1960s-70s
Steve Russell: Spacewar! (PDP-1, 1962) || space combat, shooter
Nolan Bushnell & Ted Dabney: Computer Space (arcade, 1971) || space combat, shooter
Allan Alcorn: Pong (arcade, 1972) || table tennis/sports
John Daleske: Empire III (PLATO, 1974) || space combat/flight simulation, shooter, real-time strategy, network multiplayer
Steve Colley, Greg Thompson & Howard Palmer: Maze War (PDP-10, 1974) || first-person shooter, maze chase, ARPANET/network multiplayer
Jim Bowery: Spasim (PLATO, 1974) || space combat/flight simulation, first-person shooter, network multiplayer
Will Crowther: Colossal Cave Adventure (PDP-10, 1976) || text adventure
Infocom: Zork (PDP-10, 1977) || text adventure, high fantasy
Jim Huether: Flag Capture (Atari 2600, 1978) || grid puzzle
Roy Trubshaw & Richard Bartle: MUD (terminal, 1978) || MUD/text adventure, network multiplayer, high fantasy
Tomohiro Nishikado: Space Invaders (arcade, 1978) || fixed shooter, alien invasion
1980
Ed Rotberg: Battlezone (arcade) || tank combat/simulation, first-person shooter
Dona Bailey & Ed Logg: Centipede (arcade) || fixed shooter
Eugene Jarvis & Larry DeMar: Defender (arcade) || scrolling shooter, space combat
Gunpei Yokoi (Nintendo): Game & Watch (platform series) || various
Roberta & Ken Williams: Mystery House (Apple II) || graphic adventure, horror, mystery/whodunit
Toru Iwatani: Pac-Man (arcade) || maze chase
Glenn Wichman, Ken Arnold, etc: Rogue (Linux/Unix) || rogue-like, dungeon crawler/adventure, western RPG, high fantasy
1981
Silas Warner: Castle Wolfenstein (Apple II) || graphic adventure, tactical shooter, stealth, war
Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo): Donkey Kong (arcade) || vertical platformer
Chris Crawford: Eastern Front 1941 (Atari 8) || turned-based strategy, war
Richard Garriott: Ultima (Apple II) || western RPG, medieval fantasy
Malcolm Evans: 3D Monster Maze (ZX81) || maze chase, survival horror
Sega R&D Japan: 005 (arcade) || shooter/action, stealth, maze chase
1982
Masahisa Ikegami: Dig Dug (arcade) || action, maze chase
Chris Crawford: Legionnaire (Atari 8) || real-time strategy, history, war
David Crane: Pitfall (Atari 2600) || platformer, adventure
Namco: Pole Position (arcade) || sports/racing
Warren Davis & Jeff Lee: Q*bert (arcade) || puzzle platformer, isometric, fantasy
Eugene Jarvis & Larry DeMar: Robotron 2084 (arcade) || shooter, dystopian/sci-fi
Don Daglow: Utopia (Intellivision/Mattel Aquarius) || city-builder, real-time strategy
1983
Don Bluth: Dragon's Lair (arcade) || interactive movie/graphic adventure, medieval fantasy, comedy
John O'Neill: Lifespan (Atari 8) || experimental/surrealism
Jaron Lanier: Moondust (C64) || music, space/sci-fi, experimental/surrealism
Dan Bunten/Danielle Berry: M.U.L.E. (Atari 8) || construction/colony management, turn-based strategy, sci-fi
1984
David Braben & Ian Bell: Elite (BBC Micro/Acorn Electron) || space combat/flight simulation, trading, exploration
Jay Fenlason: Hack (Linux/Unix) || rogue-like
Dennis Caswell: Impossible Mission (C64) || puzzle platformer
Dave Theurer: I, Robot (arcade) || rail shooter, 3D platformer, sci-fi/space combat, surrealism
1985
Tokuro Fujiwara: Ghosts 'n Goblins (arcade) || action platformer, masocore, high fantasy
John Taylor & Kelton Flinn: Island of Kesmai (CompuServe) || MUD/text adventure, network multiplayer/MMORPG, high fantasy
Noah Falstein (LucasArts): Koronis Rift (Atari 8/C64) || space combat/flight simulation, graphical adventure/exploration
Paul Woakes & Bruce Jordan: Mercenary (Atari 8) || flight simulation, sandbox
MECC: The Oregon Trail remake (Apple II) || graphical/text-adventure, western, survival, edutainment
Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo): Super Mario Bros (NES/arcade) || platformer, fantasy
Alexey Pajitnov: Tetris (Electronika 60) || puzzle/tile-matching
Richard Garriott: Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (Apple II) || RPG, medieval fantasy, open world
1986
Koichi Nakamura: Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior (NES) || turn-based JRPG, medieval fantasy
Chip Morningstar (LucasArts): Habitat (C64) || MMORPG, graphical MUD, virtual community
Shigeru Miyamoto & Takashi Tezuka (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda (NES) || action, dungeon crawler/adventure, high fantasy
Satoru Okada (Nintendo): Metroid (NES/Famicom) || metroidvania, action RPG/platformer, adventure, sci-fi
Yu Suzuki: Out Run (arcade) || driving/racing
Shigeru Miyamoto & Takashi Tezuka (Nintendo): Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels (NES/Famicom) || masocore platformer, fantasy
Takeshi Kitano: Takeshi's Challenge (NES/Famicom) || platformer, action, postmodernism/parody/satire, masocore
Mike Richardson: Turbo Esprit (ZXS,C64) || driving/vehicular combat
1987
Koji Hiroshita: Contra (arcade) || run and gun/cabal shooter, action platformer, war, alien/sci-fi
Yoshihisa Kishimoto: Double Dragon (arcade) || belt scroller, fighting/beat 'em up, crime
Hironobu Sakaguchi: Final Fantasy (NES) || JRPG, turn-based, open world, high fantasy/sci-fi
Akira Kitamura: Mega Man (NES) || platformer, action/run and gun, sci-fi/mecha
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear (MSX2) || stealth/espionage, action-adventure, war, sci-fi/mecha
Genyo Takeda: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out (NES) || boxing/sports
Sid Meier: Pirates! (C64) || open world, turn-based tactics, action-adventure, management, ship simulation, swashbuckler/pirate
1988
Ste Cork: Colony (C64, MSX, Atari 8) || first-person shooter, action-adventure
Akira Kitamura: Mega Man 2 (NES) || platformer, action/run and gun, sci-fi/mecha
H. Iijima: Ninja Gaiden (arcade) || belt scroller, action platformer, ninja/martial arts, masocore
Kensuke Tanabe (Nintendo): Super Mario Bros 2 (NES) || platformer, fantasy
Shigeru Miyamoto & Takashi Tezuka (Nintendo): Super Mario Bros 3 (NES) || platformer, fantasy
Brian Fargo: Wasteland (Apple II, C64, DOS) || western RPG, turn-based, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
Namco: Winning Run (arcade) || racing simulation/driving
1989
Alan Cox, etc: AberMUD (Unix) || MUD/text adventure, network multiplayer, high fantasy
Takashi Iwanaga: Herzog Zwei (Gen) || real-time tactics/strategy, shooter, mecha/sci-fi
Mike Singleton: Midwinter (DOS, Amiga) || RPG, espionage, survival, first-person shooter, submarine/flight/tank simulation, post-apocalyptic
Shigesato Itoi: Mother (NES/Famicom) || turn-based JRPG, sci-fi/fantasy, comedy
Chieko Aoki: Phantasy Star II (Gen) || turn-based JRPG, sci-fi/fantasy
Peter Molyneux: Populous (Amiga) || god game, real-time strategy, management
Will Wright: SimCity (C64/128, DOS) || city-building, sandbox
Dan Geisler & Gilman Louie: Vette! (DOS) || racing simulation/driving, network multiplayer
