The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (or BAFTA, if you’re after something a bit snappier) has announced the winners of this year’s BAFTA Games Awards – and it’s very much been Astro Bot‘s night, with the acclaimed PlayStation 5 platformer taking home the gong in five categories including Best Game.
Astro Bot’s Best Game victory saw it win out over fellow nominees Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Helldivers 2, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Thank Goodness You’re Here. And it was equally successful in the BAFTA Games Awards’ Animation, Audio Achievement, Family, and Game Design categories.
Team Asobi’s Astro Bot didn’t entirely hog the limelight, however. Balatro, by developer LocalThunk, took the top spot in the Debut Game category, while Coal Supper’s superb comedy oddity Thank Goodness You’re Here was crowned Best British Game. Elsewhere, Arrowhead Game Studios‘ Helldivers 2 secured two gongs – winning out in BAFTA’s multiplayer and Music categories – while Nomada Studio’s Neva won Artistic Achievement, and Atlus’ Metaphor: Metaphor: ReFantazio trumped fellow nominees for Narrative.
But we’re still not done! Surgent Studios’ Tales of Kenzera: Zau won the Game Beyond Entertainment category, Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 came top in Technical Achievement, Vampire Survivors was deemed best Evolving Game, and The Chinese Room’s oil rig horror Still Wakes the Deep was named best New Intellectual Property. Speaking of which, Alec Newman was victorious in the Performer in a Leading Role category for his portrayal of Cameron “Caz” McLeary in Still Wakes the Deep, while Karen Dunbar took the gong for best Performer in Supporting Role as Finlay in the game.
For the full list of this year’s BAFTA Games Awards nominees and winners (highlighted in bold), cast your eyes below. And you can read Eurogamer’s interview with composer Yoko Shimomura elsewhere on the site, after she received the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship in recognition of her prolific and outstanding creative contribution to music in games.
Animation
- Astro Bot
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Lego Horizon Adventures
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
Artistic Achievement
- Neva
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Harold Halibut
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Still Wakes the Deep
Audio Achievement
- Astro Bot
- Animal Well
- Helldivers 2
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Still Wakes the Deep
Best Game
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Helldivers 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Thank Goodness You’re Here
British Game
- Thank Goodness You’re Here
- A Highland Song
- Lego Horizon Adventures
- Paper Trail
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Still Wakes the Deep
Debut Game
- Balatro
- Animal Well
- Pacific Drive
- The Plucky Squire
- Tales of Kenzera: Zau
- Thank Goodness You’re Here
Evolving Game
- Vampire Survivors
- Diablo 4
- Final Fantasy 14 Online
- No Man’s Sky
- Sea of Thieves
- World of Warcraft
Family
- Astro Bot
- Cat Quest 3
- Lego Horizon Adventures
- Little Kitty, Big City
- The Plucky Squire
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
Fellowship
- Yoko Shimomura
Game Beyond Entertainment
- Tales of Kenzera: Zau
- Botany Manor
- Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop)
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Tetris Forever
- Vampire Therapist
Game Design
- Astro Bot
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Helldivers 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Tactical Breach Wizards
Multiplayer
- Helldivers 2
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Lego Horizon Adventures
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Tekken 8
- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 3
Music
- Helldivers 2
- Astro Bot
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Star Wars Outlaws
Narrative
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Still Wakes the Deep
New Intellectual Property
- Still Wakes the Deep
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Thank Goodness You’re Here
Performer in a Leading Role
- Alec Newman (Still Wakes the Deep)
- Humberly González (Star Wars Outlaws)
- Luke Robers (Silent Hill 2)
- Melina Juergens (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)
- Y’lan Noel (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6)
Performer in a Supporting Role
- Karen Dunbar (Still Wakes the Deep)
- Abbi Greenland/Helen Goalen (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)
- Aldís Amah Hamilton (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)
- Jon Blyth (Thank Goodness You’re Here)
- Matt Berry (Thank Goodness You’re Here)
- Michael Abubakar (Still Wakes the Deep)