The Game Awards 2022 is just around the corner — here’s a guide on how to watch the event live, the start time, our award predictions, and what surprises we expect to see.
This end-of-year spectacular is the Oscars for gaming. Not just for giving incredible titles their well-earned trophies, but also for the surprise trailers and previews of what’s to come. Who will win? What unexpected announcements can we expect this year? We’ve asked the gamers of the Laptop Mag team to give their two cents.
Whatever happens, you can watch along with us when The Game Awards event kicks off on December 8 at 19:30 ET / 16:30 PT / 00:30 GMT. Scroll on down to find out how to watch it live (for free) and our predictions.
How to watch
The official 4K livestream is available right now to bookmark on the official YouTube channel. Check back here at 19:10 ET / 00:10 GMT for when the stream starts for a bit of a pre-show.
Winner predictions
We’ve been running a bit of an office betting pool on which games and personalities will take the trophies on the night. Some of the opinions are surprising, and others not so much!
Jason England
(Image credit: Sony Santa Monica)
My predictions come from two places: the games I’ve tested (and loved), and others where I’m trying to get into the heads of the judging panel to see what they would pick.
Elden Ring absolutely deserves its roses for an incredible game that took the world by surprise, but I think God of War Ragnarôk is going to take the big one:
Darragh Murphy
(Image credit: FromSoftware)
Looking at this year’s TGA nominees, I’ve realized 2022 has been a great year for gaming. I mean, a FromSoftware game and the sequel to TGA 2018’s Game of the Year? We’ve been spoiled.
Predictions this year are tough. Many of my picks are more about what I would love to see win rather than what will actually win. God of War Ragnarôk is a gem, but Elden Ring had me entranced in its world, lore, and gameplay. Games like Immortality and Neon White deserve the spotlight, too, as they brought new experiences I’d never thought I’d enjoy. I’d recommend playing all the games nominated, but I suppose some games have to take the win.
Game of the year: Elden Ring Best game direction: God of War: RagnarôkBest narrative: Immortality Best art direction: ScornBest score and music: God of War: RagnarôkBest audio design: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Best performance: Manon Gage (Immortality)Best indie: SifuBest debut indie: Neon White Any surprises?
We already know about a few things via leaks and announcements, such as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Baldur’s Gate 3, and the secret Hideo Kojima project.
But we went further in asking our team what surprises they are predicting we will see. These go from likely safe bets to wild guesses based on what we would love to witness.
Jason England
(Image credit: Ninja Theory)
Now, I’m making these predictions solely on the basis of what I’d love to see — fully accepting of the fact they probably won’t appear. But let me dream!
Hellblade 2 gets a release date: I think Senua’s next adventure is closer than we think, and Ninja Theory will pop up at TGAs again to give us a launch month at least. I’m thinking about Fall 2023.Spider-Man 2 Gameplay preview: This is a hunch that will probably backfire spectacularly. For the original Spider-Man, we got a gameplay trailer one year before its launch. This could mean a State of Play early in the new year, but it could also mean a glimpse at the awards.Project Gravity is unveiled: After interviewing the creator of the SSX games, Steve Rechtschaffner, and breaking the news that he and his team at Supernatural Studios were hard at work on a spiritual successor in the form of Project Gravity, the studio has been tight lipped for a couple years after making a deal with a big publisher. I’ll keep predicting a teaser trailer at every big event until it comes true!
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