The nominees for The Game Awards 2021 have been announced by Geoff Keighley, with Deathloop leading the pack with nine nominations.
This year, Deathloop was nominated for several awards, including Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Audio Design, Best Action Game, and Game of the Year. Deathloop also received two nominations for Best Performance, with Jason E. Kelley and Ozioama Akagha each receiving one.
Among the more intriguing nominees is Cyberpunk 2077, which was released late last year and was widely panned for its bugs and slow performance, especially on consoles. It has been nominated for two awards: Best Score and Best Role-Playing. The inscription, a recent indie darling, is also nominated for “Best Indie,” though Wildermyth is noticeably absent from all categories (at least to RPS).
This year, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and It Takes Two both received six and five nominations in various categories, including the highly prestigious Game of the Year category, where they competed alongside Deathloop, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, and Resident Evil Village.
The complete list of categories and nominees for The Games Awards 2021 is as follows:
Game of the Year for The Games Awards 2021
Recognizing a game that provides the best experience in all creative and technical fields.
- 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)
Best Game Direction for The Games Awards 2021
Awarded for exceptional creative vision and innovation in game development and design.
- 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)
Best Ongoing for The Games Awards 2021
Awarded to a game for outstanding ongoing content development that improves the player experience over time.
- Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (Infinity Ward/Raven/Activision)
- FINAL FANTASY XIV Online (SQUARE ENIX)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
Best Indie for The Games Awards 2021
For exceptional creative and technical achievement in a game developed outside of the traditional publishing system.
- 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)
Best Debut Indie for The Games Awards 2021
For the best first-person shooter created by a new independent studio.
- 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)
Best Narrative for The Games Awards 2021
For outstanding narrative development and storytelling in a video game.
- 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)
Best Art Direction for The Games Awards 2021
In recognition of exceptionally creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- 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)
Best Score and Music for The Games Awards 2021
For exceptional music, including score, original song, and/or licensed soundtrack.
- 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)
Best Audio Design for The Games Awards 2021
Awarded for the best in-game audio and sound 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)
Best Performance for The Games Awards 2021
Awarded to a person for voice-over acting, motion capture, and/or performance capture.
- 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
Games for Impact for The Games Awards 2021
For a game that is thought-provoking and has a pro-social meaning or message.
- 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)
Best Community Support for The Games Awards 2021
Recognizing a game for exceptional community support, transparency, and responsiveness, which includes social media activity and game updates/patches.
- Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- FINAL FANTASY XIV Online (SQUARE ENIX)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best Mobile Game for The Games Awards 2021
For the best game that can be played on a mobile device.
- Fantasian (Mistwalker)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
- League of Legends: Wild Rift (Riot Games)
- MARVEL Future Revolution (Netmarble)
- Pokemon Unite (TiMi Studios/The Pokemon Company)
Best VR/AR for The Games Awards 2021
For the best game experience, regardless of platform, playable in virtual or augmented reality.
- 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)
Best Action for The Games Awards 2021
For the best game in the action genre with a primary focus on combat.
- 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)
Best Action/Adventure for The Games Awards 2021
For the best action/adventure game that incorporates combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving.
- 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)
Best Role-Playing for The Games Awards 2021
For the best game with extensive player character customization and progression, as well as massively multiplayer experiences.
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
- Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
- Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco)
- Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus/Sega)
- Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco)
Best Fighting for The Games Awards 2021
For the best game that is primarily focused on head-to-head combat.
- 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)
Best Family for The Games Awards 2021
For the best game suitable for family play, regardless of genre or platform.
- 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)
Best Sports/Racing for The Games Awards 2021
For the best sports and racing games, both traditional and non-traditional.
- 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)
Best Sim/Strategy for The Games Awards 2021
Regardless of platform, the best game focused on real-time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay.
- 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)
Best Multiplayer for The Games Awards 2021
Regardless of game genre or platform, for outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.
- 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)
Most Anticipated for The Games Awards 2021
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrated the potential to advance the gaming medium.
- Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- God of War Ragnarök (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)
Innovation in Accessibility for The Games Awards 2021
Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology, and content to allow games to be played and enjoyed by a larger audience.
- 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)
Content Creator of the Year for The Games Awards 2021
In 2021, this award will be given to a streamer or content creator who has had a significant and positive impact on the community.
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
Best Esports Game for The Games Awards 2021
For the game that has given players the best overall esports experience (including tournaments, community support, and content updates), regardless of genre or platform.
- Call of Duty (Activision)
- CS:GO (Valve)
- DOTA2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- Valorant (Riot Games)
Best Esports Athlete for The Games Awards 2021
The esports athlete is deemed to be the most outstanding in terms of performance and conduct in 2021, regardless of the game.
- Chris “Simp” Lehr
- Heo “ShowMaker” Su
- Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Best Esports Team for The Games Awards 2021
Recognizing a specific esports team (rather than the entire organization) that was judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.
- Atlanta FaZe (COD)
- DWG KIA (LOL)
- Natus Vincere (CS:GO)
- Sentinels (Valorant)
- Team Spirit (DOTA2)
Best Esports Coach for The Games Awards 2021
In 2021, the esports coach was deemed to be the most outstanding in terms of performance and conduct.
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
- James “Crowder” Crowder
- Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
Best Esports Event for The Games Awards 2021
Recognizing an event (on a single or multiple days) that provided participants and the broadcast audience with a best-in-class experience.
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
- The International 2021
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
