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The SXSW Gaming Awards honor excellence throughout the industry, celebrating the talents that influence and advance the medium and culture of gaming.

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For more information on the SXSW Gaming Awards, please reach out to gaming@sxsw.com.

For all press requests, please contact press@sxsw.com.

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

Once all entries are received, nominees in each category are chosen by SXSW staff and an advisory board. When the nominations are announced, we open voting to the public to help choose the winners, which are determined by a weighted vote between the public poll and the SXSW staff and advisory board. The winners are revealed and celebrated at the Gaming Awards Ceremony, held each year during SXSW.

Video Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Mobile Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.

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

XR Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any XR platform.

Trending Game of the Year – Awarded to the game that consistently entertained and kept audiences watching on social platforms with its humor, stories, and more.

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.

Most Promising New Intellectual Property – Awarded to a new property that risked creating something fresh and that excelled within its genre or category for the year.

Excellence in Art – Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.

Excellence in Animation – Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animation effects and graphics.

Excellence in Design – Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.

Excellence in Gameplay – Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.

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

Excellence in Multiplayer – Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

Excellence in Narrative – Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

Excellence in SFX – Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

Excellence in Technical Achievement – Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.

Excellence in Visual Achievement – Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.