1990
Tom Hall: Commander Keen (DOS) || platformer, action-adventure, sci-fi
Hironobu Sakaguchi: Final Fantasy III (NES) || JRPG, turn-based, high fantasy
Simutronics: GemStone III (PC) || MUD/text adventure, MMORPG, high fantasy
Jennifer Sward: Loom (DOS) || point-and-click adventure, high fantasy
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2) || stealth/espionage, action-adventure, war, sci-fi/mecha
Curt Johnson: Microsoft Minesweeper (Win PC) || puzzle
Ron Gilbert (LucasArts): The Secret of Monkey Island (DOS) || point-and-click adventure, swashbuckler/pirate, comedy
Takashi Tezuka (Nintendo): Super Mario World (SNES) || platformer, fantasy
Chris Roberts: Wing Commander (DOS) || space flight/combat simulation, sci-fi
1991
Eric Chahi: Another World (Amiga) || cinematic/puzzle platformer, sci-fi
Sid Meier: Civilization (DOS) || turn-based strategy/4X, management, historical
DIKU: DikuMUD (Unix) || MUD/text adventure, high fantasy
Paul Holmes: Hunter (Amiga) || action-adventure, open world
Takashi Tezuka (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES) || action-adventure, open world, dungeon crawler, high fantasy
David Jones: Lemmings (Amiga) || action-puzzle/real-time strategy, black comedy
Don Daglow: Neverwinter Nights (DOS) || MMORPG, high fantasy
Carl Mey: Road Rash (Gen) || motorcycle/driving/racing, vehicular combat
Koichi Ishii: Seiken Densetsu / Final Fantasy Adventure (GB) || JRPG, action-adventure, high fantasy
Hirokazu Yasuhara: Sonic the Hedgehog (Gen) || platformer, speedrunner, fantasy
Akira Nishitani & Akira Yasuda: Street Fighter II - The World Warrior (arcade) || fighting, combat sports/martial arts, fantasy
1992
Frederick Raynal: Alone in the Dark (DOS) || survival horror, graphic adventure, mystery, Lovecraftian
Michael Cranford & Mike Dawson: Dark Seed (DOS, Amiga) || point-and-click adventure, psychological/Lovecraftian horror
Arnold Hendrick: Darklands (DOS) || tactical RPG, medieval fantasy
Remi Herbulot: Dune (DOS) || strategy, graphic adventure, sci-fi/space opera
Masahiro Sakurai (Nintendo): Kirby's Dream Land (GB) || platformer, action-adventure, fantasy
Ed Boon & John Tobias: Mortal Kombat (arcade) || fighting/combat sports/martial arts, dark fantasy
Kouzi Ide: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest / Adventure (SNES) || JRPG, action-adventure
Tadashi Sugiyama & Hideki Konno (Nintendo): Super Mario Kart (SNES) || racing/driving, vehicular combat, fantasy
Yu Suzuki: Virtua Racing (arcade) || racing simulation
Tom Hall: Wolfenstein 3D (DOS) || first-person shooter, war, alternate history
1993
Dave Grossman & Tim Schafer (LucasArts): Day of the Tentacle (DOS) || point-and-click adventure, sci-fi/time travel, comedy
John Romero, Tom Hall & Sandy Petersen: Doom (DOS) || first-person shooter, action horror, sci-fi
Steve Barcia: Master of Orion (DOS) || turn-based strategy/4X, sci-fi
Rand & Robyn Miller: Myst (PC) || point-and-click adventure, logic puzzle, narrative exploration, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, surrealism
Koichi Ishii: Secret of Mana (SNES) || JRPG, action-adventure, high fantasy
Will Wright & Fred Haslam: SimCity 2000 (PC) || city-builder, sandbox
Katsuya Eguchi (Nintendo): Star Fox (SNES) || rail shooter, flight combat, sci-fi/space opera
Yu Suzuki: Virtua Fighter (arcade) || fighting/combat sports/martial arts
Rob Landeros & Graeme Devine: The 7th Guest (DOS) || point-and-click adventure, puzzle, supernatural horror, FMV
1994
Tim & Chris Stamper: Donkey Kong Country (SNES) || platformer, fantasy
Doug TenNapel & Tom Tanaka: Earthworm Jim (Gen, SNES) || action platformer, shooter, absurdist comedy, sci-fi
Brian Raffel: Heretic (DOS) || first-person shooter, dark fantasy, medieval
Electronic Arts: Magic Carpet (DOS) || flight simulation/combat, action, open world, fantasy
Shigesato Itoi (Nintendo): Mother 2 / Earthbound (SNES) || turn-based JRPG, sci-fi, low fantasy, comedy
Electronic Arts: The Need for Speed (3DO) || racing/driving
Yoshio Sakamoto (Nintendo): Super Metroid (SNES) || metroidvania, action RPG/platformer, run and gun, sci-fi, action horror
Doug Church: System Shock (DOS) || first-person shooter, immersive sim, action RPG, cyberpunk/sci-fi, horror
Seiichi Ishii: Tekken (arcade) || fighting/combat sports/martial arts, low fantasy
Patrick Wyatt: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (DOS) || real-time strategy, high fantasy
1995
Takashi Tokita, Yoshinori Kitase & Akihiko Matsui: Chrono Trigger (SNES) || JRPG, turn-based, time travel/high fantasy
Hifumi Kono: Clock Tower (SNES) || point-and-click adventure, survival horror, mystery
Brett Sperry & Edward Del Castillo: Command & Conquer (DOS) || real-time strategy, war, alternate history/sci-fi
David Mullich, Robert Wiggins & Harlan Ellison: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (DOS) || point-and-click adventure, psychological horror, post-apocalyptic/sci-fi
Jim Bumgardner: The Palace (PC) || virtual community
Penn Jillette & Raymond Teller: Smoke and Mirrors minigame Desert Bus (Sega CD) || driving simulation, postmodernism
Agnes Haegel: Rayman (PS1) || platformer, fantasy
Michael D Jackson: Twisted Metal (PS1) || vehicular combat, crime
Samwise Didier, Michael Morhaime & Patrick Wyatt: Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (DOS/PC) || real-time strategy, high fantasy, war
Takashi Tezuka, etc. (Nintendo): Yoshi's Island (SNES) || platformer, fantasy, prehistoric/dinosaur
1996
Nexon Inc: Baramue Nara / Baram (PC) || MMORPG, high fantasy
Shinji Mikami: Biohazard / Resident Evil (PS1) || survival horror, zombie, gothic, sci-fi
Jason Rubin: Crash Bandicoot (PS1) || platformer, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy
Toby Simpson: Creatures (PC) || virtual pet, fantasy
Allen Blum & Richard Gray: Duke Nukem 3D (DOS/PC) || first-person shooter, alien/sci-fi, comedy/parody
Setsuko Miyakoshi & Ken Takahashi: Harvest Moon (SNES) || farming simulator, slice of life
Takashi Oda: The House of the Dead (arcade) || light gun/rail shooter, zombie/action horror, sci-fi
Masahiro Sakurai (Nintendo): Kirby Super Star (SNES) || platformer, action-adventure, fantasy, anthology
Ali Atabek, Paul Kellner & Gus Smedstad: M.A.X. (DOS/PC) || real-time/turn-based strategy, sci-fi
Charles Sellers: Meridian 59 (PC) || MMORPG, action, medieval fantasy
Kazuma Kujo & MeeHer: Metal Slug (arcade) || run and gun, war, mecha/sci-fi
Satoshi Tajiri (Nintendo): Pokemon: Red and Blue (GB) || monster collector, turn-based JRPG, fantasy/sci-fi
John Romero, etc: Quake (DOS/PC) || first-person shooter, sci-fi, gothic/Lovecraftian horror
Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo): Super Mario 64 (N64) || 3D platformer, collect-a-thon, fantasy
