Last Updated on Oct 7, 2025 @ 12:44:03 PM.
The Game Awards is always a hotly anticipated event in the gaming calendar. In recent years, Geoff Keighley has worked to transition the show into being just as much about major reveals and announcements as it is about handing out accolades. With that said, though, the awards themselves still play a significant part in what makes up the show.
Although there are individual award categories for specific elements of game design, the true prize is the coveted Game of the Year trophy. Up until this year, supplemental content to a base game, such as narrative DLC, remakes, and remasters, was not eligible to be nominated for any awards category; however, that is about to change.
The Game Awards 2024 Is Changing the Game
It has been confirmed via The Game Awards’ website FAQ page that everything from expansion packs to new game seasons will be eligible to be nominated for any category at the Game Awards going forward, including Game of the Year.
The Game Awards aims to recognise the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release. Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration.
In addition to the fact that a piece of DLC is now eligible to beat a base game released this year to the GOTY accolade, there is another important facet to this announcement. If a live service title like Apex Legends or Destiny releases a particularly beloved expansion pack, that is still eligible to win an award despite the base game being released years ago.
What Does This Mean for the Industry?
First off, The Game Awards judges now have a plethora of new titles to consider when choosing the winner of each category, making the competition even fiercer. Secondly, there are some gamers within the community who haven’t taken this news well, claiming that this is just an excuse to award Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC a GOTY trophy.
The Silent Hill 2 remake, which dropped last month, could also benefit from this new stipulation, as well as Alan Wake 2’s Night Springs DLC. With The Game Awards’ viewership continually growing year-on-year, it will be fascinating to see what the future holds following this bombshell announcement.
UPDATE: Shadow of the Erdtree did not win Game of the Year, with Astro Bot taking the gong and winning it easily. Whether The Game Awards continues to allow DLC into the Best Game category in the future is yet to be seen, but if it does, it’ll have to be an incredible expansion to beat full games.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out this recent Helldivers 2 story that covers the fact that things are going from bad to worse for the formerly beloved live service title.
Daniel Boyd is the former Co-Lead of Gaming at FandomWire, where he helped build the gaming team from the ground up and successfully managed a team of 30+ writers. Experienced in SEO optimization and content strategy, he has a keen eye for detail and a deep passion for pop culture. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Daniel has worked with companies worldwide, crafting high-quality, engaging content that resonates with audiences across the globe.
