The biggest night in gaming – the closest thing the industry has to its own Oscars ceremony – is almost upon us.
Live from Los Angeles in just a few days, The Game Awards will honour the best the medium had to offer this year, honouring everything from the biggest blockbusters to the smallest independent debuts.
Gaming reporter Martin Kimber and technology reporter Tom Acres are here with their tips for some of the most competitive categories – and you can keep scrolling for the full list of nominees.
Best game
A Plague Tale: Requiem Elden Ring God Of War Ragnarok Horizon Forbidden West Stray Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Martin’s pick: Horizon Forbidden West
It’s very difficult to pull off a successful sequel, but Guerrilla Games has done just that. You’ll struggle to find a prettier game with a bigger, more expansive map. It offers excellent replayability and thus value for money, it is addictive, and did I mention it’s pretty? Plus, robot dinosaurs! What’s not to like?!
Tom’s pick: Stray
Quite the debut from French indie studio BlueTwelve Studio. This surprisingly moving dystopian adventure painted a bleak yet hopeful picture of the fragility of life, and how it endures. Not content with nuanced commentary on capitalism and its impact on the planet, you also play as a very cute cat. And there’s a meow button!
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Best narrative
A Plague Tale: Requiem Elden Ring God Of War Ragnarok Horizon Forbidden West Immortality
Martin’s pick: Horizon Forbidden West
In the first Horizon, it felt like the developers came up with the concept of robot dinosaurs and built the whole game around that idea. However, this sequel boasts a much more fleshed out story, captivating even the players who just want to take on a mechanised velociraptor with a bow and arrow.
Tom’s pick: God Of War Ragnarok
God Of War’s reinvention four years ago was a triumph, plucking the vengeful protagonist Kratos out of his Greek comfort zone and into Norse mythology – with a son, no less. The stranger in a strange land setup was inherently less novel this time, but his metamorphosis from one of gaming’s most two-dimensional meatheads into a touching and relatable depiction of fatherhood goes from strength to strength, with quite the emotional pay-off.
Best art direction
Elden Ring God Of War Ragnarok Horizon Forbidden West Scorn Stray
Martin’s pick: God Of War Ragnarok
I played this recently with some friends, who genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between the cinematics and the gameplay. If you basically want a playable, violent Pixar film, this is the game for you.
Tom’s pick: Elden Ring
FromSoftware’s games have always boasted tremendous art direction, and each have brought its dark, fantasy tendencies to bigger audiences. Elden Ring was a collaboration with Game Of Thrones creator George RR Martin, showcased by the sheer scope and detail of its world. There’s an almost impossible-to-imagine level of variety, with every corner you turn invariably offering something new. Best art or not, it’s definitely got the most.
Best family game
Kirby And The Forgotten Land LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope Nintendo Switch Sports Splatoon 3
Martin’s pick: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
If I could give this game all of the above awards, I would. It’s been so long since they released one of these, I was worried they’d mess with the perfect recipe – but they didn’t. Collectible characters, stud multipliers and hilarious cinematics all make a return. A must-play for every family member (and Star Wars nerd).
Tom’s pick: Nintendo Switch Sports
I didn’t realise how much I missed the thrill of family competition in Wii Sports until its spiritual successor arrived on Nintendo’s Switch console. As was the case with the original, your mileage with each sport will vary and tennis and bowling remain by far the best, but each is boosted by far more precise motion controls and online multiplayer.
Best multiplayer game
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II MultiVersus Overwatch 2 Splatoon 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Martin’s pick: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Boy, this game is hard. It’s so bloomin’ hard. I haven’t died this much in a game since… well, ever. But the new multiplayer maps are well-designed, the gun play is satisfying and balanced, and it’s fast. Infinity Ward has had a long time to perfect the FPS formula, and they’ve done just that.
Tom’s pick: Splatoon 3
Infinity Ward may have perfected the FPS formula, but Nintendo has a monopoly on futuristic paintball. Splatoon 3 was very much more of the same, with an emphasis on the more. While the fast-paced matches and tight controls were familiar to anyone who played prior instalments, a bolstered selection of maps, modes, and weapons made it a worthy entry in a series which remains unlike anything else almost six years after it debuted.
