The Game Developer’s Choice Awards has revealed its nominees for the 19th annual ceremony, which will take place on March 20th. As expected, some of the most high profile releases from 2018 made the cut, nabbing multiple nominations in categories like Best Narrative, Best Visual Art, and, of course, Best Game.

Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 leads the charge with 7 nominations, coming off a very successful first few months of release. The Western sequel has been lauded by critics groups and gaming publications across the board, and also took home the lion’s share of trophies from The Game Awards.

Both God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man were not far behind with 6 nominations, two PS4 exclusives that made major splashes in early and late 2018, respectively. God of War was Game Rant’s top game of the year for 2018, so it’s no surprise to see it rake in more accolades and potential awards.

While it may seem like Spider-Man gets lost in the shuffle of Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War, Insomniac’s adaptation deserves all the attention it has been getting. The game has still sold very well and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. In fact, there is an argument to be made for Spider-Man as the least controversial of the top game picks, with its competition drawing both strong negative and positive responses from gamers.

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Other titles getting recognition from the Game Developers Conference voters include Return of the Obra Dinn, Celeste, and Tetris Effect. The GDC Awards have been known to feature a few surprises, so it’s possible that an indie like Celeste could sneak out a win from under the major triple-A titles.

BEST AUDIO

  • Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)

BEST DEBUT

  • Polyarc (Moss)
  • Mountains (Florence)
  • Nomada Studio (Gris)
  • Villa Gorilla (Yoku's Island Express)
  • Sabotage (The Messenger)

BEST DESIGN

  • Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • Into the Breach (Subset Games)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST MOBILE GAME

  • Alto's Odyssey (Snowman)
  • Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Reigns: Game of Thrones (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
  • Holedown (Grapefrukt Games)
  • Donut County (Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive)

INNOVATION AWARD

  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)
  • Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)

BEST NARRATIVE

  • Florence (Mountains/Annapurna Interactive)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
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BEST TECHNOLOGY

  • Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Assassin's Creed Odyssey  (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)
  • Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

BEST VISUAL ART

  • Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
  • Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

BEST VR/AR GAME

    • Budget Cuts (Neat Corporation)
    • Beat Saber (Beat Games)
    • Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)
    • Moss (Polyarc)
    • Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

GAME OF THE YEAR

  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
  • Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

As mentioned, the GDC Awards will take place on March 20th at 6:30pm PT in San Francisco. Double Fine’s Tim Schafer will serve as host again and any GDC pass holders are welcome to attend. Those who can’t attend live, however, can watch on the GDC Twitch channel. In addition to the winners announcements, the Awards will also honor Uncharted director Amy Henning with the lifetime achievement award.