British Academy Games Awards

BAFTA Games Awards
BAFTA Games Awards
Current: 20th British Academy Games Awards
Awarded for	Outstanding creative achievement in games
Country	United Kingdom
Formerly called	BAFTA Video Games Awards
First awarded	February 2004; 20 years ago
Website	bafta.org

The BAFTA Games Awards or British Academy Games Awards are an annual British awards ceremony honouring "outstanding creative achievement" in the video game industry.^[1] First presented in 2004 following the restructuring of the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, the awards are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

Since the inaugural BAFTA Games Awards in February 2004, twenty ceremonies have taken place. The most recent, the 20th British Academy Games Awards, was held at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 11 April 2024.

Ceremonies and winners

The BAFTA ceremonies are typically held in March or April of each year. In some years, BAFTA has given out additional awards just prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo event, which happens in May or June of the year.

2003

The 2003 ceremony took place in February 2004.^[3]

Action Game – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Adventure Game – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Animation or Intro – Soulcalibur II (Jame Chung Edition)
Children's Game – EyeToy: Play
Design – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Game Boy Advance Game – Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Game on Any Platform – The Year's Best Game – Call of Duty
Gamecube – Metroid Prime
Mobile Game – Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Multiplayer – Battlefield 1942
Original Music – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
PC – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
PS2 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Racing – Project Gotham Racing 2
Sound – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Sports – FIFA Football 2004
Strategy – Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Sunday Times Reader Award for Games – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Technical Achievement – EyeToy: Play
Xbox – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Special Award (Games) – Chris Deering

2004

The 2004 ceremony took place on 1 March 2005.^[4]

Action Game – Half-Life 2
Animation – Half-Life 2
Art Direction – Half-Life 2
Audio Achievement – Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Best Game – Half-Life 2
Children's – Donkey Konga
Gamecube – Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Handheld – Colin McRae Rally 2005
Mobile Game – BlueTooth BiPlanes
Online Multiplayer – Half-Life 2
Original Music – Hitman: Contracts
Originality – SingStar/Singstar Party
PC – Half-Life 2
PS2 – Burnout 3: Takedown
Racing – Burnout 3: Takedown
Sports – Pro Evolution Soccer 4
Sunday Times Reader Award for Games – Football Manager 2005
Technical Direction – Burnout 3: Takedown
Xbox – Halo 2
Special Award (Games) – Sam Houser & Leslie Benzies

2006

The 2006 ceremony took place at The Roundhouse on 5 October 2006 and was hosted by Vernon Kay.^[5]

Action and Adventure (Sponsored by PC World) – Shadow of the Colossus
Artistic Achievement – Shadow of the Colossus
Audio Achievement – Electroplankton
Best Game (Sponsored by PC World) – Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Casual and Social – Buzz!: The BIG Quiz
Character – LocoRoco (LocoRoco)
Children's – LocoRoco
Gameplay (Sponsored by Nokia N-Gage) – Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Gamers' Award (Sponsored by Nokia N-Gage) – 24: The Mobile Game
Innovation – Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?
Multiplayer – Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach
Original Score – Tomb Raider: Legend
Screenplay – Psychonauts
Simulation – The Movies
Soundtrack – Guitar Hero
Sports – Fight Night Round 3
Strategy – Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War
Technical Achievement (Sponsored by Skillset) – Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

2007

The 2007 ceremony took place at Battersea Evolution on 23 October 2007 and was hosted by Vic Reeves.^[6]

Action and Adventure (Sponsored by PC World) – Crackdown
Artistic Achievement – Ōkami
Best Game – BioShock
Casual – Wii Sports
Gameplay (Sponsored by Nokia N-Gage) – Wii Sports
Innovation – Wii Sports
Multiplayer – Wii Sports
Original Score – Ōkami
Sports – Wii Sports
Story and Character – God of War II
Strategy and Simulation – Wii Sports
Technical Achievement – God of War II
Use of Audio – Crackdown
BAFTA One's To Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital) – Ragnarawk
The PC World Gamers Award (voted for by the public) – Football Manager 2007
Academy Fellowship – Will Wright

