The little bot that could…did.Astro Bothas won Destructoid’s Overall Game of the Year award for 2024, and as someone who has 100%-ed the game,I get it.

Astro Bot has had a contentious awards run, culminating in multiple overall GOTY wins,including the recent TGA ceremonies. While it’s easy to write off an unassuming platformer, anyone who has played it understands, at the very least, why it was nominated.

Astro Bot snow level - Destructoid GOTY 2024

Astro Botis what I like to call a “clean” platformer. It’s easy to pick up and play and doesn’t inundate you with menus, distractions, and nonsense. You grab the controller, move your avatar around, and…navigate platforms. It’s that simple, but developer Team Asobi managed to keep things fresh constantly while providing a visual feast brimming with personality.

As a close observer of Astro Bot since the mascot debuted in 2013’sPlayroom, he has earned his keep. He caught the eye of the general public in 2020 withAstro’s Playroom, a smaller game cleverly bundled with every PS5. It took Team Asobi four years to deliver a fully-fledged retail game, but they made it happen!

OW2 Mercy in her Rose Gold skin

How does Astro Bot stack up to previous Game of the Year winners?

If you want some data, this is one of the few raw platformers that has won Destructoid’s Overall Game of the Year since the site’s inception.Several action-adventure titles with platforming elements have won the big prize, butSuper Mario Galaxy(2010) is the sole direct analog toAstro Bot.

This is Team Asobi’s first win at Destructoid and Sony’s fifth win as a publisher (afterUncharted 2,The Last of Us,Bloodborne, and 2018’sGod of War). Sony rules the roost with those five wins, with Nintendo in second place with four overall trophies (Mario Galaxy 2, Bayonetta 2, Breath of the Wild, andTears of the Kingdom).

Weapons kid running in street

What will 2025 bring? Well, hopefully, good things for the industry after this ruinous run of 2024 that has impacted countless jobs and studios.

2023 –The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Rick and morty falling through colorful space and Belly, Conrad, jere, Taylor, and Steven gathered around a table outside in the summer i turned pretty

2018 –God of War

2017 –The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Battlefield 6 aiming RPG at a helicopter

2013 –The Last of Us

2007 –BioShock

Milla Jovovich portraying Alice in Resident Evil 2002, wearing a red dress and holding a gun in her hand.

A man caught in an alien tree in Abiotic Factor.

A three-panel image of Pokémon Masters EX showing Latios on the left, Silver at center, and the keyart with Red, Cynthia, and more trainers on the right

MGSD Snake Eater Snake

The boss room in Caldera, with a balloon in sight.