Most-watched video game awards show

The most-watched video game awards show was The Game Awards 2022, which took place in front of a live audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on 8 December 2022.

According to the event’s organiser, Geoff Keighley (Canada), 103 million people tuning in globally via livestreams. Viewership was up 20% over 2021’s event, which saw 85 million tune in. The Game Awards has become the single most watched awards ceremony in the world, according to Forbes, and home to a raft of world premier video game announcements.

According to social media research firm Maven Road, The Game Awards was mentioned online more in one day than Summer Games Fest (USA, 2022) was during its four day run. The Golden Joystick Awards (UK, 2022) generated just 5% of The Game Awards mentions.

The Game Awards 2022 was livestreamed on more than 40 digital platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Steam, as well as on digital platforms in China and India. It was even broadcast live in over 40 IMAX cinemas. On YouTube, the livestream peaked with over 1.33 million concurrent users. On Twitch, a peak of 1.9 million concurrent users watched live. Steam viewership swelled to a peak of over 850,000 concurrent users, fuelled by a popular giveaway that saw Valve (USA) give away a Steam Deck (2022, Valve) to viewers every minute of the broadcast.

The Game Awards 2022 saw Elden Ring (2022, From Software) win Game of the Year, and God of War Ragnarok (2022, Sony Santa Monica) pick up six awards, including Best Narrative.