Geoff Keighley just announced the list of nominees for The Game Awards 2021. It looks like Deathloop led the charge with nine nominations across a variety of categories.
Deathloop was featured in several categories this year, including: Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Audio Design, Best Action Game, and Game of the Year. It was also nominated for two performances in Best Performance. We can thank the stellar work by Jason E. Kelley and Ozioama Akagha for their performances as Colt and Julianna respectively.
Other big nominees this year include Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which received six nominations. Another massive hit seems to be It Takes Two. The co-op adventure title received five nominations across various categories.
The Game of the Year category is going to be a real interesting race between the following titles: Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil Village.
The Game Awards 2021 will air live as an in-person even on December 9, 2021. There will be plenty of new reveals coming during this year's show, so you'll want to tune in.
The full list of nominated titles and their corresponding categories can be found below. Please note that the list below was compiled by IGN for easy reference.
Game of the Year
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.
For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
For the best game playable on a mobile device.
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
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.
For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.
Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.
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.
Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Artful Escape
Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.
- Erika Mori, Life is Strange
- Giancarlo Esposito, Far Cry 6
- Jason E. Kelley, Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson, Resident Evil Village
- Ozioama Akagha, Deathloop
For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- No Longer Home
Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: War Zone
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- 12 Minutes
- Death's Door
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Sable
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Valheim
For the best game playable on a mobile device.
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends
- MARVEL Future Revolution
- Pokemon Unite
Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.
- Apex Legends: Escape
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Fortnite
- No Man's Sky
For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.
- Hitman III
- I Expect You to Die 2
- Lone Echo II
- Resident Evil 4
- Sniper Elite VR
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.
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry II
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Psychonauts 2
For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise
For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles
- Guilty Gear -Strive-
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.
- It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokémon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.
- F1 2021
- Fifa 22
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Forza Horizon 5
- Riders Republic
Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.
- Age of Empires IV
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.
- Back 4 Blood
- It Takes Two
- Knockout City
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- Valheim
For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.
- Chris "Simp" Lehr
- Heo "ShowMaker" Su
- Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov
- Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev
- Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
The esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.
- Airat "Silent" Gaziev
- Andrey "ENGH" Sholokhov
- Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi
- James "Crowder" Crowder
- Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun
Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.
- The International 2021
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
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.
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- DOTA2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.
- Atlanta FaZe, Call of Duty
- DWG KIA, League of Legends
- NAVI, CS:GO
- Team Spirit, DOTA2
- Sentinels, Valorant
Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.
- Elden Ring
- God of War: Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Starfield
