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
