The Game Awards are an annual event celebrating video games in all forms. From mobile games to virtual reality, from action-adventure to RPGs, action to strategy, this event seeks to commemorate standout games. This year, Balatro and Pokémon TCG Pocket are among the nominees for the event.
Pokémon TCG Pocket received a nomination for Best Mobile Game. Balatro received a whopping five nominations, including Game of the Year. It also received a nomination for Best Mobile Game, putting it in contention with Pokémon TCG Pocket.
We’ve covered both games in varying degrees over the past year. We reviewed Balatro back in April, with our own Jason Brown rating it a 9.5/10. Meanwhile, Pokémon TCG Pocket is a very new game and as such, we have only begun to cover it. We plan to do more with PTCGP, but we’re already quite floored with the app, compared with its predecessor, Pokémon CG Live.
Nominations & Competition At The Game Awards
PTCGP‘s nomination for Best Mobile Game is a pretty big deal for such a fresh game app. Meanwhile, Balatro‘s five nominations are as follows:
- Game of the Year
- Best Game Direction
- Best Independent Game
- Best Indie Game Debut
- Best Mobile Game
Balatro contends with some steep competition this year. Among its competitors, Black Myth: Sun Wukong and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree stand out in a big way for Game of the Year. The Game of the Year and Best Game Direction categories are identical this year and also include Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Other rivals to Balatro in other categories include Animal Well (Best Independent Game, Best Indie Game Debut), Neva (Best Independent Game), and Manor Lords (Best Indie Game Debut).
It’s quite interesting to see an indie game vie for Game of the Year, and even more so that it’s an indie card game. The Game Awards happen on Thursday, December 12th on all manner of social and gaming platforms. In the meantime, TGA encourages its audience to vote on their pick for their superlative awards. Best of luck to all the nominees!
