In many ways, the Special Achievement Awards represent the most significant accomplishments of the year in gaming. Since these awards are devoted to games that excel in certain specific respects, the winners in the respective categories represent the pinnacles of excellence in each regard.

Each year, we revise the specific Special Achievement categories to best reflect the year's trends, as well as our own observations. This year, we're commemorating everything from the game with the best voice acting of the year, to this year's biggest surprise, to this year's biggest news item.