Dan Schmidt: Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (DOS/PC) || first-person/tactical shooter, immersive sim, mecha/sci-fi
Paul Douglas & Toby Gard: Tomb Raider (PS1) || platformer, action-adventure, third-person shooter, low fantasy
1997
Bruce Shelley: Age of Empires (PC) || real-time strategy, history
Neil Barnden & Patrick Buckland: Carmageddon (DOS/PC) || vehicular combat, racing/driving, crime, black comedy
Toru Hagihara & Koji Igarashi: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1) || metroidvania, action RPG/platformer, gothic, dark fantasy, vampire
David Brevik: Diablo (PC) || action RPG, dungeon crawler, dark fantasy
Tim Cain & Christopher Taylor: Fallout (PC) || turn-based RPG, open world, post-apocalyptic/sci-fi, western, black comedy
Yoshinori Kitase: Final Fantasy VII (PS1) || turn-based JRPG, dystopian/sci-fi, fantasy
Microsoft: Flight Simulator 98 (PC) || flight simulation
Martin Hollis: Goldeneye 007 (N64) || first-person shooter, espionage/stealth
Kazunori Yamauchi: Gran Turismo (PS1) || racing/driving simulation
Keith Hamilton: Grand Theft Auto (DOS/PC) || mission-based driving, open world, shooter, crime
Lorne Lanning: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (PS1) || puzzle platformer, sci-fi/alien, fantasy, dystopian, black comedy/satire
Kevin Cloud, American McGee & Tim Willits: Quake II (PC) || first-person shooter, action horror, sci-fi
Takao Shimizu (Nintendo): Star Fox 64 (N64) || rail shooter, flight combat, sci-fi/space opera, fantasy
Masamichi Abe, Yutaka Kounoe & Katsuhiro Harada: Tekken 3 (arcade) || fighting/martial arts, combat sports
Ron Gilbert & Chris Taylor: Total Annihilation (PC) || real-time strategy, sci-fi/mecha
Starr Long: Ultima Online (PC) || MMORPG, medieval fantasy
1998
Gregg Mayles & George Andreas: Banjo-Kazooie (N64) || 3D platformer, collect-a-thon, fantasy, comedy
Bemani: Dance Dance Revolution (arcade) || rhythm/dance/music
Tim Schafer (LucasArts): Grim Fandango (PC) || point-and-click, graphic adventure, noire/mystery, gothic/undead, crime, black comedy
Gabe Newell & Mike Harrington (Valve): Half-Life (PC) || first-person shooter, alien/sci-fi, action horror
Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, etc. (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) || action-adventure, high fantasy, time travel, open world
Osamu Sato: LSD: Dream Emulator (PS1) || exploration, surrealism
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Solid (PS1) || stealth/espionage, action-adventure, sci-fi/mecha, postmodernism
Jin Okubo & Yoshitaka Tezuka: Soulcalibur (arcade) || fighting, fantasy
Insomniac: Spyro the Dragon (PS1) || platformer, action-adventure, fantasy
Chris Metzen & James Phinney: Starcraft (PC) || real-time strategy, alien/sci-fi, war
Greg LoPiccolo: Thief (PC) || stealth, immersive sim, action-adventure, dark fantasy
James Schmalz & Cliff Bleszinski: Unreal (PC) || first-person shooter, action-adventure, alien/sci-fi
1999
Martin Edmondson: Driver (PS1) || mission-based driving, crime
Brad McQuaid: EverQuest (PC) || MMORPG, high fantasy
David Mullich: Heroes of Might and Magic III (PC) || turn-based strategy, medieval fantasy
Alex Garden: Homeworld (PC) || real-time strategy, sci-fi/space opera
Chris Avellone: Planescape: Torment (PC) || isometric RPG, dark fantasy, mystery
Nexon: QuizQuiz (PC) || trivia MMO, anime
Yu Suzuki, Keiji Okayasu & Toshihiro Nagoshi: Shenmue (DC) || graphic adventure, open world, life simulation/slice of life, mystery, etc.
Keiichiro Toyama: Silent Hill (PS1) || survival horror, psychological/surrealism, mystery, occult
Masahiro Sakurai (Nintendo): Super Smash Bros (N64) || platform fighting, fantasy, crossover
Ken Levine: System Shock 2 (PC) || first-person shooter, immersive sim, RPG, action horror, cyberpunk/sci-fi
Aaron Cammarata & Chris Rausch: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (PS1) || skating/sports
Masaya Matsuura: Vib-Ribbon (PS1) || rhythm/music, auto runner, surrealism
2000
Dustin Browder, John Hight & Brett W. Sperry: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC) || real-time strategy, war, sci-fi
Minh Le & Jess Cliffe (Valve): Counter Strike (PC) || online first-person shooter, war
Warren Spector: Deus Ex (PC) || action RPG, first-person shooter, immersive sim, cyberpunk/dystopian, sci-fi, tech-noir
David Brevik, Erich & Max Schaefer: Diablo II (PC) || action RPG, dungeon crawler, dark fantasy, medieval
Sampo Karjalainen & Aapo Kyrölä: Hotelli Kultakala / Habbo Hotel (Web Game) || virtual community
Masayoshi Kikuchi: Jet Set Radio (DC) || skating/sports, action-adventure, crime
Eiji Aonuma & Yoshiaki Koizumi (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64) || action-adventure, high fantasy, time loop, surrealism/psychological horror
Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo): Paper Mario (N64) || turn-based JRPG, fantasy, comedy
Martin Hollis: Perfect Dark (N64) || first-person shooter, espionage, cyberpunk, alien/sci-fi, tech-noir
Will Wright: The Sims (PC) || life simulation
2001
Katsuya Eguchi & Hisashi Nogami (Nintendo): Animal Crossing (GC) || life simulation/slice of life, fantasy
Chris Avellone, etc: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2) || action RPG, dungeon crawler, high fantasy
42 Entertainment: The Beast (Web Game) || ARG, mystery
Steve Jackson & Peter Molyneux: Black & White (PC) || god game, real-time strategy, fantasy
It's Alive: BotFighters (smartphone) || location-based/pervasive MMORPG, robot/mecha
Hideki Kamiya: Devil May Cry (PS2) || stylish action/hack and slash, dark fantasy/gothic
Rick Goodman: Empire Earth (PC) || real-time strategy, war, historical
Michael Hoge, etc: Gothic (PC) || action RPG, open world, medieval, dark fantasy/gothic
Leslie Benzies & Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto III (PS2) || third-person shooter, open world, mission-based driving, crime
Jason Jones: Halo (XB) || first-person shooter, alien/sci-fi/space opera
Fumito Ueda: Ico (PS2) || puzzle platformer, action-adventure, fantasy
Hideki Konno (Nintendo): Luigi's Mansion (GC) || action-adventure, haunted house/ghost/horror, fantasy, comedy/parody
Petri Jarvilehto & Sam Lake: Max Payne (PC) || third-person shooter, mystery/noir, crime/police
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2) || stealth/espionage, action-adventure, mecha/sci-fi, mystery, postmodernism
Shu Takumi: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (GBA) || crime investigation/detective, visual novel, legal drama, mystery, comedy
Shigefumi Hino & Masamichi Abe (Nintendo): Pikmin (GC) || real-time strategy, survival, action-adventure, alien/sci-fi, fantasy
Drew Markham: Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC) || first-person shooter, war, espionage, alternate history/sci-fi
Masashi Tsuboyama: Silent Hill 2 (PS2) || survival horror, psychological/surrealism, mystery,
Masahiro Sakurai (Nintendo): Super Smash Bros: Melee (GC) || platform fighting, fantasy, crossover
2002
Johan Persson: Battlefield 1942 (PC) || first-person shooter, war
Shinji Mikami: Biohazard / Resident Evil remake (GC) || survival horror, zombie, sci-fi, gothic
Chris Taylor: Dungeon Siege (PC) || action RPG, dungeon crawler, high fantasy
Todd Howard: Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC) || action RPG, open world, high fantasy
Denis Dyack: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GC) || action horror, Lovecraftian, psychological/postmodernism, mystery, gothic
Michael Hoge: Gothic II (PC) || action RPG, open world, medieval, dark fantasy
Tetsuya Nomura: Kingdom Hearts (PS2) || action JRPG, hack and slash, fantasy, crossover
Petr Vochozka & Daniel Vavra: Mafia (PC) || third-person shooter, mission-based driving, open world, crime, tragedy
Mark Pacini (Nintendo): Metroid Prime (GC) || first-person shooter, action horror, sci-fi/alien
Trent Oster: Neverwinter Nights (PC) || isometric RPG, medieval fantasy
Nathan Wolff & Clint Hocking: Splinter Cell (XB) || stealth/espionage, third-person shooter
Frank Pearce: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC) || real-time strategy, war, fantasy
2003
Michel Ancel: Beyond Good & Evil (PS2) || action-adventure, stealth, photography sci-fi, low fantasy, dystopian
Ken Turner: Call of Duty (PC) || first-person shooter, war
IceFrog: Defense of the Ancients / Dota (Warcraft III mod) (PC) || MOBA, high fantasy
CCP Games: EVE Online (PC) || MMORPG, space combat, sandbox, sci-fi
Sylvia Eckermann & Mathias Fuchs: fluID (art exhibit) || postmodernism
Derek Liu, Long Vo & Josh Gainsbrugh: Gaia Online (PC) || virtual community, anime
Markus Maki & Sam Lake: Max Payne 2 (PC) || third-person shooter, crime/detective, noir
Patrice Desilets: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (PS2/XB) || platformer, action-adventure, fantasy/time loop
Brian Allgeier: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2) || third-person shooter, platformer, flight combat, alien/sci-fi, comedy
Brian Reynolds: Rise of Nations (PC) || real-time/turn-based strategy, historical, war, 4X
Philip Rosedale: Second Life (PC) || virtual community, user-generated content
Activision: Tony Hawk's Underground (PS2/XB/GC) || skating/sports, mission-based driving, open world, comedy
Hideki Kamiya: Viewtiful Joe (GC) || stylish action/beat em up, platformer, low fantasy
Hirofumi Matsuoka (Nintendo): WarioWare, Inc. (GBA) || microgame compilation/anthology, absurdist comedy, fantasy
2004
Tim Willits: Doom 3 (PC) || first-person shooter, action horror, sci-fi, zombie
Cevat Yerli: Far Cry (PC) || first-person shooter, action-adventure, open world, stealth
Garry Newman (Valve): Garry's Mod / "Gmod" (PC) || sandbox, user-generated content
Leslie Benzies & Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2) || third-person shooter, open world, mission-based driving, crime, black comedy, life simulation
Gabe Newell (Valve): Half-Life 2 (PC) || first-person shooter, action-adventure, alien/sci-fi, dystopian
Jason Jones: Halo 2 (XB) || first-person shooter, war, alien/sci-fi, space opera
42 Entertainment: I Love Bees (Web Game) || ARG, puzzle
Keita Takahashi: Katamari Damacy (PS2) || rolling platformer/action puzzle, fantasy/surrealism, absurdist comedy
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) || stealth/espionage, action-adventure, survival, war, mecha/sci-fi
Ryota Kawade (Nintendo): Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GC) || turn-based JRPG, platformer, fantasy, comedy, adventure
Michael Simpson: Rome: Total War (PC) || real-time tactics, turn-based strategy, war, history
Jason Anderson & Leonard Boyarsky: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (PC) || action RPG, stealth, immersive sim, first-person shooter, gothic, dark fantasy/vampire
Mark Kern & Chris Metzen: World of Warcraft (PC) || MMORPG, open world, high fantasy
Kikiyama: Yume Nikki (PC) || exploration, surrealism/psychological
2005
Bruce Shelley: Age of Empires III (PC) || real-time strategy, history, war
Shinji Mikami: Biohazard / Resident Evil 4 (GC/PS2) || third-person shooter, action horror, zombie, sci-fi, gothic
Toshio Iwai (Nintendo): Electroplankton (DS) || music, user-generated content
Michael Mateas & Andrew Stern: Facade (PC) || interactive fiction/social simulation, satire
David Cage: Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy (PC/PS2/XB) || narrative adventure, mystery, detective/crime
Craig Hubbard: F.E.A.R. (PC) || first-person shooter, action horror, psychological/supernatural/ghost
David Jaffe: God of War (PS2) || hack and slash/stylish action, adventure, myth & folklore
Greg LoPiccolo: Guitar Hero (PS2) || music/rhythm
Goichi Suda (Suda51): Killer 7 (PS2/GC) || rail shooter, action-adventure, surrealism/postmodernism, noir/mystery, black comedy/satire, psychological horror
Electronic Arts: Medal of Honor: European Assault (PS2/GC) || first-person shooter, war, history
Electronic Arts: Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PS2/XB) || racing, open world, vehicular combat, crime
Kiyoshi Mizuki (Nintendo): Nintendogs (DS) || virtual pet
Nikolay Dybowski: Pathologic (PC) || survival, psychological horror, dystopian/epidemic, open world, postmodernism/surrealism, gothic
Tim Schafer: Psychonauts (PS2/XB/PC) || 3D platformer, sci-fi, absurdist comedy, surrealism/psychological
Fumito Ueda: Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) || action-adventure, fantasy, puzzle platformer
Clint Hocking: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (GC/XB/PS2/PC) || third-person shooter, stealth, war
2006
Dan Houser, etc: Bully (PS2) || action-adventure, open world, life simulation, black comedy/satire, crime
Relic: Company of Heroes (PC) || real-time strategy, war, history
Tarn & Zach Adams: Dwarf Fortress (PC) || sandbox, colony management, high fantasy
Ken Rolston & Todd Howard: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC/XB) || action RPG, first-person, high fantasy, open world
Rod Fergusson & Cliff Bleszinski: Gears of War (XB) || third-person shooter, war, action horror/alien
Electronic Arts: The Godfather (PC/PS2/XB) || third-person shooter, open world, mission-based driving, crime
Shinji Mikami: God Hand (PS2) || beat 'em up/stylish action, absurdist comedy, fantasy, combat sports
Alexander Mishulin: Heroes of Might and Magic V (PC) || turn-based strategy, tactical RPG, medieval fantasy
Rasmus Hojengaard: Hitman: Blood Money (PS2/XB/PC) || third-person shooter, stealth/espionage, immersive sim, crime
Eiji Aonuma (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii/GC) || action-adventure, dark/high fantasy, open world, gothic/werewolf
Nobuyuki Inoue: Mother 3 (GBA) || turn-based JRPG, sci-fi/fantasy, dystopian, postmodernism, absurdist comedy
Hideki Kamiya: Okami (PS2) || action-adventure, hack and slash, myth and folklore, open world, comedy
Katsura Hashino: Persona 3 (PS2) || turn-based JRPG, social simulation, dungeon crawler, monster collector, low fantasy, slice of life
Chris Rhinehart: Prey (XB/PC) || first-person shooter, action horror/alien
Brian Sullivan: Titan Quest (PC) || dungeon crawler, hack and slash, myth and folklore
Nintendo: Wii Sports (Wii) || sports
2007
Patrice Desilets: Assassin's Creed (PS/XB) || action-adventure, stealth/espionage, historical, sci-fi
King Soukutu: The Big Adventure of Owata’s Life (PC) || masocore/precision platformer
Ken Levine: Bioshock (PS/XB/PC) || first-person shooter, action RPG, steampunk, dystopian/horror
Jason West: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS/XB/PC) || first-person shooter, war
Jason Bender: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (PC) || real-time strategy, sci-fi/dystopian, war
David Jones: Crackdown (XB) || third-person shooter, open world/sandbox, cyberpunk/dystopian, crime
Cevat Yerli: Crysis (PC) || first-person shooter, stealth, sci-fi/alien
James McQuillan & Joseph Tung: Halo 3 (XB) || first-person shooter, sci-fi/space opera/alien, war
Michael "Kayin" O'Reilly: I Wanna Be the Guy (PC) || masocore/precision platformer, parody
Kim Swift (Valve): Portal (PC) || puzzle platformer, first-person, sci-fi, black comedy
Andrew Prokhorov & Anton Bolshakov: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) || first-person shooter, open world, action horror, sci-fi
Yoshiaki Koizumi (Nintendo): Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) || 3D platformer, collect-a-thon, fantasy, space
John Cook & Robin Walker (Valve): Team Fortress 2 (PC) || first-person arena shooter, online multiplayer
Steve Polge, etc: Unreal Tournament 3 (PC/PS) || first-person arena shooter, sci-fi, online multiplayer
Jacek Brzezinski: The Witcher (PC) || action RPG, medieval fantasy, open world
Tatsuya Kando, etc: The World Ends with You (DS) || action JRPG, visual novel, low fantasy
2008
Jonathan Blow: Braid (PS/XB/PC) || puzzle platformer, time travel, postmodernism, fantasy
Alex Ward: Burnout: Paradise (PS/XB) || racing/mission-based driving, vehicular combat, open world
Todd Howard: Fallout 3 (PS/XB/PC) || action RPG, first-person shooter, open world, post-apocalyptic/dystopian, sci-fi, black comedy/satire
Leslie Benzies & Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto IV (PS/XB) || third-person shooter, open world, mission-based driving, life simulation, crime, black comedy/satire
Mike Booth & Chet Faliszek (Valve): Left 4 Dead (PC) || first-person shooter, action horror/zombie, online co-op/multiplayer, post-apocalyptic/epidemic
Mark Healey & David Smith: LittleBigPlanet (PS3) || platformer, user-generated content/sandbox, fantasy
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) || stealth/espionage, third-person shooter, sci-fi/mecha, war
Senta Jakobsen: Mirror's Edge (PS3/XB) || first-person platformer/shooter, parkour, dystopian, crime
Katsura Hashino: Persona 4 (PS2) || turn-based JRPG, social simulation, monster collector, low fantasy, slice of life, mystery
Jean-Christophe Guyot: Prince of Persia (XB/PS) || 3D platformer, adventure, hack and slash/stylish action
Clint Ourso: Saints Row 2 (XB/PS) || third-person shooter, mission-based driving, open world, crime, black comedy
Ubisoft: Shaun White Snowboarding (XB/PS3) || sports
Will Wright, etc: Spore (PC) || real-time strategy, god game, city building, 4X, open world, sci-fi/alien
Masahiro Sakurai (Nintendo): Super Smash Bros: Brawl (Wii) || platform fighting, fantasy, crossover
Shuntaro Tanaka & Takaharu Terada: Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) || turn-based strategy, tactical RPG, third-person shooter, war, low fantasy, visual novel
Kyle Gabler: World of Goo (PC, Wii) || physics puzzle, absurdist comedy/satire, dystopian
2009
Sefton Hill: Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS/XB/PC) || action-adventure/beat-em up, stealth, low fantasy/superhero, sci-fi, gothic
Hideki Kamiya: Bayonetta (XB/PS3) || hack and slash/stylish action, fantasy/occult, absurdist comedy
Hidetaka Miyazaki: Demon's Souls (PS3) || action-adventure RPG, dark/medieval fantasy, gothic
Jenova Chen: Flower (PS3) || graphic adventure
Leslie Benzies & Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) || shooter, mission-based driving, open world, crime
Nate Fox: Infamous (PS3) || action-adventure, third-person shooter, open world, low fantasy/superhero, post-apocalyptic
Andrei van Roon: League of Legends (PC) || MOBA, high fantasy
Hiroyuki Kubota (Nintendo): Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS) || turn-based JRPG, platformer, puzzle, fantasy, comedy
Markus "Notch" Persson: Minecraft (PC) || open world, survival, sandbox, first-person platformer, fantasy
Jeremiah Slaczka: Scribblenauts (DS) || action puzzle, sandbox, platformer
Bruce Straley & Amy Hennig: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) || third-person shooter, action-adventure, 3D platformer, stealth
2010
Thomas Grip & Jens Nilsson: Amnesia: The Dark Descent (PC) || survival/psychological horror, stealth, puzzle, dark fantasy, Lovecraftian/gothic, mystery
Jon Shafer: Civilization V (PC) || turn-based strategy/4X, historical, war
Robyn Wallace: Dead Rising 2 (XB/PS/PC) || survival, open world, third-person shooter, action horror/zombie, black comedy
Stig Asmussen: God of War III (PS3) || hack and slash/stylish action, adventure, myth and folklore
David Cage & Steve Kniebihly: Heavy Rain (PS3) || graphic/narrative adventure, noir/mystery, crime/detective
Magnus Nedfors: Just Cause 2 (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, action-adventure, open world, destruction
Arnt Jensen: Limbo (PS/XB/PC) || puzzle platformer, horror/gothic
Casey Hudson: Mass Effect 2 (XB/PC) || third-person shooter, action RPG, space opera/sci-fi/alien
Armagan Yavuz, Steve Negus & Cem Cimenbicer: Mount & Blade: Warband (PC) || action/tactical RPG, medieval fantasy
Christian Cantamessa, Leslie Benzies & Dan Houser: Red Dead Redemption (PS/XB) || third-person shooter, open world, western, crime
Dustin Browder: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC) || real-time strategy, sci-fi, alien/space, war
Edmund McMillen & Tommy Refenes: Super Meat Boy (XB/PS/PC) || precision platformer, black comedy
Koh Kojima & Genki Yokota: Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) || action JRPG, open world, sci-fi/fantasy
2011
Amir Rao: Bastion (XB/PS/PC) || action RPG, isometric, steampunk, fantasy
