The 2018 was viewed by over 26.2 million streams, the most in its history to date, with four million concurrent viewers at its peak. In association with the event, sales were held on most digital storefronts for nominees and former winners. Several new games were revealed, including Far Cry New Dawn, Hades, and The Outer Worlds. At the show, Red Dead Redemption 2 tied for the highest-awarded game in the show's history with four wins, and God of War was awarded Game of the Year. God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 received eight nominations each, the most in Game Awards history at the time. Keighley began planning for the show immediately after the previous ceremony, and spent months traveling to studios around the world to secure announcements and trailers.

The show opened with a group speech by Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé, PlayStation's Shawn Layden, and Xbox's Phil Spencer, representing the unity of the industry. The show featured musical performances from Harry Gregson-Williams, Daniel Lanois, Lena Raine, and Hans Zimmer, and presentations from celebrity guests including Jonah Hill, the Russo brothers, Brendon Urie, and Christoph Waltz. The event was live streamed across more than 45 digital platforms.

It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 6, 2018. The Game Awards 2018 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2018.

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