Allkeyshop Game of the Year Award Winner 1972-2021

Allkeyshop presents their “Game of the Year” winners from 1972 to 2020. In our comprehensive list of winners, you will come across games you still play and some you have probably forgotten you played.

By    Ingo  |    Windfell

Dive into the history of video games, and let us guide you through the decades of your favorite pastime.

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1972 | Pong

Facts:

• Pong is a table tennis-themed arcade game.
• Pong was originally intended to be used as training but released as a game when finished.
• Pong became the first victim of a video game lawsuit when Atari settled out of court with Magnavox Odyssey as Pong took inspiration from another table tennis game for that console.

Platform:

• Arcade

Genre:

• Sports

1973 | Space Race

Facts:

• In Space Race, two players race rocket ships to be the first to reach the top of the screen from the bottom.
• Players must avoid asteroids during the race, and hitting one sends the player back to the start.
• Space Race is Atari’s second commercial video game, after Pong.

Platform:

• Arcade

Genre:

• Racing

1974 | Maze War

Facts:

• Maze War features a first-person 3D perspective with players able to walk forward, backward, and turn left and right.
• Maze War is responsible for influencing both FPS and RPGs.
• The game is thought of as the first to feature multiplayer via two peer-to-peer computers.

Platform:

• Imlac PDS-1, Macintosh, NeXT Computer, X Window System

Genre:

• FPS

1975 | dnd

Facts:

• dnd players create a character and venture into a multi-level dungeon to seek out two ultimate treasures.
• dnd is the first game to feature bosses.

Platform:

• PLATO system

Genre:

• RPG

1976 | Breakout

Facts:

• Players must use a paddle to break layers of bricks using a ball that bounces off the walls.
• Players lose a life if the ball touches the bottom of the screen.
• The arcade machine version of the game used a black and white monitor, but the bricks had colored cellophane over them to appear colored.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Action

1977 | Combat

Facts:

• Combat was a launch title for the Atari 2600.
• It was 27 games in one, all consisting of biplane, tank, and jet gameplay.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Shooter

1978 | Miniature Golf

Facts:

• The game features nine playable holes.
• Every time the player strikes the ball, it adds a stroke to the score.
• The goal is to put the ball into the cup on every hole.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Sports

1979 | Space Invaders

Facts:

• The Space Invaders aliens are modeled after octopuses, squids, and crabs.
• It was the first game that you could achieve and save high scores.
• Space Invaders made more than $600 million in 1978, and it’s estimated to have made more than $13 billion to date.
• The world record for the highest score on Space Invaders is 184,870

Platform:

• Arcade

Genre:

• Shooter

1980 | Superman

Facts:

• Superman was one of the first-ever licensed video games.
• Superman can use three powers; x-ray vision, strength, and flight.
• Two players can play the game.
• It was one of the first games to use a pause button.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Action Adventure

1981 | Asteroids

Facts:

• The aim is to destroy all asteroids and flying saucers.
• The Highest score stands at 41,336,440, set by a 15-year-old in 1982.
• Asteroids became the best-selling arcade game for Atari of all time.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Arcade Shooter

1982 | David’s Midnight Magic

Facts:

• The game features multi-colored 4-player action.
• Hitting all five upper targets gets you 5,000 points, upper right targets give you 3,000 points, orange targets award 250 points, white bumper 500 points, and lower kicker gives 300 points.

Platform:

• Apple II, Atari 2600, Commodore 64

Genre:

• Pinball Simulator

1983 | Ms. Pac-Man

Facts:

• The player earns points by eating pellets and avoiding monsters.
• When Ms. Pac-Man dies, she dramatically swoons and falls.
• In 2016, Time placed it 5th on their Best Video Games of All Time list.

Platform:

• Atari 2600, Commodore 64, NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, Game Boy

Genre:

• Arcade

1984 | Ultima III: Exodus

Facts:

• Ultima III: Exodus was one of the first RPGs to feature animated characters.
• At the beginning of the game players can choose from 11 classes, including Fighter, Paladin, Wizard, and Druid.
• Exodus is the first in the series to feature 3D-looking dungeons.

