2023 was one of the best years for the world of video games in recent times, and Steam has had a huge part in the industry’s success, like it usually does every other year. Valve Corporation’s digital platform is easily the most gaming community-centric store available at the moment, as it offers numerous discounts and sales throughout various seasons so that gamers from all across the globe can enjoy different amazing titles without breaking their budgets.
Aside from that, the platform also hosts its own version of awards, letting the players themselves choose their preferred winners by voting for the greatest games that have come out last year.
Steam Has Announced the Winners of Its 2023 Awards
Steam took to its official account on X to share that the winners of its 2023 Awards have been announced. Unlike many other major award shows that are based on collective decisions from critics and a specific jury, Valve Corporation’s platform lets the entire gaming community all across the world vote for their favorite title of the year in various categories, ranging from the prestigious Game of the Year Award to the comfortable Sit Back and Relax Award.
To no one’s surprise, Larian Studios’ excellent Baldur’s Gate 3 leads the list of winners with a whopping two wins, a feat that no other game released last year has achieved.
Aside from the aforementioned beloved title that took the world by storm by also winning the Game of the Year Award at last year’s The Game Awards, The 2023 Steam Awards winners also include some surprise inclusions that may not have garnered coverage on a huge level, but they were great games nonetheless.
Among the list of winners are also Sifu, Labyrinthine, and DAVE THE DIVER, which would not be the obvious choices, but since the results are based on votes by gamers, these titles obviously had more than enough of a fanbase to give them more prominence.
One can check the entire list of winners and finalists on the official Steam website, but the biggest award on the platform has gone to Baldur’s Gate 3, which has once again won yet another Game of the Year Award thanks to its “immersive gameplay,” “gripping story,” “well-crafted characters, immaculate design,” and “addictive multiplayer.”
Valve has called Larian Studios’ title “an instant classic,” which seems to be a fitting accolade just by looking at all of the awards that the game has earned since its release. Considering how it was battling it out for the top position against other amazing games like Resident Evil 4 and Hogwarts Legacy, it is an unmatched achievement.
The Winners of All the Other Categories of The Steam Awards
The second category after the Game of the Year Award is the VR Game of the Year Award, and Labyrinthine won it by improving “on reality, taking advantage of the medium of VR and pushing the boundaries of the virtual realm.” 2023 brought some amazing VR titles to the forefront of the gaming industry, but this one stood out the most among fans of the genre because, according to the platform, it does not just masquerade “as regular reality” but pushes the concept forward.
The next winner is quite possibly a huge surprise since it was released years ago, but Red Dead Redemption 2 took home the Labor of Love Award simply because of the consistent content updates that Rockstar Games keeps releasing for it.
Valve’s very own gaming console also received some love with a category called the Best Game on Steam Deck Award, which was won by Hogwarts Legacy, a title that plenty of gamers enjoyed, but it did not manage to get the love it deserved at numerous award shows. As mentioned before, the top-selling underdog called Lethal Company won the Better With Friends Award, which may not be a lot of fun if played alone, but with a group of people, it is a phenomenal title.
Atomic Heart won the Outstanding Visual Style Award, whereas Bethesda’s Starfield took the Most Innovative Gameplay Award.
Other winners include Sifu for the Best Game You Suck At Award, The Last of Us Part 1 for the Best Soundtrack Award, Baldur’s Gate 3 once again for the Outstanding Story-Rich Game Award, and DAVE THE DIVER for the Sit Back and Relax Award.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
