The Hugo Award winners were announced at the 79th annual Worldcon, also known as DisCon III. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Baseball, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, The Last of Us Part 2 and Spiritfarer were among the other nominees for Best Video Game. In a televised acceptance speech, Greg Kasavin of Supergiant Games said, “We hope that the Hugo Awards continue to recognise the amazing work being done in this space,” before thanking the Greek gods “both above and below.”

Since 1953, the Hugo Awards have honoured the best works of science fiction and fantasy literature in a variety of categories—the Best Graphic Story category was only added in 2009. The Best Video Game category was added as a one-off this year.

As DisConIII co-chair Colette Fozard explained, “Since early 2020, many of us have spent more time gaming than we ever expected. This award will offer fans an opportunity to celebrate the games that have been meaningful, joyful, and exceptional over this past year.” A permanent Best Game or Interactive Experience category is being considered.

Since its release, Hades has received numerous accolades, including GDC Game of the Year and BAFTA awards for Best Game, Artistic Achievement, Game Design, Narrative, and Performer in a Supporting Role (Logan Cunningham). We also named it the Best Action Game of 2020.

Hades, which received PS5 and Xbox Series X | S versions this year, adds this new award to a list that already includes over 60 GOTY titles won between 2020 and now.