The SXSW Gaming Awards celebrate the year’s most impressive new titles as judged on specific elements of this genre (such as art, audio, design, narrative, gameplay, cultural innovation, and more).

New releases are invited to apply in one or more categories. All Gaming Awards entries are reviewed and graded by SXSW staff on a set of criteria ranging from originality to innovation to ability to move this industry forward.

The Gaming Awards are open for entry from August to December of each year. All entries must be completed titles released during that calendar year.

Once all entries are received, the judging process will begin for SXSW staff and an advisory board. Once the judging process concludes, SXSW will announce the final nominees for each category in February.

View previous winners.

Video Game of the Year

Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX

Indie Game of the Year

Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab

Tabletop Game of the Year

Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.

Winner: Dune: Imperium — Dire Wolf Digital / Dire Wolf Digital

VR Game of the Year

Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.

Winner: Resident Evil 4 VR — Armature Studio / Oculus Studios

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.

Winner: Unpacking — Witch Beam / Humble Games

Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement

Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.

Winner: Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios

Excellence in Game Design

Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.

Winner: Inscryption — Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital

Excellence in Score

Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.

Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX

Excellence in Multiplayer

Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

Winner: It Takes Two — Hazelight / Electronic Arts

Excellence in Narrative

Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX

Excellence in Audio Design

Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

Winner: Resident Evil Village — Capcom

Excellence in Technical Achievement

Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.

Winner: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Congrats to all 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards recipients!

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX
It Takes Two — Hazelight / Electronic Arts
Psychonauts 2 — Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village — Capcom

Indie Game of the Year

Awarded to the independently-developed game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Tabletop Game of the Year

Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.

Cascadia — Randy Flynn, Beth Sobel, Dylan Mangini, Molly Johnson, Robert Melvin, Kevin Russ, Shawn Stankewich, David Lezzi / Flatout Games
Dune: Imperium — Dire Wolf Digital / Dire Wolf Digital
Oath: Chronicles of Empire & Exile — Cole Wehrle / Leder Games
Roll Camera! The Filmmaking Board Game — Malachi Ray Rempen / Keen Bean Studio
That Time You Killed Me — Peter C. Hayward, Jeff Fraser, Alex Cutler / Pandasaurus Games

VR Game of the Year

Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.

After The Fall — Vertigo Games
Demeo — Resolution Games
Lone Echo II — Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios
Resident Evil 4 VR — Armature Studio / Oculus Studios
Song in the Smoke — 17-BIT

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale — Greg Lobanov / Finji
Before Your Eyes — GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games
Life is Strange: True Colors — Deck Nine Games / Square Enix
Lost Words: Beyond the Page — Sketchbook Games / Modus Games
Unpacking — Witch Beam / Humble Games

Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement

Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.

Deathloop — Arkane Lyon / Bethesda Softworks
Exo One — Exbleative / Future Friends Games
Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
The Wild At Heart — Moonlight Kids / Humble Games

Excellence in Game Design

Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.

Deathloop — Arkane Lyon / Bethesda Softworks
Inscryption — Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital
Loop Hero — Four Quarters / Devolver Digital
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal — Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Original Score

Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in its original musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.

The Artful Escape — Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
The Medium — Bloober Team
Wytchwood — Alientrap Games / Whitethorn Games

Excellence in Multiplayer

Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

Back 4 Blood — Turtle Rock Studios / Warner Bros. Games
Halo Infinite — 343 Inductries / Xbox Game Studios
It Takes Two — Hazelight / Electronic Arts
Riders Republic — Ubisoft Annecy / Ubisoft
Valheim — Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing

Excellence in Narrative

Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

Deathloop — Arkane Lyon / Bethesda Softworks
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
Lost in Random — Zoink Games / Electronic Arts
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy — Eidos-Montréal / Square Enix

Excellence in Audio Design

Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios
Hell Let Loose — Black Matter / Team17
Inscryption — Four Quarters / Devolver Digital
Twelve Minutes — Luis Antonio / Annapurna Interactive
Resident Evil Village — Capcom

Excellence in Technical Achievement

Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.

Before Your Eyes — GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games
Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios
Hell Let Loose — Black Matter / Team17
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal — Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment