Game of the Year (abbreviated GotY) is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many publications award a single "Game of the Year" to a single title that they feel represents the pinnacle of gaming achievement that year.
Organizations and publications who award board Game of the Years include:
Organizations and publications who award PC and console Game of the Years include:
The winners of the Games (magazine) Game of the Year are chosen by Games editors:[1] See Games 100.
| Year | Game of the Year | Abstract strategy | Advanced strategy | Family | Family card | Family strategy | Party | Puzzle | Word | Historical simulation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Jump Gate | Arimaa | Egizia | Burger Joint | Jaipur | Valdora | Telestrations | Anti-Virus | - | Battles of Napoleon: The Eagle and the Lion | - |
| 2010 | Small World | Blox | Le Havre | Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age | Amerigo | Dominion/Dominion Intrigue (Expansion) | Dixit | La Ora Stelo | - | Fields of Fire | - |
| 2009 | Tzaar | Ponte del Diavolo | Key Harvest | Pandemic | Palast Geflüster (Palace Whisperings) | Stone Age | Go Nuts! | Doris | Jumbulaya | Pacific Typhoon | - |
| 2008 | Pillars of the Earth | Easter Island | Khronos | If Wishes Were Fishes | Bull in a China Shop | Shear Panic | Gift Trap | Sacred Myths and Legends Series | Unspeakable Words | Ran | - |
| 2007[2] | Vegas Showdown | PÜNCT | Reef Encounter | Tricky Town | Trump, Tricks, Game! | Hacienda | Wits and Wagers | Gordian's Knot | Parlay | Silent War | - |
| 2006[3] | Australia | Project Kells | Louis XIV | Der Untergang von Pompeji (Escape from Pompeii) | Die Weinhändler (The Wine Merchants) | Primordial Soup (a.k.a. Ursuppe) | Party/Trivia: Snorta! | Tipover | - | Friedrich | Two-Player: Jambo |
| 2005[4] | BuyWord | YINSH | Tahuantinsuyu: The Rise of the Inca Empire | Vanished Planet | Victory & Honor | Alexandros | Party/Trivia: Cranium Hoopla | - | - | Memoir '44 | - |
| 2004[5] | New England | Clans | Wildlife | I'm the Boss | Queen's Necklace | Zoosim | Party/Trivia: Dibs | River Crossing | Crossword Pyramids | Hammer of the Scots | Two-Player Card: Balloon Cup |
| 2003[6] | DVONN | Pueblo | Puerto Rico | Emerald | Vom Kap Bis Kairo (From Cape to Cairo) | Mexica | Party: Moods | Nemesis Factor | - | Wilderness War | Manual Dexterity: Villa Paletti |
| 2002 | Evo | Morisi | Java | Africa | Babel | Lord of the Rings | Hilarium | Flip-It! | My Word! | Drive on Paris | Manual Dexterity: Space Game |
| 2001 | Aladdin's Dragons | ZÈRTZ | The Princes of Florence | Café International | Hellrail | Web of Power | Democrazy | Lunar Lockout | - | Paths of Glory | Two-Player Card: Caesar & Cleopatra Dexterity: Carabande |
| 2000[7] | Torres | Octi | Memory: Mamma Mia | Moonshot | Buried Treasure | Tikal | Apples to Apples | Ricochet Robot | Double Quick! | - | Trivia: Bioviva CCG: Pokémon Dexterity: Spintrek |
| 1999[8] | Fossil | GIPF | Conflict: Atlantic Storm | Montgolfiere | Bohnanza | El Grande | Say When! | Stormy Seas | Alpha Blitz | - | Trivia: Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? CCG: C 23 |
| 1998[8] | Quoridor | Balanx | Strategy & Conflict: Princess Ryan's Star Marines | Take It Easy | Get the Goods | Quandary | Wise and Otherwise | Lost in a Jigsaw | A to Z | - | Trivia: Director's Cut CCG: Magic: The Gathering - Portal |
| 1997[9] | 25 Words or Less | Transpose | Strategy & Conflict: Field Command | Mole in the Hole | Take 6 | Priceless | Last Chance | Deluxe Lights Out | Bethump'd With Words | Adventure & Role-Playing: Dragonlance: Fifth Age | Trivia: Origins |