Sefton Hill: Batman: Arkham City (XB/PS/PC) || action-adventure, beat 'em up, open world, stealth, superhero, noir/detective, low fantasy/sci-fi, gothic
Edmund McMillen & Florian Himsl: The Binding of Isaac (PC) || twin-stick shooter, roguelike/dungeon crawler, horror, occult, black comedy
Hidetaka Miyazaki: Dark Souls (PS/XB) || action RPG, dark fantasy, medieval
Martin Edmondson & Craig Lawson: Driver: San Francisco (XB/PS/PC) || mission-based driving/racing, open world, detective/crime, comedy, postmodernism
Todd Howard: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (XB/PS/PC) || action RPG, open world, medieval, high fantasy, dungeon crawler
Final Form: Jamestown (PC) || bullet hell/shooter, steampunk
Felipe Falanghe & Paul Boyle: Kerbal Space Program (PC) || space flight simulation, vehicle building, physics sandbox, alien
Brendan McNamara: L.A. Noire (XB/PS) || detective/crime/noir, graphic adventure, third-person shooter, mission-based driving, period/historical
Joshua Weier (Valve): Portal 2 (XB/PS/PC) || first-person platformer, physics puzzle, sci-fi, comedy
Activision: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (XB/PS/Wii) || 3D platformer, action-adventure, high fantasy
Davey Wreden & William Pugh: The Stanley Parable (PC) || narrative exploration, postmodernism, satire/comedy
Yorai Omer, Andrew & Whitney Spinks: Terraria (PC) || platformer, survival, sandbox, fantasy
2012
Supercell: Clash of Clans (smartphone) || MMORTS, idle construction, fantasy, war
Chinese Room: Dear Esther (PC) || narrative exploration
Level Up: Defender's Quest (PC) || tower defense, high fantasy
Raphael Colantonio & Harvey Smith: Dishonored (XB/PS/PC) || stealth, action-adventure, first-person, steampunk, dark fantasy, dystopian
SCS: Euro Truck Simulator 2 (PC) || business/driving simulation, open world
Patrick Plourde & Patrik Methe: Far Cry 3 (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, action-adventure, stealth/hunting, open world
Phil Fish: FEZ (XB) || puzzle platformer, fantasy
Justin Ma & Matthew Davis: FTL: Faster Than Light (PC) || roguelite/management, real-time strategy, space/sci-fi
Jonatan Soderstrom & Dennis Wedin: Hotline Miami (PC) || twin-stick shooter, crime, stealth, surrealism/psychological, postmodernism
Jenova Chen: Journey (PS) || graphic adventure, puzzle platformer, fantasy
Four Leaf: Katawa Shoujo (PC) || dating sim/adult, visual novel, slice of life
Nicklas Nygren: Knytt Underground (PS/Vita) || platformer, fantasy
Cory Davis & Francois Coulon: Spec Ops: The Line (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, war, psychological/reverse horror, postmodernism, satire
Derek Yu: Spelunky remake (XB) || platformer, roguelite/dungeon crawler, action-adventure, fantasy
Sean Vanaman, Jake Rodkin, etc: The Walking Dead (XB/PS/PC) || narrative point-and-click adventure, horror/zombie/epidemic, post-apocalyptic
Jake Solomon & Ananda Gupta: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (XB/PS/PC) || turn-based tactics, alien/sci-fi, war
2013
Alexander Bruce: Antichamber (PC) || first-person, logic/puzzle platformer, narrative exploration, surrealism
Jay Crowe & Ivan Buchta: Arma 3 (PC) || open world, war/military sim, tactical/first-person shooter
Jean Guesdon, Ashraf Ismail & Damien Kieken: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (XB/PS/PC) || action-adventure, open world, pirate/swashbuckler, historical
Ken Levine: Bioshock Infinite (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, steampunk/alternate history/dystopian, postmodernism
Dean Hall: Day Z (Arma 2 mod) (PC) || MMO, first/third-person shooter, open world survival craft, zombie, post-apocalyptic
Klei Entertainment: Don't Starve (XB/PS/PC) || open world survival craft, dark fantasy/gothic, roguelite
IceFrog (Valve): Dota 2 (PC) || MOBA, high fantasy
Dean Evans & Alexandre Letendre: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, open world, cyberpunk, parody/black comedy
Steve Gaynor: Gone Home (PC) || narrative exploration, first-person, mystery, LGBT
Leslie Benzies & Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto V (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, open world, mission-based driving, crime, black comedy/satire
Bruce Straley & Neil Druckmann: The Last of Us (PS3) || third-person shooter, action horror/zombie, post-apocalyptic, tragedy
Lucas Pope: Papers, Please (PC) || job simulation/surveillance, puzzle, dystopian, satire
Scott Phillips: Saints Row IV (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, open world, superhero, absurdist comedy, sci-fi
2014
Alistair Hope: Alien: Isolation (XB/PS/PC) || survival/stealth horror, first-person, alien/sci-fi
LandShark: Aviator (Facebook/Web Game) || business management/trading, visual novel, historical
Yusuke Hashimoto: Bayonetta 2 (WiiU) || hack and slash/stylish action, adventure, fantasy, occult, comedy
Tomohiro Shibuya & Yui Tanimura: Dark Souls II || (XB/PS/PC) || action RPG, dark fantasy/gothic, medieval
David Braben: Elite: Dangerous (XB/PS/PC) || space flight simulation, trading, combat, exploration, MMO, sci-fi
Michael de Plater: Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (XB/PS/PC) || action-adventure, open world, medieval fantasy
Daisuke Kanada: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) || turn-based JRPG, dungeon crawler/blobber, visual novel, crossover
Daniel Mullins & Simon Jenkins: Pony Island (PC) || graphic adventure, puzzle, auto runner/platformer, postmodernism, comedy, horror
Sean Velasco: Shovel Knight (PC/WiiU/3DS) || action platformer, adventure, medieval fantasy, comedy
Hideo Kojima: Silent Hills PT (demo, PS4) || first-person, graphic adventure/exploration, psychological horror, surrealism/postmodernism, time loop
Charlie Cleveland: Subnautica (XB/PS/PC) || open world survival craft, construction and management, aquatic, alien, mystery
Adrian Chmielarz: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PC) || narrative exploration, open world, puzzle, mystery, supernatural horror
Joseph Humfrey & Jon Ingold: 80 Days (smartphone) || interactive fiction, historical, steampunk, comedy, LGBT
2015
Davey Wreden: The Beginner's Guide (PC) || narrative exploration, postmodernism, surrealism
Hidetaka Miyazaki: Bloodborne (PS4) || action RPG, Lovecraftian horror/dark fantasy, gothic
Ryan Clark: Crypt of the NecroDancer (PC) || roguelite, dungeon crawler, rhythm
Todd Howard: Fallout 4 (XB/PS/PC) || action RPG, open world, first-person shooter, city building, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi
Mason Lindroth: Hylics (PC) || turn-based JRPG, surrealism, absurdist comedy
Roland Lesterlin: Just Cause 3 (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, open world, destruction
