There are a lot of game awards to win these days. There are the Game Awards, founded by Geoff Keighley, that many people are familiar with, but there are so many others, too. Many countries or regions have their own award shows (Japan Game Awards, the Slovak Game of the Year Awards, or the Deutscher Computerspielpreis), not to mention how many gaming publications will write their own lists at the end of the year.
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It's just too much for the average gamer to keep up with. Plus, who wants to see one game win awards at five different organizations, just because it was popular that year? It gets repetitive. We've gone through some of the most prominent awards shows to compile a list of some games that won, but that you may not have gotten around to playing yet.
10 Hidden Agenda - A Psychological Mystery
Hidden Agenda is an interactive experience, exclusive to the PlayStation 4. Players work to unravel the web of a serial killer known only as "The Trapper" by playing as a homicide detective and a district attorney.
The psychological thrill of this title cannot be understated. It also included a feature that allowed back-seat gamers to join in: they could use an app to vote on which decision they thought was best. As a result, two of the awards that Hidden Agenda won were for Best Social Game (from The Independent Game Developers' Association) and Best Family/Social Game (from the Game Critics Awards).
9 The Unfinished Swan - A Wholesome Indie Title
In The Unfinished Swan, you play a young boy named Monroe. Monroe's mother was an artist who was famous for never finishing a painting. Unfortunately, when she passed away, Monroe was only allowed to keep one of her artworks. He chose one that featured a swan — but awoke one night to discover the swan had escaped! The player must help Monroe track down his swan friend.
The Unfinished Swan won an award for Best Downloadable Game from the Game Critics Awards and two from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for Game Innovation and as a Debut Game. Though the game initially released for the PlayStation 3, it recently came to PC and IOS.
8 Donut County - Mischievous Racoons and Donuts (Enough Said)
Donut County is an adorable indie game that received a bunch of press before slipping out of the community's collective subconscious. In it, the player must control the giant holes that are swallowing the town and sending it to the bowels of the Earth.
It's a brief game that can be finished in a day, so it doesn't require much time commitment. There are lots of fun achievements if you want to spend more time there. Donut County was nominated for lots of awards and won the Mobile Game of the Year award from SXSW Gaming Awards.
7 Blueberry Garden - A Puzzle Adventure
With a brief story and unique art style, Blueberry Garden is a treat to enjoy on a rainy afternoon. It's primarily a puzzle game, in which the player controls a beaked character traversing the garden.
At first, gamers could only play it on Windows, but it was released for Mac and Linux about five years later. In 2009, Blueberry Garden was featured at the 2009 Independent Games Festival, where it won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game.
6 Dear Esther - Walking Simulator With A Twist
Dear Esther is a game you probably read in a lot of headlines for a while but never got around to playing. However, it's totally worth it. The game is a simple walking simulator in which players listen to messages from a man about his dead wife. The game actually provides different messages on each playthrough, so the story is slightly different for each gamer.
Dear Esther was nominated for a number of awards and won several, including (but not limited to) the Originality Award at the IGA Games Industry Awards and the Excellence in Visual Arts award at the Independent Games Festival. If you enjoyed it, you can also check out the game that its developers consider Dear Esther's spiritual successor: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.
5 Heaven's Vault - Archaeologist Simulator
In Heaven's Vault, players take on the role of an archaeologist from the future, named Aliya Elasra. You and your robot buddy, Six, travel between moons while deciphering an ancient language and searching for a missing person, a roboticist named Janniqi Renba.
The game was initially released for Windows computers and the PlayStation 4 in early 2019, but released on the Nintendo Switch as well in January of 2021. It was nominated for several awards and won at the Independent Games Festival Awards for Excellence in Narrative.
4 Florence - The Meaning Of Love
Florence is the name of this game and its protagonist, Florence Yeoh. The player watches Florence, a young woman living in the city, meet a handsome young cellist named Krish. The player then lives through the pair's budding romance.
It was generally well-received in the gaming community, though its ending was slightly controversial. Regardless, Florence won a number of awards, including Best Mobile Game from multiple organizations and Best Game Design at the 2019 Webby Awards. It was first released to iOS and Android in 2018 but arrived on the Nintendo Switch and PC in early 2020.
3 What The Golf - A Rich Man's Game For The Poor Man
Are you someone who thought they could never be interested in golf? What The Golf is here to change your mind. It's a bite-sized game available for iOS phones, Windows computer users, and Nintendo Switch owners that puts a spin on the traditional golf experience.
Each level has some new joke to enjoy and there are unique mechanics to engage with in every section of the map. What The Golf was nominated for its fair share of awards. It won the Best Mobile Game award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2020.
2 Planet Nomads - The Lesser-Known No Man's Sky
Inspired by games like No Man's Sky and Space Engineers, Planet Nomads is a sandbox game where players control an astronaut who has crash-landed. You get the chance to explore a vibrant world full of strange flora and fauna and must rely on what you can build yourself to survive.
This title initially began as a Kickstarter from late 2015/early 2016, and it won the People's Choice Award at the 2016 Game Access Conference in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, it's not available on any console, but players can still enjoy it on their Mac, Windows, or Linux computers.
1 What Remains Of Edith Finch - Game Design Used To Its Fullest
What Remains Of Edith Finch is a game you probably heard about when it was in the news but never got around to playing. There's no excuse now — it's included as a part of the Xbox Game Pass. The game is an incredible visual narrative spanning an eclectic and sprawling family home, told from the point of view of the last remaining member of the family: Edith Finch.
As a simple game, the achievements are a great way to earn easy points. It won a number of awards in 2017 and 2018: Best Gameplay at the "Games for Change" Awards, Best Narrative at the Game Developers Choice Awards, Award for Excellence in Narrative at the SXSW Gaming Awards, and more.