The awards were arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and were held at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 1, 2005 (2005-02-01).
It was hosted by Kurt Scholler and Cory Rouse, and featured presenters including Lorne Lanning, Tommy Tallarico, Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, Stan Lee, Sid Meier, Jack Tretton, and Doug Lowenstein.
Half-Life 2 received the most nominations and won the most awards, including "Game of the Year".
As a publisher, Vivendi Universal Games won the most awards, while Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment received the most nominations.
This would be the final year of separate genre awards for console and computer.