The sixth annual The Game Awards show will be here sooner than you think, and if you want to join in on the festivities, you’ll want to know how to watch it and what to expect. Since 2014, Geoff Keighley’s award ceremony has become one of the biggest gaming events of the year. Serving as both a celebration for the best games of the year and a way to look ahead to the future one last time before the new calendar year, it’s now appointment viewing for video game fans around the world.
When is The Game Awards?
The Game Awards typically takes place in the first week of December. This year, the show is moving to the second week. The live show will take place in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater on December 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT.
How to watch The Game Awards
If you can’t make it to Los Angeles for the show, The Game Awards is available to stream all around the world on a bunch of different devices and streaming platforms. You’ll have plenty of options: Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Live, Steam, and Mixer. If you have a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you can stream the show directly from your console.
Console users have traditionally been able to partake in the festivities by voting for fan awards during the show. But if you have a monitor capable of 4K, you can watch the show in 4K resolution on YouTube.
You can even watch The Game Awards in theaters. Cinemark is hosting special screenings that pairs The Game Awards with the debut of Jumanji: The Next Level.
We will also host one of the broadcasts on our site, so you can bookmark this page and watch the stream right here with the Digital Trends gaming team. As an added bonus, you can follow along with our coverage, too.
How nominees and winners are chosen
The Game Awards is largely decided by 50-plus different professional publications. This year, Digital Trends will participate in the voting process. Traditionally, each outlet chooses five nominees per award category.
Fans do have some say in the awards, but game journalists account for 90 percent of the voting weight. The remaining ten percent goes to the fans for most categories. Certain categories such as Most Anticipated Game are decided entirely with fan votes.
The Game Awards categories, previous winners, predictions
God of War won Game of the Year honors last year. Look for games like Control, Gears 5, Outer Wilds, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Super Mario Maker 2 to compete for that honor this year. But more highly anticipated games are arriving in the coming month as well. Death Stranding, Doom Eternal, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Pokémon Sword and Shield could all make a play for the top prize.
This year’s field looks extremely competitive across a number of categories including the big one, Game of the Year. We’ve compiled our predictions, but also expect a lot of upsets. And that should make this year’s show worth watching.
Expect big reveals and new trailers
The Game Awards has become far more than an awards show. In the past few years, it has leaned more into an E3 style press conference. The only difference? The games on display are from a vast array of developers, both AAA and independent. For instance, last year we saw worldwide reveals of Far Cry New Dawn, a new Dragon Age game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Mortal Kombat 11, and The Outer Worlds, among others.
The Game Awards 2019 has promised it will include 10 announcements, a few surprises will likely be sprinkled in. What will they be? You’ll have to watch to find out.
