The Game Awards 2022 Has God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring Lead With Huge Wins

The video game industry celebrated the best that it had to offer in 2022 at this year’s annual Game Awards. Held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, journalist and producer Geoff Keighley hosted the big night as tons of video games were up for many awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year. It ultimately became all about God of War Ragnarok as the critically acclaimed title ended up sweeping with six wins during the ceremony. However, Elden Ring took home the big prize as it won Game of the Year to make its mark before 2022 comes to a close.

The Game Awards, which were streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam to the rest of the world, welcomed some people from the industry, including some recognizable actors. Al Pacino came as a huge surprise as he represented the award for best performance to Christopher Judge for his role as Kratos in God of War Ragnarok. Actress Jessica Henwick also came by to present musical performances by Halsey and Hozier as they performed for the upcoming Diablo IV, which was announced to release on June 6 next year. Audiences also had to take a double take as Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the stars of the upcoming HBO adaptation of The Last Of Us were joined on stage by voice actors from the games Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. They presented the award for best video game adaptation of Arcane: League of Legends. Comedian Keegan-Michael Key also made a special appearance to give fans a sneak peek into the highly anticipated Super Mario Bros. Movie coming out next year in theaters.

It was God of War Ragnarok that was the talk of the evening as it received 10 nominations, including Game of the Year. The latest installment in the video game franchise ended up winning five of them, including Best Narrative, Best Performance, Best Score, and Best Action/Adventure Game. Made by Santa Monica Studio, this is the ninth entry in the popular series that began with the original God of War in 2005. In the end, Elden Ring got to take home the most significant award of the night, which was Game of the Year. The award-winning game also won four other categories, including Best Game Direction and Best Role Playing Game. The RPG, which was made by From Software and Bandai Namco, received rave reviews back in February for its expansive world and gameplay. The epic fantasy title was the first collaboration between Hidetakka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.

The big night also gave some glimpses into what’s next in video games with some upcoming titles coming out in 2023. Legendary developer Hideo Kojima gave fans a first look at the sequel to Death Stranding. Audiences were also given some gameplay footage for the upcoming Star Wars Jedi Survivor with an introduction from the game’s star Cameron Monaghan. A sequel to 2020’s Game of the Year Hades was announced as well with the first glimpse into the gameplay. Games like Horizon Forbidden West and Cyberpunk 2077 were in the spotlight for some of these announcements as they are getting a DLC to release sometime in the new year. Actor Idris Elba will be taking part in Cyberpunk 2077’s new DLC, titled “Phantom Liberty” as a new character for the expansion. For fighting game fans, the ceremony also unloaded some new footage from Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. 

The Game Awards did end the night somewhat abruptly after someone crashed the stage after Elden Ring’s team finished their acceptance speech. A kid somehow pulled a stunt and mentioned former president Bill Clinton by name during his moment on the mic. Keighley did tweet that the person was taken into police custody after the ceremony ended. Despite the interruption, the Game Awards has recognized the achievements of these games that have made an impact on the community this year. For a complete list of the winners, take a look:

GAME OF THE YEAR – Elden Ring

BEST GAME DIRECTION – Elden Ring

BEST NARRATIVE – God of War Ragnarok

BEST ART DIRECTION – Elden Ring

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC – God of War Ragnarok

BEST AUDIO DESIGN – God of War Ragnarok

BEST PERFORMANCE – Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War Ragnarok