British Academy Games Award for Best Game

Not to be confused with BAFTA's EE Game of the Year Award.
British Academy Video Games Award for Best Game
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
First awarded2004
Websitewww.bafta.org/games

The British Academy Video Games Award for Best Game is an award presented annually at the British Academy Games Awards. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is honouring "the best game of the year, across all genres and platforms".[1] The 1st British Academy Video Games Awards ceremony was held in 2004, with Infinity Ward and Activision's game Call of Duty receiving the award.[2] The award was originally known as Game of the Year – The Year's Best Game for the 2004 ceremony.

Since its inception, the award has been given to eighteen games. As developers, Valve and Naughty Dog have received the most awards in this category, with two wins, while Sony Interactive Entertainment are the most awarded publishers in this category, with five wins. Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development division were nominated on six occasions, more than any other developer; and Sony are the most nominated publisher, with sixteen nominations.

The most recent winner of the award is Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios, which received it at the 20th British Academy Games Awards.

Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years are listed as per BAFTA convention, and generally correspond to the year of game release in the United Kingdom.

Table key
Indicates the winner
Year Game Developer(s) Publisher(s) Ref.
2002/03
(1st) 		Call of Duty Infinity Ward Activision [2]
2003/04
(2nd) 		Half-Life 2 Valve [3]
FIFA Football 2005 EA Canada Electronic Arts
Football Manager 2005 Sports Interactive Sega
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Rockstar North Rockstar Games
Halo 2 Bungie Microsoft Game Studios
Pro Evolution Soccer 4 Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Konami
2005/06
(3rd) 		Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Ubisoft Paris, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Shanghai, Darkworks, Grin Ubisoft [4]
Black Criterion Games Electronic Arts
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? Nintendo SPD Nintendo
Guitar Hero Harmonix RedOctane
Hitman: Blood Money IO Interactive Eidos Interactive
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Traveller's Tales LucasArts
2006/07
(4th) 		BioShock 2K Boston, 2K Australia 2K Games [5]
Crysis Crytek Electronic Arts
Gears of War Epic Games Microsoft Game Studios
Guitar Hero II Harmonix Activision
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men IO Interactive Eidos Interactive
Wii Sports Nintendo EAD Nintendo
2007/08
(5th) 		Super Mario Galaxy Nintendo EAD Tokyo Nintendo [6]
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Infinity Ward Activision
Fallout 3 Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks
Fable II Lionhead Studios Microsoft Game Studios
Grand Theft Auto IV Rockstar North Rockstar Games
Rock Band Harmonix, Pi Studios MTV Games, Electronic Arts
2009
(6th) 		Batman: Arkham Asylum Rocksteady Studios Eidos Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment [7]
Assassin's Creed II Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Infinity Ward Activision
FIFA 10 EA Canada, HB Studios, Sumo Digital, Exient Entertainment Electronic Arts
Left 4 Dead 2 Valve
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Naughty Dog Sony Computer Entertainment
2010
(7th) 		Mass Effect 2 BioWare Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios [8]
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
FIFA 11 EA Canada, HB Studios, Exient Entertainment Electronic Arts
Heavy Rain Quantic Dream Sony Computer Entertainment
Limbo Playdead Microsoft Game Studios
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Nintendo EAD Tokyo Nintendo
2011
(8th) 		Portal 2 Valve Valve [9]
Batman: Arkham City Rocksteady Studios Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
FIFA 12 EA Canada Electronic Arts
L.A. Noire Team Bondi Rockstar Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Nintendo EAD Nintendo
2012
(9th) 		Dishonored Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks [10]
Far Cry 3 Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
FIFA 13 EA Canada Electronic Arts
Journey Thatgamecompany, Santa Monica Studio Sony Computer Entertainment
Mass Effect 3 BioWare, Straight Right Electronic Arts
The Walking Dead Telltale Games
2013
(10th) 		The Last of Us Naughty Dog Sony Computer Entertainment [11]
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Ubisoft Quebec Ubisoft
Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar North Rockstar Games
Papers, Please 3909
Super Mario 3D World Nintendo EAD Tokyo, 1-Up Studio Nintendo
Tearaway Media Molecule Sony Computer Entertainment
2014
(11th) 		Destiny Bungie Activision [12]
Alien: Isolation The Creative Assembly Sega
Dragon Age: Inquisition BioWare Electronic Arts
Mario Kart 8 Nintendo EAD Nintendo
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Monolith Productions Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Monument Valley ustwo Games ustwo Studio
2015
(12th) 		Fallout 4 Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks [13]
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture The Chinese Room, Santa Monica Studio Sony Computer Entertainment
Life Is Strange Dontnod Entertainment Square Enix
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Kojima Productions Konami Digital Entertainment
Rocket League Psyonix
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt CD Projekt Red CD Projekt
2016
(13th) 		Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Naughty Dog Sony Interactive Entertainment [14]
Firewatch Campo Santo Panic
Inside Playdead Playdead
Overwatch Blizzard Entertainment
Stardew Valley ConcernedApe Chucklefish
Titanfall 2 Respawn Entertainment Electronic Arts
2017