| 1996[10] | Sharp Shooters | Strategy: Quixo | Conflict: Colonial Diplomacy | Touché | Phantoms of the Ice | Sports: Dynasty League Baseball | Catch Phrase | Lights Out | Pre.fix | Adventure & Role Playing: Dragon Dice: Battle Box | Trivia: Chronicles CCG: On the Edge CCG: Standard Starter Deck |
| 1994[10] | Myst | Abstract Strategy: The Game of Y | Wargames: V for Victory | Peg Poker | Arcade: Lode Runner: The Legend Returns | Real-Life Strategy: X-Com UFO Defense | The Doonesbury Game | Breakthru! | Boggle Master | Adventure: The Elder Scrolls: Arena | Trivia: Quote Unquote |
| 1993[10] | Inklings | Char | - | Perpetual Notion | Arcade: Ecco the Dolphin | Real-Life: Civilization | Oodles | The Incredible Machine | Pick Two! | Adventure: Return to Zork | Trivia: Celebrity Challenge |
| 1992[10] | Pipeline | Terrace | - | Showdown Yahtzee | Arcade: Super Tetris | Real-Life Strategy: D-Day | Humm…ble | Heaven & Earth | Wordsters | Adventure: The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes | Trivia: Times To Remember |
| 1991[10] | Trumpet | Master Labyrinth | - | Stack | Arcade: Wing Commander | Real-Life Strategy: Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective | Tabloid Teasers | 3 In Three | Swoggle | War/Adventure: HeroQuest | Trivia: Play It By Ear |
These are winners of Spiel des Jahres, the German board game award.
As of 2010[update], the winners of 1UP's Game of the Year are chosen by the editors. (In 2009, they also revealed their picks in the Reader's Choice Awards). For the Reader's Choice, see the Reader and gamer polls GOTY Section below.[11]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim[12] | Open World: RPG | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2010 | Red Dead Redemption[13] | Open World: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar Games |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves[14] | Action-Adventure: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog Software |
Formerly known as Academy of Video Games. Includes all GOTY Winners picked by AIE staff members. Note: All winners before 1993 were picked in 1993 when AIE was formed.
The winners of the Crispy Gamer Game of the Year are chosen by the Crispy Gamer Game Trust.[35]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Batman: Arkham Asylum[36] | Action/adventure | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Rocksteady Studios |
| 2008 | Fallout 3[37] | Action RPG | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Bethesda Game Studios |
| 2007 | BioShock | Shooter | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, Mac OS X | 2K Boston/2K Australia |
The winners of the Edge Game of the Year are chosen by Edge editors.[38]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Action-Adventure: Open World | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo EAD, Monolith Soft |
| 2010 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Platformer | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo EAD Tokyo |
| 2009 | No award given | |||
| 2008 | LittleBigPlanet | Puzzle-Platformer | PlayStation 3 | Media Molecule |
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy | Platformer | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo EAD Tokyo |
| 2006 | Final Fantasy XII | Role-Playing Game | PlayStation 2 | Square Enix |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival Horror: (Third-Person) Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Wii, Windows | Capcom Production Studio 4 |
| 2004 | Half-Life 2 | (First-Person) Shooter | Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Valve Corporation |
The winners of the Electronic Gaming Monthly Game of the Year are chosen by Electronic Gaming Monthly editors.
