​​Nominees for most categories of The Game Awards are chosen by an international jury of over 100 global media and influencer outlets, selected for their history of critical video game evaluation.

Specialized juries also convene for other categories including esports, accessibility and best adaptation.

Each voting outlet completes a confidential, unranked ballot based on the collective and diverse opinion of its entire editorial staff, listing out its top five choices in each category.

Ballots are tabulated, and the five games that appear on the most ballots are put forth as nominees. In the event of a tie, six (or more) nominees will be announced in a category.

Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley is not a member of the jury and does not vote on the nominees or winners. Similarly, The Game Awards Advisory Board has no involvement in the awards process and learns of the results at the same time as the general public.