The 2020 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Multiplayer Game

2020 is over, and now it's time to reflect on all of the great games we and many others dumped innumerable hours into over the last 12 months. In 2020, we said goodbye to the PS4 and Xbox One and welcomed the future of gaming: the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Not only did we begin the migration to the next generation of gaming, but we also played many great and groundbreaking games along the way. And now we have the painstakingly difficult responsibility of separating the great from the exemplary.

In 2020, we not only spent countless hours sinking our teeth into single-player games, but we also spent much of the year playing the year's finest multiplayer games. And 2020 was a great year for multiplayer games. From intensely competitive to accessibly casual, there was something for everyone in the multiplayer space in 2020, and many games worthy of the title Multiplayer Game of the Year, but only one title could take home the top prize.

And the winner of the 2020 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Multiplayer Game is…

Fall Guys, from developer Mediatonic and publisher Devolver Digital!

Every year, video games provide us essential escapism, but in 2020, Fall Guys' wholesome, rollicking diversion felt more like a lifeline. Our memories of Fall Guys are punctuated with literal laugh-out-loud moments, and earning our first crown was easily one of the highlights of the year. More importantly, though, Fall Guys allowed us to share these moments with friends and family that we may not always get to enjoy our hobby with. In a time of isolation, Fall Guys allowed us to connect and share precious moments in a way most games didn't.

With Fall Guys, developer Mediatonic did what many before it failed to do: provide an original and refreshing take on a genre saturated with copycats. Part battle royale, part game show, Fall Guys is more or less Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, but rather than humans, contestants are jellybean-like creatures you can't help but adore and spend far more time than necessary customizing. Fall Guys isn't just over-the-top silly and eminently endearing, it's surprisingly addictive. Getting your first few crowns in Fall Guys is so rewarding because the journey to the top isn't an easy one. While the game is incredibly accessible, it's not as easy to master as it's cute and cuddly surface suggests.

2020 was a great year for multiplayer games. In a year where we couldn't travel anywhere, we did visit a lot of people's islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. We also dropped out of a plane onto an island about two billion times in Call of Duty: Warzone. And if jumping out of a plane wasn't scary enough, we also booted up Phasmophobia. And all of these experiences were great, but they all also fell short to our time with Fall Guys.

Nominees:

• Among Us
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Fall Guys — WINNER
• Phasmophobia