Nominees for the 2023 Arab Game Awards released

While the US and Europe’s Game Awards ceremony took place in December the award show for the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) will get underway on January 26th. The Arab Game Awards is sponsored by TikTok for the first time, and gamers can cast their vote on some categories on the social media platform.

There are 26 awards in all and the list includes some region-specific such as Best Arabic Localization. As well as some eSports-focused categories, fitting with the emergence of Saudi Arabia as a global force in competitive gaming.

The main contenders for the title of Best Game are the old favorites from The Game Awards but some local talent in the TikTok Gaming Content Star make an appearance, while the best eSports players hail from the region.

Mohamed Harb, TikTok’s Head of Sports & Gaming MENA, said: “The MENA Gaming community on TikTok is a vibrant community of gamers who are showing up on the platform every day, connecting with each other and sharing all the moments that make playing games so enjoyable, from unbelievable skills, entertaining reactions to streaming live gameplay.

“We’re excited for the partnership with Arab Game Awards as we bring together players, creators, and fans of the gaming industry and also celebrate the growing gaming community on TikTok and in the region.”

How to watch the Arab Gaming Awards

You can watch the Arab Gaming Awards on any of the main streaming platforms, especially TikTok where you will be able to expect extra content.

The nominations for the Arab Game Awards 2023 are:

BEST GAME

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Baldur’s Gate 3
3.     Hi-fi Rush
4.     Hogwarts Legacy
5.     The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
6.     Lies of P
7.     Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
8.     Resident Evil 4

BEST STORY

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Baldur’s Gate 3
3.     Diablo IV
4.     Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
5.     Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

1.     Assassin’s Creed: Mirage – Eyad Nassar as Bassim Ibn Ishaq
2.     Assassin’s Creed: Mirage – Shohreh Aghdashloo as Roshan
3.     Alan Wake II – Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta as Alan Wake
4.     Baldur’s Gate 3 – Niel Newbon as Astarion
5.     Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker

BEST ARABIC LOCALIZATION

1.     Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
2.     EA Sports FC 24
3.     Hi-Fi Rush
4.     Hogwarts Legacy
5.     Resident Evil 4

BEST SOUND

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
3.     Dead space
4.     Hi-Fi Rush
5.     Resident Evil 4

BEST VISUAL DESIGN

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
3.     Dead Space
4.     Hogwarts Legacy
5.     Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

BEST ANIMATION

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Hi-Fi Rush
3.     Hogwarts Legacy
4.     Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
5.     Super Mario Bros. Wonder

TIKTOK’S GAMING CONTENT STAR

1.     Rawaf_sa
2.     VirusGG
3.     Sultan67
4.     B3shr
5.     Basharkk
6.     Mark Tube
7.     Dhay
8.     irxkan

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Baldur’s Gate 3
3.     The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
4.     Marvel’s Spider Man 2
5.     Starfield

BEST GAME DESIGN

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Baldur’s Gate 3
3.     Resident Evil 4
4.     The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
5.     Lies of P
6.     Super Mario Bros. Wonder

MOST INNOVATIVE GAME

1.     Cocoon
2.     Dave the diver
3.     Hi-Fi Rush
4.     Viewfinder
5.     Super Mario Bros. Wonder

BEST SHOOTER

1.     Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
2.     Atomic Heart
3.     Counter-Strike 2
4.     The Finals
5.     Remnant II

BEST INDIE

1.     Bramble: The Mountain King
2.     Cocoon
3.     Jusant
4.     Sea of Stars
5.     Viewfinder

BEST RPG

1.     Baldur’s Gate 3
2.     Diablo IV
3.     Lies of P
4.     Octopath Traveler II
5.     Starfield

BEST ADVENTURE GAME

1.     Alan Wake II
2.     Hogwarts Legacy
3.     The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
4.     Resident Evil 4
5.     Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

BEST ACTION GAME

1.     Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
2.     Ghostrunner 2
3.     Hi-Fi Rush
4.     Lies Of P
5.     Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

BEST SPORTS GAME

1.     The Crew: Motorfest
2.     EA Sports FC 24
3.     Forza Motorsport
4.     Lego 2K Drive
5.     WWE 2K23

BEST MULTIPLAYER

1.     Call of Duty Modern Warfare III
2.     Counter-Strike 2
3.     Diablo IV
4.     EA Sports FC 24
5.     The Finals
6.     Party Animals

BEST FAMILY GAME

1.     Lego 2K Drive
2.     Party Animals
3.     The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone
4.     Sonic Superstars
5.     Super Mario Bros. Wonder

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF 2024

1.     Black Myth: WuKong
2.     Dragon’s Dogma 2
3.     Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
4.     Little Nightmares III
5.     Rise of the Ronin
6.     Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
7.     Star Wars: Outlaws
8.     Tekken 8

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

1.     Falcons eSports
2.     Geekay eSports
3.     NASR eSports
4.     R8 eSports
5.     Twisted Minds

BEST ESPORTS PLAYER

1.     Abu Makkah
2.     Cipher
3.     Mohamed Light
4.     Najd Fahad
5.     Quartz

BEST ESPORTS GAME

1.     EA Sports FC
2.     League Of Legends
3.     PUBG Mobile
4.     Rocket League
5.     Valorant