There was no single, universally agreed best game of 2006. The Game Developers Choice Awards named Shadow of the Colossus its Game of the Year, while the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences gave its Overall Game of the Year award to God of War. Japan’s Game Awards recognized two Grand Award winners, and Metacritic’s retrospective chose The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess as its 2006 Wii Game of the Year. The best pick for you depends on the award, platform, and kind of game you want to revisit.
Which game won Game of the Year in 2006?
Several organizations gave out Game of the Year honors, and they did not choose the same title. These results reflect different award programs and scopes, not a single industry-wide vote.
| Award source | 2006 result | What the result means |
|---|---|---|
| Game Developers Choice Awards | Shadow of the Colossus | Winner of the 6th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards’ Game of the Year; finalists included Call of Duty 2, Electroplankton, God of War, and Project Gotham Racing 3. Official awards archive. |
| Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences | God of War | Winner of the Academy’s Overall Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, and Action/Adventure Game of the Year. Official 2006 awards page. |
| Japan Game Awards | Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? and Final Fantasy XII | Both received a Grand Award in the Game of the Year Division. The former was for Nintendo DS/DS Lite and made by Nintendo; the latter was for PlayStation 2 and made by Square Enix. Official 2006 results. |
| Metacritic retrospective | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Metacritic named it 2006 Wii Game of the Year and listed Gears of War as runner-up. This is a retrospective Wii-specific pick, not an overall award tally. Metacritic’s retrospective. |
Standout games to revisit
These picks show why the year is difficult to reduce to one winner. They are notable because different award programs honored them, and they span distinct platforms and styles.
Shadow of the Colossus — a developer-award Game of the Year
The Game Developers Choice Awards made Shadow of the Colossus its 2006 Game of the Year. If you want the title most directly tied to that award, start here. The same awards program listed God of War among its finalists, even though the Academy later named it its overall winner.
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God of War — the Academy’s overall and console winner
God of War won three prominent Academy categories: Overall Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, and Action/Adventure Game of the Year. Its recognition makes it the clearest choice in this list for someone seeking the Academy’s top overall pick.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess — Metacritic’s Wii pick
Metacritic’s retrospective selected Twilight Princess as its 2006 Wii Game of the Year and named Gears of War runner-up. The retrospective highlights the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, horseback combat, and the ability to transform into a wolf. Those details describe Metacritic’s editorial framing; its pick should not be read as a consensus across all awards.
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Final Fantasy XII and Brain Training — Japan’s shared Grand Award
Japan’s Game of the Year Division recognized two Grand Award recipients rather than one: Final Fantasy XII for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? for DS/DS Lite. Together, they illustrate how a regional award program can honor very different kinds of games in the same year.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other 2006 award winners by category
The Academy’s category results offer a broader snapshot than an overall winner alone. Its 2006 winners included:
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- Family Game of the Year: Guitar Hero
- Computer Game of the Year: Age of Empires III
- Handheld Game of the Year: Nintendogs
- Strategy Game of the Year: Civilization IV
These category awards are useful if you are choosing by genre or platform rather than looking for a single overall champion. The Academy’s full 2006 results provide the award context.
How to choose a 2006 game to play now
- Choose by award: Go with Shadow of the Colossus for the Game Developers Choice Awards’ top honor, God of War for the Academy’s Overall Game of the Year, or Twilight Princess for Metacritic’s retrospective Wii pick.
- Choose by platform: The results above span console, PC, and handheld categories. Check the edition and platform before buying or borrowing an older game; this award record does not establish current availability or every version released.
- Choose by regional perspective: Japan’s shared Grand Award for Final Fantasy XII and Brain Training reflects a different award program from the developer-voted Game Developers Choice Awards or the Academy results.
- Choose by genre: The Academy’s family, computer, handheld, and strategy category winners provide alternatives when an overall award winner is not the right fit.
What this list does—and does not—claim
This is a selection of award-backed standouts, not a complete list of every game released in 2006 or a rebuilt critic-score ranking. The award pages do not establish a single cross-award “most awarded” game, and the Metacritic year-filter page is dynamic rather than a dependable comprehensive ranking. The evidence here supports naming each organization’s result and category, but not declaring one title the universal best.
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