2020 has obviously been a rough one, to say the least. With last year in the rearview mirror and 2021 ahead of us, all of us atDualShockersare looking forward to (hopefully) brighter and better days ahead for everyone in a year that was especially challenging. But before we completely put 2020 to bed, there’s one last thing from the past year thatisworth celebrating, which are the incredible games that we played throughout 2020.
This past year was notable for the games industry in a multitude of ways, both positive and negative. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic radically altered the landscape of the industry in 2020 by forcing studios to work remotely, delaying several major releases, and cancelling the vast majority of this year’s major events and conventions. This year also also sparked new conversations around many of the current issues facing the industry in terms of racial inequality, crunch and development practices, and accountability for studio management.
But on the positive end, this year also saw the closure of one generation and the beginning of a new one with the launches of thePS5andXbox Series X|S. Even in the face of substantial challenges like those we faced throughout 2020, gaming–perhaps now more than ever–became an important outlet for finding entertainment and comfort, making connections with friends and strangers from around the world, and discovering what makes this medium so special.
With that being said, all of us atDualShockersare excited toofficially reveal the winners of our Game of the Year Awards 2020,which saw around 100 unique games nominated across all of our categories. That number only speaks to the strength of this year’s roster of games that brought us comfort, new perspectives, and a deeper appreciation for what we all love about games, especially in a year like 2020.
Before we jump into revealing the winners: we want to givea quick shoutout to our readers and theDualShockerscommunity for your support over the year, and especially for those that participated in our Game of the Year Awards voting. This is the second year that we’ve had community voting for our GOTY Awards, and much like last year, we had an amazing turnout for both our community awards–Game of the Year - Readers' Choice and Most Anticipated Game - Readers' Choice–and especially for the community vote in our official GOTY Awards. In several contentious categories for this year’s awards, the community vote ended up being the deciding factor in several “too close to call” races and tiebreakers.
Now that all the business is out of the way –below you’ll find the winners of our Game of the Year Awards 2020. Once again, thank you to all of the nominated developers, studios, and publishers for their incredible titles released this year, thanks to our readers and community for their incredible support, and see you all in 2021: a year that I’m sure we are all looking forward to in more ways than one.
[pullquote]DualShockers' Game of the Year Awards 2020 - Full Winners List:[/pullquote]
Game of the Year:Hades
Game of the Year - Readers’ Choice:The Last of Us Part II
Most Anticipated Game:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel
Most Anticipated Game - Readers’ Choice:God of War sequel
Hardware of the Year:PS5
Best Developer:Supergiant Games
Best Publisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best First-Party Game:The Last of Us Part II
Best Indie Game:Hades
Best PS5 Game:Demon’s Souls
Best Xbox Series X|S Game:Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Best PS4 Game:The Last of Us Part II
Best Xbox One Game:Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best Nintendo Switch Game:Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Best PC Game:Half-Life: Alyx
Best Mobile Game:Genshin Impact
Best Virtual Reality Game:Half-Life: Alyx
Best Action-Adventure Game:The Last of Us Part II
Best Competitive Game:Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Best Cooperative Game:Among Us
Best DLC or Expansion:Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Best Family Game:Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Best Fighting Game:Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
Best Horror Game:Phasmophobia
Best Interactive Story Game:13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Best Metroidvania:Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best Multiplayer Game:Among Us
Best Ongoing Game:Final Fantasy XIV
Best Platformer:Astro’s Playroom
Best Puzzle Game:Tetris Effect: Connected
Best Racing Game:F1 2020
Best Remake:Final Fantasy VII Remake
Best Remaster:Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
Best Roguelike:Hades
Best Role-Playing Game:Final Fantasy VII Remake
Best Shooter:DOOM Eternal
Best Sports Game:Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
Best Strategy Game:Gears Tactics
Best Art Direction:Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best Audio Design:The Last of Us Part II
