Gamescom 2023 Award Nominations Announced, Armored Core 6 Leads With Seven

The summer video game convention season rolls on, as Gamescom 2023 is set to kick off in Cologne, Germany this week. Before the doors open on Wednesday--and before the Gamescom Opening Night Live stage show on Tuesday--the event organizers have announced the nominees for this year's version of the annual Gamescom Awards.

This year's batch of nominees was chosen based on votes entered by a jury of international games media members, with 16 different awards scheduled to be handed out. Armored Core VI: Fires Of Rubicon leads all games with seven nominations, while The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom follows with four despite already being available.

The full list of nominees for the Gamescom 2023 Awards is below:

• Best Visuals
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science Interactive Technology
  • Reka, Emberstorm Entertainment / Fireshine Games
  • Sand Land, ILCA, Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo, Gammera Nest / Meridiem Games
• Best Audio
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Headbangers: Rhythm Royale, Glee-Cheese / Team17 Digital
  • REKA, Emberstorm Entertainment / Fireshine Games
  • Savant - Ascent Remix, D-Pad Studio
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo
• Best Gameplay
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Paper Trail, Newfangled Games
  • Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, Mimimi Games
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo
  • The Wandering Village, Stray Fawn Studio
• Most Entertaining
  • AK-xolotl, 2Awesome Studio / Playstack
  • Core Keeper, Pugstorm / Fireshine Games
  • Headbangers: Rhythm Royale, Glee-Cheese / Team17 Digital
  • Payday 3, Starbreeze Studios / Plaion
  • Pizza Possum, Cosy Computer / Raw Fury
• Most Epic
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science Interactive Technology
  • Dwarf Fortress, Bay 12 Games / Kitfox Games
  • Sand Land, ILCA / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo
• Most Wholesome
  • Pikmin 4, Nintendo
  • Pioneers of Pagonia, Envision Entertainment
  • Smushi Come Home, Mooneye Publishing
  • The Wandering Village, Stray Fawn Studio
  • Tiny Booskhop, neoludic games
• Games for Impact
  • A Space for the Unbound, Mojiken / Toge Productions
  • Belonging, Farbspiel Interactive
  • Dead Pets Unleashed, Triple Topping Games
  • Fall of Porcupine, Critical Rabbit / Assemble Entertainment
  • Sky: Children of the Light, thatgamecompany
• Best Microsoft Xbox Game
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Enotria: The Last Song, Jyamma Games
  • Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Entertainment
  • The Wandering Village, Stray Fawn Studio
  • Towerborne, Stoic / Xbox Game Studios
• Best Nintendo Switch Game
  • Fall of Porcupine, Critical Rabbit / Assemble Entertainment
  • Figment 2: Creed Valley, Bedtime Digital Games
  • Paper Trail, Newfangled Games
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo
  • The Smurfs 2 - The Prisoner of the Green Stone, Osome Studio / Microids
• Best PC Game
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Dwarf Fortress, Bay 12 Games / Kitfox Games
  • PAYDAY 3, Starbreeze Studios / Plaion
  • REKA, Emberstorm Entertainment / Fireshine Games
  • Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, Mimimi Games
• Best Sony PlayStation Game
  • Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, From Software / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Enotria: The Last Song, Jyamma Games
  • Mortal Kombat 1, NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Entertainment
  • Sand Land, ILCA / Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • Tekken 8, Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Best Mobile Game
  • Genshin Impact, HoYoverse
  • Marvel Snap, Second Dinner Studios / Nuverse
  • Monster Hunter Now, Niantic / Capcom
  • Paper Trail, Newfangled Games
  • Sky: Children of the Light, thatgamecompany
• gamescom Green Studio of the Year
  • Frontier Developments
  • Ubisoft
  • Xbox

Other awards with no nominees listed include Best Trailer, which will be decided after Opening Night Live; Best Of Show Floor, which acknowledges the best booth on the floor; and the Heart Of Gaming award, which is a special award that can be awarded to "not only games, add-ons, and technologies, but also people, institutions, companies, concepts, or terms."

Gamescom begins with Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley, which kicks off tomorrow, August 22, at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. The event will reveal multiple new trailers across its two-hour runtime, with Keighley telling VGC, "This year's ONL is less about announcing brand-new projects, and more about giving fans updates on some of the biggest games due out over the next year."