Australian Game Development Awards Finalists And Where To Play Them

With a little over a month before Melbourne International Games Week, the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) has announced the 2023 Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDAs) finalists. Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical leads nominations with five, including Game of the Year, where it’ll compete with Moving Out 2 (whose predecessor won in 2020), Gubbins, and Vactics.

This year’s awards will be presented by Gemma Driscoll (Good Game Spawn Point) and Harry Jun (ABC Gamer’s Loot Drop) on October 4, 6:30pm AEDT at the Forum Melbourne. Tickets are still available, and the ceremony will also be streamed live on the IGEA Twitch channel.

Check out all the nominees below, as well as links to where you can play them. Let us know your favourite Aussie game from this year in the comments!

2023 AGDAs FINALISTS

Excellence in ART

• Gubbins — Studio Folly — iOS (ANZ only)
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical — Summerfall Studios — Steam, Humble Store, GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• The Master’s Pupil — Pat Naoum — Steam, Nintendo

Excellence in GAMEPLAY

• Moving Out 2 — SMG Studio, Team17 — Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• Phantom Abyss — Team WIBY — Steam, Humble Store, Xbox
• Vactics — The Lemur Conspiracy — Steam

Excellence in NARRATIVE

• Amarantus — ub4q — Steam, Itch.io
• Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County — Worm Club — Steam
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical — Summerfall Studios — Steam, Humble Store, GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo

Excellence in SOUND DESIGN

• Gubbins — Studio Folly — iOS (ANZ only)
• KILLBUG — Samurai Punk — Steam
• Vactics — The Lemur Conspiracy — Steam

Excellence in MUSIC

• Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County — Worm Club — Steam
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical — Summerfall Studios — Steam, Humble Store, GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• Vactics — The Lemur Conspiracy — Steam

Excellence in TECHNICAL DESIGN

• Moving Out 2 — SMG Studio, Team17 — Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• My Little Pony: Mane Merge — Gameloft Brisbane — Apple Arcade
• Phantom Abyss — Team WIBY — Steam, Humble Store, Xbox

Excellence in ACCESSIBILITY

• Moving Out 2 — SMG Studio, Team17 — Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• Spin Rhythm XD — Super Spin Digital — Steam
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical — Summerfall Studios — Steam, Humble Store, GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo

Excellence in EMERGING GAMES

• Final Profit: A Shop RPG — Brent Arnold — Steam, Itch.io
• Partum Artifex — DalaKoala Games — Steam
• Rooftop Renegade — Melonhead Games — Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo

Excellence in IMPACTFUL GAMES

• Earthlingo — Earthlingo — Steam, iOS, Google Play
• Sometimes — Elliot Cox — Itch.io
• The Flying Canoe — Threshold — Website

Excellence in MOBILE GAMES

• Gubbins — Studio Folly — iOS (ANZ only)
• My Little Pony: Mane Merge — Gameloft Brisbane — Apple Arcade
• Words Collide — Lamington Games — iOS, Google Play

Excellence in AR/VR GAMES

• Espire 2: Stealth Operatives — Digital Lode Immersive Media — Meta Quest
• Sea of Islands — PHORIA, United Nations DPPA — Meta Quest
• Spatial Fusion — PHORIA, Meta, Lusion, Zelig Sound — Website

Excellence in ONGOING GAMES

• Crossy Road Castle — Hipster Whale — Apple Arcade
• Kinder World — Lumi Interactive — iOS, Google Play
• Wylde Flowers — Studio Drydock — Steam, Apple Arcade, Nintendo

GAME OF THE YEAR

• Gubbins — Studio Folly — iOS (ANZ only)
• Moving Out 2 — SMG Studio, Team17 — Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical — Summerfall Studios — Steam, Humble Store, GOG, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo
• Vactics — The Lemur Conspiracy — Steam