Best Character:Abby (The Last of Us Part II)
Best Graphics:The Last of Us Part II
Best Narrative:The Last of Us Part II
Best Open World:Ghost of Tsushima
Best Performance:Laura Bailey (Abby, The Last of Us Part II)
Best Soundtrack or Original Music:Final Fantasy VII Remake
Biggest Shocker of 2020:Microsoft acquires Bethesda Softworks/ZeniMax Media
Best Moment in the Gaming Industry of 2020:Accessibility reaches new milestones in 2020
Best In-Game Moment or Scene of 2020:The Museum (The Last of Us Part II)
Best Self-Care Game of 2020:Animal Crossing: New Horizons
[pullquote]Game of the Year Awards 2020 – Games by # of Wins[/pullquote]
10 wins -The Last of Us Part II
3 wins -Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Hades, Ori and the Will of the Wisps
2 wins-Among Us, Half-Life: Alyx, Final Fantasy XIV, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
1 win -13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Astro’s Playroom, Demon’s Souls, DOOM Eternal, F1 2020, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Gears Tactics, Genshin Impact, Ghost of Tsushima, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, Phasmophobia, Tetris Effect: Connected, Yakuza: Like a Dragon
[pullquote]Best of the Year Awards[/pullquote]
DualShockers' Game of the Year 2020: Hades
Additional Wins: Best Indie Game, Best Roguelike
Just like Zagreus' quest to reach the surface and get past the underworld, we here atDualShockerscouldn’t escape fromHadesand named it as our Game of the Year for 2020. Though it faced steep adversaries inThe Last of Us Part IIandFinal Fantasy VII Remake–the other two games that made it to the top of our staff’s GOTY deliberations this year–ultimately we could find few flaws with Supergiant Games' latest (and perhaps best) title. From top to bottom,Hadeswas the game this year that our staff had the most overall enthusiasm for, making it more than worthy of the Game of the Year title.
While it started out as an Early Access title, with its final release this year, our staff nearly unanimously praised the high degree of polish that Supergiant has delivered withHades. Not only does the game manage to weave an intricate, well-told story filled with memorable (and unbearably hot) characters and fast-paced gameplay, but it accomplishes this all through an impeccably designed roguelike. Whether our staff loved or hated roguelikes, nearly all of them agreed thatHadesstrikes a near-perfect balance of being accessible and fun, while also challenging and with enough depth for players to keep coming back to, run after run.
ThoughThe Last of Us Part IIandFinal Fantasy VII Remakewere more or less our runners-up for Game of the Year 2020 for how they pushed boundaries in storytelling and graphical fidelity in this generation, to usHadeswas as much (if not more) impressive for achieving so much with a much smaller team. As we noted inour review of the gameearlier this year,Hadesmanaged to pull off an impressive hat trick; it’s likely Supergiant’s best game yet, it’s one of the best roguelikes ever made, and to us, it is unequivocally 2020’s Game of the Year.
Game of the Year 2020 - Readers' Choice: The Last of Us Part II
Additional Wins: Best First-Party Game, Best PS4 Game, Best Action-Adventure Game, Best Audio Design, Best Character, Best Graphics, Best Narrative, Best Performance, Best In-Game Moment or Scene of 2020
WhileHadeswound up takingDualShockers' award for Game of the Year in 2020, our runner-up for Game of the Year was the clear victor of the community’s vote for this year’s best title, and one of the few times where theDSteam and the community were split on GOTY. With a commanding lead of around 37% of the votes,The Last of Us Part IIeasily took the prize of Game of the Year - Readers' Choice along with 10 wins in our Game of the Year Awards overall, making it our most honored title in all of 2020. The two runners-up for GOTY - Readers' Choice this year wereGhost of Tsushima(2nd) andFinal Fantasy VII Remake(3rd).
you may check out a rundown of how the community votes broke down for Game of the Year - Readers' Choice below:
The Last of Us Part IIby far earned its acclaim this year, as it not only won several of our headlining awards in 2020 like Best First-Party Game and Best PS4 Game, but it also nearly pulled off a sweep of our technical and artistic awards with wins in Best Audio Design, Character, Graphics, Narrative, and Performance.
As one of the most talked-about games of the year, it isn’t exactly a huge surprise to see thatThe Last of Us Part IInot only resonated so strongly with our own staff, but also with our community. Naughty Dog had no easy task trying to follow-up what is (arguably) its most acclaimed game ever, butThe Last of Us Part IImanaged to thrill and excite players with the next chapter of Ellie’s story, while also challenging it with a new perspective from its second playable character, Abby.
