The NextPlay Game Awards’ awards are selected by the writers at NextPlay. It’s a tight race this year, with the team at NextPlay splitting hairs to decide the recipients of these awards, and while not all award recipients were reviewed on our site, we still played and enjoyed these games in our own time.
This article will be updated daily as more awards are announced, with the prestigious Aussie Game of the Year, Indie Game of the Year, and Game of the Year being announced on December 13, 14, and 15, respectively. 2024 marked one of the biggest years for layoffs and company restructures in gaming, so in these troubling times, please join us in celebrating not only these games but the game development community as a whole.
Best Action/Adventure Game
Astro Bot
Team Asobi
“Even without the PlayStation references, delightful cameos, and iconic imagery, Astro Bot would still be considered one of the best 3D platformers ever made, but with all these lovely additions scattered throughout this charming adventure, it becomes something even more special.”
READ: Astro Bot Review — Joy Personified (In Robot Form)
Honourable mention: Stellar Blade, Black Myth Wukong
Best Horror Game
Silent Hill 2
Bloober Team
Bloober Team has elevated the Silent Hill 2 experience, taking the story we all know and love and infusing it with a new vision and masterful audio design.
Honourable mention: Still Wakes The Deep
Best RPG
Metaphor ReFantazio
Studio Zero / ATLUS
“Metaphor: ReFantazio is an incredible game, that implements many quality-of-life improvements to the Persona formula, while enhancing that experience to create an exceptional fantasy RPG.”
READ: Metaphor: ReFantazio Review — An Unforgettable Fantasy Adventure
Honourable mention: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Best Puzzle/Strategy Game
Balatro
LocalThunk
This deck-building roguelite took the gaming world by storm, offering endless hours of sustaining fun. Productivity around the world will never recover from this.
Honourable Mention: Unicorn Overlord
Best Fighting Game
Tekken 8
Bandai Namco
“Tekken 8 is worth the nine-year wait with this entry featuring epic visuals packed with a roster of franchise favourites that will have fans of the series more than satisfied.”
READ: Tekken 8 Review — A Knockout Achievement
Honourable mention: DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO
Best Sports/Racing Game
TopSpin 2K25
Hangar 13
“The TopSpin franchise has been spoiled in its first game in 13 years, thanks to 2K’s modern day splash of paint.”
READ: TopSpin 2K25 Review
Best Family Game
Astro Bot
Team Asobi
“Even without the PlayStation references, delightful cameos, and iconic imagery, Astro Bot would still be considered one of the best 3D platformers ever made, but with all these lovely additions scattered throughout this charming adventure, it becomes something even more special.”
READ: Astro Bot Review — Joy Personified (In Robot Form)
Honourable mention: Super Mario Party Jamboree
Best AR/VR Game
Max Mustard
Toast Interactive
“Everything is brimming with charm, from the character designs to the fast-paced and engaging gameplay. This cohesive and genuinely enjoyable experience allows me to say that Max Mustard has set a new benchmark for the VR platformer genre.”
READ: Max Mustard Review — A VR Game To Relish
Honourable Mentions: Metro Awakening, Batman: Arkham Shadow
Best Mobile Game
Balatro
LocalThunk
This deck-building roguelite took the gaming world by storm, offering endless hours of sustaining fun. Productivity around the world will never recover from this.
Honourable Mention: Pokémon TCG Pocket
Best Remake/Remaster
Silent Hill 2
Bloober Team
Bloober Team has elevated the Silent Hill 2 experience, taking the story we all know and love and infusing it with a new vision and masterful audio design.
Honourable mention: Persona 3 Reload
Best
DLC/Expansion
ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree
FromSoftware
“With more brutal challenges and exploration around every new corner, Shadow of the Erdtree is a masterclass expansion on par with the most exceptional expansions of all time, such as The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine DLC and Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty.”
READ: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review — Tarnished But Whole
Honourable Mention: Alan Wake 2: The Lake House
Best Game Direction
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Square Enix
“Square Enix transcends the Final Fantasy VII trilogy to new heights, providing a deeply captivating story and robust combat mechanics. These qualities, paired with entertaining main and side content, cements Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as one of the best RPGs of all time.”
