The PS4 and Xbox One have been having their battle over the best home console but the handhelds have been scooting by just fine. While players across all platforms argued about exclusives, the Nintendo 3DS received perhaps some of the greatest games of the year (and a few more from previous years). This isn’t to discount the PS Vita either. Despite the underwhelming support it’s received from Sony by way of AAA titles, there have still been a fair number of Vita titles that are worth checking out. We’ll stay neutral on which handheld is better – or which one is worth your time and money more – but in the meantime, here are the nominees for the best handheld game of 2015.

Nominees:

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS)
• OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood (PS Vita)
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (3DS)
• Terraria (PS Vita)
• Steins;Gate (PS Vita)

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS)

Throughout Zelda’s illustrious history, much of the series’ acclaim has been focused on titles like The Wind Waker or A Link to the Past or The Ocarina of Time or even Twilight Princess. The only other game we can think of that doesn’t get enough love is Skyward Sword. But then there’s Majora’s Mask. When Majora’s Mask first released in 2000, it had some impossibly large shoes to fill. Could Nintendo score twice in a row following the masterpiece that was Ocarina of Time? Because of this, Majora’s Mask was considered to be great…but not perfect.

Here’s the kicker though – it was still a damn great game and it built up a strong following. So strong that Nintendo finally caved in and brought Majora’s Mask to the 3DS. The best part was that it not only revamped the visuals significantly and added touch screen support but streamlined its time-based gameplay and eliminated many of the frustrations inherent in the original release. The result is a game that isn’t out of place in this era of blockbusters and pretty much the best handheld game of 2015.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

This year has been very good for competitive gamers (except if you play Destiny, in which case rest in peace when you finally stop lagging). Aside from getting a new Call of Duty, we actually received a new Black Ops title this year. 343 Industries recovered admirably from the atrocity that was the Master Chief Collection and delivered some fresh new mechanics, a fun PvP/PvE mode with Warzone and free updates in Halo 5: Guardians. Star Wars: Battlefront was also a thing and even if you’re not a fan of its simplicity and weak single-player missions, it did capture the look and feel of the original Star Wars universe beautifully.

And then there’s Rocket League. Oh, Rocket League . It’s amazing how much depth can be discovered in this year’s offerings, even if many of them are shooters. There can be only one winner of our best competitive multiplayer game award though. Here are the nominees.

Nominees:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Rocket League
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Splatoon
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Winner: Splatoon

Yes, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a Black Ops title but it’s still the same Call of Duty formula for another year. The same goes for Halo 5: Guardians which, despite many new and interesting features, didn’t really evolve its multiplayer all that much. Rainbow Six: Siege was a good experience but not one that felt like it had a long life-span. Really, it seemed like Rocket League would have been our winner were it not for Splatoon.

Splatoon released on the Nintendo Wii U earlier this year and featured one of the freshest competitive shooter experiences in recent memory. The game’s combination of well-designed maps, fun movement and shooting mechanics, intriguing modes and the constant stream of free content and events makes Splatoon a must-play experience. No, there’s no voice chat and yes there are private lobbies (you can’t change any settings though like in custom games), for those wondering.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.