2019 Game of the Year (GOTY) Rankings

Critics Disagreed About What the Slow Pace Meant

The 2019 result looks surprising beside the review scores. Death Stranding's PS4 Metascore was 82, compared with 91 for Resident Evil 2 and 90 for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Yet Death Stranding received the most first-place selections at the end of the year. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

GameSpot focused on cargo delivery and structures left by other players. You never meet them directly, but you can use their roads, bridges, and supplies. This asynchronous multiplayer turns a lonely walk into a shared effort to rebuild the world. ^[4]

Forbes found the game slow and repetitive, at times more like work than play. The Guardian likewise found its deliveries and dense menus tiring. Even so, both reviews recognized that its refusal to offer quick rewards served an unusually ambitious set of social themes. ^{[5] [6]}

Critics generally agreed that the game was slow and repetitive. Next is where opinions diverge. Judgments differed as to whether this inconvenience was absolutely necessary to feel the theme of isolation and connection, or whether it was a disadvantage that should have been eliminated.

The Uncomfortable Play Had a Clear Purpose

Hideo Kojima said he made the game with lonely players in mind. At first, the journey appears solitary. Finding ladders and bridges left by others slowly proves that the player is not completely alone. That was the experience the team wanted to create. ^[7]

Kojima also mentioned the reality that people connected to the Internet actually attack each other and become divided. Therefore, cooperation was placed at the center rather than competition and battle. The United States, which was divided in the game, was also affected by the disconnect between society and politics at the time. ^[8]

Of course, all shortcomings do not disappear just because there is a production intention. Even if it was intentionally made repetitive, if the user found it boring, it is a valid criticism. However, if you know this background, you can understand why the evaluations are divided. Some critics viewed transportation as not just labor, but as a process of directly feeling the subject of the work.

Death Stranding was never going to suit everyone, but it stayed with the people who embraced its approach. Polarization can lower an average review score. In a Game of the Year vote, however, inspiring a strong first choice can matter more than broad approval.

Player Support Was Strong, but It Was Not a Consensus

Death Stranding's 56 records include 35 editorial picks, 17 reader votes, and 4 mixed selections. Fan voting alone did not put it in first place, but player support still formed a meaningful part of the result.

PlayStation Blog's 2019 poll attracted approximately 1 million votes across all categories. Death Stranding received a lot of praise for not only being the best PS4 game, but also for its story, music, and graphics. ^[9]

This vote mainly represents PlayStation players, so it cannot stand for every player. It is better evidence that support was especially strong among the core audience that had direct access to Death Stranding.

Major Awards Chose Different Winners

Not one game won all of the major awards ceremonies. The Game Awards chose Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as Game of the Year. Death Stranding didn't win the top prize. Instead, it won awards for directing, music, and Mads Mikkelsen's acting. Evaluation of the game as a whole was divided, but the presentation method was recognized. ^[10]

Outer Wilds won Best Game at the 2020 BAFTA Games Awards, which judged games from 2019. It also won awards in the game design and new work categories. Death Stranding won an award in the technical category. ^[11]

The D.I.C.E. Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards both selected Untitled Goose Game. Developers gave their top honor to a small independent game that created memorable situations from a compact set of rules, not to the year's most expensive production. ^{[12] [13]}

Death Stranding led the wider tally, while The Game Awards chose Sekiro, BAFTA chose Outer Wilds, and D.I.C.E. and GDC chose Untitled Goose Game. The split was the story of 2019: four games won under four different ideas of excellence.

Death Stranding Inspired the Strongest First Choices

Death Stranding's selection share was 26.9%, far below a majority. Calling it the absolute winner of 2019 would therefore be inaccurate.

It did not lead because everyone liked it equally. A smaller group strongly valued its walking systems, shared traces, and Kojima's distinctive direction. That intensity likely pushed it into first place. This is an interpretation of reviews and voting patterns, not a directly stated reason from every voter.

The answer in 2019 depended on the standard. Sekiro offered the sharpest combat. Outer Wilds led in exploration and discovery. Untitled Goose Game built inventive play from simple rules. Media outlets and players who valued novelty and a lasting impression chose Death Stranding.

So Death Stranding's #1 ranking doesn't mean it's the best game everyone agrees on. This is closer to meaning that it is a game that has become a strong first choice for the most people.