The Game Awards 2022 LIVE: Winners, trailers, and every Xbox announcement!
The Game Awards is the biggest gaming event of the year, and Windows Central is covering it all.
Greetings, and thanks for joining Windows Central for one of the biggest, most anticipated video games events of the year. The Game Awards 2022, hosted once again by Geoff Keighley, will celebrate all of the latest and greatest video games of 2022 — and share plenty of peeks at what's to come to players in the future. Windows Central is covering the entire event from start to finish with every Game Awards winner, game trailer and announcement, and all the unique and original opinions you can't find anywhere else.
Stay tuned, as our coverage on The Game Awards will persist through the event and beyond. If you don't want to miss a thing, this is where you should be. The Game Awards 2022 has officially arrived.
Need to know where you can watch The Game Awards? The event is streaming at the locations above. — Zachary Boddy
Vampire Survivors is now available for free on mobile platforms
Vampire Survivors is available now on mobile platforms, with a trailer for the release shown during The Game Awards. It's completely free on both iOS and Android, and is a fantastic game to play if you're looking for some intense bullet hell action to kill time with. Check out our short list of Vampire Survivor tricks for some beginner's tips. — Brendan Lowry
MultiVersus wins Best Fighting Game 2022 at The Game Awards
The Warner Bros. platform fighter MultiVersus has won the Best Fighting Game award, with the title widely recognized for its excellent gameplay depth, fantastic presentation, and its wide variety of popular and beloved characters. Here at Windows Central, we love the game, and called it a "super-smashing platform fighter" in our MultiVerus review. — Brendan Lowry
Returnal hits PC in early 2023
During The Game Awards 2022 pre-show, PlayStation showed up to confirm that Returnal is hitting Windows PC in "early 2023." Notably, this is the first PS5 exclusive that Sony has announced for PC, despite the growing list of PlayStation Studios games on PC. — Samuel Tolbert
Street Fighter 6 confirms June 2, 2023 release date, up for pre-order
After having its release date leaked via the PlayStation Store, Street Fighter 6 is confirmed to be arriving on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PCs, and other platforms on June 2, 2023. You can also now pre-order Street Fighter 6 from Xbox, with 3 editions from which to choose. More expensive editions include a Character Pass, additional characters, in-game currency, and more. — Zachary Boddy
Valorant wins Best Esports Game at The Game Awards
Valorant, the sci-fi tactical shooter inspired by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, has won the Best Esports Game award at The Game Awards. Ever since it released in 2020, Valorant has taken the competitive gaming scene by storm with its snappy gunplay, deep and nuanced gameplay flow, its wide variety of playable "Agents," and more. Notably, Xbox Game Pass subscribers now get access to all Valorant Agents right away. — Brendan Lowry
BioShock devs announce Judas for Xbox, PC
Ghost Story Games, formerly known as Irrational Games (known for developing BioShock and BioShock infinite), has announced Judas at The Game Awards. Judas is described as a "narrative first-person shooter" and appears to feature strange, shocking environments, a dark and twisted story, and lots of intense gameplay moments. The game can be wishlisted now, and will release on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and PS5. With any luck, it will end up being one of the best Xbox shooters when it launches. — Brendan Lowry
Christopher Judge wins Best Performance
Christopher Judge won Best Performance for his role as Kratos in God of War Ragnarök. In his (very lengthy) acceptance speech, Judge talked emotionally about the process of performing in the game. God of War Ragnarök is not yet available on PC, having launched on PS5 and PS4 on Nov. 9, 2022. God of War (2018) is available on PC, so it will likely launch at a later date. — Samuel Tolbert
Stray wins Best Debut Indie Game 2022 at The Game Awards
Stray, the adorable cat adventure game from BlueTwelve Studio, has won the Best Debut Indie Game 2022 award at The Game Awards. The game captivated countless gamers with its gorgeous visuals, intricately-detailed level design, enjoyable gameplay mechanics, and its precious feline protagonist. We awarded the game 4.5/5 stars in our review, calling it a "deeply emotional adventure" that we fell in love with. — Brendan Lowry
Hades 2 gets announced, being developed in early access
Hades continues to be one of the best indie games released in years, and Supergiant Games has finally announced Hades 2, the sequel to the legendary roguelike. Hades 2 is currently confirmed for Steam and Epic Games Store on Windows PCs, and will be developed in early access alongside players. More info on Hades 2 will come in 2023. — Zachary Boddy