Best game direction
Elden Ring God of War Ragnarok Horizon Forbidden West Immortality Stray
Best score and music
A Plague Tale: Requiem Elden Ring God Of War Ragnarok Metal: Hellsinger Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best audio design
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II Elden Ring God Of War Ragnarok Gran Turismo 7 Horizon Forbidden West
Best performance
Ashly Burch, Horizon Forbidden West Charlotte McBurney, A Plague Tale: Requiem Christopher Judge, God Of War Ragnarok Manon Gage, Immortality Sunny Suljic, God Of War Ragnarok
Games for impact
A Memoir Blue As Dusk Falls Citizen Sleeper Endling – Extinction is Forever Hindsight I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Best ongoing game
Apex Legends Destiny 2 Final Fantasy XIV Fortnite Genshin Impact
Best indie game
Cult Of The Lamb Neon White Sifu Stray Tunic
Best debut indie
Neon White Norco Stray Tunic Vampire Survivors
Best community support
Apex Legends Destiny 2 Final Fantasy XIV Fortnite No Man’s Sky
Best mobile game
Apex Legends Diablo Immortal Genshin Impact Marvel Snap Tower Of Fantasy
Best VR/AR game
After The Fall Among Us Bonelab Moss: Book II Red Matter 2
Best action game
Bayonetta 3 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II Neon White Sifu Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Best action/adventure game
A Plague Tale: Requiem God Of War Ragnarok Horizon Forbidden West Stray Tunic
Best role-playing game
Elden Ring Live A Live Pokemon Legends: Arceus Triangle Strategy Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best fighting game
DNF Duel Arc JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure The King Of Fighters XV MultiVersus Sifu
Best sim/strategy game
Dune: Spice Wars Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope Total War: Warhammer III Two Point Campus Victoria 3
Best sports/racing game
F1 22 FIFA 23 NBA 2K23 Gran Turismo 7 OlliOlli World
The Game Awards takes place on 9 December at 12.30am UK time.
The new Co-op Live in Manchester has been hit by further problems before it’s even fully opened – with tonight’s gig cancelled and two events this weekend postponed.
Concertgoers were supposed to have been allowed into the arena at 6.30pm tonight and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was due to perform at 8pm, according to the venue’s website.
However, a post on the venue’s social media at 6.40pm told fans the gig had been cancelled, after fans had started to gather.
Those planning to go to Olivia Rodrigo‘s dates at the arena this weekend immediately shared concerns over whether they would go ahead and, within hours, their fears were confirmed.
“Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour on May 3 and 4 May are being postponed,” the venue said in a statement on X.
“Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund at point of purchase.”
Her Co-op Live gigs were two of the 10 UK dates on her European and US tour. The new dates are yet to be announced.
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In an Instagram post after A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s last-minute cancellation, the US rapper said issues were down to “something [that] happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck”.
“We are working on rescheduling in the next few days,” he added. “I’m heated about the situation too, but safety first.
“Manchester, I got you. Just stay tuned for further info.”
Co-op Live bosses had sought to reassure fans that tonight’s show would go ahead and shared instructions for attendees just hours before the cancellation.
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With a capacity of 23,500, the Co-op Live will be the UK’s largest arena when it’s fully open and was built at an estimated cost of £365m.
Headaches for the venue became clear last month when the capacity at a test event was reduced with just hours’ notice.
Rick Astley had been due to perform to 11,000 arena workers and VIPs on 21 April but at the last minute, thousands of people saw their tickets cancelled.
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The venue was due to fully open with Peter Kay stand-up shows on 23 and 24 April, but these dates were pushed back too amid behind-schedule tests and safety concerns.
Kay’s fans were initially told the shows would take place just days later – but they were then postponed again, for a month’s time.
Are you affected by the Co-op Live chaos?
Were you going to see one of the Olivia Rodrigo, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie or Peter Kay postponed gigs? Are you worried about whether a future event will go ahead?
