XYZZY Awards (Best Game)

Browse the XYZZY Awards either by year:

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Or by category:

Best Game | Best Writing | Best Story | Best Setting | Best Puzzles | Best NPCs | Best Individual Puzzle | Best Individual NPC | Best Individual PC | Best Use of Medium (1997–2009) | Best Implementation (2010–) | Best Use of Innovation (2010–) | Best Technological Development (2010–) | Best Supplemental Materials (2010–2013) | Best Use of Multimedia (2014–) | Other awards

See also:

Statistics

Best Game Winners

1996 Best Game: So Far (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
1997 Best Game: I-0 (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
1998 Best Game: Spider and Web (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
1999 Best Game: Varicella (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
2000 Best Game: Being Andrew Plotkin (J. Robinson Wheeler; Z-code).
2001 Best Game: All Roads (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
2002 Best Game: Savoir Faire (Emily Short; Z-code).
2003 Best Game: Slouching Towards Bedlam (Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster; Z-code).
2004 Best Game: Blue Chairs (Chris Klimas; Z-code).
2005 Best Game: Vespers (Jason Devlin; Z-code).
2006 Best Game: The Elysium Enigma (Eric Eve; TADS 3).
2007 Best Game: Lost Pig (Admiral Jota as "Grunk"; Z-code).
2008 Best Game: Violet (Jeremy Freese; Z-code).
2009 Best Game: Blue Lacuna (Aaron A. Reed; Glulx).
2010 Best Game: Aotearoa (Matt Wigdahl; Glulx).
2011 Best Game: Cryptozookeeper (Robb Sherwin).
2012 Best Game: Counterfeit Monkey (Emily Short, Glulx).
2013 Best Game: Coloratura (Lynnea Glasser; Glulx).
2014 Best Game: 80 Days (inkle, Meg Jayanth; iOS, Android)
2015 Best Game: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy; 01-Oct-2015; Web browser).
2016 Best Game: Superluminal Vagrant Twin (C.E.J. Pacian; 01-Oct-2016; Glulx).
2017 Best Game: The Wizard Sniffer (Buster Hudson; 01-Oct-2017; Glulx).

