Third-person shooter Returnal from Finnish developer Housemarque took the coveted best game honor at the BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday. The game sees players control a space pilot stranded on an alien planet.
The ceremony took place in-person (for the first time since 2019) at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, and was hosted by Elle Osili-Wood.
“Games as an art form continue to surprise and innovate in the way that they engage us all,” said Osili-Wood on stage. “They don’t just tell us a story, they ask that we play a part.” She added that, in films and television, the characters change, but in games, the player does.
Zen puzzle game Unpacking from Australian indie studio Witch Beam was recognized at the top of the ceremony for its narrative. “We’re not telling a complicated story in Unpacking, but the way we tell it is different,” said designer Wren Brier as she accepted the award alongside technical director Tim Dawson. The game tasks players with unpacking familiar possessions out of boxes and fitting them into different home environments, learning about the character’s life along the way.
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EE game of the year, which is the only category voted on by the British public, was also given to Unpacking.
Best game design went to deck-building roguelike game Inscryption from Canadian-based developer Daniel Mullins. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart won best animation and best technical achievement.
Xbox head Phil Spencer presented the award for best evolving game to multiplayer survival game No Man’s Sky, from British studio Hello Games. Meanwhile, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan presented best debut game to Toem, which hails from Swedish indie studio Something We Made and tasks players with using their photographic eye to uncover the game’s mysteries.
The “Game Beyond Entertainment” category recognizes titles that impact players by delivering transformational experiences beyond pure entertainment — they often depict social, emotional and/or political issues. Black Girl Gamers founder Jay-Ann Lopez presented this honor to Before Your Eyes from Los Angeles-based Goodbye World Games. The title sees players navigate a spiritual narrative — where a ferryman shepherds souls to the afterlife — using their own blinking eyes.
Calming magical paintbrush adventure game Chicory: A Colorful Tale from designer Greg Lobanov emerged as the winner for best family game. In accepting the award, the team noted that this game resonated with people “who think they might not be enough.”
Fantasy author and Games Workshop co-founder Sir Ian Livingston, who was recently knighted for his services to the game industry, presented the award for best British game to racing game Forza Horizon 5.
“It is incredibly difficult in any marketplace to break through with something new,” said Osili-Wood as she introduced the award for best original property. The award went to Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two. “I want to thank, actually in this case, [publisher] EA, who had the courage to risk this,” said game director Josef Fares on stage. The game also took the award for best multiplayer: “This one was expected actually,” laughed Fares, thanking his “beautiful and crazy team.”
In the performance categories, Kimberly Brooks won for her supporting role in Psychonauts 2, while Jane Perry won for her leading role in Returnal.
This is the eighteenth year that BAFTA has honored creative and technical achievements in studio and independent video games.
View the complete winners list below.
BEST GAME
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
Deathloop, Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Inscryption, Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
GAME DESIGN
Inscryption, Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital (WINNER)
Deathloop, Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
The Artful Escape, Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive (WINNER)
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Psychonauts 2, Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village, Capcom/Capcom
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
BRITISH GAME
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios (WINNER)
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, ustwo games/ustwo games, Plug In Digital
Death’s Door, Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
Fights In Tight Spaces, Ground Shatter/Mode7
Overboard!, Jon Ingold, Tom Kail, Joseph Humfrey – Inkle/ Inkle
Sable, Shedworks/Raw Fury
ANIMATION
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
Call Of Duty: Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games/Activision Blizzard
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Kena: Bridge Of Spirits, Hunter Schmidt – Ember Lab Llc/ Ember Lab Llc
Life Is Strange: True Colors, Square Enix, Deck Nine Games/Square Enix
Psychonauts 2, Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
The Artful Escape, Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
Call Of Duty: Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games/Activision Blizzard
Deathloop, Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
Halo Infinite, 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
Marvel’s Guardian’s Of The Galaxy, Eidos-Montréal/Square Enix
DEBUT GAME
Toem, Something We Made/ Something We Made (WINNER)
The Artful Escape, Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
Eastward, Pixpil/Chucklefish
The Forgotten City, Nick Pearce, Alexander Goss, John Eyre – Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers
Genesis Noir, Evan Anthony, Jeremy Abel – Feral Cat Den/Fellow Traveller
Maquette, Graceful Decay/Annapurna Interactive
EVOLVING GAME
No Man’s Sky, Hello Games/Hello Games (WINNER)
Among Us, Innersloth/Innersloth
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo Epd/Nintendo
Apex Legends, Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, Za/Um/Za/Um
Fortnite, Epic Games/Epic Games, People Can Fly
FAMILY
Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Greg Lobanov, A Shell In The Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine/Finji (WINNER)
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, ustwo games/ustwo games, Plug In Digital
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Mario Party Superstars, Nintendo Epd/Nintendo
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Unpacking, Wren Brier, Tim Dawson, Jeff Van Dyck – Witch Beam/Humble Games
GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT
Before Your Eyes, Goodbyeworld Games/Skybound Games (WINNER)
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, ustwo games/ustwo games/Plug In Digital
Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Greg Lobanov, A Shell In The Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine/Finji
Game Builder Garage, Nintendo Epd/Nintendo
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Psychonauts 2, Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
MULTIPLAYER
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts (WINNER)
Back 4 Blood, Turtle Rock Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Call Of Duty: Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games/Activision Blizzard
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Halo Infinite, 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
Hell Let Loose, Black Matter/Team17
MUSIC
Returnal, Bobby Krlic, Joe Thwaites, Harry Krueger – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
Deathloop, Tom Salta, Erich Talaba, Ross Tregenza – Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 6, Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft
Halo Infinite, 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
Psychonauts 2, Peter Mcconnell – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Scott Hanau, Wataru Hokoyama, Mark Mothersbaugh – Insomniac Games/ Sony Interactive Entertainment
NARRATIVE
Unpacking, Wren Brier, Tim Dawson, Annie Vandermeer – Witch Beam/Humble Games (WINNER)
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Life Is Strange: True Colors, Square Enix, Deck Nine Games/Square Enix
Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, Eidos-Montréal/Square Enix
Psychonauts 2, Tim Schafer – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
ORIGINAL PROPERTY
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts (WINNER)
Deathloop, Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
Death’s Door, Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
Inscryption, Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Unpacking, Wren Brier, Tim Dawson, Jeff Van Dyck – Witch Beam/Humble Games
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Hitman 3, Io Interactive/Io Interactive
Psychonauts 2, Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
Resident Evil Village, Capcom/Capcom
Returnal, Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
EE GAME OF THE YEAR
Unpacking Witch Beam/Humble Games (WINNER)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Greg Lobanov, A Shell In The Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine/Finji
Deathloop, Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
The Forgotten City, Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers
It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Metroid Dread, Nintendo and Mercury Steam
PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kimberly Brooks as Hollis Forsythe in Psychonauts 2 (WINNER)
Laura Bailey as Polina Petrova in Call of Duty: Vanguard
Jason Cavalier As Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Maggie Robertson As Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village
Han Soto as Gabe Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors
Alex Weiner as Rocket in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE
Jane Perry as Selene Vassos in Returnal (WINNER)
Ozioma Akagha As Julianna Blake in Deathloop
Jason E Kelley as Colt Vahn “the Captain” in Deathloop
Jennifer Hale as Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Jon Mclaren As Star-Lord/Peter Quill in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Erika Mori as Alex Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors
2:15 p.m.: A previous version of this story indicated that Santana Mishra accepted an award for Unpacking alongside Wren Brier. Technical director Tim Tim Dawson actually accepted with Brier, while Mishra watched virtually.
