Best VR Game
- Batman: Arkham VR
- Eve Valkyrie
- Job Simulator
- Rez Infinite
- Thumper
This year saw the release of VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and the PlayStation VR, and also the first slew of virtual reality games hit the market. And even if these nascent VR games don’t yet offer the same thrills as traditional non-VR games, releases like Batman: Arkham VR and Eve Valkyrie still offer good gameplay experiences, making them worthy contenders for this VR award.
Eve Valkyrie (CCP Games)
Best Action Game
- Battlefield 1
- Doom
- Gears of War 4
- Overwatch
- Titanfall 2
Games like Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 have offered superb single player and multiplayer experiences this year, although Doom’s great single player campaign also makes it a worthy nominee in this category. And while Overwatch’s multiplayer is perhaps second to none, the lack of a single player campaign in Blizzard’s game could hurt its chances here.
Battlefield 1 (DICE)
Best Action / Adventure Game
- Dishonored 2
- Hitman
- Hyper Light Drifter
- Ratchet & Clank
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Uncharted 4 with its superb single player campaign and good multiplayer looks likely to bag this award, while Dishonored 2 with its beautiful art and great gameplay was surely a great experience, even if the lack of multiplayer might knock it down in the race for this award. But other contenders like Hitman, with its great art direction and superb stealth assassination missions, should not be dismissed either.
Hitman (IO Interactive)
Best Role Playing Game
- Dark Souls 3
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine
- World of Warcraft: Legion
- Xenoblade Chronicles X
The Witcher 3 won many Game of the Year awards in 2015, and its very strong Blood and Wine DLC is now nominated for best role-playing game, which is no doubt a great achievement for polish studio CD Projekt Red. Although Hidetaka Miyazaki’s game Dark Souls 3 will clearly be a strong rival in this category.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED)
Best Fighting Game
- Killer Instinct Season 3
- King of Fighters XIV
- Pokken Tournament
- Street Fighter V
Despite a weak launch, Capcom’s Street Fighter V has gone from strength to strength with the addition of a single player campaign last June and the release of new characters like Akuma as DLC, but faces strong competition in this category from the likes of Nintendo Pokken Tournament.
Street Fighter V (Capcom)
Best Family Game
- Dragon Quest Builders
- Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Pokémon Go
- Ratchet & Clank
- Skylanders: Imaginators
Pokémon Go has caused a sensation worldwide and no doubt is a strong candidate for best mobile game of the year, although it’s harder to see it winning the Best Family Game award due to Niantic’s game having been so controversial to date, making the likes of Ratchet & Clank and Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens more likely to pick up this award.
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion)
Best Strategy Game
- Civilization VI
- Fire Emblem Fates
- The Banner Saga 2
- Total War: Warhammer
- XCOM 2
Given that Civilization VI has been the best new entry in the series in years due to its strategic depth, engaging turn-based gameplay and wealth of features available at release, it’s hard to imagine Firaxis game not winning this award, although other contenders like Total War: Warhammer and Firaxis’ own XCOM 2 should not be ruled out either.
Civilization VI (Firaxis Games)
Best Sports / Racing Game
- FIFA 17
- Forza Horizon 3
- MLB The Show 16
- NBA 2K17
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2017
This year’s edition of FIFA was great due to the game’s new single player story mode, although its rival Pro Evolution Soccer and the likes of Forza Horizon 3 also made fans of sport and racing games happy this year, and either may well scoop up this award too.
FIFA 17 (EA Canada)
Best Multiplayer Game
- Battlefield 1
- Gears of War 4
- Overcooked
- Overwatch
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Titanfall 2
If one thing is clear, is that it will be hard to top Blizzard’s Overwatch in this category, given its superb gameplay and colourful roster of characters, although other nominees like Battlefield 1 and Gears of War 4 also have superb multiplayer modes, and would be worthy winners in this category too.
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Fan’s Choice Awards
Best eSports Player
- Faker – Lee Sang-Hyeok (League of Legends)
- Coldzera – Marcelo David (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- Byun –Hyun woo (Starcraft 2)
- Infiltrator – Lee Seeon-Woo (Street Fighter V)
- Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Super Smash Bros.)
Best eSports Team
- SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
- Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
- SK Gaming
- ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
- Cloud9
Best eSports Game
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- DOTA2
- League of Legends
- Overwatch
- Street Fighter V
Trending Gamer
- AngryJoeShow
- Boogie2988
- Danny O’Dwyer
- JackSepticEye
- Lirik
Best Fan Creation
- Project AM2R
- Pokémon Uranium
- Brutal Doom 64
- Enderal: The Shards of Order
Most Anticipated Game
- God of War
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild