Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 lead the GDC Awards nominations

The nominees for the 24th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) have been revealed.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3 are both up for seven awards, while Cocoon is up for five prizes.

The three titles are in the running for the coveted Game of the Year award alongside Dave the Diver, Dredge and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

A total of 16 games released last year have been nominated across nine awards categories, with the full list republished below.

The winners of the peer-based awards event will be announced at the GDCA ceremony on March 20.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards at GDC 24 in San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.

Members of the public can also vote for their favourite game of the year from all 16 of this year’s nominees in the Audience Award ballot.

GDCA 2024 nominees

BEST AUDIO
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
Venba (Visai Games)

Honourable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Hogwarts Legacy (Avalanche Software / Portkey Games), Humanity (tha ltd. and Enhance / Enhance)

BEST DEBUT
COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)
Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
Venba (Visai Games)
Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)

Honourable Mentions: BattleBit Remastered (SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse / SgtOkiDoki), Party Animals (Recreate Games / Source Technology), Pizza Tower (Tour De Pizza), Planet of Lana (Wishfully Studios / Thunderful), Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical (Summerfall Studios / Humble Games)

BEST DESIGN
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honourable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Street Fighter 6 (Capcom), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

INNOVATION AWARD
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
The Making of Karateka (Digital Eclipse)

Honourable Mentions: Dave the Diver (Mintrocket), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)

BEST NARRATIVE
Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
Venba (Visai Games)

Honourable Mentions: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)

SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions)
Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Bordeaux / Ubisoft)
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)
Venba (Visai Games)

Honourable Mentions: Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Tchia (Awaceb / Kepler Interactive), Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games / Annapurna Interactive)

BEST TECHNOLOGY
Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honourable Mentions: COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive), Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST VISUAL ART
Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honourable Mentions: Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17), Lies of P (Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio / Neowiz Games), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

GAME OF THE YEAR
Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)
Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Honourable Mentions: Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games), Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio), Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)