Contrary to the expectations of many, Astro Bot, a 3D platformer from Team Asobi and Sony Interactive Entertainment and exclusive to PlayStation 5, dominated this year’s The Game Awards, winning the prestigious title of Game of the Year and beating rivals such as Balatro and Black Myth Shadow: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Praised by players and critics alike, the platformer was praised for its addictive gameplay mechanics, well-designed levels and a wealth of characters that reference iconic figures from other universes. Astro Bot not only won GOTY 2024, but also triumphed across the board, taking home four awards in total – more than any other game this year.

The game’s publisher, Sony, also left its competitors far behind with wins in six categories. Playstack and Sega follow with three wins each and Game Science and Xbox Game Studios round out the top three with two awards each. This success is in stark contrast to last year’s The Game Awards, where Sony failed to win a single trophy despite having the second-highest number of nominations, assuming we conclude HBO/PlayStation Productions’ TV adaptation of The Last of Us out of .