KitGuru Games: A decade of GOTY winners – did voters get it WRONG?

The Game Awards have been around for well over a decade and, at this point, the TGAs have cemented themselves as the biggest awards show for the industry. Geoff Keighley knows how to draw people in with promises of new game trailers and other announcements, leading to huge moments like Bethesda's reveal for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, or Microsoft's Xbox Series X reveal. Winning the show's GOTY award is considered to be a badge of honour, so let's take a look back at the last ten GOTY winners and discuss whether or not they deserved the accolade.

Now, before we start, we do need to make something clear – this is all going to be heavily subjective and based on my own gaming opinions, which may not align with yours. For instance, I'm of the belief that Red Dead Redemption 2 should have won over God of War back in 2018, but we'll get into that a bit further down. As with any of our KitGuru Games columns, we invite you, the reader, to share your own opinions with us across our social channels, including Facebook, X, Instagram and even Discord.

2014 – Dragon Age: Inquisition

We're going back to 2014 and starting off our list from there. It is fitting that we are now ten years on from the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, which some would argue was the last good BioWare game. After that, the studio began to flounder with disappointments like Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem and even a cancelled horror-themed multiplayer project. Now in 2024, we are finally getting the sequel to Inquisition with Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Inquisition stood out from previous games in the series with its switch over to an MMO-style action hotbar for combat. The game was a lengthy one, coming in at well over 30 hours of playtime. Many players found themselves sinking far too many hours into the starting area though, as BioWare's game design didn't do enough to push players into new areas of the game. This led to a PSA announcement, letting fans know that they can in fact leave the starting zone with its infinitely spawning quests.

Inquisition was no doubt a good game – I enjoyed my time with it. However, looking back at the other nominees of that year, did the game really deserve the award? Here is a look at the other nominees for GOTY that year:

• Bayonetta 2
• Dark Souls 2
• Hearthstone
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

In retrospect, while Dragon Age: Inquisition did a lot right and provided a lengthy and fun fantasy-themed RPG with lots of likeable characters, my vote for 2014 would not have gone towards the BioWare epic. Instead, I think Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor should have got the nod.

Shadow of Mordor, while based in lore, is largely an original story set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Yes, it has some Assassin's Creed style open-world mechanics, but the game was absolutely littered with danger around every corner, with packs of orcs presenting a constant threat. The introduction of the Nemesis system was a true innovation, something we rarely see in the modern game space, where most games are developed with long-used and established game mechanics in mind.

The Nemesis system created a marvellous situation where players could essentially create their own bosses. If an Orc strikes you down in battle in Shadow of Mordor, that Orc essentially gets a promotion and will become a pack leader. The nemesis gets stronger each time they beat you, so players would each have a unique experience while playing the game.

As I said before, the games industry is one that lacks innovation. It is rare to see a brand-new, never-before-seen system like this in a game. It is so unique that we actually haven't seen the Nemesis system since, nor have we seen any other developer try their hand at something similar. Out-of-the-box thinking like that should be rewarded. For me, Shadow of Mordor was the true GOTY of 2014.

2015 – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

I'm not even going to try to argue against this one. The Witcher 3 is my favourite single-player RPG of all time, and I have sunk hundreds of hours into it. It is one of the only games that I have gone out of my way to 100% complete and not only that, I did it multiple times, on console and PC – the Death March achievement included.

The other nominees in 2015 included the likes of:

• Bloodborne
• Fallout 4
• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
• Super Mario Maker

To be fair, this is a very strong line-up of contenders. Metal Gear Solid 5 proved that stealth-action gameplay can translate very well into an open world setting and it baffles me that we haven't seen similar design ideas in other titles. Bloodborne is an all-time fan favourite amongst the die-hard Souls crowd, and Super Mario Maker was close to single-handedly saving the Wii U thanks to its infinite replayability through player-crafted levels.

There is one game that does not deserve to be on this list – Fallout 4. Yes, Bethesda added building and better crafting. The story was fun and the Far Harbor DLC was must-play content. However, we lost a lot of the Bethesda-magic found in their older games, with far less meaningful role-playing to be found in this entry. Bethesda brought a lot of those elements back in their most recent game, Starfield, which is exactly why I fell in love with that game.

