“And the winner of #TWRMGOTY2019 is…”

For many, 2019 was a year of hard choices when it came to picking a Game of the Year, though I have heard from a few that the choice could not be clearer. Either way, we have arrived at the end of our voting session and it is time to crown the winner of the esteemed title, the TWRMGOTY2019!

Here is our reader-voted Game of the Year:

The winner is Pokémon Sword/Shield!

Ultimately, the pocket monsters stomped the competition with their gigantamax powers. Slow but steadily. Watching the results over the past week, Sword/Shield was off to a sluggish start but eventually outpaced the others. Though a few put up a good fight, like Mario Maker 2, or I even thought that Resident Evil 2 was going to make it at one point, Sword/Shield caught ’em all in the end.

So congratulations to the first home console core Pokémon RPG, nominated by the Wandering Mage! And how appropriate that this is TWRMGOTY2019, too, considering Nintendo put out their Pokémon Direct today announcing a few things about the franchise.

That brings our total GOTY titles to:

1997 – Final Fantasy VII
2006 – Okami
2012 – Journey
2018 – Super Smash Bros.Ultimate
2019 – Pokémon Sword/Shield

Thank you to everyone who came out for this Reader’s Choice event and cast their vote!

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage, Mage Cast, or Story Mode.