For those who don’t use Steam but would still be interested, the submissions are specifically from 2024, and catagories are:
- Game of the year
- VR game of the year
- Labour of Love for an old game that the devs have maintained well
- Best Game on Steam Deck
- Better with Friends for the best multiplayer game
- Outstanding Visual Style
- Most innovative gameplay
- Best Game You Suck At for a difficult game
- Best Soundtrack
- Outstanding Story Rich Game
- Sit Back and Relax for a chill game
Extra points for expanding on why you picked the games you did.
Personally, the only games I’ve found that Im esspecially comfortable to “lock-in” are:
Factorio for Labour of Love, as its an absolute gem of a game that has continued to receive significant improvements even after launch and not even all bundled in to the (itself amazing) expansion. I also considered Stardew Valley or Dota, both of which are great for this, but Factorio really deserves it for Space Age and the updates that have come with it.
Balatro for Best Game on Steam Deck, for its addicting, fun gameplay, good for longer sessions or pick-up and put-down play.
Tactical Breach Wizards for Outstanding Visual Style. There are other games that might have pulled off their themes better, but the mix of military and magical is so cool and charming and unique, that its my absolute favorite right now.
And Balatro again for Sit Back and Relax, for the same reasons I gave for Steam Deck, and just how chill it can be once you’ve learned the basics.