The Game Awards has become one of the biggest annual shows to celebrate video games, with awards for the best, and new reveals. With the show lined up for next month, The Game Awards 2021's nomination list has been officially announced.
2021 has been a very interesting year for the video game industry. From the ongoing pandemic delaying multiple titles, to chip shortages making console acqusition much more difficult, both developers and players have had a hard time in 2021. Despite the hardships, video games have remained a unifying presence for many people, allowing people to still engage with one another, or escape from reality into worlds of their choosing. The Game Awards have been formally running since 2014, with host Geoff Keighley presenting the awards to a live audience, while also premiering a plethora of new games.
Geoff Keighley has officially revealed The Game Awards 2021 nominees, with fans available to vote now. The game with the largest presence is the Arkane Studios' Deathloop, receiving nominations for Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Narrative, Best Action Game, and two nominations for Best Performance. Rounding out the Game of the Year nominees are It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil: Village.
PlayStation's presence in the nominations is generally pretty strong, with Deathloop, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal all having strong showings. Xbox, while not as dominant, makes up a solid portion of the nominations here too, with Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 receiving a handful of nominations, Forza Horizon 5 receiving a Best Racing Game nomination, and Microsoft Flight Simulator receiving a Best Sim/Strategy Game nomination.
The Game Awards 2021 has nominated this year's finest games across the board, and it will be interesting to see which ones take home the awards. What is perhaps, most jarring about this list though, is seeing Cyberpunk 2077 as a candidate for the Best Role Playing Game award. None can forget the rough launch Cyberpunk 2077 had at the end of 2020, but CD Projekt Red has worked hard since to improve the game, and its immersion and detail cannot be overlooked.
Best Performance
- Erika Mori - Life is Strange: True Colors
- Giancarlo Esposito - Far Cry 6
- Jason Kelley - Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson - Resident Evil: Village
- Ozioma Akagha - Deathloop
Best Multiplayer
- Back 4 Blood
- Knockout City
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- It Takes Two
- Valheim
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Final Fantasy 14
- Genshin Impact
- Fortnite
Best Art Direction
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Best Score and Music
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Nier Replicant: ver 1.22474487139
- Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Artful Escape
Audio Design
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil: Village
- Returnal
Innovation in Accessibility
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5
- Marvel Guardians
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Best Narrative
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
Games for Impact
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- No Longer Home
Best Independent Game
- 12 Minutes
- Death's Dooor
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
Best Mobile Game
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Marvel Future Revolution
- Pokemon Unite
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- No Man's Sky
Best Debut Indie Game
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Sable
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Valheim
Best VR/AR Game
- Hitman 3
- I Expect You To Die 2
- Lone Echo 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Sniper Elite VR
Content Creator of the Year
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- Grefg
Best Action Game
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry 2
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Marvel Guardians of the Galazy
- Metroid Dread
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Psychonauts 2
Best Role Playing Game
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei 5
- Tales of Arise
Most Anticipated Game
- Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbiden West
- The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Starfield
Best Fighting Game
- Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles
- Guilty Gear Strive
- Melty Blood Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All Ssar Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown
Best Family Game
- It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokemon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- Wario Ware: Get It Together
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Age of Empires 4
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Sports/Racing Game
- F1 2021
- FIFA 22
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Forza Horizon 5
- Riders Republic
Best Esports Game
- Call of Duty
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- Collapse
- Simple
- Showmaker
- Tenz
- Simp
Best Esports Team
- Atlanta Faze - Call of Duty
- DWG KIA - League of Legends
- Navi - CS:GO
- Team Spirit - DOTA 2
- Sentinels - Valorant
Best Esports Coach
- Andrii "B1AD3" Horodenskyi
- James "Crowder" Crowder
- Andrey "Engh" Sholokhov
- Kim "KKoma" Jeong-Gyun
- Airat "Silent" Gaziev
Best Esports Event
- The International
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- Valorant Champions Tour Stage 2 masters
- PGL Major Stockholm
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
Best Game Direction
- Deathloop
- Psychonauts 2
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Game of the Year
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil: Village
The Game Awards streams on December 9 at 8 PM EST.