The hugely popular Game Awards event celebrates the achievements of developers in the past 12 months, but there are usually new game trailers and reveals sprinkled in for the thousands of fans that tune in from home, making it a must-watch event whether you care about the prizes or not.
2020's ceremony is fast approaching - but when will the show take place and how can you watch? We answer those questions, along with what to expect from the show this year, below.
When are the Game Awards 2020?
The Game Awards usually take place in December, and this year is no different: the show will be on Thursday 10 December.
We don't know what time the event will kick off, though it promises to be broadcast live from Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo - so you'd hope that means they're picking a time that's easy enough to watch from any of those parts of the world.
How can I watch the Game Awards 2020?
The organisers promise that you'll be able to watch the Game Awards across more than 45 global video platforms, so it's a safe bet that those will include YouTube, Twitch and Facebook.
Like last year it will be streamed in 4K UHD, but for 2020 they're going one step further, with the chance for viewers to "participate and virtually interact with the show across social media, through live in-game experiences, and via interactive extensions on leading streaming platforms."
We've got no idea how that'll work, or what it's gonna look like, but hopefully we'll know more soon enough.
Game Awards 2020 nominees
Nominations have now been revealed, and you can vote online for who you want to win. Quite a few upcoming games have been delayed and have not made the cut this year. You can see the full list of award categories below:
Game of the Year
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Game Direction
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghosts of Tsushima
- Hades
- Half-Life Alyx
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Narrative
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghosts of Tsushima
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Art Direction
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghosts of Tsushima
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Score/Music
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Audio Design
- Doom Eternal
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Ghosts of Tsushima
- Resident Evil 3
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Performance
- Ashley Johnson - Ellie, The Last of Us Part II
- Laura Bailey - Abby, The Last of Us Part II
- Daisuke Tsuji - Jin, Ghost of Tsushima
- Logan Cunningham - Hades, Hades
- Nadji Jeterm - Miles Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Games for Impact
- If Found...
- Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
- Spiritfarer
- Tell Me Why
- Through Darkest of Times
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fortnite
- No Man's Sky
Best Indie Game
- Carrion
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Hades
- Spelunky 2
- Spiritfarer
Best Debut Game
- Carrion
- Mortal Shell
- Raji: An Acient Epic
- Roki
- Phasmophobia
Best Mobile Game
- Among Us
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Genshin Impact
- Legends of Runeterra
- Pokémon Café Mix
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Fortnite
- No Man's Sky
- Valorant
Best VR/AR Game
- Dreams
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Marvel's Iron Man VR
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Grounded
- Hyperdot
- The Last of Us Part II
- Watch Dogs Legion
Best Action Game
- Doom Eternal
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Nioh 2
- Streets of Rage 4
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Ghosts of Tsushima
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- The Last of Us Part II
Best RPG
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Genshin Impact
- Persona 5 Royal
- Wasteland 3
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Best Fighting Game
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
- Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
- Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late[CL-R]
Best Family Game
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Crusader Kings 3
- Desperados 3
- Gears Tactics
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
Best Sports/Racing Game
- Dirt 5
- F1 2020
- FIFA 21
- NBA 2K21
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
Best Multiplayer Game
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Among Us
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Valorant
Content Creator of the Year
- Alanah Pearce
- Jay Ann Lopez
- Nickmercs
- Timthetatman
- Valkyrae
Best Esports Athlete
- Ian "Crimsix" Porter
- Heo "Showmaker" Su
- Kim "Canyon" Geon-Bu
- Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro
- Matthieu "Zywoo" Herbaut
Best Esports Coach
- Danny "Zonic" Sorensen
- Dae-Hee "Crusty" Park
- Fabian "Grabbz" Lohmann
- Lee "Zefa" Jae-Min
- Raymond "Rambo" Lussier
Best Esports Event
- Blast Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals
- Call of Duty League Championship 2020
- IEM Katowice 2020
- League of Legends World Championship 2020
- Overwatch League Grand Finals 2020
Best Esports Game
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Fortnite
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best Esports Host
- Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez
- Alex "Machine" Richardson
- Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere
- James "Dash" Patterson
- Jorien "Sheever" Van der Heijden
Best Esports Team
- Damwon Gaming
- Dallas Empire
- G2 Esports
- San Francisco Shock
- Team Secret
You'll notice that in that line-up there's a new award for 2020: Innovation in Accessibility. According to the organisers, it "recognizes software and/or hardware developers that are pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience."
Besides those getting awards, we'll also see a whole bunch of exciting news for 2021 and beyond, including trailers and new game reveals, special in-game events, and even playable demos dropping during the show. There'll also be a Game Awards Sale that runs across multiple PC and console store fronts.
