2023 Steam Awards Unveiled: Celebrating Gaming Excellence and Player Choices in a Year of Masterpieces and Surprises!

Steam has unveiled the winners of its prestigious 2023 Steam Awards, celebrating the gaming industry's best in various categories like Game of the Year, Labor of Love, and Outstanding Visual Style. With standout releases such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2, 2023 proved to be a remarkable year for gaming, acknowledged not only by The Game Awards but also by Steam's dedicated user base.

Baldur's Gate 3 secured the coveted Game of the Year title on Steam, a recognition well-deserved for its unprecedented level of detail and player freedom. Other notable winners included Labyrinthine for VR Game of the Year, Red Dead Redemption 2 for Labor of Love, Hogwarts Legacy for Best Game on Steam Deck, Lethal Company for Better With Friends, and Atomic Heart for Outstanding Visual Style.

A distinctive feature of the Steam Awards lies in its democratic voting system, where regular Steam users determine the winners. This sets it apart from The Game Awards, which relies on industry representatives for the selection process. Additionally, since Steam is a PC platform, console exclusives are ineligible for voting.

The list of winners also includes Starfield for Most Innovative Gameplay, Sifu for Best Game You Suck At, The Last of Us Part 1 for Best Soundtrack, Baldur's Gate 3 (again) for Outstanding Story-Rich Game, and Dave The Diver for the Sit Back and Relax Award.

Baldur's Gate 3's continued success was not confined to Steam, as it dominated The Game Awards 2023 with six wins, spanning categories like Best Multiplayer Game, Best Performance, and Best Community Support. This dual recognition highlights the game's widespread appeal and acclaim.

Lethal Company, recognized with the Better With Friends award, saw success due to its humorous approach, endearing art style, and captivating gameplay mechanics. The game's ability to engage players is evident in its consistent achievement of over 100,000 concurrent Steam players post-release.

While Nintendo Switch exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom received critical acclaim in 2023, it was not eligible for Steam Awards consideration. Despite this, the data suggests that 2023 stands out as one of the best years in gaming history, with an abundance of high-quality games receiving review averages of 90 or higher on Metacritic. Gamers were indeed fortunate to experience a diverse offering of exceptional games throughout the year.