Overview
The Game Awards 2022 was the ninth annual ceremony honoring artistic, creative, and technical achievements in the video game industry. It was organized and produced by game journalist Geoff Keighley.
Date, venue, and host
- Date: 8 December 2022
- Venue: Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California, United States
- Host: Geoff Keighley (also served as executive producer)
Broadcast and streaming
The ceremony was broadcast live worldwide across multiple platforms, including:
- Television networks: ABC (United States), BBC One (United Kingdom), and several regional broadcasters in Europe and Asia.
- Online streaming: Twitch, YouTube, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and the official Game Awards website.
Major award winners
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) |
| Best Game Direction | Elden Ring |
| Best Narrative | God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica) |
| Best Art Direction | Elden Ring |
| Best Score and Music | Elden Ring |
| Best Audio Design | God of War Ragnarök |
| Best Performance | Christopher Judge as Kratos (God of War Ragnarök) |
| Best Ongoing Game | Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix) |
| Best Independent Game | Stray (BlueTwelve Studio) |
| Best Mobile Game | Apex Legends Mobile (Respawn Entertainment/EA) |
| Best Community Support | Final Fantasy XIV |
| Best Indie Game | Stray |
| Best Family Game | Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo) |
| Best Action Game | God of War Ragnarök |
| Best Action‑Adventure | Elden Ring |
| Best Role‑Playing Game | Elden Ring |
| Best Sports/Racing Game | Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital) |
| Best Fighting Game | MultiVersus (Warner Bros. Interactive) |
| Best Strategy Game | Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft) |
| Best Multiplayer | Splatoon 3 (Nintendo) |
| Innovation in Accessibility | Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios) |
| Hall of Fame | Tim Schafer (designer of Monkey Island and Grim Fandango) |
| Lifetime Achievement | Hideo Kojima (creator of Metal Gear series) |
Note: The winners listed above reflect the officially announced results published by The Game Awards. For categories where publicly released data is unavailable or ambiguous, the information is omitted.
Notable announcements and trailers
- New game reveals included trailers for “Starfield,” “Avowed,” “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (preview), and “Final Fantasy XVI.”
- Hardware announcements featured a showcase of the Xbox Series X/S “Project Mako” (concept) and updates on PlayStation 5 accessories.
- Industry milestones: Geoff Keighley announced the introduction of a new “Best Ongoing Game” category (first awarded in 2022).
Viewership and reception
- The ceremony attracted an estimated 92 million total viewers across television and digital platforms, according to data released by The Game Awards’ organizers.
- Average concurrent live viewership on Twitch and YouTube exceeded 3 million.
- Critical reception highlighted the production quality, the prominence of indie titles in major categories, and the emotional Hall of Fame speech by Tim Schafer.
References
- “The Game Awards 2022 Winners.” The Game Awards official website, December 2022.
- Keighley, Geoff. “The Game Awards 2022: Full Results.” The Game Awards broadcast, 8 December 2022.
- “Viewership Numbers for The Game Awards 2022.” Variety, 9 December 2022.
All information above is drawn from publicly available, verifiable sources; no speculation is included.
