50 Fun Facts About The Game Awards

Which Canadian journalist founded The Game Awards with about $1 million of his own money?

Geoff Keighley has turned down offers from TV networks to air the show, preferring to stream it online and keep control of how it is run.

A teenage stage crasher at The Game Awards 2022 dedicated the top award to which former US president?

Bill Clinton got the shout-out in a 13-second speech before security led the 15-year-old intruder away; fans soon modded the former president into the winning game.

Which rock legend shared Best Score/Soundtrack at The Game Awards 2014 for his work on Destiny?

Paul McCartney shared the win with Bungie composers Michael Salvatori, C. Paul Johnson and Martin O'Donnell at the very first ceremony.

Which awards show did game director Josef Fares attack in a viral on-stage rant at The Game Awards 2017?

The Oscars drew his fire because, he argued, films get ranked above games; Fares, once a film director himself, was on stage to promote his co-op game A Way Out.

Which console's reveal at The Game Awards 2019 was kept so secret that rehearsals used a fake script?

Xbox Series X was unveiled by Microsoft's Phil Spencer, who had read out a decoy script about Game Pass during rehearsals to keep the secret.

Which game, with worldbuilding by author George R. R. Martin, won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022?

Elden Ring also took Best Game Direction and Best Role Playing Game that night, with director Hidetaka Miyazaki collecting the top prize.

Which game won a record nine awards, including Game of the Year, at The Game Awards 2025?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the first debut game to win the top award, and its nine wins beat the previous record of seven set in 2020.

Which star of The Godfather films presented the Best Performance award at The Game Awards 2022?

Al Pacino's cameo was cited by Variety as a sign of the show's growing dependence on the film industry.

Which Nintendo game had its first gameplay reveal at The Game Awards 2014 and won Game of the Year in 2017?

Breath of the Wild's first gameplay footage is the reveal the show's creator calls his crowning moment; the game went on to win three awards in 2017.

Which pair of Muppets performed comedy skits throughout The Game Awards 2024?

Statler and Waldorf's jabs at the host were named the highlight of the night by Kotaku; fellow Muppet Gonzo had introduced an award the year before.

Which BioWare role-playing game won the first ever Game of the Year at The Game Awards in 2014?

Dragon Age: Inquisition's award was accepted by executive producer Mark Darrah and BioWare boss Aaryn Flynn; the game won two awards that night.

Which game beat Red Dead Redemption 2, the night's biggest winner, to Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2018?

God of War and its rival each had eight nominations, then a record; the western left with four awards, but director Cory Barlog collected the top one.

At The Game Awards 2020, held virtually, which game won a then-record seven awards including Game of the Year?

The Last of Us Part II's seven wins included Best Narrative, for Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross, and Best Game Direction.

In which city was the first Game Awards ceremony held in 2014, before the show settled in Los Angeles?

Las Vegas hosted the debut at The AXIS theater, where about 1.9 million people watched online; the 2025 show drew 171 million streams.

Which star of the Dune films presented the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2023?

Timothée Chalamet's slot drew criticism from journalists who felt the top award should have been handed over by a game developer.

Which cable-TV awards show, which ran from 2003 to 2013, did The Game Awards replace?

Spike VGAs ended after a poorly received 2013 edition renamed VGX; offered only a streaming show for 2014, its producer left to start his own.

Which group casts 90% of the vote that decides most winners at The Game Awards?

A jury of media outlets, more than 100 publications worldwide, holds 90% of the vote; fans supply the other 10%, and the advisory committee does not vote.

Which game led The Game Awards 2023 with six wins, including Game of the Year?

Baldur's Gate 3's award was accepted by director Swen Vincke, who was cut off while paying tribute to a late colleague, which commentators called disrespectful.

Which designer, kept from the 2015 show by Konami, received the Industry Icon Award at The Game Awards 2016?

Hideo Kojima had been unable to collect an award for Metal Gear Solid V in 2015, when actor Kiefer Sutherland accepted it on his behalf.

Which game tied Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the most nominations at The Game Awards 2024, then won Game of the Year?

Astro Bot converted its seven nominations into four wins, the most of the night, and its director Nicolas Doucet returned in 2025 to present the top award.

Which game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2015, where its studio was also named Developer of the Year?

The Witcher 3 led the night with three wins, including Best Role Playing Game, for Polish studio CD Projekt Red.

Which team shooter won four awards at The Game Awards 2016, including Game of the Year and Best Multiplayer?

Overwatch also won Best Game Direction and Esports Game of the Year; its lead director Jeff Kaplan came back in 2018 to present the top award.

Which game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019, beating nominations leader Death Stranding?

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won two awards in all, one fewer than the nominations leader it beat to the top prize.

Which EA-published game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021, the year Deathloop led the nominations?

It Takes Two tied Forza Horizon 5 for the most wins of the night with three, and director Josef Fares returned in 2022 to present the same award.

Which brand name replaced Microsoft's on the Los Angeles theater that hosted The Game Awards 2023?

Peacock Theater, under its old and new names, hosted every ceremony from 2015 to 2025 except the 2020 show, which was held virtually because of COVID-19.

Which science-fiction film director presented Game of the Year when The Game Awards 2020 went virtual?

