At the end of 2009, BioWare released the first Dragon Age game, Dragon Age: Origins, to widespread critical acclaim. Dragon Age: Origins laid the groundwork for the larger Dragon Age franchise, which would grow to include novels, an animated Netflix series, comics, various spin-offs, and, of course, direct sequels. While the latest entry in the long-running series failed to meet commercial expectations, the Dragon Age franchise has fairly consistently enjoyed critical success.
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Dragon Age: The Case for a Total Franchise Reboot
The Dragon Age franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, and it might be time to wipe the slate clean for a new generation.
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard winning its own Game of the Year award, some may be wondering about all the other major awards the franchise has earned over the years. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of every single award that the Dragon Age franchise has won.
These lists do not include awards doled out by individual outlets, but the franchise has taken home plenty of those as well.
Dragon Age: Origins
- Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year – AIAS 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
- Best PC Game – Spike Video Game Awards
- Best RPG – Spike Video Game Awards
Dragon Age: Origins is considered by many fans to be the best game in the series, and its excellence was recognized by both the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (now known as the DICE Awards) and the Spike Video Game Awards (the precursor to the modern day Game Awards hosted by Geoff Keighley). AIAS awarded Dragon Age: Origins Best Role-Playing Game of the Year, while the Spike Video Game Awards gave it Best PC Game and Best RPG. Dragon Age: Origins managed to defeat the likes of Demon’s Souls and Borderlands in the Best RPG category, while it bested heavy hitters like Left 4 Dead 2 and The Sims 3 in for Best PC Game.
Fans have been calling for a Dragon Age: Origins remaster or remake for years, since many think its graphics are a little outdated by today’s standards, but the game itself is still incredible. Dragon Age: Origins has players experiencing six distinct origin stories depending on what class and race combo they choose, though every character ultimately finds themselves wrapped up in the Grey Warden’s struggle against the Blight. Dragon Age: Origins features memorable companions, shocking story developments, and an engaging combat system that rewards tactical thinking. It’s a remarkable game that has stood the test of time and certainly deserves the accolades it’s earned.
Dragon Age: Origins
9/10
- Released
- November 3, 2009
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Eclipse
- Franchise
- Dragon Age
Dragon Age 2
- N/A
After BioWare hit it out of the park with Dragon Age: Origins, it followed it up with Dragon Age 2, considered by many to be the black sheep of the franchise. Unlike its predecessor, Dragon Age 2 did not win any major gaming awards. It still earned mostly positive reviews, though, and it found itself nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Dragon Age 2 is the story of Hawke as he or she flees the Blight, arriving at Kirkwall and rising through the city’s ranks. Dragon Age 2 features its fair share of important player choices and memorable companions, but it featured some major drawbacks that likely kept it from getting as much recognition as its predecessor. Whereas Dragon Age: Origins was a grand adventure spanning a variety of exciting locations, Dragon Age 2 is confined almost entirely to Kirkwall, with many dungeons looking very similar. The narrative framework of having Varric recount the game’s events also hurt the sense of urgency that the first game had. Dragon Age 2 is not a bad game by any means, but it’s not surprising that it didn’t win any major game awards.
Dragon Age 2
7/10
- Released
- March 8, 2011
- ESRB
- Mature // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Content, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Lycium Engine
- Franchise
- Dragon Age
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Best RPG – Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2014
- Game of the Year – The Game Awards 2024
- Best Role-Playing Game – The Game Awards 2014
- Game of the Year – 18th Annual DICE Awards
- Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year – 18th Annual DICE Awards
- Game of the Year – 2015 SXSW Gaming Awards
- Game of the Year – 2014 NAVGTR Awards
- Art Direction, Fantasy – 2014 NAVGTR Awards
- Costume Design – 2014 NAVGTR Awards
- Game Design, Franchise – 2014 NAVGTR Awards
- Sound Editing in Game Cinema – 2014 NAVGTR Awards
- Special Recognition Award – 26th GLAAD Media Awards
The peak of the Dragon Age franchise’s award-winning ways came with 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition. That year, Inquisition won Game of the Year and Best RPG from The Game Awards, as well as Game of the Year and Role-Playing Game of the Year from the DICE Awards. Inquisition also took home the Game of the Year awards from SXSW Gaming Awards and the 2014 NAVGTR Awards. At The Game Awards that year, Inquisition beat Bayonetta 2, Dark Souls 2, Hearthstone, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to take home the top prize.
After the slight misstep that was Dragon Age 2, Inquisition was a huge return to form for the Dragon Age franchise while simultaneously moving it forward in some significant ways. While Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game were released, Inquisition took full advantage of the horsepower behind the PS4 and Xbox One consoles to deliver the best-looking Dragon Age game up to that point. It also revamped the gameplay by giving players large open worlds to explore, as opposed to the more linear level design employed by previous entries. 2014 is generally considered one of the industry’s weaker years when it comes to new game releases, so it’s hard to say if Inquisition would have won if put up against games from other years, but it’s one of BioWare’s best-selling games for a reason.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
9/10
- Released
- November 18, 2014
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Outstanding Video Game – 36th GLAAD Media Awards
- Game of the Year – Gayming Awards
- Best LGBTQ+ Character – Gayming Awards
Dragon Age: The Veilguard was nominated for Best Game or Interactive Work at the Hugo Awards, but that is still pending at the time of this writing.
So far, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has picked up three notable awards. It earned Outstanding Video Game from the 36th GLAAD Media Awards, and more recently, it picked up the nods for Game of the Year and Best LGBTQ+ Character at the Gayming Awards. The Best LGBTQ+ Character award was for Dragon Age: The Veilguard protagonist Rook, whose personality and sexuality are ultimately up to the player to decide.
Released in 2024, Dragon Age: The Veilguard earned mostly positive reviews, but still fell short of the heights reached by Origins and Inquisition. The Veilguard serves as a finale of sorts to the overarching narrative and features brand-new characters along with many returning fan favorites. The Veilguard‘s combat is explosive and fun, and the game is easily the most visually-impressive game in the series to date. There was some criticism aimed at the narrative and dialogue, but The Veilguard is still an engaging action-RPG with a ton of content.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
10/10
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite
