TheCanadian Game Awardscelebrates gaming ’s bang-up achievements created by developer in the Great White North in 16 categories , with competition ranging from AAA game likeDragon Age : The Veilguardto indie title like this year ’s surprisal hitBalatro . The ceremony will occur on February 15 , 2025 , at 8:00 p.m. Eastern fourth dimension . The Awards have previously been bear witness on Amazon Prime Video , though they may not be available in every region .
In addition to celebrating game and their developers , the Canadian Game Awards also spotlight some of the play communitythrough their Esports and Content Creator categories . This is a courteous room to honour the people who create meaningful elbow room to take with gaming as a Falco subbuteo outside of just play game . At the very least , the Canadian Game Awards is a great way to larn about some new plot that may have been look out on by other prize ceremonies this past yr .
Best Art Direction
Games With The Best Art Styles
The honor for Best Art Direction is ease up togames with top - quality visual presentment . This does n’t inevitably mean the game with the most photo - naturalistic nontextual matter , but instead , the one that has a unique and consistent style . It also helps if the game ’s ocular expressive style blends well with its story and themes .
Nominee
Lil Guardsman
Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic
Été
Dragon Age : The Veilguard
1000xRESIST
Venture to the Vile
Developer
Hilltop Studios
Impossible
BioWare
Sunset Visitor
Cut to Bits
This yr ’s nomineeÉtéis a not bad example of great art counsel that is not trying to be true to life . Instead , the game prefer for a urine - coloring material vogue which fits perfectly for a game about working as an artist .
In fact , most campaigner that made it into the list uncommitted on theCanadian Game Awardswebsite , as shared by the ceremony’sXaccount , similarly go for a more highly stylized presentation expressive style than a photorealistic one , render these games a stronger identicalness through their unparalleled graphics .
Best Game Design
Games With The Best Mechanics
The Best Game Design category judges gamesprimarily on their gameplay element . It looks at how the game fit into its chosen genre , what unique ideas it bring out , and whether or not it is forward-looking enough to be consider a completely new fashion of game . game are try on their own merits based on the type of experience they are going for , so a campaigner likeÉtéwon’t lose distributor point for being less unmanageable thanBalatro , as it is mean to be a cozier experience .
Balatro
Beastieball
The Outlast Trials
LocalThunk
Wishes inexhaustible
Red Barrels
Balatrobeing nominated in this category pass water a lot of gumption when discuss introduction . It uses the widely infer regulation of poker to well onboard musician , but its unique deck - building view and roguelite gameplay give it a lot more astuteness than a distinctive poker game game .
Balatro is an excellent game and one of 2024 ’s expert . However , it is also illustrative of why 2024 was such a phenomenal year for gaming .
It ’s these types of inventive choices that make game stand out in this category , as well as the power to put through those innovations in a elbow room that feels polished and engaging .
Best Score/Soundtrack
Games With The Best Music
Best Score / Soundtrack charge per unit gamesbased on their music . This does n’t just mean the timbre of the medicine itself , but how it blends with gameplay to raise the experience . A game ’s score and soundtrack can be integral to set the mood and lay players in the veracious mindset .
Spirit City : Lofi Sessions ( Homework Radio )
Mooncube Games
Spirit City : Lofi Sessionsis an excellent example of what the Canadian Game Awards are search for in this category . The game serves as a tool to avail players focus on being rich in real spirit , so its tardily - go and unobtrusive soundtrack is perfect for what it ’s assay to accomplish .
The new class is here , but there are still plenty of snug game that were liberate in 2024 for the Nintendo Switch that are worth your attention .
In demarcation , Dragon Age : Veilguard ’s gilded gallant of euphony perfectly match its high - fantasy dangerous undertaking tone . It ’s all about games that understand the mood they ’re attempt to communicate and doing so efficaciously through music .
Best Narrative
Games With The Best Story
Best Narrative focuses on games withthe mellow quality of storytelling . This include everything from mechanically skillful parts of storytelling like the tone of its dialogue , to more abstract modifier like the secret plan ’s theme and excited encroachment .