Frank Rooke: Mad Max (XB/PS/PC) || vehicular combat, open world, post-apocalyptic
Hideo Kojima: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, open world, stealth/espionage, construction and management, war, sci-fi/mecha
Thomas Mahler: Ori and the Blind Forest (XB/PC) || action platformer, fantasy/fairy tale
Joel McDonald: Prune (PC/smartphone) || puzzle
Thomas Silloway: Rocket League (XB/PS/PC) || sports, driving/vehicular combat
Thomas Grip: Soma (PC/PS4) || first-person, survival/stealth horror, graphic adventure/narrative exploration, psychological, sci-fi, mystery
Alexis Kennedy: Sunless Sea (PC) || roguelite/RPG, survival, open world, naval combat/aquatic, low fantasy/Lovecraftian, steampunk
Toby Fox: Undertale (PC) || turn-based RPG, bullet hell, graphic adventure, fantasy, absurdist comedy/satire, postmodernism, psychological/reverse horror
Adult Swim: Westerado: Double Barreled (PC) || action RPG, western, comedy
Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, Mateusz Kanik & Sebastian Stepien: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (XB/PS/PC) || action RPG, open world, medieval fantasy, myth and folklore
Kazuki Hosokawa: Yakuza 0 (PS3/PS4) || action-adventure, beat 'em up/fighting, open world, business simulation, crime, absurdist comedy
John "JJSignal" James: 2064: Read Only Memories (PC) || point-and-click adventure, mystery, sci-fi/cyberpunk
2016
Justin Roiland & William Pugh: Accounting (PC) || VR, escape the room, absurdist comedy, low fantasy
Marty Stratton & Hugo Martin: Doom remake (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, action horror, sci-fi, occult
Kazuya Niinou: Dragon Quest Builders (PS3/PS4/Vita) || action-adventure, open world, survival, high fantasy
Northway: Fantastic Contraption (PC) || VR, physics puzzle
Hajime Tabata: Final Fantasy XV (PS4/XB1) || action JRPG, open world, high fantasy/sci-fi
Olly Moss & Sean Vanaman: Firewatch (XB/PS/PC) || graphic adventure, narrative exploration, mystery
Ralph Fulton: Forza Horizon 3 (PC/XB1) || driving/racing, open world
Emeric Thoa: Furi (XB/PS/PC) || twin-stick shooter, bullet hell, hack and slash/stylish action
Christian Elverdam: Hitman (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, stealth/espionage, immersive sim, crime
Arnt Jensen: Inside (XB/PS/PC) || puzzle platformer, dystopian, sci-fi/horror
Owlchemy: Job Simulator (PC/PS4) || VR, job simulation, construction and management, comedy/parody
Will Braham & Gareth Bourn: No Man's Sky (PC/PS4) || first-person, open world survival craft, space flight simulation, trading and combat, sci-fi
Jeff Kaplan, Chris Metzen & Aaron Keller: Overwatch (XB/PS/PC) || first-person/arena shooter, superhero, sci-fi
Katsura Hashino: Persona 5 (PS3/PS4) || turn-based JRPG, low fantasy, social simulation, monster collector, dungeon crawler, mystery, slice of life, comedy
Tatsuo Nomura (Nintendo): Pokemon Go (smartphone) || location-based, monster collector, augmented reality
Eric Barone: Stardew Valley (PC) || farming simulator, social/dating sim, slice of life, low fantasy
Piotr Iwanicki: Superhot (PC) || VR, first-person shooter, action puzzle, postmodernism
Zach Gage: Tharsis (PC/PS4) || space, dice game/strategy
Brian Gibson & Marc Flurry: Thumper (PC/PS4) || rhythm/music, horror, surrealism
Steve Fukuda: Titanfall 2 (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, sci-fi/mecha, war
Hiroyoshi Oshiba: Trap Adventure 2 (smartphone) || masocore platformer
Bruce Straley & Neil Druckmann: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) || third-person shooter, action-adventure
Jonathan Blow: The Witness (PC) || first-person, puzzle, maze, narrative exploration, postmodernism
2017
Koshi Nakanishi: Biohazard / Resident Evil 7 (XB/PS/PC) || survival horror, first-person shooter, southern gothic
Chad & Jared Moldenhauer: Cuphead (XB1/PC) || run and gun/scrolling shooter, action platformer, fantasy, comedy
Swen Vincke: Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PC) || turn-based RPG, tactical, isometric, high fantasy
Dan Salvato: Doki Doki Literature Club (PC) || visual novel, romance, psychological horror/postmodernism
Nikita Buyanov: Escape From Tarkov (PC) || first-person shooter, military sim, extraction, MMO
Epic: Fortnite (XB/PS/PC) || third-person shooter, battle royale, sandbox, fantasy/sci-fi, comedy
Jason Roberts: Gorogoa (PC/Switch/smartphone) || logic puzzle, point-and-click adventure, surrealism, myth and folklore
Jonas Kaerlev: A Hat in Time (PC) || 3D platformer, collect-a-thon, fantasy, comedy
Tameem Antoniades: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PC/PS4) || hack and slash, action-adventure, psychological horror, medieval, myth and folklore, dark fantasy
Ari Gibson & William Pellen: Hollow Knight (PC) || action platformer, RPG, adventure, dark fantasy/gothic
Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) || action-adventure, open world, physics puzzle, high fantasy
Dennis Talajic & Asger Kristiansen: Little Nightmares (XB/PS/PC) || puzzle platformer, stealth, psychological horror, dystopian, surrealism, dark fantasy
Yoko Taro: Nier: Automata (PC/PS4) || action JRPG, hack and slash, twin-stick shooter/bullet hell, open world, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, postmodernism
Alec Holowka, Scott Benson & Bethany Hockenberry: Night in the Woods (PC/PS4) || graphic adventure, platformer, narrative exploration, music, mystery, slice of life, low fantasy, comedy
Joar Jakobsson: Rain World (PC/PS4) || platformer, survival, stealth, post-apocalyptic
Christian Whitehead: Sonic Mania (XB/PS/Switch) || platformer, speedrunner, fantasy
Dirk Van Welden: Space Pirate Trainer (PC) || VR, first-person shooter, space combat
Kenta Motokura (Nintendo): Super Mario Odyssey (Switch) || 3D platformer, collect-a-thon, fantasy
Tender Claws: Virtual Virtual Reality (PC) || VR, first-person puzzler, escape the room, satire/comedy
Ian Dallas: What Remains of Edith Finch (XB/PS/PC) || narrative exploration, tragedy, low fantasy, surrealism, mystery, horror, black comedy
2018
Jan Ilavsky, Vladimir & Peter Hrincar: Beat Saber (PS4/PC) || VR, rhythm, music
Maddy Thorson: Celeste (Switch/PS4/PC) || precision platformer, low fantasy
Soren Lundgaard & Mikkel Pedersen: Deep Rock Galactic (PC/XB1) || first-person shooter, destruction/extraction, sci-fi/alien
Cory Barlog: God of War (PS4) || action-adventure, hack and slash, myth and folklore
Amir Rao, Greg Kasavin, etc: Hades (PC/Switch) || action roguelike/roguelite, hack and slash, RPG, myth and folklore
Daniel Mullins: The Hex || graphic adventure, postmodernism, mystery, satire/parody
Daniel Vavra: Kingdom Come: Deliverance (XB/PS/PC) || action RPG, open world, medieval
Imran Sarwar & Dan Houser: Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4/XB1) || third-person shooter, action-adventure, open world, life simulation, western, crime
