Game Developers Choice Awards 2023

Overview

The twenty-third annual Choice Awards were held on March 22, 2023 during the Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. The event was hosted by Leslee Sullivant.

Personal Awards

Pioneer Award

Presented by Erik Johnson

• Mabel Addis

Lifetime Achievement Award

Presented by Warren Spector

• John Romero
  

Game of the Year

Elden Ring Developer: FromSoftware Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Runners-Up God of War Ragnarök (SIE Santa Monica / SIEA) Immortality (Sam Barlow / Half Mermaid) Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios) Stray (BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive) Tunic (Isometricorp Games / Finji) Honorable Mentions Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age / Fellow Traveller) Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster / Devolver Digital) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games / SIEA) Marvel Snap (Second Dinner / Nuverse) Neon White (Angel Matrix / Annapurna Interactive) Vampire Survivors (Poncle)

Best Audio

God of War Ragnarök Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Runners-Up Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games / SIEA) Metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders / Funcom) Stray (BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive) Honorable Mentions Neon White (Angel Matrix / Annapurna Interactive) Persona 5 Royal (Atlus / Sega) A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment) Splatoon 3 (Nintendo) Tunic (Isometricorp Games / Finji)

Best Debut

Stray Developer: BlueTwelve Studio Publisher: Annapurna Interactive Runners-Up Neon White (Angel Matrix / Annapurna Interactive) Norco (Geography of Robots / Raw Fury) Tunic (Isometric Viewpoint / Finji) Vampire Survivors (Poncle) Honorable Mentions The Case of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / PlayStack) Chained Echoes (Matthias Linda / Deck13) Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster / Devolver Digital) Marvel Snap (Second Dinner / Nuverse) Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios)

Best Design

Elden Ring Developer: FromSoftware Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Runners-Up Marvel Snap (Second Dinner / Nuverse) Neon White (Angel Matrix / Annapurna Interactive) Stray (BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive) Tunic (Isometricorp Games / Finji) Honorable Mentions Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster / Devolver Digital) Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games / Kitfox Games) God of War Ragnarök (SIE Santa Monica / SIEA) Immortality (Sam Barlow / Half Mermaid) Vampire Survivors (Poncle)

Innovation Award

Immortality Developer: Sam Barlow Publisher: Half Mermaid Runners-Up Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco) Neon White (Angel Matrix / Annapurna Interactive) Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios) Stray (BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive) Honorable Mentions Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster / Devolver Digital) Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games / Kitfox Games) God of War Ragnarök (SIE Santa Monica / SIEA) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games / SIEA) Trombone Champ (Holy Wow Studios)

Best Narrative

Pentiment Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Runners-Up God of War Ragnarök (SIE Santa Monica / SIEA) I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games / Finji) Immortality (Sam Barlow / Half Mermaid) Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox / Devolver Digital) Honorable Mentions Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over The Age / Fellow Traveller) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games / SIEA) Norco (Geography of Robots / Raw Fury) A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment) Roadwarden (Moral Anxiety Studio / Assemble Entertainment)

Social Impact Award

Citizen Sleeper Developer: Jump Over The Age Publisher: Fellow Traveller Runners-Up As Dusk Falls (Interior Night / Xbox Game Studios) Endling - Extinction is Forever (Herobeat Studios / HandyGames) I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Games / Finji) OlliOlli World (Roll7 / Private Division) We Are OFK (Team OFK) Honorable Mentions Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games) God of War Ragnarök (SIE Santa Monica / SIEA) Hindsight (Team Hindsight / Annapurna Interactive) Norco (Geography of Robots / Raw Fury) Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)

Best Technology

God of War Ragnarök Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Runners-Up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward / Activision) Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games / SIEA) A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment) Honorable Mentions Dwarf Fortress (Bay 12 Games / Kitfox Games) Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive / Focus Entertainment) Immortality (Sam Barlow / Half Mermaid) Stray (BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive) Teardown (Tuxedo Labs)

Best Visual Art

Elden Ring Developer: FromSoftware Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Runners-Up God of War Ragnarök (SIE Santa Monica / SIEA) Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games / SIEA) Pentiment (Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios) Stray (BlueTwelve Studio / Annapurna Interactive) Honorable Mentions Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster / Devolver Digital) Neon White (Angel Matrix / Annapurna Interactive) OlliOlli World (Roll7 / Private Division) A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio / Focus Entertainment) Tunic (Isometricorp Games / Finji)

Audience Award

God of War Ragnarök

• Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America