The winners of the Eurogamer (UK) Game of the Year are chosen by Eurogamer (UK) editors.[39]
The winners of the Gamasutra Game of the Year are chosen by Gamasutra editors.[40]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Portal 2[41] | Puzzle | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Valve Corporation |
| 2010 | Red Dead Redemption | Action Adventure | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar Games |
| 2009 | Dragon Age: Origins | Role-Playing Game | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, Mac OS X | BioWare, Edge of Reality |
| 2008 | Fallout 3 | RPG | PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360 | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2007 | Portal | Puzzle, first-person shooter, science fiction | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows | Valve Corporation |
| 2006 | Wii Sports | Sports game | Wii | Nintendo EAD |
The winners of the Game Informer Game of the Year are chosen by Game Informer editors.[42]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Red Dead Redemption | Open World: (Third-Person) Shooter | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Rockstar Games |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Third-person shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Open World, Action | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North |
| 2007 | BioShock | Shooter | Windows, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 | 2K Boston/2K Australia |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Action-Adventure | Wii | Nintendo |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival Horror: (Third-Person) Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Wii | Capcom |
| 2001 | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty [43] | Stealth, Action-Adventure | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows | Konami |
The winners of the GamePro Game of the Year are chosen by GamePro editors.[44]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Assassin's Creed II | Third-person action-adventure | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Ubisoft Montreal |
| 2008 | LittleBigPlanet | Puzzle Platformer | PlayStation 3 | Media Molecule |
| 2007 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Action | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PC | Infinity Ward |
| 2006 | Gears of War | Third-person shooter | Xbox 360 | Epic Games |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival Horror: (Third-Person) Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2 Windows | Capcom |
The winners of the Games magazine Game of the Year are chosen by Games editors.[1]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Portal 2 | Puzzler | PC/360/PS3 | Valve |
| 2011 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Platformer | Wii | Nintendo |
| 2010 | Batman: Arkham Asylum | Action-adventure | PC/360/PS3 | Eidos |
| 2009 | Spore | Life simulation | PC/Mac | EA/Maxis |
| 2008 | BioShock | Action-adventure | PC/360 | 2K/Irrational |
| 2007 | Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | Action RPG | 360/PC | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2006 | Psychonauts | Platformer | PC/Xbox | Majesco |
| 2005 | City of Heroes | MMORPG | PC/Internet | NC Soft |
| 2004 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | Action-adventure | Nintendo | |
| 2003 | Neverwinter Nights | RPG | PC | Atari |
| 2002 | Black & White | Simulation | Electronic Arts | |
| 2001 | The Sims | Life sim | PC, Mac | Maxis/EA, Aspyr |
| 2000 | PC: Half-Life Console: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
FPS Action-adventure |
Win 95/98 N64 |
Sierra Studios Nintendo |
| 1999 | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | Platformer | PSX, Win95 | GT Interactive |
| 1998 | Obsidian | Adventure | SegaSoft/Rocket Science | |
| 1997 | Links LS | Sports | Access | |
| 1996 | - | - | - | - |
| 1995 | Virtual Pool | Sports | Interplay | |
| 1994 | Myst | Adventure | Broderbund |
The winners of the Games Master Game of the Year are chosen by Games Master editors.[45]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Platformer | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo |
| 2009 | Batman: Arkham Asylum | Action/adventure | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Eidos Interactive |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Open World, Action | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North |
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy | Platformer | Wii | Nintendo |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Action-adventure | Wii, Nintendo GameCube | Nintendo |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival Horror: (Third-Person) Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Wii | Capcom |
GamesRadar holds a Platinum Chalice Awards feature each year, as part of that, the Game of the Year chosen by the editors are:[46]
The winners of the GameSpot Game of the Year are chosen by GameSpot editors.[52]
PC
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Serious Sam: The First Encounter[63] | (First-Person) Shooter | Windows, Linux | Croteam |
| 2000 | The Sims[64] | Life simulation game | Windows, Mac OS | Maxis |
| 1999 | EverQuest[65] | MMORPG | Windows | Sony Online Entertainment |
| 1998 | Grim Fandango[66] | Adventure | Windows | LucasArts |
| 1997 | Total Annihilation[67] | Real-time strategy | Windows, Mac OS | Cavedog Ent. |
| 1996 | Diablo[68] | Action RPG: Hack and Slash | Windows, Mac OS | Blizzard North |
Console
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Grand Theft Auto III[69] | Open World Action | PlayStation 2 | Rockstar North |
| 2000 | Chrono Cross[70] | RPG | PlayStation | Square Co. |
| 1999 | Soul Calibur[71] | Fighter | Dreamcast | Namco |
| 1998 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[72] | Action-Adventure | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo |
The winners of the GameSpy Game of the Year are chosen by GameSpy editors.[73]
The winners of the GameTrailers Game of the Year are chosen by GameTrailers editors.[74]
The Game Developers Choice Awards are chosen by registered game developers and unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.
