God of War Ragnarok rakes in the nominations for 26th DICE Awards

Horizon and Elden Ring are just behind Ragnarok in nominations

The nominees for the 26th annual DICE Awards are out, honoring everything the industry had to offer over the last year. From God of War Ragnarok to Elden Ring, there’s some stiff competition for the top spot.

The DICE Awards, put on by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23 as the end of week-long 2023 D.I.C.E. Summit. Academy members will be able to start voting today, Jan. 12, on which games will receive the big awards.

What’s up for grabs at the DICE Awards? Categories include outstanding achievement in animation, art direction, story, audio design, and more. And there is of course, the top spot: Game of the Year.

The top contenders may not be a surprise, if you’ve been following the Game of the Year discussions, awards, and deliberations from 2022. God of War Ragnarok leads the nominees by placing in 12 categories, with Horizon Forbidden West at 8 nominations and Elden Ring coming in at 7 nominations. Dig a bit further down, though, and you’ll find some other outstanding hits like Immortality, Tunic, and Vampire Survivors.

It’s a tough competition this year, but it should be fun seeing who takes home some hardware. Here’s the full list of 2023 D.I.C.E. Awards nominees.

26th Annual DICE Awards nominees

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Moss: Book II

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ll
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• The Callisto Protocol

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ll – Alejandro Vargas
• God of War Ragnarök – Atreus
• God of War Ragnarök – Kratos
• Horizon Forbidden West – Aloy
• Return to Monkey Island – Guybrush Threepwood

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Metal: Hellsinger
• Moss: Book II

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ll
• God of War Ragnarök
• Gotham Knights
• Somerville

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
• IMMORTALITY
• NORCO

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Teardown

Action Game of the Year

• Bayonetta 3
• Grounded
• Neon White
• Sifu
• Vampire Survivors

Adventure Game of the Year

• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• NORCO
• Stray
• TUNIC

Family Game of the Year

• Disney Dreamlight Valley
• Kirby’s Dream Buffet
• Lost in Play
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Trombone Champ

Fighting Game of the Year

• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
• MultiVersus
• Rumbleverse
• SpiderHeck
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 22
• Gran Turismo 7
• Need for Speed Unbound

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Citizen Sleeper
• Elden Ring
• Weird West
• World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS FIFA 23
• Mario Strikers: Battle League
• MLB The Show 22
• NBA 2k23
• OlliOlli World

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Dwarf Fortress
• IXION
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns
• Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
• Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Among Us VR
• Cosmonious High
• Moss: Book II
• Red Matter 2
• The Last Clockwinder

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Cosmonious High
• Moss: Book II
• Red Matter 2
• Tentacula
• The Last Clockwinder

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• IMMORTALITY
• Neon White
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
• TUNIC
• Vampire Survivors

Mobile Game of the Year

• Diablo Immortal
• Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
• IMMORTALITY
• MARVEL SNAP
• Poinpy

Online Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ll
• EA SPORTS FIFA 23
• FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker
• MARVEL SNAP
• Rumbleverse

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• MARVEL SNAP
• TUNIC
• Vampire Survivors

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• IMMORTALITY
• TUNIC

Game of the Year

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Vampire Survivors