a 9/10 review from Screen Rant. All that praise was made official tonight when Astro Bot took home the Game of the Year trophy at The Game Awards, beating Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Balatro in the category.

Selected by a combination of jury vote and public opinion, this is widely considered one of the most prestigious awards in the video game industry. The award was presented by last year's winner, Swen Vincke, director of Baldur's Gate 3, and accepted by the game's director and Team Asobi studio head Nicolas Doucet. Doucet expressed his gratitude to the decades of platformers that came before Astro Bot, which also took home awards for Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Family Game, and Best Game Direction during the ceremony.

Astro Bot's Journey To Game Of The Year

A Welcome Surprise

Astro Bot's critical acclaim was a massive surprise when it was first released. Somewhat of an emerging mascot for Sony's hardware, Astro Bot (the character) was best known for starring in a series of tech demos included for free with PlayStation consoles. He finally got his own paid game in Astro Bot Rescue Mission for the PSVR headset. While all of these games were well received, they were short, sweet, and served a purpose: to give new PlayStation owners something to play while they waited for their bigger, more expensive games to .

Astro bot with a big beard, dressed as kratos from God of War holding an axe
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But then Astro Bot blew all expectations out of the water when it came out earlier this year. Reviewers marveled at its creative platforming, its level of challenge, and its relentless nostalgia for 30 years of PlayStation hits. The only major issue most critics reported was that the game was too short - they didn't want Astro Bot to end.

And it didn't have to end. Since its release, Astro Bot has received several free updates that greatly expand on its content. First, there was Astro Bot's Winter Wonder update, a free, Christmas-themed level with plenty of fun holiday surprises for players to discover.

Our Take: Astro Bot Deserves Its Laurels

Well Done, Team Asobi

Player and Chop Chop Onion Master in Astro Bot

Honestly, I didn't see Astro Bot's win coming. Like everyone else, I was thoroughly impressed with the game itself, not to mention all the free content it's gotten since launch. But even if I think Astro Bot was every bit as deserving, I had my proverbial money on Elden Ring being the first game to win GOTY twice, with secret hopes for Balatro to pull an indie upset and turn the Game Awards on its head. Still, I can't deny that Astro Bot deserves every bit of praise it gets. It's an undeniably excellent, thoroughly lovable game.

A collage of images from Elden Ring Nightreign and The Witcher 4.
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My only regret is that it's a PS5 exclusive, and will probably always remain so. Astro Bot deserves a wider audience, but I'm not sure if that's in the cards. I can't imagine a game with such deep roots in PlayStation history would ever make it to other platforms. If nothing else, I hope that the creative joy that permeates Astro Bot's every pixel inspires a new generation of game developers to make the kinds of games they want, without fear, limits, or compromise.

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Your Rating

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Astro Bot
Platformer
9/10
Top Critic Avg: 95/100 Critics Rec: 99%
Released
September 6, 2024
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
Developer(s)
Team Asobi
Publisher(s)
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Engine
Proprietary Engine
Franchise
Astro Bot
Platform(s)
PlayStation 5
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, Screen Rant confirms it is on the judging at The Game Awards 2024. Our editorial process is separate from our contributions to judging, and as such, our inclusion does not compromise our journalistic integrity.