2016 – Overwatch

Blizzard's first new IP in over a decade at the time, Overwatch received a ton of praise during its launch year. The game ushered in a new age of multiplayer shooters, with many trying to emulate the game's success in the years since.

Other GOTY nominees in 2016 included:

• DOOM
• Inside
• Titanfall 2
• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

This is another pretty strong line-up of contenders. Ultimately though, I think the right call was made here. Overwatch isn't the popular hit that it once was all these years later, but at the time, it was huge. The historical aspect of it being a long-awaited new IP from Blizzard, coupled with the fact that the game rose from the ashes of a highly anticipated Blizzard MMO, Titan, added to the game's legacy. Players had been waiting almost a full year to play Overwatch by April 2016, as big YouTubers and Streamers were invited to start showing off the game in mid 2015. Ultimately when the game did land with the masses, it became the biggest hit of the year.

Interestingly, Titanfall 2 also makes an appearance in the 2016 list. EA absolutely botched the game's launch by sandwiching it between Call of Duty and Battlefield, with all three shooters releasing in a 3-week span. As COD and Battlefield were much bigger franchises, they squeezed Titanfall 2 out of the market, leading to sales so low that we've never seen another Titanfall game again. Instead, Respawn pivoted to Apex Legends, which is set in the Titanfall universe, but has little connection to the series gameplay-wise due to, you guessed it, the lack of Titans.

2017 – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had undergone several delays. Originally planned for the Wii U, the game eventually released in March 2017, as a launch-day title for the Nintendo Switch. In terms of console exclusives at the launch of a brand new platform, Breath of the Wild stands tall as one of the greatest of all time.

Other nominees in 2017 included:

• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Persona 5
• PUBG
• Super Mario Odyssey

If you were paying attention to the general gaming discourse in 2017, you would know just how big Breath of the Wild was at the time. The game was talked about all year long and was a consistent best-seller.  At the time, I actually preferred Horizon Zero Dawn, but having replayed both titles in the years since, there is just an unbeatable charm to Breath of the Wild and I think it would be insane to suggest the game did not deserve the nod that year.

On a technical level, the scale of the open world in this game caught many Switch owners off-guard. The Switch does not house the greatest hardware, even by 2017 standards, but Nintendo was still able to deliver this massive game, with secrets hiding all over the place. Players were given unprecedented freedom in this open-world too, being free to get experimental with Link's new powers, which has led to some very inventive gameplay clips from hardcore fans.

While a great game in its own right, Horizon Zero Dawn borrows too much from games like Far Cry to edge out Breath of the Wild in this list. Persona 5 could have a better argument, as that game was responsible for a massive boom in popularity for the Persona games outside of Japan, propelling Atlus Studios to the forefront of JRPG fandom.

2018 – God of War

This one has the potential to be a little controversial. God of War (2018) surprised players with its complete shift in focus from the original trilogy. The original God of War games were violent hack-and-slash boss-rush games. With God of War (2018), Kratos is transformed into a completely different character. The game has incredible visuals and story moments, but it also had some tough competition that year.

Here are the other nominees from 2018:

• Assassin's Creed Odyssey
• Celeste
• Marvel's Spider-Man
• Monster Hunter: World
• Red Dead Redemption 2

This selection of nominees might be the toughest of the past decade. The award could have easily gone to Insomniac's Spider-Man, but the most surprising thing here is that Red Dead Redemption 2 didn't win the GOTY award at the end of the night.

Having played all the games on this list, I think we can immediately take Assassin's Creed Odyssey out of the running, as well as Celeste. Neither of these titles are bad games, but they simply didn't reach the same heights as the others on the list.

Given the massive boom Monster Hunter: World ushered in for the franchise, particularly in the West, I think a better argument can be made for that game over Odyssey or Celeste. However, the game was also somewhat clunky in its multiplayer elements.

For me, Red Dead Redemption 2 was the true GOTY in 2018. It isn't as fast paced as God of War, but Rockstar brought a level of immersion and technical excellence with RDR2 that I haven't really seen matched since. I've actually replayed both God of War and RDR2 this year, and, in the end, I think Red Dead Redemption 2 is a more timeless experience.

