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It’s that time of year again! Geoff Keighley’s annual awards mega show, The Game Awards, aired today to celebrate the industry’s greatest achievements over the past 12 months. While a major draw of the event was obviously a plethora of reveals and exciting trailers for upcoming games, we can’t forget the reason why this whole thing exists – the awards.
There were some seriously strong contenders this year in all categories, and a huge congratulations goes out to all of them, but there can only be one winner in each and here they are!
GAME OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Winner: It Takes Two
BEST GAME DIRECTION
Nominees:
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Winner: Deathloop
BEST NARRATIVE
Nominees:
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
Winner: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
BEST ART DIRECTION
Nominees:
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Winner: Deathloop
BEST SCORE + MUSIC
Nominees:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Artful Escape
Winner: Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139
BEST AUDIO DESIGN
Nominees:
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Winner: Forza Horizon 5
BEST PERFORMANCE
Nominees:
- Erika Mori, Life is Strange
- Giancarlo Esposito, Far Cry 6
- Jason E. Kelley, Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson, Resident Evil Village
- Ozioama Akagha, Deathloop
Winner: Maggie Robertson
GAMES FOR IMPACT
Nominees:
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- No Longer Home
Winner: Life is Strange: True Colours
BEST ONGOING GAME
Nominees:
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: War Zone
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV Online
BEST INDIE GAME
Nominees:
- 12 Minutes
- Death’s Door
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
BEST MOBILE GAME
Nominees:
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends
- MARVEL Future Revolution
- Pokemon Unite
Winner: Genshin Impact
BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Nominees:
- Apex Legends: Escape
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV Online
INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY
Nominees:
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Winner: Forza Horizon 5
BEST VR/AR GAME
Nominees:
- Hitman III
- I Expect You to Die 2
- Lone Echo II
- Resident Evil 4
- Sniper Elite VR
Winner: Resident Evil 4 VR
BEST ACTION GAME
Nominees:
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry II
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
Nominees:
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Psychonauts 2
Winner: Metroid Dread
BEST ROLEPLAYING GAME
Nominees:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise
Winner: Tales of Arise
BEST FIGHTING GAME
Nominees:
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles
- Guilty Gear -Strive-
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
Winner: Guilty Gear -Strive-
BEST FAMILY GAME
Nominees:
- It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokémon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
Winner: It Takes Two
BEST SIM/STRATEGY GAME
Nominees:
- Age of Empires IV
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Winner: Age of Empires IV
BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME
Nominees:
- F1 2021
- Fifa 22
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Forza Horizon 5
- Riders Republic
Winner: Forza Horizon 5
BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME
Nominees:
- Back 4 Blood
- It Takes Two
- Knockout City
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- Valheim
Winner: It Takes Two
CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
Winner: Dream
BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME
Nominees:
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Sable
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Valheim
Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Nominees:
- Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Starfield
Winner: Elden Ring
BEST ESPORTS GAME
Nominees:
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- DOTA2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Winner: League of Legends
BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE
Nominees:
- Chris “Simp” Lehr
- Heo “ShowMaker” Su
- Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Winner: Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
BEST ESPORTS TEAM
Nominees:
- Atlanta FaZe, Call of Duty
- DWG KIA, League of Legends
- NAVI, CS:GO
- Team Spirit, DOTA2
- Sentinels, Valorant
Winner: NAVI, CS:GO
BEST ESPORTS COACH
Nominees:
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
- James “Crowder” Crowder
- Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
Winner: Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
BEST ESPORTS EVENT
Nominees:
- The International 2021
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
Winner: 2021 League of Legends World Championship
A huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners!
