Game of the Year Awards 2020

Welcome to PC Gamer's annual Game of the Year Awards. Each day, for the rest of the month, we'll be unveiling a new award, with our ultimate Game of the Year to be revealed on December 31.

Here's how it works: each staff member was asked to nominate up to six games—including expansions and early access releases—that released this year. We then hopped onto a giant global call, and through a mixture of democracy, impassioned pleas and outright arguments, chose the games we wanted to honour with an award. Once we've chosen the games, we assign each an award name to fit it, which is why you'll see slightly different categories each year.

Alongside the main awards, each PC Gamer staff member has also picked a personal favourite of the year. We'll be updating this page with new awards and staff picks throughout the rest of the month, as they're unveiled.

The Awards

Best Ongoing Game: Final Fantasy XIV
Best Action Game: Hades
Best Roguelike: Spelunky 2
Best Adventure Game: Paradise Killer
Best Co-op Game: Phasmophobia
Best Card Game: Monster Train
Best Innovation: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best VR Game: Half-Life: Alyx
Best Multiplayer Game: Valorant
Best RPG: Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Best FPS: Doom Eternal
Best Strategy Game: Crusader Kings 3
Game of the Year: Death Stranding

Staff Picks

Emma Matthews: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
Fraser Brown: Cloudpunk
Rachel Watts: If Found...
Chris Livingston: Blaseball
Phil Savage: A Monster's Expedition
Robin Valentine: Deep Rock Galactic
Tim Clark: Destiny 2: Beyond Light
Jacob Ridley: Townscaper
Jorge Jimenez: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
James Davenport: Post Void
Evan Lahti: Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War/Warzone
Tyler Wilde: Disc Room
Wes Fenlon: Risk of Rain 2
Alan Dexter: World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Jody MacGregor: Fort Triumph
Harry Shepherd: Before I Forget
Andy Kelly: Black Mesa
Steven Messer: Genshin Impact

Past Awards

Game of the Year Awards 2019
Game of the Year Awards 2018
Game of the Year Awards 2017
Game of the Year Awards 2016
Game of the Year Awards 2015
Game of the Year Awards 2014
Game of the Year Awards 2013

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.