Lil ' Guardsman
Times & Galaxy
Copychaser Games
Lil ' Guardsmanrepresents this family well . It has a monolithic stamp of alone characters that the player interacts with and whose destiny they will settle . The game slant heavily on its narration elements to fuel the player ’s deductive logical thinking and decisiveness - making.1000xRESISTalso has potent tale elementsand its story about the results of a catastrophic pandemic feels very poignant . While both secret plan have very dissimilar flavor , they both show how well narrative element can bear upon a game .
Best Performance
Best Voice Acting And Motion Capture Performances
Best Performancehonors voice actors for their function in video secret plan . Performers are rank based on how distinct and impactful their piece of work as a character was , as well as the calibre of their vocalism work . Consideration is also give to their physical carrying out when motion capture was used for their role .
Humberly González
Nhi Do
Ben Burnes
Matt Mercer
biz
Star Wars : crook
Moving house
Humberly González ’s nominating speech pass water sense , as her work as Kay aid carry players throughtheirStar Wars : Outlawsexperienceby give them a unattackable tether character to connect with . Players probably wo n’t be too surprised to see old stager vocalisation actor Matthew Mercer make here , as he consistently render some of gaming ’s most iconic fiber performance .
Best Audio Design
Games With The Best Sound Effects
Best Audio Designfocuses on the well-grounded elements of a secret plan . This category differs from the Score / Soundtrack family because it is more about the rest of the sounds involve with a plot than with the music . evaluator believe how well a plot ’s healthy burden meliorate the experience and whether they commingle seamlessly to help bear on and heighten immersion .
This category is one that is largely qualified on the style of the secret plan . Something likeDragon long time : The Veilguard ’s healthy burden seek to keep players immersed in a fictional humanity , whereasBalatro ’s level-headed effect are there to facilitate gameplay experience more cheering and engaging .
Best Technology/Innovation
Games With The Most Unique Mechanics
The Best Technology / Innovation Award will go tothe biz that does the near job of taking advantage of usable engineering . This means games that have standout mechanics or that introduce on live styles of game .
Homeworld 3
Gordon Little
Blackbird Interactive
NomineeMoving Housesfits nicely into this category because it take the well - explored genre of informal organisational games and flips it on its head . The game ’s ancestry into psychological revulsion is a fun inversion of the distinctive feelings these type of games like to evoke .
Best Debut Indie Game
Best New Game From A Small Studio
The Best Debut Indie Gamecelebrates new games from smaller developer . Games are scored on a combination of metric unit from the more specific categories to reward game that are an overall heavy experience . To qualify , studio must have fewer than the equivalent of 50 full - time workers .
coil
Florence Nightingale
Folklore Games
Inflexion Games
This category is a great room to observe smaller and emerging studios by not hale them to contend with openhanded secret plan likeDragon Age . While game like1000xRESISTandBalatrostill snagged a slew of nominations despite their indie status , it ’s nice to seegames likeNightingalealso being recognized thanks to this class .
Best Debut Studio
Best Studio That Launched Its First Game
Best Debut Studio celebratesnew gambling studios whose first game get out in 2024 . There is no distinction here between modest indie studio and young AAA studio ; all that count is that they are novel and delivered an interesting first game . That aver , this year many of the studio are smaller .
studio apartment
Many of the studios put up here are also those responsible for the class ’s Best Debut Indie Game nominees . It ’s interesting to see that some of the best indie rubric from the yr were made by first - time studios , and these will probably be developer to observe in the future .
Most Innovative Studio
The Studio Making The Biggest Waves
Most Innovative Studio awardsdevelopers who are pushing plot design fore . This could intend interesting new grease monkey or integration of new technologies in a way that stands out . developer are nominated on the strength of a reach game from this year ; for instance , BioWarewas nominate for its work onDragon Age : The Veilguard .
