Welcome to the First Round of the Deku Game of the Year Bracket Extravaganza
Click here to see the full brackets
Thank you to everyone who nominated a game for the Deku Game of the Year! We had over 100 nominations, so we took the top 32 most-nominated games and added them to our 32 most-popular 2023 releases to determine the full set of 64 games in the Deku Game of the Year Bracket Extravaganza!
We've divided these 64 games into four fearsome divisions:
- Nintendo World - games published by Nintendo or primarily on Switch
- AAA Hits - huge releases from established studios and/or IPs
- Indie Darlings - indie games that captured our imagination
- Outstanding Outliers - great games that defy easy categorization
For the next 48 hours, voting is open for the first round matchups in the Deku Discord. You’ll find full instructions in the #deku-goty-voting channel. Not in the Discord yet? Click here to join.
The full list of nominated games
Nintendo World
These are games published by Nintendo or primarily on Switch. Tears of the Kingdom has dominated sales in this category - can it dominate the brackets too?
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Metroid Prime Remastered
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Super Mario RPG
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
- Pikmin 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
- Pikmin 1+2 Bundle
- Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
- Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass Waves 4,5,6 (DLC)
- WarioWare: Move It!
- Suika Game
- Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (DLC)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (DLC)
AAA Hits
These are huge releases from established studios and/or IPs. Baldur's Gate 3 swept the Game Awards recently – we'll see if it can repeat that feat for the the Deku Game of the Year.
- Baldur's Gate 3
- STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- FINAL FANTASY XVI
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Alan Wake 2
- Diablo IV
- Dead Space
- ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Lies of P
- Starfield
- We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie
- Atomic Heart
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
- LEGO 2K Drive
Indie Darlings
This could be the most wide open of our four divisions. Of these games, Chained Echoes was the most popular on Deku Deals, but we'll see if it's most popular with the voters.
- Chained Echoes
- DREDGE
- Outer Wilds
- Blasphemous 2
- Vampire Survivors
- Mineko's Night Market
- COCOON
- Hi-Fi RUSH
- Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
- Cassette Beasts
- Wildfrost
- Trombone Champ
- My Time at Sandrock
- Venba
- Party Animals
- Pizza Tower
Outstanding Outliers
These are all fantastic games that defy easy categorization. This division had the smallest spread in Deku popularity and seems ripe for potential upsets.
- Sea of Stars
- OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
- Persona 4 Golden
- Dave the Diver
- Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection
- Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
- Star Ocean: The Second Story R
- Fae Farm
- Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection
- Sonic Superstars
- OXENFREE II: Lost Signals
- Persona 5 Tactica
- THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE
- PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
- Vernal Edge
- Afterimage