The winners of the Giant Bomb Game of the Year are chosen by Giant Bomb editors.[93] In 2011, the editors changed their Game of the Year deliberations from picking a winner from their console-specific award winners, to creating a Top 10 list from their collective personal Top 10 games and ordering them from 10th to 1st.[94]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [95] | Role-playing game | Windows, Xbox 360 | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2[96] | RPG | Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3 | BioWare |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves[97] | Third-person shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV[98] | Open World Action | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North |
IGN's most prestigious game of the year award is chosen by all the editors at IGN and unveiled mid-January.
In addition, the Australian (Au) team at IGN has been posting a top 10 games of the year since 2008. IGN AU's game of the year is as follows:
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2[110] | Action RPG: (Third-Person) Shooter | Xbox 360, Windows | BioWare |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves[111] | Action-Adventure: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog Software |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV[112] | Open World: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North Ltd. |
The winners of the Grand Award annually given by the Japan Game Awards, formerly known as the CESA Awards, since 1996. There are some years where two games shared the Grand Award.[113]
The video games in the Entertainment/Interactive Art divison of the Japan Media Arts Festival that have won Grand Prizes or Excellence Prizes.
The winners of the Joystiq Game of the Year are chosen by Joystiq editors.[114]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Open World: RPG | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | RPG | Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3 | BioWare |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Third-person shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2008 | Fable II | Action RPG, Sandbox | Xbox 360 | Lionhead Studios |
| 2007 | Portal | Puzzle, first-person shooter, science fiction | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows | Valve Corporation |
| 2006 | Gears of War | Tactical Shooter | Xbox 360, Windows | Epic Games |
Over the years, Kotaku has been refining how it selects its Game of the Year. Currently, it involves a debate which starts with the Kotaku editors determining the four most defendable candidates for the award. Editors are then given time to play all the games, and for each of the candidates, an appropriate editor is determined to make his case behind it in front of a panel who also raise questions. The results of these debates are given to the readers, who then also have the chance to make their own opinions felt. To make the final decision, the Kotaku staff members reexamine their arguments, and the winner is determined from a vote between the editors in late January.[115][116]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Portal 2[117] | Puzzle, first-person shooter, science fiction | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Mac OSX | Valve Corporation |
| 2010 | Red Dead Redemption[118] | Open World: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar Games |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves[119] | Third-person shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV[120] | Open World, Action | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC | Rockstar North |
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy[121] | Platformer | Wii | Nintendo |
The winners of the Los Angeles Times Game of the Year are chosen by Los Angeles Times editors.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | First-person shooter, third-person shooter | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Infinity Ward |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Open World, Action | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North |
The top game of each year, chosen by Metro's GameCentral editors.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Action-Adventure: Open World | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo EAD, Monolith Soft |
| 2010 | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Platformer | Wii | Nintendo EAD |
| 2009 | Street Fighter IV | Fighting | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows | Capcom, Dimps |
| 2008 | Fallout 3 | Role-Playing Game | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows | Bethesda Game Studios |
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy | Platformer | Wii | Nintendo EAD |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Action-Adventure: Open World | Wii | Nintendo EAD |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival Horror: (Third-Person) Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Wii, iOS, Zeebo, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Capcom Production Studio 4 |
The winners of the New York Times Game of the Year are chosen by New York Times editors.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | Action RPG: (Third-Person) Shooter | Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3 | BioWare |
| 2009(Tie) | Assassin's Creed II[122] | Open World Action-Adventure | Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 | Ubisoft Montreal |
| 2009(Tie) | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Action-Adventure: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog Software |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Open World, Action | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North |
| 2007 | Mass Effect | RPG | PC, Xbox 360 | Bioware |
| 2006 | Wii Sports | Sports game | Wii | Nintendo EAD |
The winners of the Spike Video Game Awards Game of the Year are chosen by an advisory council, featuring 25 journalists from various media outlets.