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US rock duo The Black Keys were among the acts due to take to the stage during Co-op Live’s opening week. Their gig was previously pushed back to 15 May.
Co-op Live’s general manager Gary Roden announced his resignation last week following the initial setbacks.
US prosecutors plan to retry Harvey Weinstein after his 2020 conviction for rape was overturned in New York.
The disgraced movie mogul, who has been in jail for four years, appeared in a Manhattan court on Wednesday for the first time since that conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week.
A retrial could happen as soon as September.
“We believe in this case and will be retrying this case,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said.
In April, the state’s highest court ruled that Weinsteindid not receive a fair trial – finding the hearing was prejudiced by “egregious” improper rulings by the judge, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
Just days after the landmark #MeToo ruling was overturned, he was taken to hospital, with his lawyer Arthur Aidala describing him as “somewhat of a train wreck health-wise” but still “sharp as a tack” mentally.
Weinstein, 72, has had cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnoea and eye problems for some time, and was “in constant pain”, Mr Aidala said.
He entered court in a wheelchair pushed by a court officer for the preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 following the landmark 2020 trialin New York.
He remains behind bars as he was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for that crime, and is also appealing against this conviction.
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Ms Blumberg told the judge that Ms Mann, who was in court, is prepared to testify again and has said she wants everyone to know that the defendant “may have power” but “she has the truth”.
Ms Haley’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, told reporters that her client has not decided whether she will give evidence a second time, as she found the experience traumatising and painful. She was not in court, Ms Allred said.
Once considered the most powerful man in Hollywood, the first allegations against Weinstein emerged in 2017.
Dozens of women came forward claiming he bullied, pressured, coerced, or overpowered them while demanding sexual favours.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, and Lupita Nyong’o all accused him of sexual harassment, while actresses Asia Argento and Rose McGowan were among others who accused him of rape.
They are among more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
He was also accused of reaching settlements to keep the stories quiet.
Weinstein has admitted his behaviour “caused a lot of pain”, but has maintained his innocence throughout, saying any sexual activity was consensual.
Hollywood star Melissa McCarthy has responded by saying, “I win the day”, after Barbra Streisand was criticised for asking her if she had taken a weight-loss drug.
Bridesmaids star McCarthy had posted an image of herself on Instagram at a charity gala alongside US director Adam Shankman on Monday.
Streisand, the legendary singer and actress, replied in a comment below: “Give him my regards, did you take Ozempic?”
The drug can only be prescribed for patients with Type 2 diabetes and is not licensed as a weight-loss treatment in the UK or US.
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In a short video shared on Instagram, hours after the apology, McCarthy said: “The takeaway: Barbra Streisand knows I exist, she reached out to me and she thought I looked good. I win the day.”
McCarthy was holding up a magazine with Streisand on the cover in the video, which was filmed at the premiere of the new Netflix movie Unfrosted, in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
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The 53-year-old will appear in the film alongside Jerry Seinfield and Hugh Grant when it is released this month.
McCarthy was earlier asked by a photographer in Los Angeles what she thought of Streisand’s comments and replied: “I think Barbra is a treasure, and I love her.”
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‘I forgot the world is reading’
Streisand, 82, had said in her apology earlier on Tuesday: “I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday.
“Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album.
“She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment, I forgot the world is reading!”
In response to Streisand’s original comment referring to Ozempic, one social media user wrote: “Omg somebody please teach Barbra Streisand how to send a DM.”
Another wrote: “Omg…this comment from Barbra Streisand. Yes, it’s real, but she’s deleted it.”
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Ozempic works by suppressing the appetite and lengthens the amount of time food stays in the stomach, leading to weight loss – at least for as long as you carry on taking it.
It has been banned as a treatment for obesity in the UK due to high demand for the drug causing a global shortage.
Numerous Hollywood stars are rumoured to have used Ozempic to lose weight – but just a handful of celebrities have admitted it publicly.
Stephen Fry was prescribed the drug in the US “years ago” and said earlier this year that side effects included vomiting up to five times a day.