Christopher Nolan was one of several film names on the broadcast: Keanu Reeves presented Best Game Direction and Gal Gadot presented Games for Impact.

Which animated-comedy creator won the first Best Performance award at The Game Awards 2014 for voicing his show's game?

Trey Parker won for his many voices in South Park: The Stick of Truth, beating Kevin Spacey's role in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Which Fast & Furious star, introduced by Michelle Rodriguez, presented Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019?

Vin Diesel arrived as part of the reveal of Fast & Furious Crossroads, a game based on the films that was announced at the same show.

Which Netflix animated series won the first Best Adaptation award at The Game Awards 2022?

Arcane, based on Riot's League of Legends, beat nominees including Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and the film Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Which Nintendo of America president opened The Game Awards 2018 alongside his counterparts at PlayStation and Microsoft?

Reggie Fils-Aimé shared the stage with Shawn Layden and Phil Spencer in a show of industry unity, and he returned as a presenter in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Which Japanese studio became the first developer with two Game of the Year wins at The Game Awards, in 2019 and 2022?

FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki accepted both trophies; the studio's first nomination had come at the very first show, for Dark Souls II.

Which publisher's games won Game of the Year at The Game Awards in 2018, 2020 and 2024?

Sony's three wins came from three different studios: Santa Monica Studio, Naughty Dog and Team Asobi.

Which effects studio helped design the angel statuette handed to winners at The Game Awards?

Weta Workshop designed it with the show's creator as an angel rising through digital building blocks, meant to show the evolution of the medium.

Which award, introduced at The Game Awards 2019, is nominated and decided entirely by fans over three rounds of voting?

Players' Voice starts with a long list that fans cut down round by round; the first winner was Fire Emblem: Three Houses, with 45 percent of the final vote.

Which detective role-playing game won all four of its nominations at The Game Awards 2019?

Disco Elysium swept Best Narrative, Best Role Playing Game, Best Independent Game and Fresh Indie Game, yet was not nominated for Game of the Year.

Which run-and-gun indie game won three awards at The Game Awards 2017, including Best Art Direction?

Cuphead, animated in the style of 1930s cartoons, also won Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game for Studio MDHR.

Which game released in 2018 won Best Multiplayer and Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards 2020?

Among Us was eligible two years after launch because live-service games can be nominated in any year; it had surged in popularity during the pandemic.

A surprise trailer at The Game Awards 2018 revealed Persona 5's Joker as a fighter in which fighting game?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Joker trailer was staged to look at first like a teaser for a new Persona game, a trick planned with Nintendo.

Which actor won Best Performance at The Game Awards 2023 for playing the vampire Astarion?

Neil Newbon was cut off mid-speech while describing fans' heartfelt responses to his work, and the 2024 show gave winners more time.

Which Los Angeles venue hosted The Game Awards' tenth-anniversary concert by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in June 2023?

Hollywood Bowl staged the night of video game music six months before the show's tenth ceremony was held that December.

Which razor brand's robot mascot, Hydrobot, roamed The Game Awards 2016 in a much-criticized marketing tie-in?

Schick's Hydrobot, a muscular humanoid robot with a razor-blade head, appeared throughout the show and even posed with that year's Industry Icon honoree.

The Game Awards 2019 was simulcast in 53 US cinemas alongside opening-night screenings of which film?

Jumanji: The Next Level was chosen because its story is largely set inside a video game, which the show's producer felt made it a perfect fit.

Which punk band's set at The Game Awards 2019 featured songs tied to the virtual-reality game Beat Saber?

Green Day played Welcome to Paradise and Father of All..., sharing the stage that night with Chvrches and Grimes.

Video editor Melina Juergens, who had never acted before, won Best Performance at The Game Awards 2017 for which game?

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice won three awards that night, and Juergens took Best Performance again in 2024 for the sequel.

Which actress won Best Performance at The Game Awards 2020 for playing Abby, beating her co-star Ashley Johnson?

Laura Bailey had first been nominated in 2017, for her role as Nadine Ross in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

Which long-awaited sequel won Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards in both 2024 and 2025?

Grand Theft Auto VI beat Death Stranding 2 and Metroid Prime 4 in 2024, then Marvel's Wolverine and Resident Evil Requiem in 2025.

Which actor's Best Performance acceptance speech at The Game Awards 2022 ran for almost eight minutes?

Christopher Judge, who plays Kratos, spoke for 7 minutes 59 seconds; by contrast, all the esports winners were announced within 72 seconds in the preshow.

Which River Raid designer, one of the first women in game design, received The Game Awards' Industry Icon Award in 2017?

Carol Shaw joined Atari in 1978 and later made River Raid a major hit for Activision; a mini-documentary about her career was shown at the ceremony.

Which American pop-rock band performed its hit Enemy with rapper JID at The Game Awards 2021?

Imagine Dragons shared the stage that night with Sting and with Darren Korb, who performed a song from his Bastion soundtrack.

Maggie Robertson won Best Performance at The Game Awards 2021 for playing which Resident Evil character?

Lady Dimitrescu's game, Resident Evil Village, was also up for Game of the Year that night but lost, as every Capcom nominee had through 2025.