Fallout 4 takes home Best of Show at E3 2015

By Will Fulton Published July 8, 2015

The collective hive mind of the Game Critics Awards has spoken, and Fallout 4 has been awarded the Best of Show award from E3 2015. In addition to the overall top honors, Bethesda’s hotly anticipated open-world RPG also took home awards for Best PC Game and Best Role-Playing Game.

Other big winners from this past year included Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which earned Best Console Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, and a Special Commendation for Graphics. Star Wars Battlefront won both Best Action Game and Best Online Multiplayer. The only winning games not to come out of established franchises were Horizon Zero Dawn as Best Original Game and No Man’s Sky for Best Independent Game.

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To be nominated a game had to actually be playable (at least behind closed doors) at E3, and not just a hands-off tech demo or trailer, which is why a number of high-profile announcements did not make the cut. The judging committee comprised critics from a range of major publications that cover gaming, from the Associated Press to Yahoo. Note that Digital Trends was not among those outlets (for this year, at least!).

Here is the full list of winners:

Best of Show
Fallout 4
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Original Game
Horizon Zero Dawn
(Guerrilla Games/Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4)

Best Console Game
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
(Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertianment for PlayStation 4)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
(Nintendo for 3DS)

Best PC Game
Fallout 4
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Hardware/Peripheral
Oculus Touch
(Oculus VR)

Best Action Game
Star Wars Battlefront
(DICE/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Action/Adventure Game
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
(Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4)

Best Role-Playing Game
Fallout 4
(Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Racing Game
Need for Speed
(Ghost Games/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Sports Game
FIFA 16
(EA Canada/EA Sports for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Family/Social Game
Super Mario Maker
(Nintendo EAD/Nintendo for Wii U)

Best Online Multiplayer
Star Wars Battlefront
(DICE/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Best Independent Game
No Man’s Sky
(Hello Games for PC, PlayStation 4)

Special Commendation for Graphics
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
(Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4)

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…

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