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There was no single game that every award body, player poll, and critic agreed was the best of 2024. Astro Bot is a strong award-led answer: it won Game of the Year at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and Best PS5 Game in PlayStation Blog’s 2024 player poll. TIME chose Dragon Age: The Veilguard as its top game of the year, with Astro Bot second.
What was Game of the Year in 2024?
The answer depends on which award or ranking you mean. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) named Astro Bot its Game of the Year at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. AIAS says its membership of more than 30,000 industry professionals determines the nominees and finalists, so this is a peer-award result—not a vote representing every player or critic. See the D.I.C.E. Awards.
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PlayStation Blog’s separate 2024 poll gave Astro Bot the Platinum Trophy for Best PS5 Game. Sony reported more than 1.6 million global votes across the poll and said results were determined solely by player choices. That makes it a substantial player-voted result within PlayStation Blog’s poll, not a universal ballot of all games and players. Read the poll results.
Why do rankings name different winners?
They use different selection methods and answer different questions. A professional-industry award, a platform-focused player poll, and a publication’s editorial list need not produce the same top game.
#1 Best Overall
- Industry peers: AIAS awarded Astro Bot Game of the Year at D.I.C.E.
- PlayStation players: PlayStation Blog voters selected Astro Bot as Best PS5 Game. Its post notes that some games were ineligible because of the poll’s closure date and that categories had their own guidelines.
- Editorial judgment: TIME ranked Dragon Age: The Veilguard first on its favorite games of 2024 list and Astro Bot second. Read TIME’s list.
So if you mean “What won a named Game of the Year award?”, the precise answer here is Astro Bot at D.I.C.E. If you mean “What did one publication consider its best game?”, TIME’s answer was Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Which game should you play?
Choose Astro Bot for a PS5 platform adventure
Astro Bot is the clearest pick if you own a PS5 and want a full-length platform adventure. TIME highlights its use of the PS5 controller’s features, its varied planets, and its appeal for family play. Those are useful reasons to choose it, but the recommendation is specifically for a PS5 player interested in that style of game.
Rank #2
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Consider Dragon Age: The Veilguard if you follow editorial rankings
If you want the game that topped TIME’s list rather than an award-led recommendation, its first-place choice was Dragon Age: The Veilguard. That reflects TIME’s editorial selection; it does not overturn the D.I.C.E. result or PlayStation Blog poll, which measured different things.
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How to interpret “the best game of 2024”
Start with the selection method, then check platform and play style. Ask whether the answer comes from an industry award, a player poll, or an editorial ranking; confirm that the game is available on a platform you can play; and decide whether its genre and audience fit what you want. By those criteria, Astro Bot is a well-supported award-winning choice for PS5 owners, while TIME’s list offers a different editorial winner. Neither result establishes one objectively best game for everyone.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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