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Chris Kerr, News Editor

March 22, 2023

2 Min Read
Key artwork for Elden Ring showing a tarnished character kneeling below a glowing symbol

Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok were the big winners at the Game Developers Choice Awards 2023.

FromSoftware's acclaimed action-RPG, which pulled the studio's brutal design sensibilities into a tormented open world, was crowned Game of the Year on Wednesday at the GDCA ceremony in San Francisco. The awards were taking place alongside GDC 2023, hosted at the Moscone Convention Center.

Elden Ring also nabbed the awards for Best Design and Best Visual Art, meaning the title walked away with three prizes on the night. It's a haul that was matched by God of War: Ragnarok, with Santa Monica Studio's sequel being honored with the awards for Best Technology, Best Audio, and the Audience Award.

Other winners included Citizen Sleeper, which grabbed the Social Impact award, and Pentiment, which took home the Best Narrative prize.

The work of legendary programmer and designer, John Romero, known for pioneering the first-person shooter genre with titles like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake was celebrated on the night with the Lifetime Achievement award.

Mabel Addis also posthumously received the Pioneer Award in recognition of her status as the first women game designer, with Addis' work on '60s release The Sumerian paving the way for features and mechanics that are now commonplace.

You can find the complete list of GDCA 2023 award winners below.

GDCA 2023 Winners

Game of the Year: Elden Ring / FromSoftware

Best Design: Elden Ring / FromSoftware

Best Visual Art: Elden Ring / FromSoftware

Best Technology: God of War Ragnarok / Santa Monica Studio

Best Audio: God of War Ragnarok / Santa Monica Studio

Audience Award: God of War Ragnarok / Santa Monica Studio

Innovation Award: Immortality / Half Mermaid Productions

Social Impact: Citizen Sleeper / Jump Over The Edge

Best Narrative: Pentiment / Obsidian

Best Debut: Stray / BlueTwelve Studio

Lifetime Achievement: John Romero

Pioneer Award: Mabel Addis

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About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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