2008

The 2008 ceremony took place at London Hilton on 10 March 2009 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[7]

Action and Adventure – Fable II
Artistic Achievement – LittleBigPlanet
Best Game – Super Mario Galaxy
Casual – Boom Blox
Gameplay – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Handheld – Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Multiplayer – Left 4 Dead
Original Score – Dead Space
Sports – Race Driver: Grid
Strategy – Civilization Revolution
Story and Character – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Technical Achievement – Spore
Use of Audio – Dead Space
BAFTA One's to Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital) – Boro-Toro
GAME Award of 2008 – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Academy Fellowship – Nolan Bushnell

2009

The 2009 ceremony took place at London Hilton 19 March 2010 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[8]

Action – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Artistic Achievement – Flower
Best Game – Batman: Arkham Asylum
Family & Social – Wii Sports Resort
Gameplay – Batman: Arkham Asylum
Handheld – LittleBigPlanet
Multiplayer – Left 4 Dead 2
Original Score – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Sports – FIFA 10
Story – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Strategy – Empire: Total War
Use of Audio – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Use of Online – FIFA 10
BAFTA One's to Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital) – Shrunk!
GAME Award of 2009 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Academy Fellowship – Shigeru Miyamoto

2010

The 2010 ceremony took place at London Hilton on 16 March 2011 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[9]

Action – Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Artistic Achievement – God of War III
Best Game – Mass Effect 2
Family – Kinect Sports
Gameplay – Super Mario Galaxy 2
Handheld – Cut the Rope
Multiplayer – Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Original Music – Heavy Rain
Puzzle – Rooms: The Main Building
Social Network Game – My Empire
Sports – F1 2010
Story – Heavy Rain
Strategy – Civilization V
Technical Innovation – Heavy Rain
Use of Audio – Battlefield: Bad Company 2
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital) – Twang!
GAME Award of 2010 – Call of Duty: Black Ops
Academy Fellowship – Peter Molyneux

2011

The 2011 ceremony took place at London Hilton on 16 March 2012 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[10]

Action – Batman: Arkham City
Artistic Achievement – Rayman Origins
Audio Achievement – Battlefield 3
Best Game – Portal 2
Debut Game – Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Family – LittleBigPlanet 2
Game Design – Portal 2
Game Innovation – LittleBigPlanet 2
Mobile & Handheld – Peggle HD
Online – Browser – Monstermind
Online Multiplayer – Battlefield 3
Original Music – L.A. Noire
Performer – Mark Hamill (as The Joker, Batman: Arkham City)
Sports/Fitness – Kinect Sports: Season Two
Story – Portal 2
Strategy – Total War: Shogun 2
BAFTA Ones To Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital) – Tick Tock Toys
GAME Award of 2011 – Battlefield 3
Special – Markus Persson

2012

The 2012 ceremony took place at London Hilton on 5 March 2013 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[11]

Action – Far Cry 3
Artistic Achievement – Journey
Audio Achievement – Journey
Best Game – Dishonored
British Game – The Room
Debut Game – The Unfinished Swan
Family – Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Game Design – Journey
Game Innovation – The Unfinished Swan
Mobile & Handheld – The Walking Dead
Online – Browser – SongPop
Online Multiplayer – Journey
Original Music – Journey
Performer – Danny Wallace (as the narrator, Thomas Was Alone)
Sports/Fitness – New Star Soccer
Story – The Walking Dead
Strategy – XCOM: Enemy Unknown
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award (in association with Dare to Be Digital) – Starcrossed
Academy Fellowship – Gabe Newell

2013

The 2013 ceremony took place at Tobacco Dock on 12 March 2014 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[12]