Platform:

• Apple II, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, NES, Sharp X1

Genre:

• RPG

1985 | The Way of the Exploding Fist

Facts:

• The game features 1v1 karate matches and is two-player.
• Players can use 18 different moves, including roundhouse kicks and jumping kicks.
• The game’s soundtrack takes inspiration from the Dance of the Yao People, a 1952 Orchestral piece.

Platform:

• Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro

Genre:

• Fighting

1986 | Gauntlet

Facts:

• Gauntlet is a top-down dungeon crawler where the player must touch the exit in a level.
• Players control one of four characters, a warrior, wizard, elf, or valkyrie.
• Creator, Ed Logg, is also the co-creator of Asteroids and Centipede.

Platform:

• Commodore 64, Master System, ZX Spectrum, NES, MS-DOS, PlayStation

Genre:

• Hack and Slash

1987 | Out Run

Facts:

• Players must avoid traffic and reach the destination within the time limit.
• Out Run was Sega’s most successful arcade cabinet in the 80s.
• Only four programmers, five graphic designers, and a sound designer worked on the game.

Platform:

• Arcade, Master System, Game Gear, Sega Saturn, Nintendo Switch

Genre:

• Racing

1988 | Speedball

Facts:

• Speedball is a top-down violent sports game.
• There are ten variations of courts.
• The game has power-ups that can electrify the ball and teleport it to a teammate.
• The game features two game modes; league and knockout.

Platform:

• Amiga, Sega Master System, Commodore 64, Blackberry, PC

Genre:

• Sports

1989 | Kick Off

Facts:

• The game is a top-down football game.
• The ball didn’t stick to the players’ feet, requiring some skill from the player.
• Kick Off features action replays, tactics, fouls, injuries, and referees with different moods.

Platform:

• Amstrad, Atari ST, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, NES

Genre:

• Sports

1990 | Rick Dangerous 2

Facts:

• Rick Dangerous is set in London during an alien invasion.
• Rick can shoot a laser gun, plant bombs, punch, and use a flying vehicle.
• The game ends on a cliffhanger, with no sequel ever made.

Platform:

• Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MS-DOS

Genre:

• Platform

1991 | Sonic the Hedgehog

Facts:

• In this side-scrolling platformer, Sonic must rescue the animal population of South Island from Doctor Robotnik.
• Losing all lives forces the player to restart the game with no saves available.
• Sonic features six zones, each containing two acts and a boss battle with Robotnik.

Platform:

• Game Gear, Master System

Genre:

• Platform

1992 | Street Fighter II

Facts:

• Street Fighter II is one of the top three highest-grossing video games of all time, having sold more than 15 million units.
• The game is a one-on-one fighting game and is multiplayer.
• Players can choose from eight playable characters.
• Players can perform throw attacks, various standing punch and kick attacks, and special moves.

Platform:

• Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Arcade

Genre:

• Fighting

1993 | Mortal Kombat

Facts:

• Mortal Kombat features digitized sprites based on real actors.
• There are seven playable characters to choose from, each with unique fatalities.
• It is possible to fight the secret character, Reptile, by meeting conditions on the Pit.
• The original arcade version earned more than $300 million in 1993 – more than the gross earnings of Jurassic Park released the same year.

Platform:

• Arcade, Amiga, MS-DOS, Sega CD, SNES, Genesis

Genre:

• Fighting

1994 | Donkey Kong Country

Facts:

• Players battle their way through 40 side-scrolling platformer levels to recover the Kongs’ banana hoard from the Kremlings.
• The game can be played single-player or multiplayer.
• Both characters can roll, jump, run, and throw objects.
• Donkey Kong Country was the fastest-selling video game and the third best-selling SNES game when released.

Platform:

• SNES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance

Genre:

• Platform

1995 | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

Facts:

• The game follows Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong as they attempt to free the kidnapped Donkey Kong.
• Levels are much more varied from the previous game, with levels involving swimming, riding mine karts, and swinging on vines.
• Bonus barrels hidden throughout levels teleport the player to bonus levels.

