Before we usher in 2025, there’s one more end-of-year awards list to go through, and this time, it’s the digital storefront Steam. Valve has published the 2024 Steam Awards winners and finalists.

Given that Steam is a platform purely for PC users, don’t expect any console-exclusive games to be part of the list. This means that The Game Awards winner Astro Bot isn’t even nominated given, y’know, it’s exclusive to the PS5.

Steam Awards 2024 Winners Might Surprise Some People

While the finalists were revealed earlier this month, we have the full winners list available today.

Game of the Year

Black Myth Wukong – Maybe it was its immersive gameplay, or its gripping story… its well-crafted characters, immaculate design, or addictive multiplayer. Whatever the reason, the winner of this year’s Game of the Year Award is an instant classic.

Metro Awakening VR – The VR Game of the Year isn’t merely masquerading as regular reality. This game improves on reality, taking advantage of the medium of VR and pushing the boundaries of the virtual realm.

Labor of Love Award

Elden Ring – This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the debut of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.

Best Game on Steam Deck Award

God of War Ragnarok – This game was so good, you wanted to take it everywhere. So you grabbed your Steam Deck and did! Luckily, everything that made it endlessly playable at your desk got even better on the go.

Better With Friends Award

Helldivers 2 – There are some games out there that just aren’t the same when you play by yourself. Maybe you need to have a friend to watch your back. Maybe you need a friend you can stab in the back. Either way, fun awaits those who gather friends together play this game.

Outstanding Visual Style Award

Silent Hill 2 – Visual style doesn’t aspire to real-world graphical fidelity (though a noble goal in itself)… it describes a distinctive look and feel that suffuses an entire game.

Most Innovative Gameplay Award

Liar’s Bar – The designers of this game are on the front lines of creative experimentation, bringing a fresh perspective and brain-breaking surprises. This game delighted, inspired and entertained with newness never played before.

Best Game You Suck At Award

Black Myth Wukong – This is the game that rewards persistence, and is not for the faint of heart. It’s the toughest game we’ve ever loved.

Best Soundtrack Award

Red Dead Redemption – This unsung hero deserves to be recognized for its outstanding musical score. It’s the OST with the MOST!

Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award

Black Myth Wukong – Some days, only a narrative-heavy game will hit the spot, and this one packs a wallop. It’s as gripping as any soap opera, and as well-tuned as a prestige-TV screenplay. Bravissimo — for making us feel things!

Sit Back and Relax Award

Farming Simulator 25 – This game is the antidote to a busy day. It’s smooth, it’s relaxing, it lets your worries melt away. This game is your moment of zen.

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As you can see, Game Science’s Black Myth Wukong is the big winner this year, as not only did it nab the Game of the Year award, but it also received the award for Oustanding Story-Rich award, and another one that highlights how bad you are at a game.

Black Myth Wukong’s wins aren’t that surprising given how the game managed to break records on the platform at launch. Of course, that doesn’t mean it won GOTY solely because of its gigantic player count, but the game is actually good. Over on Open Critic, Black Myth Wukong has a solid “Strong” rating with 80% of critics recommending the souls-like game.

Aside from winning Steam’s Game of the Year award, the game has been active in the news recently, as one of its developers criticized The Game Awards after it lost to Astro Bot. There’s also a copycat of the game that surfaced on Nintendo’s eShop that might fool some people into plunking down some dough to play a game based on Sun Wukong, but one that’s a massive step down from Game Science’s AAA title.

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Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, and Metaphor: ReFantazio highlighted the list of new video game IP in 2024.

Black Myth Wukong is available now on PS5 and PC. While there’s no announcement on when we’ll see the Xbox Series X|S version released, the ESRB rating for that version has surfaced this October, suggesting an announcement might be on the way soon.

Do you think Black Myth Wukong deserves to win Steam’s Game of the Year award? If not, which game should have won?

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Black Myth: Wukong

An action-RPG set against the backdrop of Chinese mythology, Black Myth: Wukong is a Soulslike adventure game retelling the story of Journey to the West.

Released

August 20, 2024

Developer(s)

Game Science

Publisher(s)

Game Science

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence

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