If you want proof that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would have been a serious Game of the Year contender at The Game Awards 2024 if it hadn’t missed the release date deadline, look no further. MachineGames’ acclaimed take on the archaeologist’s Nazi-punching adventures is a leading contender in nominations for the 28th annual DICE Awards — perhaps the next most prestigious awards ceremony in gaming.
Microsoft’s Indiana Jones is tied with Sony’s Astro Bot and Helldivers 2 at six nominations apiece. All three games are nominated for Game of the Year, along with Balatro and Black Myth: Wukong.
Other strongly recognized games are Balatro and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, with five nominations each, and 1000xResist, Animal Well, and VR game Batman: Arkham Shadow, which each got four nominations.
Although the DICE nominations don’t contain any major snubs or surprises, there are a few interesting points of difference with The Game Awards. 1000xResist was notably ignored by TGA — something the developer attributes a recent sales bump to. And DICE seems comparatively cool on a couple of TGA darlings, Metaphor ReFantazio and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Nominated for six and seven Game Awards respectively, they have only two and three DICE nominations, and both miss out on a GOTY nod. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which was nominated for five Game Awards — including, controversially, Game of the Year — has only one DICE nomination, for Role-Playing Game of the Year.
The DICE Awards will be presented on Feb. 13 during the 2025 DICE Summit, an industry conference in Las Vegas. Unlike The Game Awards, which are determined by a jury of media outlets with some input from fan voting, the DICE Awards are selected by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, an industry body comprised of publishers and developers. They work similarly to the Oscars in film, with nominations made by specialist panels and then voted on by Academy members.
Nevertheless, the DICE Awards and The Game Awards tend to have pretty similar taste. In the last 10 years, DICE and TGA have only differed on Game of the Year four times. But DICE is more open to rewarding indie games than Geoff Keighley’s ceremony, having previously handed Game of the Year wins to Hades and even Untitled Goose Game. The DICE Awards go back far enough that previous GOTY winners include GoldenEye 007, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Sims, and Diablo 2. Not bad company to be in.
Here’s the full list of DICE Awards nominations:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Astro Bot
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Neva
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Lego Horizon Adventures
- The Plucky Squire
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- 1000xResist – Watcher
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – Yuffie Kisaragi
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones
- Indika – Indika
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – Senua
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Astro Bot
- Helldivers 2
- Monument Valley 3
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Star Wars Outlaws
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Frostpunk 2
- Helldivers 2
- Monument Valley 3
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Still Wakes the Deep
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- 1000xResist
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Still Wakes the Deep
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Astro Bot
- Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Action Game of the Year
- Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Helldivers 2
- Stellar Blade
Adventure Game of the Year
- 1000xResist
- Animal Well
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Family Game of the Year
- Astro Bot
- Cat Quest III
- Little Kitty, Big City
- The Plucky Squire
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
Fighting Game of the Year
- Blazing Strike
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
- Tekken 8
- Underdogs
Racing Game of the Year
- F1 24
- MotoGP 24
- Night-Runners Prologue
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
Sports Game of the Year
- EA Sports College Football 25
- EA Sports FC 25
- MLB The Show 24
- NBA 2K25
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Balatro
- Caves of Qud
- Frostpunk 2
- Tactical Breach Wizards
- Satisfactory
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Alien: Rogue Incursion
- Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Skydance’s Behemoth
- Starship Home
- Underdogs
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Alien: Rogue Incursion
- Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Escaping Wonderland
- Skydance’s Behemoth
- Underdogs
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Animal Well
- Balatro
- Grunn
- Indika
- Mouthwashing
Mobile Game of the Year
- Balatro
- Halls of Torment
- Monument Valley 3
- Paper Trail
- Wuthering Waves
Online Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
- Helldivers 2
- Marvel Rivals
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Animal Well
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Helldivers 2
- UFO 50
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- 1000xResist
- Animal Well
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Riven
- Thank Goodness You’re Here!
Game of the Year
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Helldivers 2
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
