The nominations for the 2024 Game Awards are in, and while the winners won’t be revealed until the ceremony on December 12, there’s already one clear champion of the event: Ella Purnell. Every year, the Game Awards celebrate the best new video game releases, rewarding everything from Best Narrative and Best Performance to Best Game in various categories overall. The 2024 Game Award nominees are full of exciting titles, including Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Baldur’s Gate 3.

While video games are obviously the central focus of the Game Awards, they also recognize adaptations based on them. This year’s nominees in the Best Adaptation category include Arcane, Fallout, Knuckles, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, and Tomb: Raider the Legend of Lara Croft. All of these projects are among 2024’s most-anticipated TV shows, but two of them stand out as obvious frontrunners in the category. And no matter which of the two wins, Purnell will earn recognition for her stellar acting.

Fallout & Arcane Are The Clear Frontrunners For TGA’s Best Video Game Adaptation

Although Knuckles, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, and Tomb: Raider the Legend of Lara Croft are based on beloved video games, these adaptations simply don’t reach the heights of Fallout and Arcane. Knuckles could have been as big, as it’s part of Paramount’s Sonic Cinematic Universe, but the series received mixed reviews and felt unfocused compared to the films. Tomb: Raider the Legend of Lara Croft also got a lackluster reception, with viewers criticizing its animation. And Like a Dragon: Yakuza probably received the least attention of the group, also dividing fans with its take on the games.

Fallout and Arcane season 2 aren’t just some of the best video game adaptations of the year; they’re among the best TV series overall.

By contrast, Fallout and Arcane season 2 aren’t just some of the best video game adaptations of the year; they’re among the best TV series overall. Fallout broke viewership records when it debuted on Prime Video in April 2024, and both seasons of Arcane have been hailed as masterpieces when it comes to both storytelling and animation. These are the clear frontrunners of the Best Adaptation category, with Arcane seeming slightly more likely to take home the prize — especially since season 2 is the Netflix show’s final outing.

Both Fallout and Arcane season 2 demonstrate what video game adaptations look like at their best, and either would be deserving of a win at the 2024 Game Awards. The two series also have another noteworthy thing in common: they both star Purnell in a leading role, and she gives a standout performance in each project.

Ella Purnell Shines In Both Arcane & Fallout With Entirely Different Characters

Purnell shines in both Fallout and Arcane season 2, so she’ll be a winner at the 2024 Game Awards no matter which series takes home the Best Adaptation trophy. Fallout and Arcane make up some of Purnell’s best TV shows, and they highlight her acting range. It’s a testament to her abilities that she’s able to play two incredibly different characters and do it so successfully.

Amazon renewed Fallout for season 2 in April 2024, but there is no release date yet.

Fallout‘s Lucy and Arcane‘s Jinx require Purnell to tap into totally different archetypes, with Lucy being kindhearted and naive while Jinx is a far more morally gray and tragic character. Lucy’s time outside the Vault could very well change her in future seasons of Fallout, but we’ve yet to see her experience the devastation and rage that Purnell’s Arcane character embodies. And Purnell plays both Lucy and Jinx believably, to the point where you wouldn’t realize the same actor is portraying them. She deserves a win at the 2024 Game Awards for that alone.