5 Game‑of‑the‑Year Winners That Time Has Quietly Forgotten

Every December the industry gathers around The Game Awards, the BAFTAs, the D.I.C.E. Awards, and a handful of other ceremonies to crown a single title as the year’s champion. The accolade isn’t handed out lightly; it usually reflects a perfect storm of design, narrative, performance, and polish. Yet, a win isn’t a passport to immortality. Some games, despite lifting the coveted trophy, have gradually slipped out of the collective memory, replaced by the next wave of hype and hype‑driven releases.

Below, we revisit five titles that once wore the Game of the Year crown but now rarely surface in today’s gaming chatter. Each earned its moment, each offered something distinct, and each serves as a reminder that the market can be unforgiving.

5. It Takes Two – 2021 Game of the Year (The Game Awards)

Hazelight Studios carved a niche by making co‑op the very soul of a game, and It Takes Two was the apex of that philosophy. The premise is as simple as it is heartfelt: two divorcing parents are turned into dolls and forced to navigate a wildly inventive world to repair their relationship. Every level demands two people, either side‑by‑side on a couch or linked online. There’s no solo‑play fallback, no AI substitute—just pure partnership.
Mechanically, the title shines. From zero‑gravity piano platforms to giant garden‑tool combat, each chapter throws fresh puzzles at the duo. The design feels handcrafted, the writing balances humor with genuine emotion, and the soundtrack amplifies the journey’s ups and downs. It’s no surprise the game snagged the 2021 GOTY award.
But that very reliance on two players makes it hard to sustain a long‑term conversation. If you can’t find a partner, the experience stalls, and replay value stalls with it. As a result, once the initial buzz faded, the title receded into a fond memory for those who actually played it together.

4. Dragon Age: Inquisition – 2014 Game of the Year (The Game Awards)

Back when BioWare was on a roll, churning out the Mass Effect and Dragon Age trilogies, Dragon Age: Inquisition arrived as a grand, continent‑spanning RPG. The game dropped players into Thedas at a time when the studio’s narrative ambitions felt limitless. From the sweeping vistas of the Hinterlands to the political intrigue of the Inquisition’s council, the title delivered a sense of scale rarely seen before.
Voice work, orchestral scores, and layered character arcs made every side quest feel lived‑in. Yet, despite its triumph at The Game Awards, the sequel that followed—Dragon Age: The Veilguard—never saw the light of day, and the franchise’s subsequent releases faltered. The combination of a long development gap and a mixed reception to later titles left the once‑vibrant series on the back‑burner, pushing Inquisition out of everyday discussion.

3. Returnal – 2022 BAFTA Best Game

Housemarque, a studio known for bullet‑hell shooters, took a daring leap into the third‑person shooter arena with Returnal. The game marries relentless roguelike loops with a haunting sci‑fi narrative centered on Selene, a astronaut stranded on the alien world of Atropos. Each death sends you spiraling back to the crash site, only to face a freshly generated landscape teeming with gorgeous, kaleidoscopic enemies.

Visually, the title is a masterpiece; the colors burst like neon fireworks, and the sound design drives tension with every pulse‑pounding encounter. The BAFTA recognized this artistry, awarding it Best Game. Still, the very loop that makes Returnal addictive also hampers its lasting impact—once the novelty of restarting the cycle wears thin, many players move on, and the game’s name drifts into the background of yearly wrap‑ups.

2. Control – 2020 Game of the Year (D.I.C.E. Awards)

Remedy Entertainment delivered a surreal, architectural thriller with Control. Set in the ever‑shifting Federal Bureau of Control, players wield telekinetic powers while uncovering a narrative that blends occult lore with sleek, modernist design. The game’s environment feels alive, constantly reconfiguring, and its combat flow—combining gunplay with psychic abilities—remains a benchmark for action‑adventure titles.

When the D.I.C.E. Awards named it Game of the Year, it seemed inevitable that the title would linger in conversation for years. Yet, the niche blend of mind‑bending story and experimental level design didn’t translate into mainstream longevity. Newer releases with bigger marketing budgets simply outshone it, and while fans still discuss the game’s hidden secrets, it rarely appears in casual gaming talk today.

1. The Last of Us Part II – 2020 Game of the Year (Golden Joystick Awards)

Naughty Dog’s sequel to the beloved original was a polarizing juggernaut. Its brutal narrative choices, cutting‑edge animation, and relentless attention to detail earned it the Golden Joystick’s Game of the Year award, even as the community split over its story direction. The game pushed technical boundaries: complex AI, lifelike facial capture, and an environment that felt both oppressive and intimate.

However, the very controversy that fueled its early discussion also accelerated its fade. After the initial firestorm settled, many gamers gravitated toward fresher experiences, and the title’s weighty themes made it a less frequent recommendation for casual play. Though it still haunts industry talk about narrative ambition, it’s no longer the headline‑grabber it once was.

These five games prove that a trophy, while a testament to quality, isn’t a guarantee of perpetual relevance. Market saturation, evolving player expectations, and the relentless churn of new releases can relegate even the most lauded titles to the archives of gaming history.