DualShockers' Most Anticipated Game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel
AsThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildwas one of the most acclaimed titles of the generation, it’s safe to say thatits upcoming sequelis one title worth waiting for. Originally announced last year by Nintendo during E3 2019, the (as-yet-untitled) sequel toBreath of the Wildwas ultimately the title that the team atDualShockersis most looking forward to, whether it winds up releasing in 2021 or otherwise.
Interestingly, our staff’s vote for Most Anticipated Game was pretty competitive, with only one vote separating theBreath of the Wildsequel from the two runners-up for this category,Final Fantasy XVI(2nd) andHalo Infinite(3rd). While we don’t know a ton just yet about the sequel to one of the best games of the last generation, we’ll be looking forward to (hopefully) hearing more about it later this year.
Most Anticipated Game - Readers' Choice: God of War sequel
Much like withBreath of the Wild’s sequel, theDualShockerscommunity is also looking forward to an entirely different (but as much anticipated) sequel to one of the best titles of the past generation, the upcoming sequel to 2018’sGod of War. Far and away, theGod of Warsequel was the clear victor in the votes for Most Anticipated Game - Readers' Choice with just over 39% of the overall votes from our readers. The two runners-up in this category among the community wereHorizon Forbidden West(2nd) andResident Evil: Village(3rd).
you’re able to check out a rundown of how the community votes broke down for Most Anticipated Game - Readers' Choice below:
While there isn’t much that we know just yet about where Kratos and Atreus' journey will head next, either way, theDualShockerscommunity is clearly looking forward to the game,which is (so far) confirmed for release on PS5 sometime in 2021. As the revival ofGod of WarwasDualShockers' Game of the Year winner in 2018, hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to hear more about it, and remember: Ragnarok is coming.
Hardware of the Year: PS5
With the launch of three next-gen consoles this year, it’s safe to say that 2020 was especially competitive for Hardware of the Year. However, ultimatelythe PS5came out on top with a commanding lead among its competition in the Xbox Series X|S, Oculus Quest 2, and the NVIDIA GeForce RX 3000 GPU line.
Both theDualShockersstaff and community agreed that the PS5 truly feels like the epitome of what the next-generation of console gaming has to offer, from its blazing fast loading times, to its roster of strong launch games, and especially to the potential of the DualSense controller. Of course, some of us had a hard time just getting the damn thing to fit in our entertainment centers, but more importantly, Sony has proved with the PS5 that the next-generation of gaming is already off to an incredible start.
Best Developer: Supergiant Games
The lineup of nominees for Best Developer this year was perhaps one of the best examples of the diversity of talent out there right now in the games industry. Studios like Naughty Dog and Square Enix showcased the power of AAA development with stunning end-of-the-generation titles likeThe Last of Us Part IIandFinal Fantasy VII Remake, while InnerSloth and Mediatonic highlighted the innovation from indie developers with two of this year’s breakout hits,Among UsandFall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
Of all the nominated studios for this year, Supergiant Games claimed our award for Best Developer with ambition, innovation, and healthy development practices. Not only did the studio achieve outstanding success withHadesas our winner for Game of the Year, but Supergiant has shown what can come from Early Access development and taking in community feedback, all while working against the crunch culture that has defined the past several years of the games industry.
Best Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Even in a year that’s been as challenging as 2020, Sony Interactive Entertainment had a banner year as it closed out the PS4 generation and brought us into a new one with the PS5. The PS4 closed the book on an impressive seven-year-run with some of the console’s best exclusives this year likeThe Last of Us Part II,Ghost of Tsushima, andDreams, while Sony also brought us into the next-generation with launch showstoppers likeDemon’s SoulsandMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
With a number of high-profile titles lined up for next year likeHorizon Forbidden West,Gran Turismo 7,Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and the upcomingGod of Warsequel, it also wouldn’t be too surprising if we wind up seeing Sony Interactive Entertainment compete for this prize once again in 2021.
