Giant Bomb Game of the Year 2020

Overview

Giant Bomb's Game of the Year Awards celebrates 2020's best and worst in the world of video games.

This was the first year that the GOTY process took place in January rather than prior to the Christmas break. This also allowed the deliberations to be broadcast live for the first time ever.

The format this year also returned to the more traditional style of doing award categories each day rather than spending the first few days talking about the year's games in general as in 2018 and 2019.

• 2020 GOTY Hub

Deliberations

• Day One - Podcast - Video
• Day Two - Podcast - Video
• Day Three - Podcast - Video
• Day Four - Podcast - Video
• Day Five - Podcast - Video

Bonus Podcasts

• The HotSpot 393 - Jeff, Vinny, and Brad rank the site's GOTY picks.
• The Beastcast 296 - The crew's Top 10 lists for 2020 create the nominees for GOTY.

The Awards

Game of the Year Hades Yakuza: Like a Dragon Spiritfarer Ori and the Will of the Wisps Astro's Playroom Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Kentucky Route Zero Animal Crossing: New Horizons

This Does Hang Here These are basically honorable mentions that didn't quite make it to the Top 10. Granblue Fantasy Versus Umurangi Generation Blaseball Good Job! Cook, Serve, Delicious 3?!

Best Moment or Sequence The Ending of Spiritfarer Runners-Up Chapter 12 of Yakuza: Like a Dragon Cell Phone in There is No Game

Most Distressing Game Cyberpunk 2077 Runners-Up Warcraft III: Reforged Marvel's Avengers

Party of the Year Ichiban & Friends (Yakuza: Like a Dragon) Runners-Up Sentinels (13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim) The Spirits (Spiritfarer)

Best Game Feel Hades Runners-Up Ori and the Will of the Wisps Astro's Playroom

Best Multiplayer Deep Rock Galactic Runners-Up Among Us Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Best Music Hades Runners-Up Ori and the Will of the Wisps Risk of Rain 2

Best-Looking Ori and the Will of the Wisps Runners-Up The Last of Us Part II Microsoft Flight Simulator

Best Dad Yusuf Khan (Marvel's Avengers) Runners-Up Barret (Final Fantasy VII Remake) Tony Hawk (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2)

Staff Picks

Links in names go to each staff members' written breakdown.

Jeff Gerstmann Astro's Playroom Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Hades Minecraft TrackMania Phantasy Star Online 2 Genshin Impact Fuser Teardown

Vinny Caravella Spiritfarer Microsoft Flight Simulator Paper Mario: The Origami King The Last of Us Part II There is No Game: Wrong Dimension Hades Satisfactory Destiny 2: Beyond Light Ori and the Will of the Wisps Deep Rock Galactic

Brad Shoemaker Astro's Playroom Minecraft Ori and ste Will of the Wisps Yakuza: Like a Dragon Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales The Last of Us Part II Ghost of Tsushima Immortals Fenyx Rising Animal Crossing: New Horizons Star Wars: Squadrons

Alex Navarro Spiritfarer Hades Kentucky Route Zero Yakuza: Like a Dragon Animal Crossing: New Horizons Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Fuser Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Astro's Playroom Treachery in Beatdown City

Jason Oestreicher Hades Yakuza: Like a Dragon Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nioh 2 Streets of Rage 4 Granblue Fantasy Versus Ghost of Tsushima Astro's Playroom Maneater

Ben Pack Yakuza: Like a Dragon Hades Animal Crossing: New Horizons Final Fantasy VII Remake Monster Train Ori and the Will of the Wisps Ghost of Tsushima Among Us Risk of Rain 2 Dota 2

Jan Ochoa 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Yakuza: Like a Dragon Hades Final Fantasy VII Remake Fuser One Step From Eden Fae Tactics Genshin Impact Sludge Life The Last of Us Part II

Matt Rorie Doom Eternal Magic: The Gathering Arena Destiny 2: Beyond Light Hades Desperados III Townscaper A Hand With Many Fingers Wreckfest Deep Rock Galactic (in no particular order after Doom)

Guest Lists

• Abby Russell
• Alex Boniello
• Alex Zandra
• BAKOON
• Bruno Dias
• Casey Malone
• Chris Tilton
• Colin Spacetwinks
• The Commissioner of Blaseball Parker MacMillan IIIII
• Dan Ryckert
• Danny O'Dwyer
• Dante Douglas
• Dave Lang
• Derek Yu
• Drew Scanlon
• Ed Zitron
• Emma Kidwell
• Erica Lahaie
• Evil Uno
• Grace Bruxner
• Greg Kasavin
• Greg Miller
• Felix Kramer
• Hiroyuki Sakamoto
• Imran Khan
• Jeff Bakalar
• Jeff Green
• Kahlief Adams
• Lena Raine
• Leon Chang
• Mary Kish
• Mega Ran
• Mike Drucker
• Mike Mahardy
• Nina Freeman
• No Goblin
• Pat Baer
• Rami Ismail
• Rich Gallup
• Ron Funches
• Samantha Kalman
• Scott Benson
• Soha E
• SWERY
• Will Smith
• Xavier Woods & Kenny Omega

Community

• Results

Hades The Last of Us Part II Final Fantasy VII Remake Animal Crossing: New Horizons Yakuza: Like a Dragon Ghost of Tsushima Cyberpunk 2077 Doom Eternal Ori and the Will of the Wisps Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2