Platform:

• SNES, Game Boy Advance

Genre:

• Platform

1996 | Super Mario 64

Facts:

• Super Mario 64 was the first 3D Mario video game.
• The game takes place predominantly in Princess Peach’s Castle.
• There are a total of 120 stars to find in the game.
• Mario can wall jump, backflip, and long jump.

Platform:

• Nintendo 64

Genre:

• Platform

1997 | Final Fantasy VII

Facts:

• Final Fantasy 7 won plenty Game of the Year awards, including the first ever at the now called D.I.C.E. Awards.
• The player takes control of Cloud Strife, a mercenary working with an eco-terrorist group to bring down Shinra.
• The game’s original setting during writing was New York City in 1999.

Platform:

• PlayStation, iOS, Windows PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Genre:

• RPG

1998 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Facts:

• This is the first 3D Zelda game and the fifth in the series.
• The game introduced context-sensitive actions and Z-targeting.
• Throughout the game, Link learns 12 melodies for the ocarina that, when played, helps him to solve music-based puzzles.

Platform:

• Nintendo 64, Gamecube

Genre:

• Action-adventure

1999 | Unreal Tournament

Facts:

• Unreal Tournament is a fast-paced arena FPS where players compete to be Grand Champion.
• The multiple game modes include Assault, Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, and Domination.
• Matches can be player-vs-player or against bots, where players can choose the skill level of the bots.

Platform:

• Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, Linux, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast

Genre:

• First-person shooter

2000 | Deus EX

Facts:

• Deus EX is set in a cyberpunk world in 2052, where nanotechnology gives people superhuman abilities.
• The game won more than 30 “Best of” when released.
• It has been included in multiple “Greatest Games of All Time” lists, including for IGN and GameSpy.

Platform:

• PC, PS2, PS3

Genre:

• Action RPG, FPS

2001 | Halo: Combat Evolved

Facts:

• Halo began as a real-time strategy game, then a third-person shooter, and finally a first-person shooter during development.
• The game’s believed to have modernized the FPS genre and drove the success of the Xbox.
• IGN named the game the fourth-best FPS of all time.

Platform:

• Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre:

• FPS

2002 | Grand Theft Auto III

Facts:

• GTA III is the first in the series to feature an over-the-shoulder 3D perspective.
• GTA III was the highest selling game of 2001 and the second highest-selling in 2002, only behind Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
• The game featured open-ended gameplay, with IGN and GamePro naming it as one of the most influential and important games of all time.

Platform:

• PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox, PC

Genre:

• Action-adventure

2003 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Facts:

• The game takes place in 1986 in Vice City, which takes influence from Miami.
• After completing missions, certain gang members will fight alongside you, and others will attack you on sight.
• Vice City is the first in the series to feature a fully voiced protagonist.

Platform:

• PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC

Genre:

• Action-adventure

2004 | DOOM 3

Facts:

• DOOM 3 is a prequel to the series.
• The game features four game modes – all four of which are deathmatches.

Platform:

• Xbox, PC, Linux, Mac OS

Genre:

• FPS survival horror

2005 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Facts:

• San Andreas is a massive game, and the map is 38.2 square kilometers in size.
• There are roughly 212 vehicles within the game, compared to 60 in GTA III.

Platform:

• Xbox, PlayStation 2, Android, iOS, Fire OS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Genre: 

• Action-adventure

2006 | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Facts:

• Oblivion is an open-ended game, and a player can continue even after completing the game.
• Players can equip 21 spells spread across combat, magic, and stealth.
• The developers designed NPCs to make choices to achieve predetermined goals.

