly unique to the table. Those factors obviously make this one of the most difficult categories to predict.
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At the moment, I’m giving a slight nod to Elden Ring. I think God of War will end up taking home most of the presentation awards this year, but Elden Ring’s diverse and epic soundtrack is truly something special. That said, Metal: Hellsinger is a fascinating dark horse candidate.
Game Awards 2022: Best Audio Design Nominees and Predictions
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Gran Turismo 7
My head tells me that God of War will end up taking this award home as well (and deservedly so). However, I’m actually going with a minor dark horse candidate in this instance.
Look, Horizon Forbidden West is facing some daunting competition this year in most major categories, but it’s still a great game that deserves every nomination it got and (hopefully) a couple of wins along the way. I think this is one area where voters will push Elden Ring and GoW aside in favor of making sure Horizon doesn’t go home empty-handed. For what it’s worth, GT 7’s audio design is also amazing, though the rest of the game is…not.
Game Awards 2022: Best Performance Nominees and Predictions
Ashly Burch, Horizon Forbidden West
Charlotte McBurney, A Plague Tale: Requiem
Christopher Judge, God of War Ragnarök
Manon Gage, Immortality
Sunny Suljic, God of War Ragnarök
This is one of those absolutely stacked categories that happen to feature five nominees that could (and should) win. However, my heart and my head are aligned on this one.
So much of what makes Immortality brilliant simply wouldn’t have worked if it wasn’t for Manon Gage’s brave and bold performance. Assuming that the GoW crew cancels each other out a bit, I think that voters will recognize that Gage gives arguably the best live-action performance in video game history.
Game Awards 2022: Best Ongoing Game Nominees and Predictions
Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
Historically, it’s been pretty easy to pencil in Fortnite as the winner of this category and call it a day. While the same could happen here, I’m actually going to be a bit bold and give the nod to Final Fantasy XIV.
FF XIV’s Endwalker expansion was an absolutely brilliant experience that seems to have just missed the 2021 Game Awards cutoff. Assuming that voters haven’t forgotten about that expansion (which is always a possibility), then I think that incredible MMORPG secures a kind of “lifetime achievement” win for its absolutely incredible run.
Game Awards 2022: Best Indie Game Nominees and Predictions
Cult of the Lamb
Neon White
Sifu
Tunic
I’m still not entirely sure why Immortality wasn’t nominated for this category, but the Best Indie nominees have historically been a little unusual in relation to the rest of the show. It’s also nearly impossible to predict which of these incredible games will end up taking the award home.
Still, Stray has to be considered the early favorite in this particular category. Its presence on the overall game of the year nominee list seems to hint at its incredible popularity among the voters, while the game itself was both a social media success and a critical darling.
Game Awards 2022: Best Debut Indie Game Nominees and Predictions
Norco
Vampire Survivors
While I understand the spirit of this category, it’s always a little odd when so many of the best indie debut nominees are also included on the best overall indie game nominees list. Having said that, I think this is one year where a debut game that doesn’t appear in the best overall category takes home the prize.
Vampire Survivors is not only a genuinely great game; it’s the kind of game that captures the spirit and intent of the indie game scene in its purest form. It’s a shame that only one game can win this award, but I feel like this category should exist to honor games like Vampire Survivors.
Game Awards 2022: Best Mobile Game Nominees and Predictions
Apex Legends Mobile
Diablo Immortal
Marvel Snap
Tower of Fantasy
Marvel Snap may be the relatively new kid on this block, but I’d be stunned if it doesn’t win this category.
Snap is not only a great mobile game; it’s a great mobile game that features almost none of the predatory practices that we typically associate with the mobile game scene. It’s a genuinely great CCG that doubles as a beacon of hope for its medium and genre.
Game Awards 2022: Best Action Game Nominees and Predictions
Bayonetta 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
There are actually a few ways this category could go given that it’s almost entirely devoid of bigger candidates that dominate some of the other categories. As such, I think that some lucky game is going to secure its first and only win in this major category.
At the moment, I’m leaning toward Neon White. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Sifu or TMNT grab a deserved win here, but Neon White is one of those games that a lot of people (myself included) really, really loved yet would probably struggle to honor anywhere else on this show.
Game Awards 2022: Best Action/Adventure Game Nominees and Predictions
I’m not entirely sure why Elden Ring wasn’t nominated for this category, though it looks like it ended up getting shuffled into the best RPG category instead. Regardless, my incredibly boring prediction goes to God of War.