Lucid Dreams Studio
Bioware
BIOMORPH
Red Barrels ’ work onThe Outlast Trialsis a good model of innovation . The game is a huge going from the style of gameplay in previousOutlasttitles and does a enceinte job challenging players on an cerebral level . Rarely does a biz ’s character institution cover strength so much experiential thought .
Esports Player
Outstanding Esports Players Who Impacted The Community
Esports Player nominee areindividuals in Canada ’s Esports scene who made a positively charged impactin some agency . This does n’t just mean game performance , but also how they ’ve impacted those around them .
Nominees
Sarah_frags
Twistzz
Scarlett
TenZ
Arteezy
Nominees admit Sarah_frags , aValorantplayer who helped lead a Canadian squad to third lieu in the Game Changers Championship in 2024 . Popular waft Arteezy is also nominated . Though he is retire from hisDotateam , Shopify Rebellions , he stay on an participating streamer and fellow member of the community .
Esports Org
Outstanding Esports Organizations Who Impacted The Community
The Esports Org award tell apart not just an case-by-case player , butan intact brass dedicate to gaming . These may have thespian who perform well across multiple biz , not just one field of gaming . They are also judged by their impingement on their community .
Lazarus Esports
Toronto Defiant
Toronto Ultra
Luminosity Gaming
Shopify Rebellion
A undecomposed example of a nominee that covers a broad range of game is Luminosity . The organisation has role player in eight unlike games , includingLeague of Legends , Smash Bros. , andRocket League .
Esports Event
The Most Entertaining And Positive Event
The Esports Event class focuses on Canadian Esportsevents that have a large impact on the gambling communityof the state . Events are also rated on their overall output quality . Winners are a combining of the most entertaining event and the one that most promoted the play residential district .
Electric Clash Tekken World Tour Challenger Event
Toronto Ultra Major III Tournament 2024
Bell Esports Challenge
Call of Duty League : Stage 3 Major
BLAST R6 Major Montreal 2024
There are a few different types of tournaments nominated this yr . For instance , the Bell Esports Challenge is specifically for gamers who are n’t professional thespian to have an opportunity to compete and win prize .
Content Creator/Show
The Best Media About Gaming
The Content Creator / Show family is designed tocelebrate outside media that have an impact on the gambling biotic community . The family encapsulates everything from unretentive internet cartridge clip to full TV shows . That said , this class ’s nominees are all individual creator .
GHOST Cece
NickEh30
Aiekillu
AshleyRoboto
mainsheet
Pokimane
This part is a squeamish place to appoint creators who , while not on pro teams , still dedicate most of their sentence to the gaming world and help enrich its community . For example , nominee AshleyRoboto sometimes plays cozy games likeStardew Valley . This category is more about the quality of a creator ’s work and what they bring to the community of interests than free-enterprise gaming accomplishments .
Studio Of The Year
The Game Studio That Had The Best Overall Year
studio apartment of the Year is awarded tothe Canadian studio apartment that has had the skilful overall performanceon several metric . This include launch popular new biz , as well as create a positive surroundings in the gaming industry .
Hilltop Studio
Behaviour Interactive
This category includes indie studios likeBalatrodeveloper LocalThunk as well as major studio like BioWare . Even studios like Behaviour Interactive , which did n’t have any individual game encounter much recognition at the Awards this year , are consider for their work as a whole .
Game Of The Year
The Game That Excelled In All Categories
The Game of the Year award goes to the biz that not only excels in the antecedently listed family but is alsoa major step onward for secret plan design . Most of the candidate here had multiple nominations across the other categories at the Awards , so it is n’t surprising to see them heel as top contenders .
Lucid Dream Studios
One interesting case here isBIOMORPH . While their developer , Lucid Dream Studios , was nominated off the back of this game , it ’s strange to see it name for Game of the Year without receiving as many individual nominations as contender likeDragon AgeorBalatro . Of naturally , that does n’t intend it still is n’t a major accomplishment , and it could still be considered the best Canadianvideo gamefrom last class .
origin : Canadian Game Awards , Canadian Game Awards / X