Action & Adventure – The Last of Us
Artistic Achievement – Tearaway
Audio Achievement - The Last of Us
Best Game – The Last of Us
British Game – Grand Theft Auto V
Debut Game – Gone Home
Family – Tearaway
Game Design – Grand Theft Auto V
Game Innovation – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Mobile & Handheld – Tearaway
Online Multiplayer – Grand Theft Auto V
Original Music – BioShock Infinite
Performer – Ashley Johnson (as Ellie, The Last of Us)
Sports – FIFA 14
Story – The Last of Us
Strategy & Simulation – Papers, Please
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award – Size DOES Matter
Academy Fellowship – Rockstar Games

2014

The 2014 ceremony took place at Tobacco Dock on 12 March 2015 and was hosted by Rufus Hound.^[13]

Artistic Achievement – Lumino City
Audio Achievement – Alien: Isolation
Best Game – Destiny
British Game – Monument Valley
Debut Game – Never Alone
Family – Minecraft: Console Editions
Game Design – Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Game Innovation – The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Mobile & Handheld – Monument Valley
Online Multiplayer – Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
Original Music – Far Cry 4
Original Property – Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Performer – Ashley Johnson (as Ellie, The Last of Us: Left Behind)
Persistent Game – League of Legends
Sports – OlliOlli
Story – The Last of Us: Left Behind
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award – Chambara
Academy Fellowship – David Braben

2015

The 2015 ceremony took place at Tobacco Dock on 7 April 2016 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[14]

Artistic Achievement – Ori and the Blind Forest
Audio Achievement – Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Best Game – Fallout 4
British Game – Batman: Arkham Knight
Debut Game – Her Story
Family – Rocket League
Game Design – Bloodborne
Game Innovation – Her Story
Mobile & Handheld – Her Story
Multiplayer – Rocket League
Music - Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Original Property – Until Dawn
Performer – Merle Dandridge (as Kate Collins, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture)
Persistent Game – Prison Architect
Sports – Rocket League
Story – Life Is Strange
Special - Amy Hennig^[15]
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award – Sundown
Academy Fellowship – John Carmack
AMD eSports Audience Award – Smite

2016

The 2016 ceremony took place at Tobacco Dock on 6 April 2017 and was hosted by Danny Wallace.^[16]

Artistic Achievement – Inside
Audio Achievement – The Last Guardian
Best Game – Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
British Game – Overcooked
Debut Game – Firewatch
Evolving Game – Rocket League
Family – Overcooked
Game Design – Inside
Game Innovation – That Dragon, Cancer
Mobile – Pokémon Go
Multiplayer – Overwatch
Music – Virginia
Narrative – Inside
Original Property – Inside
Performer – Cissy Jones (as Delilah, Firewatch)
BAFTA Special Award – Brenda Romero
BAFTA Special Award - Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill of Riot Games^[17]
BAFTA Ones to Watch Award – Among the Stones
AMD eSports Audience Award – Clash Royale

2017

The 2017 ceremony took place at The Troxy on 12 April 2018 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[18]^[19]

Artistic Achievement – Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Audio Achievement – Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Best Game – What Remains of Edith Finch
British Game – Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Debut Game – Gorogoa
Evolving Game – Overwatch
Family – Super Mario Odyssey
Game Beyond Entertainment – Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Game Design – Super Mario Odyssey
Game Innovation – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Mobile Game – Golf Clash
Multiplayer – Divinity: Original Sin II
Music – Cuphead
Narrative – Night in the Woods
Original Property – Horizon Zero Dawn
Performer – Melina Juergens (as Senua, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice)
Special Award: Nolan North^[20]

2018

The 2018 ceremony took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 4 April 2019 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain.^[21]^[22]

Artistic Achievement – Return of the Obra Dinn
Audio Achievement – God of War
Best Game – God of War
British Game – Forza Horizon 4
Debut Game – Yoku's Island Express
EE Mobile Game – Old School RuneScape
Evolving Game – Fortnite Battle Royale
Family – Nintendo Labo
Game Beyond Entertainment – My Child Lebensborn
Game Design – Return of the Obra Dinn
Game Innovation – Nintendo Labo
Mobile Game – Florence
Multiplayer – A Way Out
Music – God of War
Narrative – God of War
Original Property – Into the Breach
Performer – Jeremy Davies as The Stranger/Baldur in God of War
Special Award – Epic Games^[23]^[24]

