The Shacknews Awards 2024 nominees

The Shacknews Awards 2024 is our opportunity to recognize the incredible people and teams behind some of the greatest video games and adjacent industries of the year. This Year of the Games celebration covers the triple-A space and indies, has special sections for remaster and remakes, as well as categories to honor expansions, add-ons, and everything in between. Please take a look at our nominees for The Shacknews Awards 2024.

Note: Shacknews will not be releasing a list of nominees for Game of the Year or Indie Game of the Year. We will publish a top-24 list for both categories alongside an article for winners as well as blurbs in our main coverage for some categories. Some games that missed our nominee cut off in 2023 made the following list. Similarly, some games that missed our 2024 cut off will make 2025's nominees.

Person of the Year

• Swen Vincke
• Dunkey & Leah (Bigmode)
• Abubakar Salim (Tales of Kenzera: ZAU)
• LocalThunk
• Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone
• Tomomi Sano

Do it for Shacknews Award

• The Zelda Orchestra
• Xur
• Maximilian Dood
• Brandon Cole (accessibility advocate)
• Stevetendo
• Nate Purkeypile
• GSC Game World
• JSR_ and Peanut Butter the Dog
• Harada & Murray
• EA Sports College Football 25 Devs
• Kendrick Lamar
• Jonathan Rush

Best Developer

• Team Asobi
• WayForward
• Studio Zero
• GSC Game World
• Nightdive Studios
• LocalThunk

Best Publisher

• Nintendo
• Capcom
• Sega/ATLUS
• Square Enix
• Playstack
• Bandai Namco

Shackbattle Game of the Year

• Street Fighter 6
• Battlefield 2042
• Wreckfest

Best PC Game

• UFO 50
• Frostpunk 2
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• DooM 1+2
• The Axis Unseen
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Best PS5 Game

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Helldivers 2
• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Best Nintendo Switch Game

• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Balatro
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Super Mario Party Jamboree

Best Xbox Game

• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• Indiana Jones and The Great Circle
• Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Tekken 8

Best Comeback

• Contra (Operation Galuga, Vampire Survivors)
• Prince of Persia (The Lost Crown, The Rogue)
• Fallout
• Marvel vs. Capcom
• EA Sports College Football 25
• BioWare

Modojo @ Shacknews Mobile Game of the Year

• Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit
• Balatro
• Pokemon: TCG Pocket
• Monument Valley 3
• NFL Retro Bowl '25
• Not Like Us - The Game

Most Improved Game

• Diablo 4
• F-Zero 99
• Cities: Skylines 2
• DayZ
• Call of the Wild: The Angler
• Vampire Survivors

Best Strategy Game

• Unicorn Overlord
• Homeworld 3
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
• Satisfactory
• Frostpunk 2
• Metal Slug Tactics

Best Graphics

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• Tekken 8

Best Multiplayer Game

• Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2
• Tekken 8
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• EA Sports College Football 25
• The Finals
• Marvel Rivals

Best Hardware

• PS5 Pro
• Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo
• Meta Quest 3S
• Razer Freyja
• MacBook Pro

Outstanding Achievement in Accessibility

• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Tekken 8
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Best VR Game

• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Warhammer 40k Space Marine - Defenders of Avarax
• Arizona Sunshine Remake
• Metro Awakening
• Asgard's Wrath 2
• Riven

Best Narrative Game

• Tales of Kenzera: Zau
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Neva

Best Art Style

• Another Crab's Treasure
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Plucky Squire
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Best FPS Game

• The Finals
• I Am Your Beast
• The Axis Unseen
• Doom 1+2
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Best Gaming Accessory

• Razer Kishi Ultra
• GameScent
• Roto Explorer VR Chair
• SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

Esports Hero

• Hayao (Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike)
• Faker (League of Legends)
• Arslan Ash (Tekken 8)
• Punk (Street Fighter 6)
• Alex T (Tetris)

Best Horror Game

• The Outlast Trials
• Silent Hill 2
• Crow Country
• The Casting of Frank Stone
• Phasmophobia
• Mouthwashing

Best Cozy Game

• Flock
• Luma Island
• Endless Ocean: Luminous
• Simpler Times
• Little Kitty, Big City
• Thank Goodness You're Here!

