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The closest Game of the Year races ever

6 July 2026

Most years have a clear winner. A few were decided by a margin so thin that a handful of outlets voting differently would have rewritten the record. The tightest was 2007, where BioShock finished just 2 awards ahead of Super Mario Galaxy — a lead of 4.3%.

Year	Winner	Awards	Runner-up	Awards	Margin	Margin %
2007	BioShock	47	Super Mario Galaxy	45	2	4.3%
2010	Red Dead Redemption	112	Mass Effect 2	104	8	7.1%
2006	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	41	Gears of War	34	7	17.1%
2019	Death Stranding	118	Resident Evil 2	95	23	19.5%
2012	The Walking Dead: The Game	75	Journey	58	17	22.7%
2021	It Takes Two	89	Resident Evil Village	61	28	31.5%
2018	God of War	264	Red Dead Redemption 2	179	85	32.2%
2013	The Last of Us	257	Grand Theft Auto V	165	92	35.8%
2016	Uncharted 4: A Thief's End	191	Overwatch	114	77	40.3%
2008	Fallout 3	69	Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots	41	28	40.6%
2004	Half-Life 2	25	Halo 2	12	13	52.0%
2003	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	18	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker	8	10	55.6%
2014	Dragon Age: Inquisition	139	Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor	52	87	62.6%
2017	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	265	Horizon: Zero Dawn	69	196	74.0%
2009	Uncharted 2: Among Thieves	116	Batman: Arkham Asylum	30	86	74.1%
2011	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	229	Portal 2	59	170	74.2%
2020	The Last of Us Part II	325	Ghost of Tsushima	75	250	76.9%
2015	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	281	Fallout 4	65	216	76.9%
2005	Resident Evil 4	36	Shadow of the Colossus	6	30	83.3%

Sorted by relative margin, because an eight-award lead means something different in a 38-award year than in a 643-award one.

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The closest Game of the Year races ever