Be happy, Black Myth: Wukong fans, because it is literally impossible for Astro Bot to win Game of the Year in the 2024 Steam Game Awards

Black Myth: Wukong's Elder Jinchi
(Image credit: GameScience)

The 2024 Steam Winter Sale starts in just a couple days, meaning it will soon be time to brace your bank accounts against the onslaught of big seasonal deals. The start of the Winter Sale also signals the opening of voting for the Steam Awards, the annual celebration of the most popular games on Steam, and while you can't actually cast your ballots yet, you can at least start thinking about where you want to aim them.

This year's nominees are led by Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Stalker 2, and Helldivers 2, each of which are in the running in three categories each. Satisfactory and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 are up for a couple categories each, and yes, Baldur's Gate 3 is in the mix too. We all might as well just get used to that.

PC Gamer senior editor Robin Valentine said last year that the nominations for the 2023 Steam Awards were "extremely weird," and there's a little bit of that this time around too. Elden Ring in the Labor of Love category—"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"—seems way off the mark to me, especially when compared to its competition: No Man's Sky, Baldur's Gate 3, Dota 2, and Stardew Valley. Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake is excellent, but Outstanding Visual Style seems a bit of a reach. (PC Gamer's weekend editor Jody Macgregor says it does look great, though.) So does crediting Helldivers 2 with Most Innovative Gameplay: It's brilliant, but friendly fire's been around for a while now, you know.

But those bits of oddness reflect what I like about the Steam Awards: Nominations are made and voted on entirely by players, which makes them a more hands-on experience than we usually get. Most awards shows are just a matter of showing up to see who wins, but when it comes to the Steam Awards, debates, arguments, PR campaigns, and fistfights in the Burger King parking lot can all have a real, tangible impact on the outcome. I don't think that necessarily makes the Steam Awards any more (or less) meaningful than the other events, but it's definitely more fun.

Voting in the 2024 Steam Awards will go live on December 19 with the start of the Winter Sale, and will be open until December 31. Casting a vote will get you a free Steam sticker in each category, and if you're not especially committed to your choice you're free to change it right up to the close of voting.

The full list of 2024 Steam Awards nominees is below:

Game of the Year

  • Helldivers 2
  • Balatro
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
  • Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl

VR Game of the Year

  • Maestro
  • Davigo
  • Blade and Sorcery
  • Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2
  • Metro Awakening

Labor of Love

  • No Man's Sky
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Dota 2
  • Stardew Valley
  • Elden Ring

Best Game on Steam Deck

  • Hades 2
  • Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
  • God of War Ragnarok
  • Balatro
  • Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor

Better With Friends

  • Helldivers 2
  • Satisfactory
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
  • Sons of the Forest
  • Palworld

Outstanding Visual Style

  • Hades 2
  • Nine Sols
  • Silent Hill 2
  • Metaphor: Refantazio
  • Neva

Most Innovative Gameplay

  • Helldivers 2
  • Balatro
  • Satisfactory
  • Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
  • Liar's Bar

Best Game You Suck At

  • Tekken 8
  • Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
  • The Finals

Best Soundtrack

  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Fate/stay night Remastered
  • Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition
  • Silent Hill 2
  • Frostpunk 2

Outstanding Story-Rich Game

  • Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut
  • Black Myth: Wukong
  • Final Fantasy 14
  • Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
  • Mouthwashing

Sit Back and Relax

  • Webfishing
  • Farming Simulator 25
  • House Flipper 2
  • TCG Card Shop Simulator
  • Tiny Glade
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
Black Myth Wukong main character on a bright background
The 2024 Steam Awards give Game of the Year to Black Myth: Wukong
Game of the Year
PC Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2024
The jester from Balatro, portrayed in unsettling detail in real life, wears an uncanny smile and stares at the viewer.
PC Gamer vindicated by Swen Vincke: Larian boss calls Balatro his personal GOTY as it sweeps top prize from devs at GDC awards
Large room with Cheshire Cat face in Animal Well
Balatro developer bestows the 'very prestigious Golden Thunk award' on Animal Well, says it's so good it makes him 'feel like an imposter'
The G-Man looking at the camera.
8 bold gaming predictions for 2025
Wall mounted Govee x Evangelion lights are affixed to a surface covered in fake foliage. Figurines of characters Rei and Asuka wearing plugsuits from the anime series can be vaguely made out. This whole layer of the image has been blurred. Seen clearly over the top of the blurred portion of the image are the words 'PC Gamer. The Wildcard 2024.'
PC Gamer Hardware Awards: 2024's wild cards—the best of the rest
Latest in Games
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'
Latest in News
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'