The Japan Game Awards are an awards ceremony held by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) to recognize outstanding video games released in Japan throughout the previous year. The ceremony is held in Japan, typically during the month of September, to coincide with the Tokyo Game Show convention.

First announced in 1996 as the "CESA Awards", the first edition of the event was held on April 4, 1997. Starting from the fourth edition, held in 2000, the name was changed to "Japan Game Awards", only to be retitled "CESA GAME AWARDS" for its sixth edition in 2002, finally settling on its current title of "Japan Game Awards" starting from the tenth edition, held in 2006.

While it represents the Japanese video game industry, the awards are not limited to Japanese video games, but may also include video games developed by international teams or individuals.

The "Games of the Year Division" awards games that have been released during the qualifying period for game consoles, PC or mobile devices. Selection of winning titles is performed by a selection committee, with public voting and sales figures also taken into account. Multiple categories are awarded, with the highest distinction being the "Grand Prize", equivalent to the "Game of the Year" award in other ceremonies and trade publications. While in most categories only one title is awarded, the "Award for Excellence" category includes multiple winners, and the "Grand Prize" has gone to more than one title on multiple occasions. In the 2010 edition, a "Game Designers Award" was introduced, proposed by renowned game developer Masahiro Sakurai after reflecting on the fact that other categories favored games with large sales numbers rather than reflecting the perspective of game creators.

This category was established at the 2001 edition of the event. It awards games that have yet to be released, and that are announced or exhibited during the Tokyo Game Show held during the eligible period, based on a public vote held by attendees, in virtue of the games' promise and the voters' anticipation for their release. Games that are not exhibited at Tokyo Game Show are not eligible for selection.

Established at the 2008 edition of the Japan Game Awards, this award is given to both video games and people who significantly contribute to the development of the Japanese video game industry "through creation of excellent products" or those who "expanded the scope of the videogame industry using a new expression or technology". The first recipient of this award was Shigeru Miyamoto.

The following divisions were introduced throughout the history of the Japan Game Awards, but are no longer awarded.

Established in the 2007 edition by merging the pre-existing "CESA Student Game Awards" and "Game Awards Indies", this division awarded original works that had not been commercially marketed regardless of whether the entrant is a company, a group of people or a single individual. Participants must reside in Japan to be eligible. This division consisted of three categories, awarded by a selection committee: "Grand Award" (for one outstanding title), "Awards for Excellence" (for multiple titles), and "Honorable Mentions". Starting with the 2024 edition, this category is no longer awarded at the Japan Game Awards, and was instead transferred to the "Kamigame Creator Evolution" contest sponsored by NHK Enterprises, along with the "U18 Division" contest.