The new release calendar was a bit thinner in 2021 for a variety of reasons, so this year’s slate at The Game Awards was truly a free-for-all. With no clear frontrunner, many people expected a big night for Arkane’s Deathloop, which received nine nominations across eight categories (including “Game of the Year”). But with more than 100 games receiving at least one nomination, there were bound to be some surprises.
And there were definitely some surprises… such as It Takes Two winning “Game of the Year.” Hazelight’s weird and wild multiplayer adventure also won “Best Multiplayer” and beat out four Nintendo-produced titles to triumph in the “Best Family Game” category.
In between a dizzying amount of trailers for upcoming games, musical performances, and a short scene from The Matrix Resurrections, host Geoff Keighley gave out a few other awards.
While it was denied the big prize, Deathloop collected two statuettes (for “Best Game Direction” and “Best Art Direction”). Other “Game of the Year” nominees had their moment in the sun, including Nintendo’s Metroid Dread, which won “Best Action/Adventure Game.” And Maggie Robertson’s appearance as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village won over the Internet earlier this year, which made her “Best Performance” win at The Game Awards rather fitting.
Other multi-award winners included Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 5 (“Best Audio Design,” “Best Sports/Racing Game,” and “Innovation in Accessibility”), Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV (“Best Ongoing Game” and “Best Community Support”), Ember Lab’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits (“Best Independent Game” and “Best Debut Indie”).
This year’s group of nominees also included Cyberpunk 2077, which was released in December 2020 and missed the cutoff for last year’s judging period. While it received a chilly reception at launch, after a year of updates and bug fixes, CD Projekt’s sprawling futuristic RPG received two nominations, but didn’t win in either category. This year’s cutoff (November 19th) was particularly early, so we’ll likely be talking about Halo Infinite at the 2022 Game Awards.
But that’s next year. Right now, you can find a video replay of the 2021 Game Awards after the break, as well as a complete list of winners, and all the nominees.
Jury-Voted Categories
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Deathloop
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Best Game Direction
Awarded to a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- WINNER: Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- WINNER: Guardians of the Galaxy
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life Is Strange: True Colors
- Psychonauts 2
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- WINNER: Deathloop
- The Artful Escape
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Score and Music
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- WINNER: Keiichi Okabe – Nier Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139
- Johnny Galvatron and Josh Abrahams – The Artful Escape
- Marcin Przybylowicz and Piotr T. Adamczyk – Cyberpunk 2077
- Richard Jacques – Guardians of the Galaxy
- Tom Salta – Deathloop
Best Audio Design
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
- Deathloop
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion, and/or performance capture.
- WINNER: Maggie Robertson (As Lady Dimitrescu) – Resident Evil Village
- 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
- Ozioma Akagha (As Julianna Blake) – Deathloop
Games For Impact
For a thought provoking game with a profound pro-social meaning or message.
- WINNER: Life Is Strange: True Colors
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory
- No Longer Home
Best Independent Game
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- 12 Minutes
- Death’s Door
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
Best Mobile Game (Presented by Verizon)
For the best game playable on a dedicated mobile device.
- WINNER: Genshin Impact
- Fantasian
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Marvel Future Revolution
- Pokemon Unite
Best VR/AR Game
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Resident Evil 4
- Hitman 3
- I Expect You To Die 2
- Lone Echo II
- Sniper Elite VR
Best Ongoing Game
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Best Action Game
For the best game in the action genre focused on combat.
- WINNER: Returnal
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry II
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
Best Action/Adventure Game
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- WINNER: Metroid Dread
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Best Role Playing Game
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- WINNER: Tales of Arise
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei V
Best Fighting Game
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- WINNER: Guilty Gear: Strive
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
Best Family Game
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokemon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
Best Sim/Strategy Game
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- WINNER: Age of Empires IV
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Sports/Racing Game
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
- F1 2021
- FIFA 22
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Riders Republic
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Back 4 Blood
- Knockout City
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- Valheim
Best Debut Indie
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Sable
- Valheim
Best Community Support
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsiveness. Inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Innovation in Accessibility (Presented by Chevrolet)
Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology, and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.
- WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
- Far Cry 6
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Best Esports Game (Presented by GrubHub)
For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support, and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.
- WINNER: League of Legends
- Call of Duty
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- DOTA 2
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.
- WINNER: Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Chris “Simp” Lehr
- Heo “ShowMaker” Su
- Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
- Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Best Esports Team
The esports team judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2021, inclusive of multi-team organizations.
- WINNER: Natus Vincere – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Atlanta FaZe – Call of Duty
- DWG KIA – League of Legends
- Sentinels – Valorant
- Team Spirit – DOTA2
Best Esports Coach
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.
- WINNER: Kim “kkOma” Jeong-Gyun
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
- James “Crowder” Crowder
Best Esports Event
Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.
- WINNER: 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
- The International 2021
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
Content Creator of the Year
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the industry in 2021.
- WINNER: Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
Most Anticipated Game (Presented by Prime Gaming)
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
- WINNER: Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon: Forbidden West
- Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Starfield
Fan-Voted Categories
Player’s Voice
- WINNER: Halo Infinite
- Forza Horizon 5
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Resident Evil Village