Games of the Year 2017: The nominees

by jtcl

Who will take home the crown of best PC game of 2017? Here are the contenders in all our award categories this year.

Look alive, PC gamers—it’s almost game of the year time! This time next week, we’ll begin posting our picks for the best PC games of the year. Today, you can get an early look at the contenders.

How’d we pick our game of the year nominees? Under extreme duress, each member of our staff sweated out a list of their six favorite games released in 2017. With nominations compiled, the team then got together to argue over the winners and put together a final list that represents the best of PC gaming.

As usual, our awards categories are tailored to the games we most want to celebrate. That means they’re not exactly the same as you’ll see in our 2016 awards or 2015 awards. This year, we’re excited to highlight the mod of the year, best visual novel, and funniest game. 

Look for our GOTY awards to start rolling out soon, along with heartfelt personal picks from the entire staff.

Best action game

  • Absolver
  • The Evil Within 2
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of War
  • Nier: Automata
  • Quake Champions
  • Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Best co-op game

  • Destiny 2
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • Fortnite
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands

Best comedy game

  • Night in the Woods
  • Oikospiel
  • Thimbleweed Park
  • West of Loathing

Best expansion

  • Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider
  • Final Fantasy 14: Stormblood
  • XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

Best mod

  • Sim Settlements for Fallout 4
  • The Long War 2 for XCOM 2
  • WolfenDoom: Blade of Agony
  • FAR: Fix Automata Resolution
  • Sanic, Big Smoke and Naruto skins for TLOZ: Breath of the Wild
  • OpenIV

Best ongoing game

  • Elite: Dangerous
  • Hearthstone
  • No Man’s Sky
  • Rainbow Six Siege

Best open world game

  • Assassin’s Creed: Origins
  • The Long Dark
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of War
  • West of Loathing

Best platformer

  • Hollow Knight
  • Rain World
  • Sonic Mania

Best setting

  • Assassin’s Creed: Origins
  • Prey
  • Resident Evil 7
  • The Sexy Brutale
  • Tacoma

Best story

  • Nier: Automata
  • Stories Untold
  • What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Best strategy game

  • Bomber Crew
  • Oxygen Not Included
  • Tooth and Tail
  • Total War: Warhammer 2
  • Unexplored

Best visual novel

  • Butterfly Soup
  • Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
  • Dream Daddy
  • The Lion’s Song
  • Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Breakout game of the year

  • Cuphead
  • Nier: Automata
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Game of the year

  • Assassin’s Creed: Origins
  • Destiny 2
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • Nier: Automata
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
  • Total War: Warhammer 2
  • What Remains of Edith Finch