Even though Steam has been around since the early 2000s, the Steam Awards have only existed since 2016. The digital awards event serves to highlight the best games released on Steam over the course of the last year. While this year provided a substantial amount of nominees for each Steam Awards category, the Game of the Year winner may come as a shock to some players.
Luckily, 2021 produced some impressive Game of the Year nominations for the Steam Awards. Titles like Valheim, Resident Evil Village, Cyberpunk 2077, New World, and Forza Horizon 5 all made the cut for Game of the Year. However, the game to ultimately beat out every other nomination is one that certainly has a lot to offer its players.
Of the five nominations, Resident Evil Village won Game of the Year at the Steam Awards 2021. Many members of the gaming community might find it odd that a horror game beat out the other nominations, but considering its detailed storyline, multifaceted gameplay mechanics, and intense atmosphere, Resident Evil Village is definitely a worthy contender for Game of the Year.
In addition to Game of the Year, the Steam Awards also feature various unique categories, each one with plentiful nominations. Cooking Simulator VR won Best VR Game. It Takes Two won the Better With Friends category, which is meant to represent excellence in multiplayer. Although, there are still several more award winners that Steam unveiled, each with exciting results.
Terraria won the Labor of Love category, after still receiving new content for its players a full ten years after its initial release. Forza Horizon 5 won Outstanding Visual style. Deathloop won Most Innovative Gameplay. Nioh 2 won Best Game You Suck At, for its intense, brutal difficulty. Guardians of the Galaxy won Best Soundtrack. Farming Simulator 22 won the Sit Back And Relax award for its laid-back gameplay. Lastly, Cyberpunk 2077 won Outstanding Story-Rich Game, in spite of its ongoing technical issues.
It will be interesting to see what 2022 will bring in terms of upcoming Steam titles. This year had a surprising amount of indie releases from various studios and developers, which brought a lot to the table, such as Inscryption, Twelve Minutes, and Moncage. All of which were highlighted during Steam Awards 2021. With any luck, 2022 will provide Steam players with plenty of new, creative experiences to enjoy and discover.