As we enter the last five weeks of 2021, we get closer to many awards shows to crown the best game of the year. One of the best known in this list is Game Awards 2021, and they have just released their nomination list for their best games of 2021.
The show is slated to go live on December 9th from the Microsoft Theatre. This is the most prominent game awards function of the year and has many titles vying for the top spot. Winning first place in this race gives a game a significant boost in credibility and recognition.
For 2021, the Game of the Year nominees are,
1. Game of the Year 2021
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
- Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam/Nintendo)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Deathloop leads the nominations with eight, including Game of the Year, Best Narrative, and Best Performance (Jason E. Kelley and Ozioma Akagha have been nominated separately for their performances as Colt and Julianna). It Takes Two, Psychonauts 2, Returnal, and Life is Strange: True Colors are other titles that have received multiple nominations.
We will also see the return of the Innovation in Accessibility Award that made its debut last year, along with the Games for Impact award. The Best Performance nominees, including the previous two mentioned, are a pretty diverse crowd, such as Erika Mori from True Colors, Giancarlo Esposito from Far Cry 6, and Maggie Robertson from Village.
The event will be held live again, the last time was back in 2019, and the Game Awards Orchestra will also return for a performance. A statement released by Game Awards has said the event will feature “the shows biggest-ever world premiere slate.”
Fans will be able to vote for all categories using the Game Awards website. Votes can be cast for the “Best Esports Team” through the Game Awards’ Twitter DMs and Discord. You can submit your votes here.
Aside from the Game of the Year Award, here is the complete list of categories and nominations
2. Best Game Direction
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
- Returnal (Housemarque/SIE)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
3. Best Ongoing
- Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (Infinity Ward/Raven/Activision)
- FINAL FANTASY XIV Online (SQUARE ENIX)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
4. Best Indie
- 12 Minutes (Luis Antonio/Annapurna Interactive)
- Death’s Door (Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
- Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital)
- Loop Hero (Four Quarters/Devolver Digital)
5. Best Debut Indie
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
- Sable (Shedworks/Raw Fury)
- The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna)
- The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers)
- Valheim (Iron Gate/Coffee Stain)
6. Best Narrative
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
- Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine/SQUARE ENIX)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/SQUARE ENIX)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
7. Best Art Direction
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna)
8. Best Score and Music
- Cyberpunk 2077 (Marcin Przybylowicz, Piotr T. Adamczyk, Composers)
- Deathloop (Tom Salta, Composer)
- NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 (Keiichi Okabe, Composer)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Richard Jacques, Composer)
- The Artful Escape (Johnny Galvatron & Josh Abrahams, Composers)
9. Best Audio Design
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
- Returnal (Housemarque/SIE)
10. Best Performance
- Erika Mori as Alex Chen, Life is Strange: True Colors
- Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo, Far Cry 6
- Jason E. Kelley as Colt Vahn, Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu, Resident Evil Village
- Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake, Deathloop
11. Games for Impact
- Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games/Skybound Games)
- Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
- Chicory (Greg Lobanow, Alexis dean-Jones, Lena Raine, Madeline Berger, A Shell in the Pit/Finji)
- Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine/SQUARE ENIX)
- No Longer Home (Humble Grove, Hana Lee, Cel Davison, Adrienne Lombardo, Eli Rainsberry/Fellow Traveler)
12. Best Community Support
- Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- FINAL FANTASY XIV Online (SQUARE ENIX)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
13. Best Mobile Game, Presented by Verizon
- Fantasian (Mistwalker)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
- League of Legends: Wild Rift (Riot Games)
- MARVEL Future Revolution (Netmarble)
- Pokemon Unite (TiMi Studios/The Pokemon Company)
14. Best VR/AR
- Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)
- I Expect You To Die 2 (Schell Games)
- Lone Echo II (Ready at Dawn/Oculus Studios)
- Resident Evil 4 (Armature Studio/Capcom/Oculus Studios)
- Sniper Elite VR (Coatsink/Just Add Water/Rebellion Developments)
15. Best Action
- Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock/WB Games)
- Chivalry II (Torn Banner Studios/Tripwire Interactive)
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)
- Returnal (Housemarque/SIE)
16. Best Action/Adventure
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/SQUARE ENIX)
- Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam/Nintendo)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
17. Best Role Playing
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
- Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
- Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco)
- Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus/Sega)
- Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco)
18. Best Fighting
- Demon Slayer- Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles (CyberConnect2/Sega)
- Guilty Gear- Strive (Arc System Works)
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina (French-Bread/Delightworks)
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill)
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown (Sega)
19. Best Family
- It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
- Mario Party Superstars (NDcube/Nintendo)
- New Pokémon Snap (Bandai Namco/The Pokémon Company/Nintendo)
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo)
- WarioWare: Get It Together! (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
20. Best Sports/Racing
- F1 2021 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
- FIFA 22 (EA Vancouver/EA Sports)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)
- Hot Wheels Unleashed (Milestone)
- Riders Republic (Ubisoft Annecy/Ubisoft)
21. Best Sim/Strategy
- Age of Empires IV (Relic Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination (Rebellion Developments)
- Humankind (Amplitude Studios/Sega)
- Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios)
22. Best Multiplayer
- Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock/WB Games)
- It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
- Knockout City (Velan Studios/EA)
- Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
- New World (Amazon Games)
- Valheim (Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain)
23. Most Anticipated, Presented by Prime Gaming
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarok (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
- Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)
- Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
24. Innovation in Accessibility, Presented by Chevrolet
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/SQUARE ENIX)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Creative Bytes Studios/Falling Squirrel)
25. Content Creator of the Year
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
26. Best Esports Game, Presented by Grubhub
- Call of Duty (Activision)
- CS:GO (Valve)
- DOTA 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- Valorant (Riot Games)
27. Best Esports Athlete
- Chris “Simp” Lehr
- Heo “ShowMaker” Su
- Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
28. Best Esports Team
- Atlanta FaZe (COD)
- DWG KIA (LOL)
- Natus Vincere (CS:GO)
- Sentinels (Valorant)
- Team Spirit (DOTA 2)
29. Best Esports Coach
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
- James “Crowder” Crowder
- Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
30. Best Esports Event
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
- The International 2021
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
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