The Game Awards 2021: Deathloop, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, It Takes Two and Psychonauts 2 lead nominations
The Game Awards 2021 nominees have been revealed.
Nominees for The Game Awards 2021 have been announced with Deathloop, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, It Takes Two, and Psychonauts 2 leading the pack.
This year’s Game of the Year nominees are Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil Village.
In the Best Performance category, nominees include Giancarlo Esposito of Far Cry 6, Jason E. Kelley and Ozioma Akagha of Deathloop, Erika Mori of Life is Strange: True Colors, and Maggie Robertson of Resident Evil Village.
This year, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda is the most nominated publisher with 20 nominations followed by Sony Interactive Entertainment with 11 nominations, and Square Enix and EA with 10 nominations each.
With the announcement of nominees, you can now vote. Additionally, you can help determine the “Best eSports Team” category via The Game Awards’ Twitter DMs, as well as vote via The Game Awards Discord server.
In 2020, The Game Awards saw 83 million livestreams, up 84% year-over-year. After going all virtual last year, the show will return as a live ceremony at the Microsoft Theater on Thursday, December 9, 2021, and it can be viewed via 40 global video, social, and gaming platforms. More details on additional musical performances, presenters, and the show's world-premiere slate will be announced in the coming weeks.
Spotlighting the leading games, studios, and creatives from 2020-2021, this year’s list of nominees includes 107 different games, individuals, teams, and events. You can look over the entire list below. Nominees are selected by a global jury of more than 100 media publications (including us!) and influencer outlets.
The Game Awards 2021 Nominees
Game of the Year
- 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
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Narrative
- Deathloop
- It Takes Tw
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
Best Art Direction
- The Artful Escape
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clanl: Rift Apart
Best Score and Music
- The Artful Escape
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Nier Replicant
Best Audio Design
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
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
Games for Impact
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- No Longer Home
Best Ongoing
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Final Fantasy 14 Online
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Best Indie
- 12 Minutes
- Death’s Door
- 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 Online
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
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
Best AR/VR
- Hitman 3
- I Expect You To Die 2
- Lone Echo 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Sniper Elite VR
Best Action Game
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry 2
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
Best Action Adventure
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Best Roleplaying
- Cyberpunk
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei 5
- Tales of Arise
Best Fighting
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles
- Guilty Gear Strive
- Melty Blood - Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
Best Family
- It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokemon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- Warioware: Get it Together
Best Sim/Strategy
- Age of Empires 4
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Best Sports/Racing
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Multiplayer
- F1 2021
- FIFA 22
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hot Wheel Unleashed
- Rider Republic
Best Debut Indie
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Sable
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Valheim
Most Anticipated Game
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Starfield
Best Content Creator of the Year
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
Best eSports Game
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best eSports Athlete
- Chris "Simp" Lehr
- Heo "ShowMaker" Su
- Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov
- Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev
- Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
Best eSports Team
- Atlanta FaZe (COD)
- DWG KIA (LOL)
- Natus Vincere (CS:GO)
- Sentinels (Valorant)
- Team Spirit (DOTA2)
Best eSports Coach
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey "ENGH" Sholokhov
- Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi
- James "Crowder" Crowder
- Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun
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