2019 – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the third From Software-developed game to make a GOTY list in the past decade. The studio has been on a historical run since the Xbox 360 days with Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, but Sekiro stands out amongst From Software's catalogue. Like Bloodborne, it is a more offence-oriented game, where you are highly encouraged to keep bringing the fight to your enemies. The stagger and parry system found here is my favourite of any FromSoft game and in some ways, I think this game is more friendly to newcomers to this genre compared to even Elden Ring, which is often praised as the studio's most accessible game.

Other nominees in 2019 included:

• Control
• Death Stranding
• The Outer Worlds
• Resident Evil 2
• Smash Bros. Ultimate

This is another very strong list of contenders. As much as I enjoyed Sekiro, I personally would have given the 2019 award to Remedy for Control. While Sekiro does a lot right, it also does rely on a lot of the usual game design elements that fans have grown fond of from other games in From Software's catalogue.

On the other hand, Control was an entirely new type of game for Remedy. It is heavy on action, The Oldest House is one of the most interesting and inventive settings I've seen, and the game brought way more gameplay depth than previous titles, like Alan Wake. This is achieved through the evolving gun, coupled with your supernatural abilities, creating a very fast-paced, challenging and visually impressive combat experience. Control is Remedy's best work to date, and I think the game deserves far more recognition than it gets.

2020 – The Last of Us Part II

This is another controversial one. The Last of Us Part II was seen as a masterpiece by some, and as a franchise-ruining bust by others. I tend to fall into the former camp rather than the latter. Masterpiece may be a touch strong for TLOUP2, but I did thoroughly enjoy my time with the game, and I did not feel nearly as strongly about some of the main story and character choices as some others have.

It is ultimately a tale of revenge, rooted deeply in established characters, whose motivations are made quite clear over the course of the campaign. I understand the knee-jerk reaction to a main character being killed off early in the game, and I get why fans of that character would be disappointed by this direction. However, I think the campaign does a fantastic job of fleshing out the motivations behind the new characters and their choices. It also does a lot to expand the lore behind The Last of Us and the complicated and hopeless situation humanity finds itself in.

With that said, there were other strong nominees in 2020, including:

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• DOOM Eternal
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades

For me, Ghost of Tsushima, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and The Last of Us Part 2 are the true contenders out of all the 2020 nominees. DOOM Eternal didn't hook me in the same way as DOOM 2016 and the highly publicised cancellation of the game's campaign invasion PvP feature was a pretty big let-down for me.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake has a lot of spectacle moments, but the action combat lacks the depth I've really grown to appreciate from newer titles like Final Fantasy 16. In my opinion, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2 are the games on this list that best stand the test of time and I would have been happy with either of them as GOTY.

2021 – It Takes Two

You will notice a theme as you go down this list. Over the past ten years, there has been a growing effort to include more indie titles in the list of GOTY nominations. 2021 was the first year that one of those inclusions actually won the final award.

It Takes Two is developed by Hazelight Studios, and directed by Josef Fares, who video game fans will remember fondly for his passionate speech at The Game Awards back in 2018. This is a co-op adventure, intended to be played with two people, with new challenges presented in each level. To ensure that people can play the game, Hazelight Studios released a Friend Pass for the game, allowing owners of the title to invite a friend to join them without having to purchase the game a second time. This idea was also popular with Hazelight's previous game, A Way Out.

Other nominees in 2021 included:

• Deathloop
• Metroid Dread
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

I understand the temptation to finally give a win to an indie title, particularly in a year where AAA gaming struggled, in large part due to pandemic-related delays. However, with lockdowns still on-going around the world in 2021, I genuinely think that the odd circumstances we all found ourselves in that year played a big part in It Takes Two taking the crown here. Gaming saw a massive boom in 2020 and 2021 due to more people being stuck at home, and It Takes Two's co-op approach, combined with the Friend Pass, created a perfect storm for this game to succeed during a time where more people were actively seeking connection and a break from the stresses of real-world events.

I don't say any of this to downplay the quality of It Takes Two as a game. It was a very solid and fun release, but I'm also unsure it would get the same level of votes today without the circumstances of 2020 and 2021. If we were to repeat this same line-up in 2024, I think Resident Evil Village or Metroid Dread would have taken home the win.