Best RPG

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Visions of Mana
• Dragon's Dogma 2
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake

Best Early Access Game

• Path of Exile 2
• Hades 2
• The Rogue Prince of Persia
• Deadlock
• Delta Force
• Windblown

Best Expansion

• Splatoon 3: Side Order
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Destiny 2: The Final Shape
• DayZ: Frostline
• Factorio: Space Age
• Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Best Co-Op Game

• Helldivers 2
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
• Contra: Operation Galuga
• Inkbound

Best Trendsetter

• Balatro
• Nintendo Music
• Things Running Doom
• Nightdive Studios
• Digital Eclipse (Gold Master series)

Best Mod

• Portal Revolution
• Resident Evil 2: Akuma Mode
• Fallout London
• Halo 2 E3 2003 demo (Halo: The Master Chief Collection)
• Doom 3

Best Fighting Game

• Tekken 8
• MultiVersus
• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
• Rivals of Aether 2
• Under Night In-Birth 2 Sys:Celes

Best Sports Game

• WWE 2K24
• MLB The Show 24
• TopSpin 2K25
• Turbo Golf Racing
• Undisputed
• EA Sports College Football 25

Best Remake / Remaster

• The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Persona 3 Reload
• Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
• Silent Hill 2
• Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake

Best Racing Game

• F1 24
• Monster Jam Showdown
• DeathSprint 66

Most Overlooked Game

• Yars Rising
• Dungeons of Hinterberg
• Minds Beneath Us
• Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Best Strand Game

• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Death Stranding on Xbox
• Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Best Open World Game

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Dragon's Dogma 2
• The Axis Unseen
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Best Ongoing Game

• Fortnite
• The Long Dark
• Splatoon 3
• The Finals
• F-Zero 99
• DayZ

Best Sound Design

• Helldivers 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II
• Astro Bot
• Silent Hill 2

Best Voice Actor

• John Eric Bentley (Barret, FF7 Rebirth)
• Abubakar Salim (Zau/Zuberi, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU)
• Keri Russel (Open Roads)
• Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and The Great Circle)
• Hannah Telle (Life is Strange: Double Exposure)
• Melina Juergens as Senua (Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2)

Best Music

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Pacific Drive
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Astro Bot
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Action-Adventure Game

• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
• Another Crab's Treasure
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Black Myth: Wukong

Best Headshot

• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
• I Am Your Beast

Quietest Lobby

• Foamstars
• Concord
• Skull & Bones
• XDefiant
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
• Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition

Best Free-to-Play Game

• MultiVersus
• Delta Force
• Once Human
• The Finals
• Marvel Rivals
• Pokemon TCG Pocket

Best Cameo

• Peacemaker (John Cena) in Mortal Kombat 1
• Snoop Dogg in Fortnite
• Cameo Bots in Astro Bot
• Ghostface (Roger L. Jackson) in Mortal Kombat 1
• Godzilla in Dave the Diver
• Terry Bogard in Street Fighter 6

Best Add-on

• Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns
• Dave the Diver - Godzilla content pack
• Balatro - Friends of Jimbo
• River City Girls 2 - Double Dragon DLC
• TMNT: Shredder's Revenge - Radical Reptiles
• Ace League Satellaview Tracks - F-Zero 99

Best NPC

• Tri (The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom)
• Technikki (Mario & Luigi: Brothership)
• Gallica (Metaphor ReFantazio)
• Igon (Shadow of the Erdtree)
• Vincent Valentine (FF7 Rebirth)
• More (Metaphor: ReFantazio)

Best Water

• Another Crab's Treasure
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• Astro Bot
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Dragon's Dogma 2

Best Nintendo Switch Port

• Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On!
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
• Pentiment
• Grounded
• Pizza Tower
• Stray

Best PC Port

• Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
• Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition
• God of War Ragnarok
• Red Dead Redemption
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate

Best Online Presentation

• Xbox Developer_Direct (Jan 18, 2024)
• Xbox Games Showcase (June 2024)
• Wholesome Direct (June 2024)
• Nintendo Direct (June 2024)
• EVO 2024 Announcement Show (February 2024)
• Nintendo Museum Direct

Best Video Game Pet

• Nix (Star Wars Outlaws)
• Zelda's Cat (The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom)
• Plateau The Cat (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
• Kuma (Tekken 8)
• Assan (Dragon Age: The Veilguard)
• Koromaru (Persona 3 Reload)

Best Platformer

• Penny's Big Breakaway
• Pepper Grinder
• Astro Bot
• Sonic X Shadow Generations
• Neva
• Animal Well

Biggest Surprise

• Xbox goes multiplatform
• Balatro
• Tango Gameworks is shut down until it isn't
• Nintendo Music
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo!

Best Puzzle Game

• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Isles of Sea and Sky
• Riven
• Animal Well
• World of Goo 2
• Monument Valley 3

Best Old School Throwback Game

• Tetris Forever
• Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake
• Yars Rising
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• Castlevania Dominus Collection
• Doom + Doom 2

Best Gore

• Helldivers 2
• Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
• Slitterhead
• Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Pop! Goes the Culture Presents Best Adaptation

• Fallout
• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
• Secret Level
• Like A Dragon: Yakuza
• Arcane (Season 2)

Game That Should Be On Nintendo Switch

• Pokemon: TCG Pocket
• EA Sports College Football 25
• Rivals of Aether 2
• Pacific Drive
• Tekken 8
• Visions of Mana

Congratulations to all of the nominees for The Shacknews Awards 2024! The winners of categories will be revealed over the course of December 2024.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.