35 eri median journalistia palkitsevat joka vuosi E3-messujen parhaat pelit ja laitteet Game Critics -palkinnoilla. Raati koostuu muun muassa tärkeistä bisnes-, uutis- sekä aikakausilehdistä, kuten Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, CNN/Money, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Business 2.0 ja The Los Angeles Times.
Alla ovat listattuna eri kategoriat, joissa ennakkoraadin valitsemat pelit ja laitteet ovat ehdolla. Peleistä eniten ehdokkuuksia sai Bungien kehittämä Halo 2, joka on ehdolla neljässä eri kategoriassa. Voittajat selviävät 8. päivä kesäkuuta.
Messujen paras
– Half-Life 2 (Valve/Vivendi Universal Games – PC)
– Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Nintendo DS (Mobile Gaming System – Nintendo Co. Ltd)
– Sony PSP (Mobile Gaming System Sony Computer Entertainment)
– Splinter Cell 3 (Ubi Soft Montreal/Ubi Soft – PC)
Omaperäisin peli
– Destroy All Humans! (Pandemic/THQ – PlayStation 2, Xbox)
– Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Nintendo – GameCube)
– God of War (SCEA Santa Monica/SCEA – PlayStation 2)
– Jade Empire (Bioware/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Odama (Vivarium/Nintendo – GameCube)
Paras PC-peli
– Half-Life 2 (Valve/Vivendi Universal Games – PC)
– Lord of the Rings: The Battle – Middle Earth (EALA/Electronic Arts – PC)
– Rome: Total War (Creative Assembly/Activision – PC)
– Sims 2 (Maxis/Electronic Arts – PC)
– Splinter Cell 3 (UbiSoft Montreal/UbiSoft – PC)
Paras konsolipeli
– God of War (SCEA Santa Monica/SCEA – PlayStation 2)
– Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Jade Empire (Bioware/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Retro Studios/Nintendo – GameCube)
– Resident Evil 4 (Capcom – GameCube)
Paras oheislaite/tietokone/konsoli
– Alienware Video Array Technology (Alienware – PC)
– Donkey Konga Bongo Drums (Nintendo – GameCube)
– Nintendo DS (Mobile Gaming System
– Nintendo Co. Ltd)
– Phantom Gaming Service (Infinium Labs, Inc.)
– Sony PSP (Mobile Gaming System Sony Computer Entertainment)
Paras Toimintapeli
– Doom 3 (Vicarious Visions/id/Activision – Xbox)
– F.E.A.R. (Monolith Productions/Vivendi Universal Games – PC)
– Half-Life 2 (Valve/Vivendi Universal Games – PC)
– Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Retro Studios/Nintendo – GameCube)
Paras Seikkailupeli
– God of War (SCEA Santa Monica/SCEA – PlayStation 2)
– Prince of Persia 2 (UbiSoft Montreal/UbiSoft – All Systems)
– Resident Evil 4 (Capcom – GameCube)
– Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (Insomniac Games/SCEA – PlayStation 2)
– Splinter Cell 3 (UbiSoft Montreal/UbiSoft – PC)
Paras Taistelupeli
– Def Jam: Fight – New York (EA Canada/EA – All Console Systems)
– Guilty Gear Isuka (Arc System Works/Sammy Studios – PlayStation 2)
– Mortal Kombat: Deception (Midway Games – PlayStation 2/Xbox)
– Rumble Roses (KCET/Konami – PlayStation 2)
– Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (Capcom – PlayStation 2/Xbox)
Paras Roolipeli
– Fable (Big Blue Box/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Final Fantasy XII (Square-Enix – PlayStation 2)
– Jade Empire (Bioware/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Obsidian/LucasArts – PC/Xbox)
– Vampire: The Masquerade
– Bloodlines (Troika Games/Activision – PC)
Paras Ajopeli
– Burnout 3 (Criterion Games/Electronic Arts – PlayStation 2/Xbox)
– Enthusia Professional Racing (Konami – PlayStation 2)
– Forza Motorsport (Microsoft – Xbox)
– Gran Turismo 4 (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment – PlayStation 2)
– Street Racing Syndicate (Eutechnyx/Namco – All Console Systems)
Paras Simulaattoripeli
– Full Spectrum Warrior (Pandemic/THQ – PC/Xbox)
– Pacific Fighters (1C/UbiSoft – PC)
– Sims 2 (Maxis/Electronic Arts – PC)
– The Movies (Lionhead Studios/Activision – All Platforms)
– The Urbz: Sims in the City (Maxis/Electronic Arts – All Console Systems)
Paras Urheilupeli
– ESPN NFL 2005 (Visual Concepts/ESPN Videogames – PS2/Xbox)
– FIFA Soccer 2005 (EA Sports/Electronic Arts – All Platforms)
– Madden NFL 2005 (EA Sports/Electronic Arts – All Platforms)
– Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 (EA Sports/Electronic Arts – All Platforms)
– Tony Hawk´s Underground 2 (Neversoft/Activision – All Platforms)
Paras Strategiapeli
– Lord of the Rings: The Battle – Middle Earth (EALA/Electronic Arts – PC)
– Pikmin 2 (Nintendo – GameCube)
– Rome: Total War (Creative Assembly/Activision – PC)
– Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (Relic/THQ – PC)
Paras Puzzle/Trivia -peli
– Donkey Konga (Nintendo – GameCube)
– Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Nintendo – GameCube)
– EyeToy: AntiGrav (Harmonix Music Systems/SCEA – PlayStation 2)
– Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 (Harmonix Music Systems/Konami – PlayStation 2)
– WarioWare, Inc. DS (Nintendo – Nintendo DS)
Paras Online Multiplayer -peli
– Battlefield 2 (Digital Illusions/EA Games – PC)
– EverQuest II (Sony Online Entertainment – PC)
– Halo 2 (Bungie/Microsoft – Xbox)
– Star Wars Battlefront (Pandemic Studios/LucasArts – PC, PS2, Xbox)
– World of Warcraft (Blizzard/Vivendi Universal Games – PC)