The Game Awards (hosted by Geoff Keighley) airs on December 9 live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. We already know the in-person event will showcase a significant number of new and upcoming titles, but celebrating 2021’s most outstanding games remains the heart of the show. Today, we learned the nominees for each category, which you can vote on right now at the Game Awards official website.
The nominees are:
Game of the Year
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Best Game Direction
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Narrative
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
Best Performance
- Erika Mori (Alex Chen/Life is Strange: True Colors)
- Giancarlo Esposito (Anton Castillo/Far Cry 6)
- Jason Kelly (Colt Vahn/Deathloop)
- Maggie Robertson (Alcina Dimitrescu/Resident Evil Village)
- Ozioma Akagha (Julianna Blake/Deathloop)
Best Multiplayer
- Back 4 Blood
- Knockout City
- It Takes Two
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- Valheim
Deathloop
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Genshin Impact
- Fortnite
Best Art Direction
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Best Score & Music
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Nier Replicant ver. 1.22474487139
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Artful Escape
Best Audio Design
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Innovation in Accessibility
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Games for Impact
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- No Longer Home
Best Independent Game
- Death’s Door
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
- Twelve Minutes
Best Mobile Game
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Marvel Future Revolution
- Pokémon Unite
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Best Debut Indie Game
- Kena: Bridge of Spirts
- Sable
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Valheim
Psychonauts 2
Best AR/VR Game
- Hitman III
- I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
- Lone Echo II
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Sniper Elite VR
Content Creator of the Year
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- The Grefg
Best Action Game
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry II
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Psychonauts 2
Best Role-Playing Game
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise
Tales of Arise
Most Anticipated Game
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden 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-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown
Best Family Game
- It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokémon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- Warioware: Get It Together!
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Age of Empires IV
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Sports/Racing Game
- F1 2021
- FIFA 2022
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Forza Horizon 5
- Riders Republic
Inscryption
Best eSports Game
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- Dota 2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best eSports Athlete
- Collapse
- S1mple
- Showmaker
- Tenz
- Simp
Best eSports Team
- Atlanta Faze (Call of Duty)
- DWG KIA (League of Legends)
- Natus Vincere (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- Sentinels (Valorant)
- Team Spirit (Dota 2)
Best eSports Coach
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov
- Andreii “B1AD3” Horodenskyi
- James “Crowder” Crowder
- Kim “KKoma” Jeong-Gyun
Best eSports Event
- 2021 League of Legends World Championships
- The International 2021
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
For more on The Game Awards, you can read the full list of winners from last year’s show here. For a look at our own opinions on the year’s best and brightest, be sure to also check out Game Informer’s evolving list of the top-scoring games of 2021.
