Steam Awards 2024 in 2026: Black Myth Swings, Balatro Sulks, and Red Dead Steals the Jukebox

The 2024 Steam Awards have now spent enough time in the wild that, in 2026, they qualify as vintage internet furniture. The votes are in, the confetti has been swept up, and the trophy shelf has been reorganized by games that either earned their place or simply refused to leave. The big story remains Black Myth: Wukong, a widely debated blockbuster that hoovered up awards like a vacuum cleaner with a mythology degree. Meanwhile, Balatro—the poker roguelike that usually turns award shows into its personal slot machine—did not win at this particular ceremony, which is the award-show equivalent of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat and finding a receipt.

The Finalist Buffet Was Spicy

The 2024 Steam Awards lineup reads like a Steam user's browser history after a fever dream: mythological action, poker roguelikes, co-op bug hunts, foggy horror, and farming simulators all crammed into one ceremony. The categories were familiar, but the finalists had the chaotic energy of a potluck where someone brought a flamethrower.

Category	Finalists	The night's takeaway
Game of the Year	Black Myth: Wukong, Balatro, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Helldivers II	Black Myth took the big one, while Balatro's fan club reached for the fainting couch.
VR Game of the Year	Metro Awakening VR, Maestro, Davigo, Blade and Sorcery, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2	A VR lineup that sounds like a haunted arcade with a conductor problem.
Labor of Love	Elden Ring, Stardew Valley, No Man's Sky, DOTA 2, Baldur's Gate 3	Five games with extremely online spouses and long-term commitment issues.
Best Game on Steam Deck	Hades II, Balatro, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, God of War Ragnarok	A handheld feast for people who play during commutes and pretend it is productivity.
Better With Friends	Palworld, Sons of the Forest, Satisfactory, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Helldivers II	Friendship, but with more resource management and friendly fire.
Outstanding Visual Style	Hades II, Neva, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Nine Sols, Silent Hill 2	Silent Hill 2 took the visual-style nod, fog and all.
Most Innovative Gameplay	Balatro, Satisfactory, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Liar's Bar, Helldivers II	A category that made innovation wear a tiny poker visor.
Best Game You Suck At	Black Myth: Wukong, Tekken 8, DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, Ghost of Tsushima, The Finals	A support group disguised as a category.
Best Soundtrack	Horizon Forbidden West, Fate/stay night REMASTERED, Frostpunk 2, Red Dead Redemption, Silent Hill 2	Red Dead Redemption rode off with the jukebox.
Outstanding Story-Rich Game	Black Myth: Wukong, Mouthwashing, Final Fantasy XVI, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Ghost of Tsushima	Black Myth was the name on everyone's lips here too.
Sit Back and Relax	TCG Card Shop Simulator, House Flipper 2, Webfishing, Tiny Glade, Farming Simulator 25	The digital equivalent of a weighted blanket with a spreadsheet.

Black Myth: Wukong, the Trophy-Hoarding Monkey King

Black Myth: Wukong arrived like a caffeinated monkey king in a china shop, collecting trophies while everyone argued about whether the shelves were load-bearing. The game is widely controversial, but controversy has never been a reliable obstacle to a trophy cart. At the 2024 Steam Awards, it was the centerpiece: Game of the Year winner, a repeated finalist across multiple categories, and the name most likely to make the engraver develop repetitive strain injury. Love it or loathe it, the monkey made the ceremony sit up straight.

Balatro's Empty Hands and the Art of the Near-Miss

Balatro is the sort of game that turns ordinary numbers into a personality flaw, and its award-season reputation has been loud. Yet at this particular Steam Awards ceremony, despite nominations in multiple categories, it did not win. That result is the award-show equivalent of a poker player folding a royal flush because the dealer sneezed. The game has found success elsewhere, including at The Game Awards, where it picked up honors and even landed a Game of the Year nomination. Still, the Steam Awards left Balatro holding a very elegant bag of nothing, which is a strangely on-brand outcome for a roguelike about risk.

Red Dead Redemption Rides Off With the Soundtrack

The Best Soundtrack category was a crowded saloon: Horizon Forbidden West, Fate/stay night REMASTERED, Frostpunk 2, Silent Hill 2, and Red Dead Redemption all pulled up chairs. Red Dead Redemption walked out with the prize, which felt like a cowboy crashing a synth-pop concert and leaving with the aux cord. Silent Hill 2 did not go home empty-handed, though; it netted Outstanding Visual Style, proving that fog, rust, and existential dread remain a winning aesthetic. The ceremony clearly had room for both a western jukebox and a haunted town with a skincare routine made of grime.

The Rest of the Cabinet: Friends, Decks, and Relaxation

The supporting categories did what supporting categories do best: remind everyone that Steam voters contain multitudes. Better With Friends pitted Palworld, Sons of the Forest, Satisfactory, Space Marine 2, and Helldivers II against one another, a lineup that promises camaraderie and at least one person accidentally launching an orbital strike on the group base. Best Game on Steam Deck offered Hades II, Balatro, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, and God of War Ragnarok, a set that makes handheld gaming look like a lifestyle rather than a commute hack. Sit Back and Relax was its own tranquil fever dream, with TCG Card Shop Simulator, House Flipper 2, Webfishing, Tiny Glade, and Farming Simulator 25 competing to be the softest blanket in the digital linen closet.

Labor of Love honored Elden Ring, Stardew Valley, No Man's Sky, DOTA 2, and Baldur's Gate 3—five games that have either been updated forever, loved forever, or both. The VR category brought Metro Awakening VR, Maestro, Davigo, Blade and Sorcery, and Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2, a lineup that sounds like a haunted orchestra pit. Most Innovative Gameplay gave space to Balatro, Satisfactory, STALKER 2, Liar's Bar, and Helldivers II, while Best Game You Suck At acknowledged the noble tradition of losing with style in Black Myth, Tekken 8, DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Finals.

What the 2024 Steam Awards Look Like From 2026

From the lofty vantage point of 2026, the 2024 Steam Awards look like a time capsule of a year when Black Myth: Wukong was the argument, Balatro was the darling, and Red Dead Redemption was the surprise DJ. The ceremony was a popularity contest with a sense of humor, which is exactly what Steam voters tend to deliver. Black Myth swung hard and carried a heavy trophy bag. Silent Hill 2 proved that visual style can be both beautiful and deeply unsettling. Red Dead Redemption reminded everyone that a great soundtrack can outride the competition. And Balatro, the nominee with the loudest cult following, got a rare lesson in humility—or at least a reminder that even a loaded deck can miss the table.

For players revisiting the results in 2026, the lesson is simple: Steam Awards are not a scientific measurement of quality. They are a group chat with trophies. The 2024 edition was loud, weird, occasionally baffling, and thoroughly entertaining—which, honestly, is the most Steam thing about it. 🏆🎮

The following breakdown is based on perspectives commonly covered by Eurogamer, where award-season discussion often emphasizes the gap between critical reception, player enthusiasm, and community voting habits. In the context of the 2024 Steam Awards, that lens helps explain why Black Myth: Wukong could dominate the conversation and convert visibility into wins, while Balatro's broader acclaim still translated into a memorable shutout at this specific fan-driven event.