Lucas Pope: Return of the Obra Dinn (PC) || graphic adventure, logic puzzle, first-person, mystery, historical, time travel, Lovecraftian
Brian Horton, Bryan Intihar, Ryan & Marcus Smith: Spider-Man (PS4) || action-adventure, open world, beat 'em up, superhero
Josef Fares: A Way Out (XB/PS/PC) || co-op, action-adventure, stealth, crime
2019
Arvi Teikari: Baba Is You (PC, Switch) || logic puzzle, postmodernism
Kazunori Kadoi & Yasuhiro Anpo: Biohazard / Resident Evil 2 remake (PS/XB/PC) || third-person shooter, survival/action horror, zombie
Shutaro Iida & Koji Igarashi: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PS/XB/PC/Switch) || metroidvania, action RPG/platformer, dark fantasy, gothic
Brandon Laatsch: Boneworks (PC) || VR, first-person shooter, sci-fi, action horror, postmodernism
Mikael Kasurinen & Sam Lake: Control (PS/XB/PC) || third-person shooter, action-adventure, sci-fi, surrealism, Lovecraftian
Hideo Kojima: Death Stranding (PS4) || exploration/open world, action-adventure, survival, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, low fantasy, surrealism
Doy Chiang: Devotion (PC) || narrative exploration, first-person, psychological horror, surrealism
Robert Kurvitz: Disco Elysium (PC) || isometric RPG, point-and-click adventure, crime investigation, noir/mystery, black comedy
Jay Tholen: Hypnospace Outlaw (PC) || operating system simulation/point-and-click adventure, sci-fi, satire/comedy
Jon McKellan: Observation (PC/PS4) || operating system simulation/graphic adventure, sci-fi, mystery, Lovecraftian/psychological horror
Alex Beachum: Outer Wilds (XB/PS/PC) || graphic adventure, first-person puzzler, open world/exploration, time loop, sci-fi
Nikolay Dybowski: Pathologic 2 (PC) || survival, open world, postmodernism, dystopian, psychological horror, low fantasy
Hidetaka Miyazaki & Kazuhiro Hamatani: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (XB/PS/PC) || action-adventure, stealth, ninja, historical/feudal Japan
2020
Aya Kyogoku (Nintendo): Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) || social sim, sandbox, slice of life, fantasy
David Jones: BPM: Bullets Per Minute (PC) || first-person shooter, rhythm, roguelike
Adam Badowski, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz & Gabriel Amatangelo: Cyberpunk 2077 (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, action RPG, open world, mission-based driving, dystopian, crime
Mark Healey: Dreams (PS4) || user-generated content, sandbox, fantasy
Nate Fox & Jason Connell: Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) || action-adventure, open world, stealth, action RPG, feudal Japan
Robin Walker & Gabe Newell (Valve): Half-Life: Alyx (PC) || VR, first-person shooter,
Neil Druckmann, etc: The Last of Us Part II (PS4) || third-person shooter, stealth, action horror, post-apocalyptic, zombie, tragedy
Jorg Neumann & David Dedeine: Microsoft Flight Simulator (PC) || flight simulation, open world
Omocat: Omori (PC) || turn-based JRPG, tragedy, psychological horror, surrealism, fantasy, absurdist comedy
Nicolas Guerin: Spiritfarer (XB/PS/PC/Switch) || life simulation, platformer, fantasy
Jonathan Vallieres: Visage (PC) || first-person, narrative exploration, psychological horror
Ryosuke Horii: Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4) || turn-based JRPG, open world, crime, comedy
2021
Johnny Galvatron: The Artful Escape (XB/PC) || graphic adventure, music, alien
Will Hellwarth, Graham Parkes & Oliver Lewin: Before Your Eyes (PC) || VR, interactive fiction, low fantasy, tragedy
Morimasa Sato: Biohazard / Resident Evil Village (XB/PS/PC) || first-person shooter, action/survival horror, gothic, werewolf/zombie,
Ville Kallio: Cruelty Squad (PC) || first-person shooter, immersive sim, satire, surrealism, dystopian/cyberpunk
Dinga Bakaba & Sebastien Mitton: Deathloop (PS/PC) || first-person shooter, immersive sim, roguelite, time loop
Nick Pearce: The Forgotten City (XB/PS/PC) || graphic adventure, time loop, myth and folklore/ancient history, mystery
Daniel Mullins: Inscryption (PC) || card battle, postmodernism, psychological horror
Josef Fares: It Takes Two (XB/PS/PC) || co-op, 3D platformer, action-adventure, low fantasy, comedy
Tim Schafer: Psychonauts 2 (XB/PS/PC) || 3D platformer, surrealism/psychological, comedy, sci-fi
Luis Antonio: Twelve Minutes (XB/PS/PC) || point-and-click adventure, time loop, mystery, crime
2022
Andrejs & Ernests Klavins: The Case of the Golden Idol (PC) || point-and-click adventure, crime investigation, logic puzzle, history, low fantasy, occult
Jay Armstrong, James Pearmain & Julian Wilton: Cult of the Lamb (XB/PS/PC/Switch) || construction/management simulation, dark fantasy/occult
Jaeho Hwang: Dave the Diver (PC) || job/business simulation, aquatic
Hidetaka Miyazaki & Yui Tanimura: Elden Ring (PS/XB/PC) || action RPG, open world, medieval fantasy
Trey Smith & Elliot Hudson: Hardspace: Shipbreaker (PC) || job simulation, sandbox, first-person, space
Milla Isaksson: Metal: Hellsinger (PS/XB/PC) || first-person shooter, rhythm/music, dark fantasy
Ben Esposito: Neon White (PC) || first-person platformer/shooter, speedrunner, visual novel, fantasy
Alex Paterson & Jason Orbaum: Not For Broadcast (PC) || job simulation, surveillance, satire/black comedy
Paul Rabbitte: Rollerdrome (PS/PC) || skating, third-person shooter, dystopian
Jordan Layani: Sifu (PS/PC)
Andrew Shouldice: Tunic
Raphael Colantonio: Weird West
Garage Heathen: Who's Lila (PC) || postmodernism
2023
Sam Lake & Kyle Rowley: Alan Wake 2
Fredrik Olsson & Thomas Grip: Amnesia: The Bunker
Swen Vincke: Baldur's Gate III
Jeppe Carlsen: Cocoon
Nemlei: The Coffin of Andy and Leyley
Black Salt: Dredge
John Johanas: Hi-Fi Rush
Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Nintendo): Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) ||
Steven "Veddge" Nelson: My House (Doom 2 mod, PC) || first-person shooter, psychological/surrealism, postmodernism
McPig & Sertif: Pizza Tower
ColePowered: Shadows of Doubt
Bumblebee: Vaudeville
2024
Nicholas Kaman: Another Crab's Treasure (PS/PC/XB/Switch) ||
Nicolas Doucet & Gento Morita: Astro Bot (PS5) ||
LocalThunk: Balatro (PC)
Reissad: Bodycam
Nerial: The Crush House
Paul Hart & Lee Williams: Cryptmaster
Microbird: Dungeons of Hinterberg
Dmitry Svetlow: Indika (PS/XB/PC)
Katsura Hashino: Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS/PC/XB)
Remy Siu & Pinki Li: 1000xResist (PC/Switch) || narrative exploration, psychological/surrealism, political drama, time travel, post-apocalyptic/dystopian, sci-fi
Cassandra Dracott & Seth Rosen: Pacific Drive (PS5/PC) ||
C. Bedford: Sorry We're Closed (PC)
James Carbutt & Will Todd: Thank Goodness You're Here