The Game Awards 2022: How to Watch and What to Expect

The Game Awards is coming back in 2022 with a live audience for the first time since 2019. There are tons of games already nominated for the show and with some of the biggest names in gaming in attendence. You can expect everything from reveals to musical performances as host Geoff Keighley unveals the award winners for 2022.

The Game Awards will be free for everyone to stream at home starting on December 8. If you’re wondering how and where to watch the event online in 2022, we’ve got you covered with all of the details below.

How to Watch the Game Awards 2022 Livestream

The Game Awards livestream will start on Thursday, December 8 at 4 p.m PT / 7 p.m. ET when the IGN Pre-Show begins. The actual ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET once the pre-shows wrap up.

Where to Watch The Game Awards 2022 Online

We’re hosting the stream for The Game Awards 2022 here, on IGN.com, and on our accounts across all major platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook. Here are all of the links where you can watch the stream on December 8:

How Long Is The Game Awards Stream?

A runtime has not yet been confirmed for the 2022 Game Awards, but you can expect it to last a while. The 2021 Game Awards ran four about 3 hours, so we expect this year’s show to be about the same. IGN will also be hosting a live post-show you can tune into after the event.

What to Expect From the Game Awards in 2022

The first thing you can expect from the Game Awards this year are the awards themselves. There are 31 categories with 5 nominees per category and there are some serious contenders for Game of the Year in 2022. The two front-runners for the Game of the Year category this year are Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok — both of which IGN gave a 10 out 10. Both of those games are nominated for various categories and will most likely win a few of them.

In addition to the awards themselves, The Game Awards has historically featured big reveals of upcoming games. Over the years we’ve gotten a look at Elden Ring and Sonic Frontiers, so we are expecting to potentially see some more new reveals at the 2022 show. Considering this is the first live Game Awards show since 2019, there will also likely be quite a few great guests to talk about future games in depth.

Lastly, you can expect musical guests and performances showcasing music in video games. The Game Awards is a full-on gaming celebration, so we will likely be in for a few surprises this year as well.

The Game Awards 2022 Nominees

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Immortality
• Stray

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Immortality

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

• Elden Ring
• God of War: Ragnarok
• Horizon: Forbidden West
• Scorn
• Stray

Best Score/Music

For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

• Olivier Deriviere – A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Tsukasa Saitoh – Elden Ring
• Bear McCreary – God of War: Ragnarok
• Two Feathers – Metal Hellsinger
• Yasunori Mitsuda

Best Audio Design

Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Gran Turismo 7
• Horizon Forbidden West

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

• Ashly Birch – Horizon: Forbidden West
• Charlotte McBurney – A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Christopher Judge – God of War: Ragnarok
• Manon Gage – Immortality
• Sunny Suljic – God of War: Ragnarok

Games for Impact

For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.

• A Memoir Blue
• As Dusk Falls
• Citizen Sleeper
• Endling – Extinction is Forever
• Hindsight
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

Best Ongoing Game

Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.

• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 14 Online
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

Best Indie Game

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

• Cult of the Lamb
• Neon White
• Sifu
• Stray
• TUNIC

Best Debut Indie Game

For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.

• Neon White
• NORCO
• Stray
• TUNIC
• Vampire Survivors

Best Mobile Game

For the best game playable on a mobile device.

• Apex Legends Mobile
• Diablo Immortal
• Genshin Impact
• Marvel Snap
• Tower of Fantasy

Best Community Support

Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.

• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 14 Online
• Fortnite
• No Man’s Sky

Best VR/AR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.

• After the Fall
• Among Us VR
• BONELAB
• Moss: Book II
• Red Matter 2

Innovation in Accessibility

Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.

• As Dusk Falls
• God of War: Ragnarok
• Returnal
• Return to Monkey Island
• The Last of Us Part 1
• The Quarry

Best Action Game

For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.

• Bayonetta 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
• Neon White
• Sifu
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Best Action/Adventure Game

For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• TUNIC

Best RPG

For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.

• Elden Ring
• Live a Live
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus
• Triangle Strategy
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Best Fighting Game

For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

• DNF Duel
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R
• The King of Fighters 15
• MultiVersus
• Sifu

Best Family Game

For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Nintendo Switch Sports
• Splatoon 3

Best Sports/Racing Game

For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

• F1 22
• FIFA 23
• NBA 2K23
• Gran Turismo 7
• OlliOlli World

Best SIM/Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.

• Dune: Spice Wars
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Total War: WARHAMMER 3
• Two Point Campus
• Victoria 3

Best Multiplayer Game

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Multiversus
• Overwatch 2
• Splatoon 3
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Content Creator of the Year

For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.

• Karl Jacobs
• Ludwig
• Nibellion
• Nobru
• QTCinderella

Best Esports Athlete

The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.

• Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon (Gen.G, LOL)
• Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (T1, LOL)
• Finn “karrigan” Andersen ( (FaZe Clan – CS:GO)
• Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere, CS:GO)
• Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker (Cloud9, Valorant)

Best Esports Coach

The Esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi (Natus Vincere, CS:GO)
• Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi (LOUD, VALORANT)
• Erik “d00mbr0s” Sandgren (FPX, VALORANT)
• Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström (FaZe Clan, CS:GO)
• Go “Score” Dong-bin (Gen.G, LOL)

Best Esports Event

Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.

• EVO 2022
• 2022 League of Legends World Championship
• PGL Major Antwerp 2022
• The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational
• VALORANT Champions 2022

Best Esports Game

For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• DOTA 2
• League of Legends
• Rocket League
• VALORANT

Best Esports Team

Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

• DarkZero Esports (Apex Legends)
• FaZe Clan (CS:GO)
• Gen.G (League of Legends)
• LA Thieves (Call of Duty)
• LOUD (Valorant)

Most Anticipated Game

Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.

• Final Fantasy 16
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Resident Evil 4
• Starfield
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Adaptation

Celebrating game-inspired projects across entertainment including TV, movies, comics, and more.

• Arcane: League of Legends
• Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
• The Cuphead Show!
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Uncharted

Looking for IGN’s favorite games? Take a look at our top-reviewed games of 2022 and our list of the best video games of all time.