CSGO tops Among Us, wins Steam Awards’ “Labor of Love” award

Valve’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive won a prize in the 2020 Steam Awards. The game has been dubbed the 2020 “Labor of Love” winner.

CSGO was nominated in the category of “Labor of Love” alongside a mix of ongoing titles including Among Us, Terraria, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and No Man’s Sky. While other games in the category had the advantage of being fresh and popular among the audience, CSGO’s loyal player base helped the game bag the title. 

Despite the challenges thrown its way, Valve’s shooter had a successful year. Despite being released all the way back in 2012, the game hit one million concurrent players for the first time in 2020 and continued to top the charts on Steam, beating out longtime top game Dota 2 and the fizzling PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. CSGO had a new competitor in Riot Games’ Valorant, but the game powered through kept breaking record. 

• CSGO hits 1 million player count again as new operation looms

2020 was a strong year for CSGO, with the highlight being the continuation of Operation Shattered Web in the early part of the year and Operation Broken Fang‘s launch last month. Though Valve has historically neglected its enduring FPS, the company’s handling of CSGO in 2020 warranted the “labor of love” label. 

“This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the debut of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation,” the description reads.

Steam Awards break records for most nomination entries

The Steam Awards take place annually and include interesting titles and awards for the games available on Steam. In 2020, Steam had over 40,000 game titles, with only a few making the list. The Steam Awards included 10 categories with five nominees each. 

2020 was an excellent year for Steam as more than five million players cast over 30 million nominations, setting a new record. CSGO was one of the few games that made the cut. Other noticeable winners included Apex Legends, and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, winning “best game you suck at” and “better with friends” awards, respectively. Red Dead Redemption 2 dominated the results, taking two titles of “outstanding story-rich game” and “Game of the year” awards.