The best GOTYs of recent years

Every year for more than 10 years, the Game of the Year award has recognized games that have exceeded expectations, pushed boundaries, and captured the imagination of players. Whether they shine in terms of storytelling, innovation, artistic direction, or cultural influence, GOTY winners often embody the best of their generation. In this article, we take a look back at the best winners of recent years, those landmark works that have redefined the standards of video games and left a lasting mark on the industry.

Let’s begin our journey with the GOTY of 2014. Developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts, Dragon Age: Inquisition is a fantasy action RPG set at the dawn of a cataclysm. While the title has remained relatively low-key over time, the same cannot be said for the following year’s winner. ** The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt**, crowned Game of the Year in 2015, has continued to improve and grow in popularity. To date, the figures are simply staggering: it has sold 60 million copies and has an “extremely positive” rating on Steam, with over 800,000 reviews.

The next title in our selection is quite atypical compared to the other GOTYs, as it is the only one when it comes to PvP. Crowned Game of the Year in 2016, Overwatch needs no introduction today. Over many years, it has established itself as one of the most popular and viewed competitive games online. The year 2017 is also rather unique, as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have the privilege of receiving the GOTY award. To date, it is the only Nintendo production to have won it.

Let’s now turn to two much bloodier titles, namely God of War and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Voted GOTY in 2018 and 2019 respectively, both received excellent reviews and have become must-haves in their own genres. The year 2020 welcomed The Last of Us Part II as Game of the Year, a narrative title from Sony, which also won six other awards, including Best Director, Best Narrative, and Best Action-Adventure Game.

It Takes Two is the only mandatory co-op title in this selection, meaning that two players are required to play. It’s a bold proposition, but one that has been developed to perfection by Hazelight Studios, who specialize in this genre and saw their game awarded GOTY 2021.