The Last of Us Part 1 gets PC release date
More PlayStation Studios games coming to PC were announced during the show. Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 1, a remake of the 2013 game, launched on PS5 earlier in the year. Now, it's heading to PC on March 3, 2023. Featuring rebuilt graphics, this is the second Naughty Dog game to come to PC after Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection launched on PC earlier in 2022. All things told, PlayStation is quickly becoming responsible for some of the best PC games available. — Samuel Tolbert
Arcane wins Best Adaptation at The Game Awards
Arcane, the animated show that adapts the immensely popular MOBA League of Legends, has won the Best Adaptation award at The Game Awards. Arcane is widely loved by the gaming community for its impeccably beautiful animation, phenomenal music and sound design, and incredible storytelling. The show's first season released in late 2021, and Season 2 is expected to come out in late 2023 or early 2024. — Brendan Lowry
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's leaked release date is confirmed
Cal Kestis is back! Star Wars Jedi: Survivor officially has a release date. More lightsaber battles, new planets, and new dangerous foes await. Anyone with an Xbox Series X|S, PC, or PS5 can look forward to finding out what's next on March 17, 2023. — Samuel Tolbert
God of War: Ragnarök wins Best Narrative Game 2022 at The Game Awards
God of War: Ragnarök has officially won the Best Narrative Game award at The Game Awards 2022. Since its recent release, Ragnarök has been widely and strongly praised by critics and gamers alike for its impeccable character dialogue, plot, themes, cutscenes, and more. — Brendan Lowry
Elden Ring wins Best Art Direction 2022 at The Game Awards
At The Game Awards 2022, FromSoftware's latest fantasy ARPG Elden Ring took home the Best Art Direction award. The Lands Between, the open world that Elden Ring takes place in, is filled to the brim with jaw-dropping regions and unbelievably stunning locations. From the depths of the majestic Eternal Cities to the impossible heights of Crumbling Farum Azula, every area in Elden Ring is a sight for sore eyes. — Brendan Lowry
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope wins Best Strategy / Simulation Game
The latest Mario + Rabbids installment, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, beat out other excellent strategy games like Total War: Warhammer 3 and Two Point: Campus to win the ultimate strategy and simulation award at The Game Awards 2022. — Zachary Boddy
As Dusk Falls wins Games for Impact category
As Dusk Falls, the debut game from INTERIOR/NIGHT that was published earlier in the year by Xbox Game Studios, won the award for Games for Impact. In her acceptance speech, the game's director Caroline Marchal spoke about how much the support from Microsoft meant, and how thrilled she was that the game's characters and themes resonated with people.
In our review, we wrote that "While the second half of this adventure falls short of the first, As Dusk Falls delivers a captivating story full of drama and consequence that feel true to its American setting." — Samuel Tolbert
Immortals of Aveum announced for Xbox and PC, coming 2023
Ascendant Studios has teamed up with EA Originals to create and announce Immortals of Aveum, which looks to be an action-packed first-person shooter with both guns and magic. The game is slated to release at some point in 2023, and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PCs, and PS5. — Brendan Lowry
Baldur's Gate 3 gets August 2023 release date, Collector's Edition available for preorder
Baldur's Gate 3, the upcoming new entry in the legendary RPG series being developed by the elite developer Larian Studios, has received an official August 2023 release date. It was revealed alongside a brand new trailer for the game during The Game Awards, which you can watch above. The game's first act has been available to play in Early Access since 2020, and now, the $270 Collector's Edition is available for preorder. — Brendan Lowry
Diablo 4 gets June release date
In line with recent leaks, Diablo 4 got a full release date of June 6, 2023. A new trailer shows Tyrael, seemingly restored as an Archangel, leading an army against the demonic forces of Lilith. Additionally, Diablo 4 preorders are now live. — Samuel Tolbert
God of War: Ragnarök wins Best Audio Design at The Game Awards
God of War: Ragnarök has won the Best Audio Design award at The Game Awards, with fans and critics everywhere recognizing the game's many fantastic sound effects and numerous other audio elements. These helped make it one of the most immersive and lifelike games of 2022. — Brendan Lowry
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wins Most Anticipated Game award