READ: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review
Honourable mention: Astro Bot
Best Art Direction
Neva
Nomada Studio
“When Neva’s combat system, memorable soundtrack, and gorgeous visual style all come together to enhance the moment-to-moment gameplay, Neva is simply stunning. It utilises each and every sense to intensify the world on screen, and due to that, Neva isn’t merely an artistic expression; it is a true interactive work of art.”
READ: Neva Review — Artistic Brilliance
Honourable mention: Metaphor ReFantazio
Best Narrative
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Square Enix
“Square Enix transcends the Final Fantasy VII trilogy to new heights, providing a deeply captivating story and robust combat mechanics. These qualities, paired with entertaining main and side content, cements Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as one of the best RPGs of all time.”
READ: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review
Honourable mention: Metaphor ReFantazio, Neva
Best Soundtrack
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Square Enix
“The soundtrack is quintessentially Final Fantasy, with powerful music that perfectly accompanies the various tones of the story. There is never a fault in the soundtrack, from the lighthearted, upbeat music during Chocobo riding to the menacing and piercing sounds when Sephiroth is on the screen.”
READ: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review
Honourable mention: Astro Bot
Best Performance
Melina Juergens
as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Melina’s portrayal of Senua in Hellblade II was as just as powerful as the first game in the series. The range of raw emotion in this performance is phenomenal and worthy of being called this year’s best.
READ: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Review
Honourable mention: Briana White as Aerith in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Best Video Game Adaptation
Fallout
Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout series perfectly encapsulates the Fallout universe, which had fans just begging for another season.
Honourable mention: Arcane
Most Impactful Game
Neva
Nomada Studio
The Most Impactful Game award goes to the game which left us feeling many different emotions throughout the playthrough and well after. The message behind the game truly showcases how meaningful and purposeful video games can be to our lives and the world.
READ: Neva Review — Artistic Brilliance
Honourable mention: Mouthwashing, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, Diets and Deities
Reader’s Choice Award
Astro Bot
Team Asobi
The Reader’s Choice Award is selected by our readers as their Game of the Year.
READ: Astro Bot Review — Joy Personified (In Robot Form)
Editor’s Choice Award
Metaphor ReFantazio
Studio Zero / ATLUS
A game recognised by our Editor as having extreme quality across the facets of a videogame.
Editor’s note: Across the voting in our team, Metaphor ReFantazio came in with a lot of votes, but just missed out on a few awards. Metaphor is one of the best video games of this generation and deserves any recognition it receives.
READ: Metaphor: ReFantazio Review — An Unforgettable Fantasy Adventure
Developer of the Year
Studio Zero
Metaphor ReFantazio
Studio Zero expertly crafted the RPG of this generation, Metaphor ReFantazio. What can we say about Metaphor that we haven’t already? Every aspect of the game is at its peak and there are no valleys in sight.
Publisher of the Year
Devolver Digital
Devolver Digital hit its stride this year, continuing to publish fantastic games such as Neva, Anger Foot, The Plucky Squire, Children of the Sun, Phantom Abyss, and The Crush House.
Aussie Game of the Year
Max Mustard
Toast Interactive
“Everything is brimming with charm, from the character designs to the fast-paced and engaging gameplay. This cohesive and genuinely enjoyable experience allows me to say that Max Mustard has set a new benchmark for the VR platformer genre.”
READ: Max Mustard Review — A VR Game To Relish
Honourable Mention: Copycat
Indie Game of the Year
Neva
Nomada Studio
“When Neva’s combat system, memorable soundtrack, and gorgeous visual style all come together to enhance the moment-to-moment gameplay, Neva is simply stunning. It utilises each and every sense to intensify the world on screen, and due to that, Neva isn’t merely an artistic expression; it is a true interactive work of art.”
READ: Neva Review — Artistic Brilliance
Game of the Year
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Square Enix
“Square Enix transcends the Final Fantasy VII trilogy to new heights, providing a deeply captivating story and robust combat mechanics. These qualities, paired with entertaining main and side content, cements Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as one of the best RPGs of all time.”
One Response
Well done Australia for not going for the industry plant (even though it won some awards) and actually choosing the real game of the year