The 2021 Game Developers Choice Awards have come and gone, with lead game designers and developers from the industry deciding the winners of each category. The nominees of the awards show were announced back in April and include many of the most lauded games released in 2020. The biggest 2021 GDCA nominees were Supergiant Games' rogue-like dungeon crawler Hades, Sucker Punch Studios' action-adventure epic Ghost of Tsushima, and Naughty Dog's apocalyptic adventure The Last of Us Part 2, all of which ended the show as winners.
But the most decorated game of the ceremony was Hades, an experience critics and fans have praised as a harmonious blend of narrative and gameplay with an incredible cast of characters. In particular, Hades' contextual storytelling and surprising endgame revelations reward players that put many, many hours into exploring the endless rooms of the Underworld. Supergiant's meticulous work on Hades was clearly noticed by other industry professionals as it brought home wins for Best Audio, Best Design, and Game of the Year.
As for the rest of the field, awards were spread out among plenty of worthy nominees. The Last of Us Part 2 continues its incredible awards run with another win at the 2021 GDCA for Best Narrative. Although it's no stranger to controversy, The Last of Us Part 2 has shocking plot twists and an emotionally driven story that make it a powerful and immersive sequel to its predecessor. It also recently got a permanent price drop to $40 for the Standard Edition on PlayStation Store.
Ghost of Tsushima ended the ceremony with a win for Best Visual Art, which isn't surprising. It's a game full of stunning locations for endless experimentation with its photo mode and a creative interpretation of Japanese island culture. The Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut is out now including PS5 upgrades and the Iki island expansion. Another game praised for its visual immersion is Valve's Half-Life: Alyx, a unique VR experience that took home the award for Best VR/AR Game against a field of competitors like Media Molecule's Dreams and Electronic Arts' Star Wars: Squadrons.
Other winners include miHoYo's Genshin Impact for Best Mobile Game, and Kinetic Games' Phasmophobia grabbed the award for Best Debut game from the studio. While Dreams didn't pick up a win for Best VR/AR Game, it did win the 2021 GDCA Innovation Award for pushing the boundaries of video games as an expressive medium. Games which were included as honorable mentions in multiple categories include Insomniac's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and even Japan Studio's PS5 debut game Astro's Playroom.
The full list of winners is below:
BEST AUDIO
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST DEBUT
Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)
Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital)
Carrion (Phobia Game Studio / Devolver Digital)
Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry / Playstack)
Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games / Super!Com)
BEST DESIGN
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
INNOVATION AWARD
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic / Devolver Digital)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
BEST MOBILE GAME
The Pathless (Giant Squid / Annapurna Interactive)
Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo / PID Publishing)
If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)
BEST NARRATIVE
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapurna Interactive)
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
BEST VISUAL ART
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit)
Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
BEST VR/AR GAME
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)
Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)
Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Star Wars: Squadrons (Motive Studios / Electronic Arts)
GAME OF THE YEAR
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Source: GCA