Platform:

• Xbox, PlayStation 2, Android, iOS, Fire OS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Genre:

• Action-adventure

2007 | Gears of War

Facts:

• The first in the franchise is set 14 years after the Locust first attacked Sera.
• Marcus has blue eyes because Cliff Bleszinski’s father had blue eyes. 
• Boomers were named after the robots from Bubblegum Crisis, which was inspired by Blade Runner.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC

Genre:

• Third-person shooter

2008 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Facts:

• CoD 4 was the first in the franchise to move away from the World War II setting.
• The game won plenty of awards, with GameSpot ranking it third in their list of “Top 10 Best FPS Games Ever.”
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered released in 2016 and 2017.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows

Genre:

• FPS

2009 | Fallout 3

Facts:

• Fallout 3 was the first to be made by Bethesda after purchasing the franchise.
• The game was the first in the series to feature 3D graphics and real-time combat.
• Players can switch from third-person and first-person at any time.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Genre:

• Action RPG

2010 | Mass Effect 2

Facts:

• Mass Effect allows players to use their saved game from the previous title or create a new character.
• For the game, Bioware introduced rechargeable shields and limited ammo to put more of an emphasis on the gameplay over story.
• The game won a lot of awards when it launched, including lots of Game of the Year awards, and Bioware even won Studio of the Year.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Genre:

• Action RPG, third-person shooter

2011 | Portal 2

Facts:

• The Portal series shares the same universe as Half-Life.
• The cooperative campaign takes place after the single-player campaign, though they can be played in any order.
• GLaDOS, the ever-supporting character, is voiced by Steven Merchant.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac OS

Genre:

• Puzzle-platform

2012 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Facts:

• Skyrim features more than 60,000 recorded lines of dialogue.
• Jim Cummings and Charles Martinet, the voices behind Mario and Winnie the Pooh, voice several Skyrim characters.
• The dragons may not be dragons after all, but instead wyverns.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4

Genre:

• Action RPG

2013 | Grand Theft Auto V

Facts:

• GTA V’s map is larger than Red Dead, GTA IV, and San Andreas combined.
• The three main characters represent the three types of players. Michael represents those that want to take it easy, Franklin is eager to play, and Trevor is the destructive one.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X

Genre:

• Action RPG

2014 | Dark Souls II

Facts:

• Dark Souls II features eight playable characters from a mix of spell casters, tanks, and fighters.
• In 2014, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin launched. It updates visuals, improves enemy positions and behaviors, and includes content from the base game and all three DLC campaigns.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Genre:

• Action RPG

2015 | The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt

Facts:

• The Witcher III is set on the Continent where elves, dwarves, humans, and monsters co-exist.
• The game’s map is 20% larger than Skyrim’s.
• When The Witcher Netflix series released, the game saw a 554% increase in sales that month.

Platform:

• Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch

Genre:

• Action RPG

2016 | Dark Souls III

Facts:

• Dark Souls III features fewer maps than Dark Souls II, but they are more extensive and more detailed to promote exploration.
• The game introduces the luck stat while also removing the adaptability stat from Dark souls II.

Platform:

• Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4

Genre:

• Action RPG

2017 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Facts:

• Satori Mountain is named after the late Satoru Iwata, the CEO of Nintendo that passed away in 2015.
• Hyrule in this game is more than 10 times the size of Twilight Princess.
• This is the best-selling Zelda game of all time.

Platform:

• Nintendo Switch, Wii U

Genre:

• Action-adventure

2018 | Fortnite Battle Royale

Facts:

• Fortnite has more users than Netflix, hitting more than 125 million players in less than a year of its release.
• Fortnite made more than $2 billion in 2018.
• Parents hire Fortnite coaches to help their children get better at the game.

Platform:

• PC, MacOS, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android

Genre:

• Battle Royale

2019 | Resident Evil 2

Facts:

• The game is set two months after Resident Evil.
• Leon and Claire both start with handguns, but both get access to different customizable weapons throughout the game.

Platform:

• PC, PS4, Xbox One

Genre:

• Survival Horror

2020 | The Last of Us Part II

Facts:

• The game takes place five years after the original.
• Notes are wet when you read them in water.
• Ellie squints when you zoom in.

Platform:

• PlayStation 4

Genre:

• Action-adventure

Ingo Ingo is fast! Studied e-commerce and has his roots for now in lively Germany. At the same time, as an ambitious influencer consultant, he is close to gaming communities & game developers. He often knows what trends are currently going on. Ingo has a special fascination as game review editor.

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