Any game that I play for over 930 hours in way less than a year (I got the game in mid-April) deserves that title. :D

Numbers aside, the previously latest game I'd gotten as much into as I have Valheim was a 2015 release, and in all of my gaming years only very few games have ever been this amazing and seemingly infinitely replayable. Playing with friends is an additional plus that none of my other favourite games has because I don't like multiplayer games.

All that even though the game is not even finished yet!

So yeah, the easiest GOTY choice ever.
A tough category to win, no doubt, but there is definitely a chance.