Tears of the Kingdom Wins Best Action / Adventure Game at The Game Awards, Falls Short of Game of the Year
Posted on December 07 2023 by Rod Lloyd
The big question on every Zelda fan’s mind going into The Game Awards 2023 was: could The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom match the success of its predecessor Breath of the Wild and secure the coveted Game of the Year award? Well, with the ceremony now concluded, we finally have our answer.
Tears of the Kingdom unfortunately fell short of the big one this year, as frontrunner Baldur’s Gate 3 officially secured Game of the Year at the conclusion of the show. The Larian Studios-developed RPG also beat out Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
The latest Zelda adventure didn’t go home empty-handed, however. Beating out Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Tears of the Kingdom won the award for Best Action / Adventure Game.
An epic adventure fuelled by your imagination. The Legend of #Zelda: #TearsOfTheKingdom won Best Action/Adventure Game at this year’s #TheGameAwards! pic.twitter.com/niJMgDLdTW
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) December 8, 2023
Nintendo UK even shared some new Tears of the Kingdom artwork to celebrate the occasion.
Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma took the stage to accept the award on behalf of Nintendo EPD, recognizing the development team’s efforts and thanking fans for their support.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is taking home the award for Best Action/Adventure Game! 🗡️@NintendoAmerica #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/aePzYglGEs
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 8, 2023
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was nominated for five total awards:
- Best Action /Adventure (Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)
- Best Game Direction (Winner: Alan Wake 2)
- Best Art Direction (Winner: Alan Wake 2)
- Best Score and Music (Winner: Final Fantasy XVI)
- Game of the Year (Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3)
The game was also nominated for the voter-determined Players’ Voice award, which went to Baldur’s Gate 3.
Are you disappointed that Game of the Year eluded Tears of the Kingdom? How satisfied were you by The Game Awards? Let us know in the comments!
Source: The Game Awards
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include new Tears of the Kingdom artwork shared by Nintendo.
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