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the upcoming follow-up to the award-winning Breath of the Wild, has won the Most Anticipated Game award during The Game Awards 2022. The game has an expected release date of May 12, 2023, and will be available on Nintendo Switch. — Brendan Lowry
Bayonetta 3 wins Best Action Game 2022 at The Game Awards
During The Game Awards 2022, Bayonetta 3 took home the Best Action Game award, with the gaming community falling in love with its incredibly stylish and engaging gameplay mechanics. The game is available on Nintendo Switch, and is arguably one of 2022's best games. — Brendan Lowry
God of War: Ragnarök takes home Best Score and Music award
God of War: Ragnarök continues to win big during The Game Awards, with the title nabbing the Best Score and Music award. The game's score adds an incredible amount of emotional weight to every scene it's present in, enhancing the story, gameplay, and everything else. — Brendan Lowry
Company of Heroes 3 is coming to Xbox in 2023
During The Game Awards, it was announced that the upcoming World War 2 RTS Company of Heroes 3 is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PS5 in 2023, sometime after the PC version releases on February 23. The console version of game will sport a controller-friendly control scheme and user interface, making the experience as enjoyable as possible for console gamers. Read our full coverage on how SEGA and Relic Entertainment are bringing Company of Heroes 3 to Xbox for more. — Brendan Lowry
Focus Entertainment reveals Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Don't Nod, developers of games like Vampyr, turned up at the show in partnership with Focus Entertainment to reveal a new IP called Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. It's an action-RPG that's focused on hunting down ghosts. — Samuel Tolbert
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 makes a gory appearance
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was announced last year at the Game Awards 2021, and at this year's awards, Focus Entertainment revealed a new gameplay trailer that showed off the Emperor's Angels of Death in action. The gameplay looks brutal, and it's slated to launch in 2023. — Samuel Tolbert
Crash Team Rumble is coming in 2023
Toys for Bob and Activision revealed a new Crash Bandicoot game during the awards. Titled Crash Team Rumble, it pits teams of heroes against villains, and it's coming in 2023. — Samuel Tolbert
God of War: Ragnarök takes home another award with Innovation in Accessibility
God of War: Ragnarök has been taking home plenty of victories at The Game Awards 2022, and the latest is for Innovation in Accessibility, as the latest Santa Monica title is packed to the brim with advanced settings and options for players. It beat out other great entries in the field like As Dusk Falls, while other highly accessible games like Grounded were not nominated. — Zachary Boddy
The Lords of the Fallen gets official gameplay trailer
An official gameplay trailer for The Lords of the Fallen, a follow-up to the 2014 game of the same name, was shown during The Game Awards. Based on it, the game will be a dark fantasy ARPG Soulslike much like the original, featuring diverse environments full of beauty, wonder, horrors, and more. The game can be wishlisted now and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Epic Games, and PS5. — Brendan Lowry
Elden Ring wins Best RPG Game 2022 at The Game Awards
During The Game Awards, FromSoftware's Elden Ring took home the award for Best RPG Game, after fans around the world fell in love with its huge number of buildcrafting options and roleplaying possibilities. These qualities have kept countless gamers playing well after its launch earlier this year, as they add incredible replay value. Between all of Elden Ring's weapons, armors, spells, and more, the sky is truly the limit. — Brendan Lowry
FromSoftware announces Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, coming 2023
During The Game Awards, Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware announced Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and Windows PCs. The game is a new mainline entry in the Elden Ring developer's third-person mecha shooter series, and is the first game in the franchise since 2013's
Armored Core: Verdict Day. The game is releasing in 2023 on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PCs via Steam. — Brendan Lowry
Elden Ring wins Game of the Year 2022 at The Game Awards, hints at more to come
To cap off The Game Awards 2022 show, FromSoftware's fantasy ARPG epic Elden Ring officially took home the award for 2022's Game of the Year. Elden Ring was undoubtedly one of 2022's biggest and most impressive games, shocking players and critics alike with its impeccable game design, world, combat systems, art direction, and more.
As the award was being presented, the developers vaguely suggested that they "have more that they want to do" with Elden Ring, hinting that additional content could be coming to the game in the future.
Congratulations to the teams at Bandai Namco and FromSoftware, and to all of the developers and games that were nominated and won awards! — Brendan Lowry
All The Game Awards winners have been revealed
The Game Awards 2022 have concluded, and every winner has been revealed. We already hit the biggest winners of the evening, including the Game of the Year, Elden Ring, but there were plenty more categories and victors throughout the night. Fortunately, we have the complete list of winners at The Game Awards 2022. — Zachary Boddy
Gorgeous pixel-art game Replaced comes to Xbox Game Pass in 2023
One of the most stunning indie games shown during The Game Awards 2022 was Replaced, an enigmatic title that was announced as a day-one Xbox Game Pass addition ages ago, but was unfortunately delayed. Now the game has an all-new trailer showing its improved, impossibly beautiful visual aesthetic, brutal combat, and enticing world. This quickly joined my list of most-anticipated games, and it's coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PCs, and Xbox and PC Game Pass in 2023. — Zachary Boddy
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League reveals Batman voiced by Kevin Conroy
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is heading to Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 26, 2023, and it got an intriguing new trailer during The Game Awards 2022. The trailer officially reveals the game's Batman, which is voiced by the legendary, and sadly passed, Kevin Conroy, making it his final performance as the iconic superhero. — Zachary Boddy
Tekken 8 gets new gameplay and story trailer
The next installment in the long-running Tekken fighting series is still a long way from a full release on Xbox Series X|S and PC, but that didn't stop the next-generation title from making an appearance during The Game Awards 2022, showcasing slick gameplay and riveting story details. — Zachary Boddy
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Idris Elba appear during The Game Awards 2022
Cyberpunk 2077 has improved in countless ways since its initial controversial launch, and now CD Projekt RED is hard at work on a major content expansion for the sci-fi RPG. Dubbed Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, the 2023-bound current-gen exclusive DLC nabbed a fresh new trailer during The Game Awards 2022, sharing new details. The trailer also revealed that Idris Elba is joining the Cyberpunk universe alongside Keanu Reeves in the expansion. — Zachary Boddy
Good morning, everyone! The Game Awards 2022 may be over, but this is still the best place to go for the biggest news and announcements, like Hades, Armored Core VI, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and more. What's more, for the rest of the day you may find hot takes and original opinions from the Windows Central staff with our thoughts on the show, stand-out games and announcements, and whether we believe the right games won. Stay tuned! — Zachary Boddy
Hades 2 and Replaced were the best games of The Game Awards 2022
Aside from revealing the winners for each of its respective awards, The Game Awards 2022 was also packed with new trailers, reveals, and announcements. Major upcoming games like Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, and even Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon made an appearance during the show. Sadly, Xbox had little to nothing to show during The Game Awards, but that didn't stop two games from stealing the show and rocketing to the top of my most anticipated list.
Hades 2 was officially announced, and I almost can't believe how good it looks. Set some time after the events of the instant-classic roguelike, Hades, Supergiant Games' latest project follows the Princess of the Underworld, Melinoë, as she battles against the brutal and all-powerful Titan of Time, Chronos. She's Zagreus' sister, apparently, and there will be plenty of connections to the first game for fans (although playing the first game won't be necessary to jump into Hades 2).
Hades 2 still takes place in the Underworld and is fueled by the vast repository of ancient Greek mythology, but it also dives into the early roots of witchcraft, with Melinoë being a powerful sorceress influenced by the Goddess of Magic herself, Hecate. There's still a lot left to learn about Hades 2, but it'll be developed in early access on PC alongside players, before eventually releasing on PC and unconfirmed console platforms. Hades was one of my favorite games of 2021 by a huge margin, and I'm understandably waiting with bated breath for a chance to play its sequel.
My second top title of The Game Awards 2022 was REPLACED, a 2.5 pixel-art indie game that was initially announced during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 back in June, with a generic 2022 release date. At the time, I didn't notice REPLACED and it flew under my radar. At The Game Awards 2022, however, REPLACED made a huge splash with a brand-new trailer and an updated 2023 release window, showcasing further improved visuals, movement, and combat.
There are literally hundreds of pixel art games in the industry, but REPLACED still manages to stand apart for me. Its dystopian, mangled world set in an alternate history of the 1980s blew me away with its slick animations and morbid-yet-gorgeous graphics. Combat also looked brutal and fun, at least at first glance in the trailers, and it all came together to become one of my most anticipated games of 2023, even alongside heavy hitters like Minecraft Legends, Starfield, and Redfall.
REPLACED tells the story of R.E.A.C.H., and AI that's trapped in a human body and is forced to confront a crumbling society that has forgotten what it means to be human. It's also coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PCs, and Xbox and PC Game Pass on day one. Hades 2 could still be ages away from a full release, but I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for REPLACED to get a more definitive release date. I want to play this. — Zachary Boddy
Xbox's no-show at The Game Awards caps off a disappointing 2022
The Game Awards 2022 is one of the biggest video games events of the entire year, and is understandably punctuated by appearances from many of the most prominent gaming companies, brands, and publishers. Sony PlayStation appeared frequently throughout the show, for example, with reveals like Death Stranding 2 and new trailers for games like Final Fantasy XVI. One notable absence? Xbox.
Our own Jez Corden wrote in-depth about how Xbox's no-show at The Game Awards capped off a disappointing 2022, highlighting Xbox's continued struggle to deliver meaningful and quality video game content to players. Outside of smaller titles like Pentiment, Grounded, and As Dusk Falls, Xbox had nothing to show for the spree of acquisitions and bold promises it has made throughout the last few years.
2023 looks to be a promising year for the Xbox brand with many confirmed games throughout the year, but it's undeniable that Xbox's absence at The Game Awards 2022 was strongly felt by many industry members, Xbox fans and gamers, and more. Xbox has assured its fans that we won't have to wait long to hear about what's coming from the platform in the near future, but that doesn't erase the bitter taste from a 2022 filled with disappointment (occasionally interrupted by some genuinely good games), despite the ongoing growth of Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and the platform as a whole. Be sure to read Jez's full thoughts in the article above, as he goes much more in-depth. — Zachary Boddy
Why Elden Ring deserved to win Game of the Year
Everyone knew going into The Game Awards last night that the battle for the prestigious Game of the Year award was ultimately going to be between the two biggest titans of 2022's games lineup: Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarök. Both games were and are extraordinarily popular, with their respective fanbases singing oodles of praise for their impeccable quality.
Ultimately, though, I think Elden Ring is the 2022 title that truly pushed the gaming medium forward. To be clear, Ragnarök is fantastic, but its design is also very traditional. It follows the "cinematic action game" formula to a T, and while there's undoubtedly a lot to love about the stability and comfort of a familiar structure that's been honed to perfection, you also know exactly what to expect from it when you play. It's not bold or surprising. It doesn't stand out.
Elden Ring, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of this. FromSoftware's fantasy ARPG epic tears apart the expectations gamers have been trained to have by open world franchises like Far Cry and Assassin's Creed. It does away with icon-filled maps, constant objective markers, and hand-holdy sidequests. It simply lets the Lands Between speak for itself, encouraging the player to discover what it has to offer organically. And it has a lot to offer.
Every nook and cranny of the game's world is filled with remarkable secrets and awe-inspiring sights to behold, making the act of exploration feel incredibly rewarding. I'll never forget the first time I innocently wandered into the Limgrave's Mistwood elevator, activated it, and was left completely speechless as its magic mechanism shot me miles under the surface, with the majestic hidden Eternal City of Nokron visible in the distance. Elden Ring has countless moments like this from start to finish, and because it never holds your hand or makes sure you know what you're getting yourself into, experiencing them on a blind playthrough is deeply special.
Elden Ring is also to be commended for the sheer amount of roleplaying potential it offers. The game has a ridiculous number of different weapons, armors, shields, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ash summons, and more, giving players the freedom to play through their 90-100 hour adventure in any way they want. This has always been a strength of FromSoftware's "Soulsborne" titles, but the developer has truly outdone itself with Elden Ring, especially since there are plenty of opportunities for you to respec your character and create the exact build you want.
These qualities, on top of Elden Ring's phenomenal combat system, boss fights, art direction, audio design, soundtrack, and more, are what make it the clear Game of the Year in my eyes. God of War: Ragnarök is an amazing game, but Elden Ring is a landmark title that stands above the rest, defiant of all expectations and triumphant in spite of the risks it took. — Brendan Lowry
Everything we know about FromSoftware's next game, Armored Core 6
Without a doubt, one of the biggest game announcements from The Game Awards 2022 was Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. FromSoftware is going back to one of its oldest franchises with the new mecha action game, and following the release of its incredible reveal trailer, a surprising amount of information about the title was published on its Steam page.
We've compiled a full article of everything we know about Armored Core 6 so far, including its release date, what the story premise is, what the gameplay will be like, what leaks have revealed about the game, and more. Make sure you check it out if you're interested in learning more! — Brendan Lowry
