The Game Awards have grown to become a massive yearly event that helps bring gamers together from all over the world to celebrate the releases and moments from the previous year that they love. The award show has also come to be looked forward to by players because of the impressive number of world premieres also included in the show, such as the first reveal of Elden Ring. Now, as 2021 comes to a close, many have started looking forwards to this year's The Game Awards show and what titles may be competing for the Game of the Year award.
While the date for The Game Awards has been announced for 2021, the nominees are usually not announced until mid-November. Historically, the Games of the Year award has had six nominees vying for the coveted honor, so predictions will just assume that a similar number of nominees will be selected for this year's show. The range of eligible dates in the past has also spanned from after last year's announcement to the current year's announcement, which would make any game released from November 16, 2020 to November 15, 2021 eligible for this year's nominations. There are some great-looking titles still coming out in that window like Battlefield 2042 and Forza Horizon 5, but as those aren't out they can't be objectively considered as of yet.
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread is the most recent release of these predictions and is the newest entry in one of the most classic video games franchises. The original Metroid games helped establish an entirely new genre, and Metroid Dread manages to maintain what players love about the older entries in the series while iterating and introducing some inventive new mechanics. It also elegantly wrapped up Metroid's story and answered many of the questions that players had regarding its lore and universe. This all makes Metroid Dread a strong contender for Game of the Year thanks to its strong mechanics, being an impressive entry in a classic franchise and being more than worth the lengthy wait for its release.
Psychonauts 2
Another new game that was was released after a long wait was Double Fine's Psychonauts 2. It managed to maintain the comedic tone of the original that was extremely successful when combined with its tight platforming, imaginative level design, and a surprisingly detailed exploration of mental health and recovering from trauma. It also picked up directly from the end of Psychonauts and its spin-off Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin which helped the transition to the new game feel nearly seamless. It managed to resurrect the characters from the original game that players fell in love with without making them feel dated and gave them some of the very best lines of the entire year. Psychonauts 2 was a fantastic 3D platformer for fans of the series and newcomers alike, making it another strong contender for the award.
Deathloop
Deathloop is the newest title from Arkane Studios, the studio behind Dishonored and Prey. It sees players running through a time loop to try and take down targets while amassing gear in a unique twist on the popular rogue-lite genre. It also includes player invasions in a similar vein to the PvP options in the Dark Souls series that allow players to jump into the runs of other players to try and end them early. These invasions add a lot of tension to the game's play and have been a pretty popular addition to the formula. Deathloop has been getting a lot of attention in the running for Game of the Year and was even nominated for Game of the Year in this year's Golden Joystick awards, so it seems more than likely that it will at least pick up a few nominations in The Game Awards as well.
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter is a massively popular series and this game's predecessor Monster Hunter World was in the running for Game of the Year in The Game Awards 2018. Released only for the Nintendo Switch, Monster Hunter Rise was still largely regarded as a steady iteration on the improvements introduced to the series in Monster Hunter World. There are few games out there that offer an experience similar to the Monster Hunter series, and the franchise has managed to continuously evolve and improve with every release. With Monster Hunter Rise finally coming to PC, it would be great for it to receive a Game of the Year award in The Game Awards, and it seems more than deserving to do just that.
Resident Evil Village
Another nominee in the Golden Joystick awards, Resident Evil Village saw the series returning to some of the tone and elements of the classic Resident Evil 4. While fans are still waiting for DLC for Resident Evil Village, the game's release showed fans a new take on Resident Evil that effortlessly mixed different subgenres of horror while also giving players a more action-focused experience that managed to still be scary. Its release was also built up to by the game running rampant online thanks to the impactful design of Lady Dimitrescu. With its pivotal placement within the classic series, as well as its strong follow-up on the beloved Resident Evil 7, it would not be surprising at all to see it popping up in the Game of the Year nominations for various award shows.
Returnal
Returnal is one of the biggest exclusives for the PlayStation 5 so far. Another rogue-lite, Returnal follows a woman who crashed on an alien planet and is stuck in a time loop. Over the course of runs, players unlock new pieces of equipment and uncover both the backstory of the main character and the lore of the unique alien planet that they are exploring. Developed by Housemarque, it also incorporates the studio's storied history of developing bullet hell shooters to create an incredible mixture that takes full advantage of the new hardware options introduced with the PlayStation 5. It has received numerous comparisons to previous The Game Awards nominee Hades and it fully deserves all of the praise it has received.