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While there is a distinct possibility that some other games will end up stealing a few of these “obvious” awards from GoW, this feels like one major category where GoW is such an obvious candidate that it’s hard to make much of an argument against it. I suppose there is a slight chance that Forbidden West gets enough split votes from those who may have decided to vote for GoW as GOTY, but that’s the only real chance for an upset I see here.
Game Awards 2022: Best Role-Playing Game Nominees and Predictions
Live a Live
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Triangle Strategy
This has to be the easiest category to predict. Does anyone believe that any nominee besides Elden Ring has any chance of taking this award home?
Mind you, that’s not a knock against the other games. It’s just that Elden Ring is on a different level compared to everything else in this category. Again, I’m a little surprised that Elden Ring didn’t get put into the action/adventure category instead so that another title could have a chance here, but the winner is still obvious.
Game Awards 2022: Best Fighting Game Nominees and Predictions
DNF Duel
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
The King of Fighters XV
MultiVersus
I find Sifu’s presence here to be equal parts fascinating and bewildering. I suppose it’s a brawler with fighting game-like mechanics, but does anyone really consider it a fighting game in the traditional sense of the genre? It could honestly end up being a real wild card.
That said, I’m going with MultiVersus here largely due to its reach and the popularity of its properties. It’s a good game all things considered, but in terms of award show recognition, I think those factors ultimately elevate it above the pack.
Game Awards 2022: Best Family Game Nominees and Predictions
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Nintendo Switch Sports
Splatoon 3
This is a surprisingly difficult category to predict. It’s ultimately a matter of whether or not the “family” aspect ends up being more important than the overall quality of a game. If the former attribute ends up being a bigger deal, then you could see an outside-the-box winner in this category.
That said, I’m pretty sure this is Star Wars’ category to lose. It’s a really, really good game that happens to be pretty family-friendly, which I suspect will end up being the winning combo. Otherwise, Mario + Rabbids could end up taking it.
Game Awards 2022: Best Sim/Strategy Game Nominees and Predictions
Dune: Spice Wars
Total War: Warhammer III
Two Point Campus
Victoria 3
Once again, I think this category comes down to extremes in this particular genre. Will the winner be a more “hardcore” strategy title like Dune: Spice Wars or a more accessible (yet still brilliant) game like Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope?
In this case, I’m giving the nod to Mario. It not only deserves to win, but I think you can raise some legitimate questions regarding how many voters really got the chance to devote the kind of time to Dune that you really need to spend with that game before you can fully appreciate its brilliance.
Game Awards 2022: Best Sports/Racing Game Nominees and Predictions
F1 22
FIFA 23
NBA 2K23
OlliOlli World
This award usually comes down to a coinflip between the usual yearly franchise players, though OlliOlli World’s presence is a fascinating wrinkle that adds more than a little intrigue to a typically dull part of the show.
Actually, I’m giving the dark horse nod to OlliOlli World in this instance. FIFA and NBA are probably on about even footing so far as traditional sports games go, so I think OlliOlli World actually has a pretty good chance of coming out ahead of the potential split in the vote. It’s also an incredible game, which never hurts.
Game Awards 2022: Best Multiplayer Game Nominees and Predictions
- Overwatch 2
You could make an argument for any of the games in this category, largely because none of them are especially notable examples of this category. TMNT is probably my personal favorite game of the bunch, but I’m not sure its co-op elements are strong enough to give it the edge.
While I’m hesitant to give CoD the nod due to both Activision Blizzard’s ongoing scandal and the uneven nature of the base game’s multiplayer, it does seem like the strongest overall candidate for awards show voting purposes. That’s especially true if Modern Warfare 2’s nomination includes Warzone 2.
Game Awards 2022: Most Anticipated Game Nominees and Predictions
Final Fantasy XVI
Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4
Starfield
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This has basically been the Elden Ring/Breath of the Wild 2 award in years past, and I see no reason for that trend to change in 2022.
For what it’s worth, Tears of the Kingdom really does look fantastic, and the fact that we actually got to see some of the game this year (as well as learn the game’s proper name) seems to have actually made even more people even more hyped for the sequel than they were before.
Game Awards 2022: Best Adaptation Nominees and Predictions
Arcane: League of Legends
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
The Cuphead Show!
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Uncharted
Unless something really surprising happens, then I think this surprisingly competitive category comes down to Arcane and Edgerunners. Both shows have a pretty even chance of taking this award home.
However, I think Arcane ends up coming out on top. Call it a hunch, but I get the feeling that more people were quietly impressed by Cyberpunk: Edgerunners whereas Arcane is genuinely considered to be one of the absolute best new shows of the year. Still, don’t be surprised if Edgerunners comes out on top.