2019

Though originally planned to be presented at a ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the event was instead presented as a live stream on 2 April 2020 due to concern over the COVID-19 pandemic.^[25]

Animation – Luigi's Mansion 3
Artistic Achievement – Sayonara Wild Hearts
Audio Achievement – Ape Out
Best Game – Outer Wilds
British Game – Observation
Debut Game – Disco Elysium
EE Mobile Game – Call of Duty: Mobile
Evolving Game – Path of Exile
Family – Untitled Goose Game
Game Beyond Entertainment – Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to)
Game Design – Outer Wilds
Multiplayer – Apex Legends
Music – Disco Elysium
Narrative – Disco Elysium
Original Property – Disco Elysium
Performer in a Leading Role – Gonzalo Martin as Sean Diaz in Life Is Strange 2
Performer in a Supporting Role – Martti Suosalo as Ahti the Janitor in Control
Technical Achievement – Death Stranding
BAFTA Fellowship – Hideo Kojima

2020

The event was held as a live-streamed event on 25 March 2021. The nominees were announced on 3 March 2021.^[26]

Animation – The Last of Us Part II
Artistic Achievement – Hades
Audio Achievement – Ghost of Tsushima
Best Game – Hades
British Game – Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Debut Game – Carrion
EE Game of the Year – The Last of Us Part II
Evolving Game – Sea of Thieves
Family – Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Game Beyond Entertainment – Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Game Design – Hades
Multiplayer – Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Music – Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Narrative – Hades
Original Property – Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
Performer in a Leading Role – Laura Bailey as Abby in The Last of Us Part II
Performer in a Supporting Role – Logan Cunningham for multiple roles in Hades
Technical Achievement – Dreams
BAFTA Fellowship – Siobhan Reddy

2021

The ceremony took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 7 April 2022 and was hosted by television presenter Elle Osili-Wood for the second time. The nominees were announced on 3 March 2022.^[27]

Animation – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Artistic Achievement – The Artful Escape
Audio Achievement – Returnal
Best Game – Returnal
British Game – Forza Horizon 5
Debut Game – TOEM
EE Game of the Year – Unpacking
Evolving Game – No Man's Sky
Family – Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Game Beyond Entertainment – Before Your Eyes
Game Design – Inscryption
Multiplayer – It Takes Two
Music – Returnal
Narrative – Unpacking
Original Property – It Takes Two
Performer in a Leading Role – Jane Perry as Selene Vassos in Returnal
Performer in a Supporting Role – Kimberly Brooks as Hollis Forsythe in Psychonauts 2
Technical Achievement – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

2022

The ceremony took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 30 March 2023 and was hosted by esports presenter Frankie Ward. The nominees were announced on 2 March 2023.^[28]^[29]

Animation – God of War Ragnarök
Artistic Achievement – Tunic
Audio Achievement – God of War Ragnarök
Best Game – Vampire Survivors
British Game – Rollerdrome
Debut Game – Tunic
EE Game of the Year – God of War Ragnarök
Evolving Game – Final Fantasy XIV Online
Family – Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Game Beyond Entertainment – Endling: Extinction is Forever
Game Design – Vampire Survivors
Multiplayer – Elden Ring
Music – God of War Ragnarök
Narrative – Immortality
Original Property – Elden Ring
Performer in a Leading Role – Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War Ragnarök
Performer in a Supporting Role – Laya Deleon Hayes as Angrboða in God of War Ragnarök
Technical Achievement – Horizon Forbidden West

2023

The ceremony took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 11 April 2024. For the first time, BAFTA released their official longlist on 14 December 2023, with the shortlisted nominees announced on 7 March 2024.^[30]^[31]