(14th)

What Remains of Edith Finch Giant Sparrow Annapurna Interactive [15]
Assassin's Creed Origins Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Ninja Theory
Horizon Zero Dawn Guerrilla Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo EPD Nintendo
Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo EPD Tokyo Nintendo
2018

(15th)

God of War Santa Monica Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment [16]
Assassin's Creed Odyssey Ubisoft Quebec Ubisoft
Astro Bot Rescue Mission Japan Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment
Celeste Matt Makes Games Inc.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games
Return of the Obra Dinn Lucas Pope 3909
2019

(16th)

Outer Wilds Mobius Digital Annapurna Interactive [17]
Control Remedy Entertainment 505 Games
Disco Elysium ZA/UM ZA/UM
Luigi's Mansion 3 Next Level Games Nintendo
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice FromSoftware Activision
Untitled Goose Game House House Panic
2020

(17th)

Hades Supergiant Games Supergiant Games [18]
Ghost of Tsushima Sucker Punch Productions Sony Interactive Entertainment
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo EPD Nintendo
Half-Life: Alyx Valve Valve
The Last of Us Part II Naughty Dog Sony Interactive Entertainment
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
2021

(18th)

Returnal Housemarque Sony Interactive Entertainment [19]
Deathloop Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks
Forza Horizon 5 Playground Games Xbox Game Studios
Inscryption Daniel Mullins Games Devolver Digital
It Takes Two Hazelight Studios Electronic Arts
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
2022

(19th)

Vampire Survivors Poncle [20]
Elden Ring FromSoftware Bandai Namco Entertainment
God of War Ragnarök Santa Monica Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment
Marvel Snap Second Dinner Nuverse
Stray BlueTwelve Studio Annapurna Interactive
Cult of the Lamb Massive Monster Devolver Digital
2023

(20th)

Baldur's Gate 3 Larian Studios [21]
Alan Wake 2 Remedy Entertainment Epic Games
Dave the Diver Mintrocket
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo

Multiple nominations and wins

Developers

Developer Nominations Wins
Nintendo 11 1
EA Vancouver[a] 5 0
Ubisoft Montreal 5 0
Naughty Dog 4 2
Valve Corporation 4 2
BioWare 3 1
Infinity Ward 3 1
Santa Monica Studio 4 1
Harmonix 3 0
Rockstar North 3 0
Arkane Studios 2 1
Bungie 2 1
FromSoftware 2 0
Remedy Entertainment 2 0
Rocksteady Studios 2 1
Insomniac Games 3 0
IO Interactive 2 0
Playdead 2 0

Publishers

Publisher Nominations Wins
Sony Interactive Entertainment 17 5
Electronic Arts 12 1
Nintendo 13 1
Ubisoft 7 1
Activision 6 2
Bethesda Softworks 5 2
Xbox Game Studios 5 0
Valve Corporation 4 2
Eidos Interactive 3 1
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 3 1
Annapurna Interactive 3 2
3909 2 0
Devolver Digital 2 0
Konami 2 0
Panic 2 0
Sega 2 0

Notes

  1. ^ All nominated as EA Canada.

References

  1. ^ "British Academy Games Awards Rules and Guidelines 2015" (PDF). British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Games in 2004". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Games in 2005". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Games in 2006". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Games in 2007". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Games in 2009". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Games in 2010". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Games in 2011". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Games in 2012". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  10. ^ "Games in 2013". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Games in 2014". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Games in 2015". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  13. ^ "British Academy Games Awards Winners in 2016". BAFTA.org. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Games in 2017 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  15. ^ "Winners List for the British Academy Games Awards in 2018 (Plain Text) | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  16. ^ "BAFTA Games Awards winners 2019". awards.bafta.org. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  17. ^ "2020 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  18. ^ Ankers, Adele (March 2, 2021). "BAFTA Games Awards 2021 Nominations Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  19. ^ "2022 BAFTA Games Awards Winners". 3 March 2022.
  20. ^ "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Winners". BAFTA. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  21. ^ "2024 BAFTA Games Awards: The Winners". BAFTA Games Awards. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.