Only the best of the best are nominated for the prestigious Game or The Year title, and there can be only one. We are all looking for that one supreme game that brought us to our knees over the past 12 months. Maybe it was the most beautiful experience ever, or perhaps its story was so imaginative that you couldn’t help but be whisked away to its pixelated shores. Nominees are usually highly competent in every facet that makes a title brilliant and all of them are video game titans that stand above the rest. These titles reach the lofty heights where the ‘Half-Lifes’ and the ‘Elder Scrolls’ of gaming history dwell. They push the industry forward, innovating with rich new features and exceptional gameplay, all the while perfecting mechanics that will set the template for every other title to aspire to.

The rise of the sleeping indie beast is continuing unabated, and here we celebrate some of the most creative and forward-thinking talent around, embracing new mechanics, while revitalising the old. These are games developed with a fraction of the budget of the AAA monsters, but are no less enjoyable for it. The indie devs behind them craft personable, unique games that showcase some of the greatest underground talent in the world today.

Indie devs often work their magic under considerable pressure, sometimes holding down full time jobs while ploughing any of their precious time into their own projects. The best of those projects become commercial successes and the best of those are given pride of place in our Best Indie Award category.