Best Game Winners and Finalists

1996 Best Game: So Far (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
- Finalist: The Light: Shelby's Addendum (Colm McCarthy; TADS 2).
- Finalist: Lost New York (Neil deMause; TADS 2).
- Finalist: The Meteor, the Stone and a Long Glass of Sherbet (Graham Nelson; Z-code).
- Finalist: Time: All Things Come to an End (Andy Phillips; Z-code).
1997 Best Game: I-0 (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
- Finalist: Babel (Ian Finley; TADS 2).
- Finalist: A Bear's Night Out (David Dyte; Z-code).
- Finalist: The Edifice (Lucian P. Smith; Z-code).
- Finalist: Glowgrass (Nate Cull; TADS 2).
1998 Best Game: Spider and Web (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
- Finalist: Anchorhead (Michael Gentry; Z-code).
- Finalist: Little Blue Men (Michael Gentry; Z-code).
- Finalist: Once and Future (Gerry Kevin Wilson; TADS 2).
- Finalist: Photopia (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
1999 Best Game: Varicella (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
- Finalist: For a Change (Dan Schmidt; Z-code).
- Finalist: Lunatix: The Insanity Circle (Mike Snyder; MS-DOS).
- Finalist: The Mulldoon Legacy (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
- Finalist: Worlds Apart (Suzanne Britton; TADS 2).
2000 Best Game: Being Andrew Plotkin (J. Robinson Wheeler; Z-code).
- Finalist: Galatea (Emily Short; Z-code).
- Finalist: LASH -- Local Asynchronous Satellite Hookup (Paul O'Brian; Z-code).
- Finalist: Rameses (Stephen Bond; Z-code).
- Finalist: Shade (Andrew Plotkin as "Ampe R. Sand"; Z-code).
2001 Best Game: All Roads (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
- Finalist: Best of Three (Emily Short; Glulx).
- Finalist: Fallacy of Dawn (Robb Sherwin; Hugo).
- Finalist: First Things First (J. Robinson Wheeler; TADS 2).
- Finalist: Pytho's Mask (Emily Short; Z-code).
2002 Best Game: Savoir-Faire (Emily Short; Z-code).
- Finalist: 1893: A World's Fair Mystery (Peter Nepstad; TADS 2).
- Finalist: Earth and Sky 2: Another Earth, Another Sky (Paul O'Brian; Glulx).
- Finalist: Lock & Key (Adam Cadre; Glulx).
- Finalist: Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me! (Jon Ingold and Mike Sousa; TADS 2).
2003 Best Game: Slouching Towards Bedlam (Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster; Z-code).
- Finalist: City of Secrets (Emily Short; Glulx).
- Finalist: Risorgimento Represso (Michael Coyne; Z-code).
- Finalist: Scavenger (Quintin Stone; TADS 2).
- Finalist: To Hell in a Hamper (J. J. Guest; ADRIFT).
2004 Best Game: Blue Chairs (Chris Klimas; Z-code).
- Finalist: The Dreamhold (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
- Finalist: Future Boy! (Kent Tessman; Hugo).
- Finalist: Necrotic Drift (Robb Sherwin; Hugo).
- Finalist: Return to Ditch Day (Michael J. Roberts; TADS 3).
2005 Best Game: Vespers (Jason Devlin; Z-code).
- Finalist: All Hope Abandon (Eric Eve; TADS 3).
- Finalist: Chancellor (Kevin Venzke; TADS 2).
- Finalist: Distress (Mike Snyder; Hugo).
- Finalist: Finding Martin (Gayla Wennstrom; TADS 2).
2006 Best Game: The Elysium Enigma (Eric Eve; TADS 3).
- Finalist: Floatpoint (Emily Short; Glulx).
- Finalist: The Baron a.k.a. De Baron (Victor Gijsbers; Z-code; English and Dutch).
- Finalist: The Primrose Path (Nolan Bonvouloir; Z-code).
- Finalist: The Traveling Swordsman (Mike Snyder; Hugo).
2007 Best Game: Lost Pig (Admiral Jota as "Grunk"; Z-code).
- Finalist: An Act of Murder (Christopher Huang as "Hugh Dunnett"; Z-code).
- Finalist: Child's Play (Stephen Granade; Z-code).
- Finalist: Fate (Victor Gijsbers; Z-code).
- Finalist: Suveh Nux (David Fisher; Z-code).
2008 Best Game: Violet (Jeremy Freese; Z-code).
- Finalist: Everybody Dies (Jim Munroe; Glulx).
- Finalist: Gun Mute (C.E.J. Pacian; TADS 3).
- Finalist: Nightfall (Eric Eve; Glulx).
- Finalist: Piracy 2.0 (Sean Huxter; Z-code).
2009 Best Game: Blue Lacuna (Aaron A. Reed; Glulx).
- Finalist: Broken Legs (Sarah Morayati; Glulx).
- Finalist: Klockwerk: The Shadow in the Cathedral (Ian Finley and Jon Ingold; publisher: Textfyre; FyreVM).
- Finalist: Make It Good (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
2010 Best Game: Aotearoa (Matt Wigdahl; Glulx).
- Finalist: Hoist Sail for the Heliopause and Home (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
- Finalist: One Eye Open (Colin Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine; Glulx).
- Finalist: Rogue of the Multiverse (C.E.J. Pacian; TADS 3).
- Finalist: The Warbler's Nest (Jason McIntosh; Z-code).
2011 Best Game: Cryptozookeeper (Robb Sherwin).
- Finalist: Mentula Macanus: Apocolocyntosis (Adam Thornton).
- Finalist: Six (Wade Clarke).
- Finalist: Zombie Exodus (Jim Dattilo).
2012 Best Game: Counterfeit Monkey (Emily Short, Glulx).
- Finalist: Andromeda Apocalypse (Marco Innocenti, Glulx).
- Finalist: Bee (Emily Short, Varytale).
- Finalist: howling dogs (Porpentine, Twine).
2013 Best Game: Coloratura (Lynnea Glasser; Glulx).
- Finalist: Horse Master (Tom McHenry; Web browser).
- Finalist: Their angelical understanding (Porpentine; Web browser).
- Finalist: ULTRA BUSINESS TYCOON III (Porpentine; Web browser).
2014 Best Game: 80 Days (inkle, Meg Jayanth; iOS, Android)
- Finalist: Choice of Robots (Kevin Gold; ChoiceScript)
- Finalist: Hadean Lands (Andrew Plotkin; Glulx, iOS)
- Finalist: Hunger Daemon (Sean M. Shore; Glulx)
- Finalist: With Those We Love Alive (Porpentine, Brenda Neotenomie; Web browser)
2015 Best Game: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy; 01-Oct-2015; Web browser).
- Finalist: Birdland (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
- Finalist: Brain Guzzlers from Beyond! (Steph Cherrywell)
- Finalist: Hollywood Visionary (Aaron A. Reed)
- Finalist: Midnight. Swordfight. (Chandler Groover)
- Finalist: SPY INTRIGUE (furkle)
2016 Best Game: Superluminal Vagrant Twin (C.E.J. Pacian; 01-Oct-2016; Glulx).
- Finalist: Cactus Blue Motel (Astrid Dalmady)
- Finalist: Detectiveland] (Robin Johnson)
- Finalist: Foo Foo (Buster Hudson)
- Finalist: Open Sorcery (Abigail Corfman)
2017 Best Game: The Wizard Sniffer (Buster Hudson; 01-Oct-2017; Glulx).
- Finalist: American Angst (m3g1dd0)
- Finalist: Eat Me (Chandler Groover)
- Finalist: Known Unknowns (Brendan Patrick Hennessy)
- Finalist: The Owl Consults (Thomas Mack)

Links

XYZZY Award for Best Game at Wikipedia.