Personal Video Game of Each Year List

[Dragon Lord]

1991: Final Fantasy IV
1992: The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
1993: The Lost Vikings
1994: Illusion of Gaia
1995: Chrono Trigger
1996: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
1997: Final Fantasy VII
1998: Final Fantasy Tactics
1999: Super Smash Bros.
2000: Final Fantasy IX
2001: Golden Sun
2002: Kingdom Hearts
2003: Golden Sun: The Lost Age
2004: Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
2005: Pokemon Emerald
2006: Kingdom Hearts II
2007: Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
2008: Tales of Vesperia
2009: Demon's Souls
2010: NieR
2011: Dark Souls
2012: Dragon's Dogma
2013: Etrian Odyssey IV
2014: Hatsune Miku Project DIVA F + Hatsune Miku Project DIVA F 2nd
2015: Bloodborne
2016: I Am Setsuna
2017: NieR: Automata
2018: Azur Lane
2019: Code Vein
2020: Genshin Impact
2021: Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
2022: N/A

Man, what a pain in the ass this was. Having to go through every single year to see what games released, and then having to double check to make sure they released in NA that year or if it was only Japan. I know there's also a LOT of games missing on the lists I checked, so I could very well change up a lot of these if I end up remembering other games.

I only picked games that I have played and finished for each respective year as well, so I could end up changing my choices if I play another game from that year I end up liking more.

2022 I don't have a choice for yet, because I don't think I'm actually finished any 2022 games yet... so I will have to get back to that one at a later time. Well, I guess I did start and finish the Chrono Cross remaster, but that port was such low quality that I won't even use it as a filler option.

Also if anyone is curious which of these games I'd tag as my personal "ultimate game of all-time," it would be NieR: Automata.

[WR91]

Does anyone have a game of the year for 2023?

I think I've got mine already locked in. But I'll wait to see if anyone else has an opinion.

[Maniakkid25]

I think there is an obvious choice for 2023 by my "most important" criterion, but what may disqualify it is how you define "initial release". That is, does Early Access count as an "initial release", or would you consider it more of an "Open Beta"? Depending on how you answer, my answer changes.

Speaking of, my picks for 2021 and 2022.

2021 -- Kid A Mnesia Exhibition

Okay, this is stretching the definition of "game", but let me explain. This is an exploration game made by Radiohead in honor of their legendary albums Kid A and Amnesiac. It mixes music, art, and exploration in a way that is...breathtaking. And why I find it important is because it is another peg in the argument that Video Games Are Art, and this one is explicitly undeniable. Also, my other choices were Psychonauts 2, Back 4 Blood, and Metroid Dread. Those games are good, but they haven't proven themselves yet. This game already has.

2022 -- Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel

Yeah, this one kind of stormed in out of nowhere to make Konami ridiculous sums of money. For a good amount of time, Yu-Gi-Oh was at the cultural zeitgeist of gaming. Sure, Konami then fumbled the ball, but the fact that the game made that deep of a splash that fast is nothing short of awe-inspiring, and shows just how strong the Yu-Gi-Oh card game is once you grasp your head around it.

[Mr EliteL]

My 2023 should go to Octopath 2, but once again Genshin has just kept my full focus for my gaming time. I'll likely still stick with OT2 though, I should really go back. But then there's Wonder late in the year but I honestly don't think it will surpass OT2 for my pick. 2024 however is shaping up to be a harder pick for me, so I'll see in a year's time for that.

[Dragon Lord]

I don't have a personal GoTY for 2023 yet, since there's still many 2023 games I need to play. Honkai: Star Rail and Aether Gazer are both big contenders, since I've greatly enjoyed both of them since their releases. Hoyo just keeps on delivering and 2024 is going to look the same with their release of the amazing looking Zenless Zone Zero.

Hogwart's Legacy is definitely a contender, and early impressions of Fate/Samurai Remnant have it in my consideration as well, though I'll have to play further into that game to see if it holds up first.

As for what game should win the award and The Game Awards this year? While I can't stand DnD and it bores me to tears, I would say that the fact that Baldur's Gate 3 completely came out of no where and absolutely knocked the gaming world off of its feet has earned it the right to win that award by a landslide. Definitely not a game for me, but you cannot deny what an absolute impact that game has made this year and the best part is that it released right before Starfield and absolutely embarrassed it.

Sadly Tears of the Kingdom will likely win it, even though it has no business doing so or even being in consideration for it.

[Moonface]

I don't have a pick for 2023 yet either, both from a personal perspective and an objective one. The year has been so stacked that there's a lot of contenders, and the year isn't over yet with games like Spider-Man 2 still to release.

@Maniakkid25: Personally I don't like Early Access titles being considered for GotY awards until they're actually in full release, even if an Early Access game is barred from being nominated again once it leaves EA, just because I'd rather a game be judged with all its parts rather than as a work in progress.