2022 – Elden Ring

The fourth From Software title in the past decade to have a GOTY nomination. Elden Ring was a huge success in 2022 and had a return to the spotlight earlier this year thanks to the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, a massive expansion that essentially doubles the size of the game.

Other nominees in 2022 included:

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• God of War: Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

The major AAA game I would immediately knock out of contention on this list is unfortunately Horizon Forbidden West. The game was a technical and visual marvel, but the main story was lacking in a few ways. The game spent too much time introducing new friends for Aloy to adventure with and not enough time on establishing the new villain threat. I was both unsurprised and bored going up against them. It is a sophomore slump that can hopefully be rectified with the third game and I do truly hope that Guerilla has plans to wrap things up as a trilogy, rather than trying to bring Aloy back for more sequels.

Oddly enough, I also had more fun with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 than I did with God of War: Ragnarök, which felt like ‘more of the same' in many ways. Perhaps it was unfair to expect the follow-up to pack the same level of punch as the first game, given that God of War (2018) was a complete reinvention of the franchise. However, I certainly think there could have been more interesting character moments and twists.

In the end though, I think the voters got it right. Elden Ring deserved to win in 2022, even if From Software games aren't a personal favourite of mine. I do hope that From Software gets its tech in order for its next game though, as the studio has a habit of running into frame pacing issues with most of its titles, which can lead to some awkwardness in combat.

2023 – Baldur's Gate 3

The CRPG genre was almost completely dead at one stage but thanks to the efforts of Obsidian, with Pillars of Eternity, and Larian Studios with Divinity Original Sin, this style of game has found new life in the modern age. Baldur's Gate 3 builds on the success of those previous games by essentially reinventing the CRPG, truly opening it up and making it more accessible than ever.

The game does an incredible job of translating table-top RPG mechanics to the virtual realm and there are just enough conveniences to make the learning curve less intimidating to newcomers. This led to the game being a massive success, garnering millions of sales and breaking a number of records.

In 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 faced GOTY competition from the likes of:

• Alan Wake 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Resident Evil 4
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Considering the timeless nature of Nintendo games and their long-established history, it is a small miracle that Baldur's Gate 3, even with all of its achievements, managed to beat out the latest Zelda and Super Mario games.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers players so much creative freedom through new mechanics that it truly blew me away. In my opinion, it is a far, far better game than Breath of the Wild. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the latest 2D Mario platformer, also had a lot of perfect review scores at release.

Resident Evil 4, while a good game, is not my favourite of the remakes, that honour still goes to Resident Evil 2. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the odd one out on this list, as it is the only game that I truly feel didn't deserve to be in the running. It was a serviceable sequel, but the story didn't have nearly the same level of intrigue and impact as the first game in the series. In a lot of ways, Spider-Man 2 felt like a rushed project that left a lot of cut content on the floor in order to ensure a 2023 release date. Now that the game is confirmed to not be getting any DLC, there is little hope for redemption in the form of a Complete Edition.

Baldur's Gate 3 was by far the best choice for GOTY in 2023. It is rare to see such an in-depth RPG reach so many people and I think Wizards of the Coast will be kicking themselves for not giving Larian better terms to return for a sequel. Whatever studio takes on Baldur's Gate 4 will have impossibly big shoes to fill. Meanwhile, Larian will be focusing on its own IP for its next projects and I expect that fans of Baldur's Gate 3 will be there day-one for whatever Larian's next game ends up being.

In 2024, The Game Awards will return. For Game of the Year 2024, there are six nominees including:

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Metaphor: Refantazio

As you can see, the organisers behind the show have made the decision to now accept expansions/DLCs for awards in all categories, including Game of the Year. This opens up the door for Elden Ring to win the award twice, as the base game previously won GOTY in 2022. This has been a controversial change as not everyone agrees that an expansion or DLC should be involved in GOTY discussions, as it allows popular old titles to overshadow genuinely new releases. If expansions being nominated or even winning GOTY becomes a regular occurrence, I do think it would hamper the significance of the award in the long-term.

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KitGuru Says: Based on my own preferences, the TGAs have managed to get the GOTY right 50% of the time. Given the diverse number of games released each year, and the number of new releases that I play, I don't think that's a bad percentage. Are there any GOTY snubs from the past decade that you feel strongly about? 

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