The verdict is in for Steam’s 2023 Game Awards. Voting was open from Dec. 21, 2023, until Jan. 2, 2024, with every Steam user allowed to cast their votes for each category, regardless of which games they do or do not own.
Nominees were also selected by the Steam community from an earlier poll. Unlike The Game Awards, games could only be nominated for a maximum of two categories; Game of the Year and one single other applicable category. Winners were selected solely based on the number of votes received from the community.
2023 Steam Awards categories
The categories for the 2023 Steam Awards are:
- Game of the Year
- VR Game of the Year
- Labor of Love Award
- Best Game on Steam Deck
- Better With Friends Award
- Outstanding Visual Style
- Most Innovative Gameplay
- Best Game You Suck At
- Best Soundtrack
- Outstanding Story-Rich Game
- Sit Back and Relax Award
As you can probably glean from the categories, these awards are sort of meant to be more lighthearted and not taken as seriously as The Game Awards. I’m including that disclaimer because some of the winners are, well… you’ll see.
Sit Back and Relax Award nominees and winner
The Sit Back and Relax Award is for games that are inherently tilt-proof and can always be relied on when you need some zen unwinding time.
This game is the antidote to a busy day. It’s smooth, it’s relaxing, it lets your worries melt away. This game is your moment of zen.
-Steam’s description
The nominees for this category were:
- Coral Island
- Potion Craft
- Dave the Diver—winner
- Train Sim World 4
- Cities Skyline 2
If you’re like me and prefer a bit of sweat and misery in your games, you probably haven’t heard of many of these relaxing titles. I, for one, don’t know Dave the Diver, but congratulations to the developers, publisher, and of course: Dave.
Outstanding Story-Rich Game nominees and winner
This category is pretty much Steam’s version of “Best Screenplay.” It’s all about the writing.
Some days, only a narrative-heavy game will hit the spot, and this one packs a wallop. It’s as gripping as any soap opera, and as well-tuned as a prestige-TV screenplay. Bravissimo — for making us feel things!
-Steam’s description
Nothing like spending countless hours hunched over a keyboard to have your story compared to a soap opera, am I right? The nominees in this category were:
- Resident Evil 4
- Love Is All Around
- Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
- Baldur’s Gate 3—winner
- Lies of P
Let me preface the announcement of the winner by saying I’m not at all mad Alan Wake 2 wasn’t nominated. Don’t get me wrong—I was furious at first, but then I remembered it isn’t on Steam. Either way, BG3 deserved the win in this category.
Best Soundtrack nominees and winner
This is a naturally self-explanatory category, but there is the caveat that the winner must use an original soundtrack.
This unsung hero deserves to be recognized for its outstanding musical score. It’s the OST with the MOST!
-Steam’s description
The games up for a soundtrack award were:
- Chants of Sennaar
- Pizza Tower
- Hi-Fi Rush
- The Last of Us Part 1 (remake)—winner
- Persona 5 Tactica
This game was the obvious choice for Best Soundtrack of 2023 once you look past the fact it came out in 2022 and uses the same soundtrack as the original 2013 game. I think John Williams should have won for the theme used in Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. That 1977 classic is definitely the best original song of 2023.
Best Game You Suck At nominees and winner
It’s a fine line a game must walk to be both infuriating and greatly satisfying.
This is the game that rewards persistence, and is not for the faint of heart. It’s the toughest game we’ve ever loved.
-Steam’s description
The nominees for Best Game You Suck At were:
- Overwatch 2
- Street Fighter 6
- Sifu—winner
- Lords of the Fallen
- FC24
Overwatch 2 seems to have misread the category ever so slightly, and I’m convinced Armored Core 6 wasn’t here because people weren’t ready to talk about what BALTEUS did to us. Still, Sifu is an awesome game that deserved the win.
Most Innovative Gameplay nominees and winner
This category is for games that pushed the envelope to deliver something that’s never been done before.
The designers of this game are at the front lines of creative experimentation, bringing a fresh perspective and brain-breaking surprises. This game delighted, inspired and entertained with newness never played before.
-Steam’s description
The nominees and winner are:
- Shadows of Doubt
- Contraband Police
- Your Only Move Is Hustle
- Starfield—winner
- Remnant 2
I’m just…I’m biting my tongue on this one.
Outstanding Visual Style nominees and winner
This isn’t just “best graphics,” but rather the most creative and cohesive artistic style in a game.
Visual style doesn’t aspire to real-world graphical fidelity (though a noble goal in itself)… it describes a distinctive look and feel that suffuses an entire game.
-Steam’s description
The games that were up for this award were:
- High on Life
- Darkest Dungeon 2
- Inward
- Cocoon
- Atomic Heart—winner
I actually missed out on playing this one, but I did see the trailer and it certainly looked pretty.
Better With Friends Award nominees and winner
This is just rude of you, Steam.
There are some games out there that just aren’t the same when you play by yourself. Maybe you need to have a friend to watch your back. Maybe you need to have a friend that you can stab in their back. Either way, fun is awaiting those who gather friends together play this game.
-Steam’s description
The nominees and winner for the Better With Friends Award are:
- Sons of the Forest
- Sunkenland
- Darktide
- Lethal Company—winner
- Party Animals
The community chose wisely on this one. If you haven’t played Lethal Company, you should change that as soon as you can.
Best Game on Steam Deck nominees and winner
It’s important to remember games can’t win more than two categories, and that’s why this is a different category than Best Game.
This game was so good, you wanted to take it everywhere. So you grabbed your Steam Deck and did! Luckily, everything that made it endlessly playable at your desk got even better on the go.
-Steam’s description
The nominees were:
- Diablo 2
- Brotato
- Hogwarts Legacy—winner
- Dredge
- The Outlast Trials
Labor of Love Award nominees and winners
This category is for games that continued to receive updates, DLC, and work in 2023 despite having been out for quite some time.
This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the debut of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.
-Steam’s description
The five nominees were:
- Dota 2
- Rust
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Apex Legends
- Read Dead Redemption 2—winner
If you’re racking your brain trying to recall what updates RDR2 received in 2023, you’re not alone. It’s a great game, but I’m pretty sure it shouldn’t have even been eligible to win this category given the fact it wasn’t updated at all in the year in question.
VR Game of the Year nominees and winner
Similar to Game of the Year, only this one is even more up close and personal.
The VR Game of the Year isn’t merely masquerading as regular reality. This game improves on reality, taking advantage of the medium of VR and pushing the boundaries of the virtual realm.
-Steam’s description
Nominees for Steam’s virtual reality game of 2023 were:
- Gorilla Tag
- Labyrinthine—winner
- F1 23
- I Expect You to Die 3
- Ghosts of Tabor
Game of the Year nominees and winner
Maybe it was its immersive gameplay, or its gripping story… its well-crafted characters, immaculate design, or addictive multiplayer. Whatever the reason, the winner of this year’s Game of the Year Award is an instant classic.
-Steam’s description
Or, Steam, maybe it was all of those things and much much more. The nominees for Steam’s 2023 Game of the Year were:
- Resident Evil 4
- Lethal Company
- Hogwarts Legacy
- FC24
- Baldur’s Gate 3—winner
I sure would hate to be any game other than BG3 in 2023. There were tons of fantastic games released over the last 365 days, but Baldur’s Gate 3 really is just in a league of its own.
