The Game Awards is consistently the biggest gaming awards show of the year, and is essentially the video game equivalent of the Oscars or the Emmys. Every December, The Game Awards doles out awards to the most significant games of the year in a variety of categories, and now the 2021 nominees have been revealed. However, it seems there is one glaring omission when it comes to the Game of the Year category this year.
The Game Awards 2021 Game of the Year nominees include Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil Village, some of the most critically-acclaimed and popular games of the year. However, one game that's notably absent is Forza Horizon 5, the open world racing game from Playground Games and Microsoft that is notable for being the highest-rated game of 2021 so far.
Forza Horizon 5 is the highest-rated game of 2021, and is in fact the only new game release of the year to even get above a 90 average score from critics, yet it isn't nominated for Game of the Year. Forza Horizon 5's average review rating is 92, whereas none of the actual Game of the Year nominations hit 90.
Not only has Forza Horizon 5 been a big hit with critics, but it's been highly praised by fans as well. Forza Horizon 5 had millions of players before it even had its proper launch, with some so excited to play it that they decided to buy it instead of waiting for the free Xbox Game Pass release. Between its popularity with fans and its high review scores from critics, its absence in the Game of the Year category is head-scratching.
While Forza Horizon 5 was snubbed by The Game Awards when it comes to Game of the Year recognition, the game did get nominated in some other categories. At The Game Awards this year, Forza Horizon 5 is up for Best Audio Design, Innovation in Accessibility, and Best Sports/Racing Game. The game with the most nominations is Deathloop from Arkane and Bethesda, with the it nominated for a whopping nine categories.
Even though Forza Horizon 5 isn't nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards, it seems like it will be a strong contender for the categories it is nominated for, and it will be interesting to see how many awards it manages to take away this year. The Game Awards 2021 takes place on December 9, so anyone curious will have to tune in to find out.
Forza Horizon 5 is out now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.