The games chosen by The Washington Examiner editors as the best game in their annual "Top 10 video games" list.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword[123] | Action-Adventure: Open World | Nintendo Wii | Nintendo EAD, Monolith Soft |
| 2010 | Fallout: New Vegas | Action RPG | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Obsidian Entertainment |
The winners of the Time magazine Game of the Year are chosen by Time magazine editors.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Alan Wake | Action/Adventure | Xbox 360 | Remedy |
| 2009 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | First-person shooter, third-person shooter | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Infinity Ward |
| 2008 | Grand Theft Auto IV | Open World, Action | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Rockstar North |
| 2007 | Halo 3 | First-person shooter | Xbox 360 | Bungie |
| 2006 | Wii Sports | Sports game | Wii | Nintendo EAD |
The winners of the X-Play Game of the Year are chosen by X-Play editors.[124]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim[125] | RPG | Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3 | Bethesda Softworks |
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2[126] | RPG | Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3 | BioWare |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves[127] | Third-person shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2008 | Fable II[128] | Action RPG, Sandbox | Xbox 360 | Lionhead Studios |
| 2007 | BioShock[129] | Shooter | Windows, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 | 2K Boston/2K Australia |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Action-adventure | Wii, Nintendo GameCube | Nintendo |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival Horror: (Third-Person) Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Wii | Capcom |
| 2004 | Halo 2 | First-person shooter | Windows, Xbox | Bungie |
Typically, Game of the Year is decided amongst a consensus of video game editors. The following sites provide rankings based on a cumulation of their review scores.
GameRankings ranks games according to an average of their review score across multiple sources. The highest for each year are:[130]
† The Xbox release of Grand Theft Auto Double Pack scored slightly higher than The Wind Waker but was a re-release of both GTA3 & Vice City, which came out in 2001/2002.
The winners of the Metacritic Game of the Year are determined by the game with the highest score garnered from an average of weighted review scores from various sources. Each year, Metacritic announce the highest in an official award.[45]
In addition to the editor's picks, 1UP.com also hosts a poll for the Readers' GOTYs. Until 2010, this was considered their primary Game of the Year.[11]
In addition to the editor's picks, Eurogamer (UK) also hosts a poll for the Reader's GOTY.[39]
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | Action RPG: (Third-Person) Shooter | Xbox360, PC, Playstation 3 | Bioware |
| 2009 | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Third-person shooter | PlayStation 3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2008 | Fable II | Action RPG, Sandbox | Xbox 360 | Lionhead Studios |
| 2007 | BioShock | Shooter | Windows, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 | 2K Boston/2K Australia |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Action-adventure | Wii, Nintendo GameCube | Nintendo |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | Survival horror, Shooter | GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Wii | Capcom |
The Grand Prize winners of the annual Famitsu Awards, voted by the magazine's readers.
The winners of G4's annual "Videogame Deathmatch" or "G-phoria" polls.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword[136] | Action-Adventure: Open World | Wii | Nintendo EAD, Monolith Soft |
| 2010 | StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | Real-Time Strategy | Windows | Blizzard |
| 2009 | Fallout 3 | Role-Playing Game | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Bethesda Game Studios |
| 2008 | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Stealth: (Third-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3 | Kojima Productions |
| 2007 | Gears of War | (Third-Person) Shooter | Xbox 360, Windows | Epic Games |
GameFAQs' annual Game of the Year is chosen by its readers.
The winner of the Game Revolution Community Choice Game of the Year award.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dark Souls[152] | Action Role-Playing Game | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | From Software |
In addition to the editor's picks, GameSpot also hosts a poll for the Readers' GOTY.
In addition to the editor's picks, IGN also hosts a poll for the Readers' GOTY.
The winners of MMGN's annual Community Game of the Year poll.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword[157] | Action-Adventure: Open World | Wii | Nintendo EAD, Monolith Soft |
| 2010 | Red Dead Redemption | Open World: (Third-Person) Shooter | Playstation 3, Xbox360 | Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar North |
| 2009 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | (First-Person) Shooter | PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 | Infinity Ward |
| 2007 | Super Mario Galaxy | Platformer | Wii | Nintendo EAD Tokyo |
The winners of ScrewAttack's annual Top 10 Games poll.
| Year | Game | Genre | Platform(s) | Developer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword[158] | Action-Adventure: Open World | Wii | Nintendo EAD, Monolith Soft |
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | Action RPG: (Third-Person) Shooter | Xbox360, PC, Playstation 3 | Bioware |
| 2009 | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Stealth: (Third-Person) Shooter | Playstation 3 | Kojima Productions |