Throughout the Steam Winter sales, players got to cast their voice and choose games as nominees and then winners across 11 categories in the Steam Awards 2023. The results are in, and it’s time to hail the winners across 11 categories! Check out the full list down below, you might be surprised by some results.
Game of the Year & Outstanding Story-Rich Game – Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studio’s turn-based cRPG Baldur’s Gate 3 takes home two more well-deserved awards, having won both the Game of the Year and the Outstanding Story-Rich Game categories. Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil.
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. That power may help you to survive, but there will be a price to pay, and more than any ability, the bonds of trust that you build within your party could be your greatest strength. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms together.
The game is available on PC, Mac, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
VR Game of the Year – Labyrinthine
The VR Game of the Year award goes to Valko’s co-op horror game Labyrinthine that released in August 2023 and got a very positive response from the community. Prepare to be gripped by fear as you encounter a variety of unique monsters, each with their own sinister AI and mechanics. Stay on your toes as you traverse the maze’s twisted paths and unravel the dark secrets that lie within.
Gather your courage and team up with friends as you enter the abandoned Happisburg hedge maze, or dive headfirst into the spine-chilling case files, where every investigation leads to unspeakable horrors. The game offers two distinct gaming experiences: the story mode and the procedurally generated mazes with escalating difficulty.
Labyrinthine is available on PC via Steam.
Labor of Love – Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 pushed aside the competition and won the Labor of Love award. The game, initially released back in 2018, is available on PC, Stadia as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are outlaws on the run. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.
Best Game on Steam Deck – Hogwarts Legacy
Available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox. and PC, Hogwarts Legacy is the best way to dive into this magical world on your own. Coming from Avalanche Software and Warner Bros. Games, it offers an immersive, open-world action RPG set in the world first introduced in the Harry Potter books.
For the first time, experience Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Now you can take control of the action and be at the center of your own adventure in the wizarding world. Your legacy is what you make of it.
Better With Friends – Lethal Company
Coming from Zeekerss, Lethal Company is a co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.
Your job is to collect scrap from abandoned, industrialized moons to meet the Company’s profit quota. You can use the cash you earn to travel to new moons with higher risks and rewards – or you can buy fancy suits and decorations for your ship. Experience nature, scanning any creature you find to add them to your bestiary. Explore the wondrous outdoors and rummage through their derelict, steel and concrete underbellies. Just never miss the quota.
These dangers prey upon the vulnerable and lonesome, and the protection of your crew may be your only hope. You can guide your crewmates from your ship, using the radar to call out traps and using the ship’s terminal to access remotely locked doors – or you can all go in together.
Outstanding Visual Style – Atomic Heart
Coming from developer Mundfish, Atomic Heart is a first-person shooter available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. The events of the game take place in an alternate version of the 1950’s, where robots were designed to help humans but have since rebelled against their creators.
You play as a KGB agent sent to investigate the catastrophic event that occurred at Facility №3826 and lead to the machine rebellion. It is up to you to eliminate the consequences of the event and prevent the leakage of classified information threatening to destroy the whole world.
“Prepare for the fight of your life. Choose optimal tactics for each unique opponent and use everything you can get your hands on, from the special abilities provided by your combat glove to heavy weapons of mass destruction. Combine defensive and offensive skills, interact with your environment, and keep an eye on the enemy to ensure victory. With a wide range of upgrades for all firearms and melee weapons, you can crush anyone who stands in your way. Get ready — this is going to hurt!”
Most Innovative Gameplay – Starfield
Bethesda’s latest creation and the first new IP in 25 years, Starfield offers the option to create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
In the year 2330, humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. You will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of space. Decide who you will be and what you will become.
Best Game You Suck At – Sifu
Sloclap’s Sifu is officially the game that players hopelessly suck at. This beat ’em up is available on PC, PlayStation Xbox and Nintendo Switch to test if players have what it takes to fight their way to the endgame through pain, blood, tears and frustration.
Your enemies don’t wait their turn, and they don’t broadcast their intent. Dodge, parry, strike, use combos and be like water making its way through captivating environments. Learn how to master your art, whether by fighting through the underbelly of a nightclub, scrambling through a refined gallery to avoid getting surrounded, or vertically navigating a towering office building.
Best Soundtrack – The Last of Us Part I
Coming from Naughty Dog, The Last of Us Part I takes players on a gripping journey across the ruins of humankind.
In a ravaged civilization, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey.
Sit Back and Relax – Dave the Diver
Coming from developer MINTROCKET and grabbing overwhelmingly positive reviews from the community, Dave the Diver is a casual, singleplayer adventure RPG featuring deep-sea exploration and fishing during the day and sushi restaurant management at night. Join Dave and his quirky friends as they seek to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Blue Hole.
Quirky but lovable characters and a story full of in-jokes, spoofs, and other humorous scenes provide an approachable and enjoyable gameplay experience.
