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Welcome to PC Gamer's annual Game of the Year Awards. Each day, for the rest of the month, we'll be unveiling a new award, with our ultimate Game of the Year to be revealed on December 31.

Here's how it works: each staff member was asked to nominate up to six games—including expansions and early access releases—that released this year. We then hopped onto a giant global call, and through a mixture of democracy, impassioned pleas and outright arguments, chose the games we wanted to honour with an award. Once we've chosen the games, we assign each an award name to fit it, which is why you'll see slightly different categories each year.

Alongside the main awards, each PC Gamer staff member has also picked a personal favourite of the year. We'll be updating this page with new awards and staff picks throughout the rest of the month, as they're unveiled.

The Awards

• Best Ongoing Game: Final Fantasy XIV
• Best Action Game: Hades
• Best Roguelike: Spelunky 2
• Best Adventure Game: Paradise Killer
• Best Co-op Game: Phasmophobia
• Best Card Game: Monster Train
• Best Innovation: Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Best VR Game: Half-Life: Alyx
• Best Multiplayer Game: Valorant
• Best RPG: Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Best FPS: Doom Eternal
• Best Strategy Game: Crusader Kings 3
• Game of the Year: Death Stranding

Staff Picks

• Emma Matthews: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
• Fraser Brown: Cloudpunk
• Rachel Watts: If Found...
• Chris Livingston: Blaseball
• Phil Savage: A Monster's Expedition
• Robin Valentine: Deep Rock Galactic
• Tim Clark: Destiny 2: Beyond Light
• Jacob Ridley: Townscaper
• Jorge Jimenez: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
• James Davenport: Post Void
• Evan Lahti: Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War/Warzone
• Tyler Wilde: Disc Room
• Wes Fenlon: Risk of Rain 2
• Alan Dexter: World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
• Jody MacGregor: Fort Triumph
• Harry Shepherd: Before I Forget
• Andy Kelly: Black Mesa
• Steven Messer: Genshin Impact