The Steam Awards 2023 Launch in Line with it’s Autumn Sale
Steam is back for 2023 with its annual ‘Steam Awards’, which aims to highlight the best games that released on Steam throughout the year. There are 11 categories this time but, unlike larger events like the Golden Joysticks or Game Awards, there is no live event or show. Instead, the winners will simply be announced on January 2nd at 10am PST. Despite that being quite a long time away, you only have until November 28th to choose your winners- so make sure you do so here.
Image by Mintrocket
Unlike other award shows that have a handful of nominations for each categories, the Steam Awards gives power to the players in more ways than one. Firstly. there are over 100 eligible games that you can pick- with quite a few you’ve probably never even heard of. That means that you can pick the most obscure hidden gem you can think of- and it may just get some recognition. Secondly, 100% of the voting process is handled by Steam members- which is very different from how the Game Awards operates with the votes from players only making up 10% (with the rest being determined by industry veterans).
Image by Neowiz Games
So, with that knowledge, what categories are up for grabs this year? Of course, the general Game of the Year and best soundtrack make an appearance, but there are those that are more unique. For example, the ‘best game you suck at’ award may highlight entries like ‘Lies of P’ or ‘Lords of the Fallen’, which sometimes don’t receive the attention they deserve due to their high difficulty bar (although, that didn’t stop Elden Ring’s dominance last year). Other interesting categories include the ‘better with friends’ and ‘best game on Steam deck’ awards that seek to give some perhaps lesser known projects some of the limelight that they don’t receive at larger award shows.
Image by Team17
With so many games to choose from- and 11 inventive categories to fill out, this year’s Steam Awards looks to be the most unique yet. Apart from that, its also a great opportunity to highlight some smaller games that may have gotten lost amongst the sea of AAA releases this year. Although its likely that games like Baldur’s Gate III will still dominate the categories, other projects like ‘Dredge’ and ‘Lies of P’ may receive more attention thanks to these awards- which they deserve. Either way, you can check out the winners when they are revealed at the start of next year- on January 2nd 2024.
