Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards Winners

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The Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards Winners Are Here

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Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards Winners

A couple of days ago we have announced the nominees for the Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards; and as we have mentioned, the winners will be announced on July 2.

Well, that day has finally come and it’s time to see the titles that won the crowds at E3 this year.

If you missed the list of nominees you can see it here, because below we will list just the Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards Winners.

The video games that won these important awards have been selected by 51 publications worldwide; however, before asking why titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Fallout 76 have not been nominated; it is important to remember that only video games that had playable demos at E3 were eligible for these distinctions.

Furthermore, in order to be nominated for the Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards, those demos had to be available to the judges.

As an example, we have Cyberpunk 2077. Although in an early development stage, a Cyberpunk 2077 playable demo was revealed at E3 2018, behind closed doors.

The Cyberpunk 2077 demo; however, was played by the CDPR staff, which disqualifies the game since judges and critics were not allowed to play it.  CDPR even announced the specs of the PC on which they played the Cyberpunk 2077 demo.

So, this should give you a better idea on how the nominees for the Best of E3 2018 Game Critics Awards have been selected by judges.

Last but not least, you should know that video games such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Fallout 76 were eligible for special commendations, which have also been announced as you can see at the end of the list.

Best of Show

The Resident Evil 2 Remake has won the big award at E3 2018. Announced in August 2015, the remake will be available on January 25, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Resident Evil 2 Remake will use the RE Engine which was also used for Resident Evil 7. In case you missed the Resident Evil 2 Remake E3 2018 trailer here it is.

Best Original Game

Developed by Media Molecule exclusively for PlayStation 4, Dreams is a sandbox video game scheduled for release in 2018.

Dreams received the E3 2018 Best Original Game Critics Award and you can see a gameplay trailer right here.

Best Console Game

One of the biggest surprises comes from Marvel’s Spider-Man which won the E3 2018 Best Console Game Award; leaving Alexios and Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with empty hands.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is developed by Insomniac Games and it is also a PS4 exclusive title. It will be available starting September 7, 2018.

Best VR/AR Game

Tetris Effect which releases later this year won the Best VR/AR Game Award. It is the third PlayStation 4 exclusive title to win a Game Critics Award in 2018, as opposed to Microsoft, as you can see further below.

Best PC Game

Despite the fact that is was nominated in 5 different categories, BioWare’s Anthem received only two awards. The first one is definitely not the one BioWare was expecting but it’s better than leaving with only one.

Anthem is the upcoming action role-playing game developed by BioWare for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It will be published by Electronic Arts and will be released on February 22, 2019.

Best Hardware/Peripheral

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller won the Game Critics Award 2018 in the best hardware/peripheral category.

The latest video game controller developed by Microsoft hits the stores in September 2018.

Best Action Game

The second Game Critics Award won by Anthem is for the Best Action Game, where the title competed against Battlefield V, Metro: Exodus, Bethesda’s Rage 2 and obviously the omnipresent Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

Best Action/Adventure

In the best action-adventure category, Spidey secured another award and scored another point for Sony.

Marvel’s Spider-Man was nominated alongside Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.

Best RPG

Although Square Enix’s E3 2018 press conference was somehow boring; the Japanese video game developer and publisher, managed to win a Game Critics Award with Kingdom Hearts III.

The video game releases January 29, 2019, on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; being the twelfth title in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Best Fighting Game

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the only Nintendo Switch exclusive video game that received a Game Critics Awards; but in one of the most important categories.

The game developed by Bandai Namco Studios won the fight against Dead or Alive 6, Jump Force and Soul Calibur VI. We should all see if Super Smash Bros. Ultimate deserved it on December 7, 2018, only on Switch.

Best Racing Game

As outlined above, Forza Horizon 4 was one of the two Xbox exclusive video games that managed to win a Game Critics Award; but it had one of the best presentations at E3 2018. If you missed the gameplay trailer make sure to watch it below.

Forza Horizon 4 releases October 2, 2018, and we are quite excited to see it in action.

Best Sports Game

While Ronaldo and Messi left the World Cup, FIFA 19 won the final against Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 and Mario Tennis Aces, as well as the Critics Award for the best sports game.

The video game developed by EA Vancouver will release on September 28, 2018, on all current gen and old gen gaming platforms.

Best Strategy Game

As expected by many, Creative Assembly’s Total War: Three Kingdoms won the Best Strategy Game award. Although we are quite far from its release (Q1/Q2 2019); Total War: Three Kingdoms had one of the best playable demos in its category.

Best Family/Social Game

The cooking simulation video game Overcooked 2 is only one month away from its release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Just like the prequel, it impressed the critics, hence it won the award for the Best Family game.

Check out its trailer below, if you’re a cooking fan.

Best Online Multiplayer

One of the most disputed categories at E3 2018 Game Critics Awards has been won by Battlefield V. We say the most disputed because the biggest titles in the industry have been nominated. EA’s Battlefield 5 competed against Anthem, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Destiny 2: Forsaken, Ubisoft’s Skull & Bones and Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.

None of these titles were better than BF5 according to judges; but we will see for ourselves on November 20, 2018.

Best Independent Game

Ori returned to E3 2018 and left the conference with the award for the Best Independent Game. The award was won by Ori and the Will of the Wisps which is the sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest.

You can enjoy the beautiful platform-adventure game developed by Moon Studios in 2019 on Xbox One and PC.

Best Ongoing Game

Last but not least, we have Fortnite which won the Best Ongoing Game Award this year. This, however, wasn’t a surprise, especially because at E3 2018 Epic Games announced the Nintendo Switch version that was downloaded over 2 million times in 24 hours after the announcement.

Unfortunately, the award is somehow shadowed by Sony’s cross-play issues that most likely have a financial reason.

We should see if Shawn Layden, the CEO of Sony Interactive America will find a solution regarding these obstacles, as he promised last week.

Special Commendations

Alongside the winners above, there are five special commendations awarded this year at Game Critics Awards. Two of them went to Cyberpunk 2077 for graphics and innovation.

The Last of Us Part II also received two for graphics and sound; while Ghost of Tsushima won a graphics commendation.

These are the winners of the Game Critics Awards 2018! Thoughts? Use the comments section below to share your thoughts or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Founder and senior content producer at PrimeWikis, I am the former CEO of VGFAQ.com. I've been playing video games since 1994, and I like to keep up with the latest video game releases. Feel free to get in touch with me if gaming is your passion.

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