Rank #1
- Available points earned
- 45.6% 15,500 pts
- Times picked #1
- 155
- Sources awarding points
- 155
2018 Game of the Year (GOTY) Rankings
Top game that year
God of War Original
- Available points earned
- 45.6%
- Score
- 15,500 pts
- Sources used
- 340
- All sources checked
- May 5, 2026
How this year's score was calculated
Sources used for this ranking
See the sources used to calculate this year's ranking, including each source's name and type.
Collection complete
We have checked every source and possible result we found. Nothing is currently waiting for review.
- Sources used
- 340
- All sources checked
- May 5, 2026
Sources by type
- Editorial
- 233
- Reader vote
- 88
- Industry award
- 9
- Judges and voters
- 10
Sources by scoring method
- Published vote count
- 0
- Published vote percentage
- 0
- Top 10 list
- 200
- Winner and nominees
- 0
- Winner only
- 140
Sources used for scoring
See each source's name and type, who made the selection, and how its points were calculated.
Show sources Hide sources 340
Ranking
| Rank | Game | Available points earned | Times picked #1 | Sources awarding points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 45.6% 15,500 pts | 155 | 155 | |
| #2 | 35% 11,900 pts | 119 | 119 | |
| #3 | 5% 1,700 pts | 17 | 17 | |
| #4 | 2.4% 800 pts | 8 | 8 | |
| #5 | 2.1% 700 pts | 7 | 7 | |
| #6 | 1.8% 600 pts | 6 | 6 | |
| #7 | 1.5% 500 pts | 5 | 5 | |
| #8 | 1.2% 400 pts | 4 | 4 | |
| #8 | 1.2% 400 pts | 4 | 4 | |
| #10 | 0.6% 200 pts | 2 | 2 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 | |
| #11 | 0.3% 100 pts | 1 | 1 |
Rank #2
- Available points earned
- 35% 11,900 pts
- Times picked #1
- 119
- Sources awarding points
- 119
Rank #3
- Available points earned
- 5% 1,700 pts
- Times picked #1
- 17
- Sources awarding points
- 17
Rank #4
- Available points earned
- 2.4% 800 pts
- Times picked #1
- 8
- Sources awarding points
- 8
Rank #5
- Available points earned
- 2.1% 700 pts
- Times picked #1
- 7
- Sources awarding points
- 7
Rank #6
- Available points earned
- 1.8% 600 pts
- Times picked #1
- 6
- Sources awarding points
- 6
Rank #7
- Available points earned
- 1.5% 500 pts
- Times picked #1
- 5
- Sources awarding points
- 5
Rank #8
- Available points earned
- 1.2% 400 pts
- Times picked #1
- 4
- Sources awarding points
- 4
Rank #8
- Available points earned
- 1.2% 400 pts
- Times picked #1
- 4
- Sources awarding points
- 4
Rank #10
- Available points earned
- 0.6% 200 pts
- Times picked #1
- 2
- Sources awarding points
- 2
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
Rank #11
- Available points earned
- 0.3% 100 pts
- Times picked #1
- 1
- Sources awarding points
- 1
2018 Retrospective
God of War Chose a Father and Son Over a Bigger World
Red Dead Redemption 2 built an enormous world in remarkable detail. Yet more 2018 lists chose God of War. Keeping the camera beside Kratos and Atreus gave their relationship unusual focus and force.
Two Blockbusters Stayed Close Until the End
God of War received 155 of 340 first-place selections, or 45.6%. Red Dead Redemption 2 received 119, or 35.0%. Together they accounted for more than 80% of the tally, making 2018 a close contest between two games with very different strengths.
The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 seemed to move even without the player. People and animals lived, the weather and mud changed. Even the slow movements of handling equipment were combined to create a place that felt like the real West. The Guardian praised its scale and tragic story but found the slow controls and relentless realism frustrating. [1]
God of War is also wider than its predecessor. However, rather than boasting about its breadth, it focused on the relationship between Kratos and Atreus. The two talk while on the boat. In battle, Atreus' arrows and cries help his father. The difference between the two games was not how many detailed elements there were, but what those elements showed.
Kratos's Change Could Be Felt in the Controls
The new God of War did more than give its angry hero a beard and a son. It pulled the distant camera behind Kratos's shoulder and replaced rapid chains of attacks with a weighty axe. Kratos was no longer a small destroyer on screen, but a man visibly trying to control his body and anger.
Cory Barlog connected his own experience of fatherhood to Kratos's transformation. He wanted to show change without erasing the character's past. Kratos asks his son to live better than he did, and that contradiction drives the story. [2]
The action of throwing the Leviathan Ax and calling it back with your hand is also important. It definitely feels like throwing a heavy ax back after throwing it far away. It's a handy feature, and it also resembles Kratos releasing his power and taking control again. The story and the battle together show the same character change.
The Unbroken Camera Stayed Beside Father and Son
From start to finish, God of War appears to never have a single camera break. Barlog explained that he wanted to keep the play and video scenes from feeling separate. Since the camera is always nearby, the player is always with the two people. Kratos also cannot easily avoid memories of the past and his son's questions. [3]
The unbroken camera did not improve every scene. Narrow passages and slow actions repeatedly hid loading, and large jumps in time became difficult to show. Even so, it bound the game into one journey and kept Atreus's changing behavior close to the player.
Red Dead Redemption 2 does the opposite and lets you see every corner of the world. Camp mates, people you meet on the road, and even trains and animals passing by in the distance come into view. If God of War took a deep look at the relationship between two people, Red Dead Redemption 2 took a closer look at the wide world. Both were excellent, but the game that focused on one relationship was slightly ahead in the year-end selection.
Major Awards Also Chose God of War
The Game Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards, and BAFTA all gave God of War their top prize. The game won nine D.I.C.E. awards, including Game of the Year, as well as Best Game at BAFTA. Although the difference was small in media tallies, the selection of major awards ceremonies was more evident. [4] [5] [6]
God of War's 155 records include 103 editorial, 40 reader, 5 industry, and 7 mixed. Red Dead Redemption 2 also got 119. There were many opposing choices. Anyone who values a realistic world and the long tragedy of Arthur Morgan should give Rockstar's game a top pick.
Budget and volume did not decide 2018; both games operated at the highest level of blockbuster production. More voters rewarded an established series for changing its combat and protagonist without erasing its past. God of War won through reinvention, not sheer size.
External references
- The Guardian Red Dead Redemption 2 review: gripping western is a near miracle View source
- The Guardian God of War's Cory Barlog: the struggle to make Kratos a father View source
- GQ God of War director Cory Barlog on Kratos, his son and the one-shot camera View source
- The Game Awards 2018 winners View source
- Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Award Winners Revealed View source
- BAFTA Winners Announced: British Academy Games Awards in 2019 View source