When the nominations for The Game Awards 2021 were announced, they signaled another packed awards season ahead. Geoff Keighley revealed the full slate during a Tuesday livestream before the December 9 ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. After a digital-only event in 2020, the show was set to return to an in-person format while continuing to offer an online broadcast for viewers around the world.
The previous year had belonged to The Last of Us Part II, which famously swept six categories and took home the coveted Game of the Year award. That PlayStation exclusive went on to become one of the most-awarded video games in history during the 2020 awards season. Other titles such as Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons also received recognition. Yet many viewers had begun to treat the ceremony as a showcase for major game trailers rather than an awards show alone. Anticipated projects like Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age 4 made high-profile appearances between winner announcements in the prior event, and the 2021 show was expected to bookend similarly significant reveals.
Game of the Year Race
A panel of media outlets decided the nominees, and the Game of the Year field included some of the most critically acclaimed releases in the eligibility window. The six hopefuls were:
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Deathloop from Arkane Studios and Bethesda
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It Takes Two from Hazelight Studios and EA
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Metroid Dread from Mercury Steam and Nintendo
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Psychonauts 2 from Double Fine and Xbox Game Studios
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart from Insomniac Games and SIE
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Resident Evil Village from Capcom
These nominations reflected a diverse mix of action, adventure, co-op storytelling, horror, and platforming. The competition highlighted a strong year for games that blended creative direction with polished mechanical design.
Major Category Highlights
Beyond the top prize, The Game Awards 2021 featured 30 categories. Several categories produced particularly close races.
Best Game Direction
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Deathloop
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It Takes Two
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Returnal
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Psychonauts 2
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Narrative
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Deathloop
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It Takes Two
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Life is Strange: True Colors
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Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
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Psychonauts 2
Best Art Direction
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Deathloop
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Kena: Bridge of Spirits
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Psychonauts 2
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
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The Artful Escape
Best Score and Music
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Cyberpunk 2077
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Deathloop
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Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
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The Artful Escape
Best Audio Design
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Deathloop
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Forza Horizon 5
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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
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Resident Evil Village
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Returnal
Best Performance
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Erika Mori as Alex Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors
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Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo in Far Cry 6
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Jason E. Kelley as Colt Vahn in Deathloop
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Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village
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Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake in Deathloop
Games for Impact
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Before Your Eyes
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Boyfriend Dungeon
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Chicory
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Life is Strange: True Colors
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No Longer Home
Remaining Categories at a Glance
The following table summarizes the other key nominees.
| Category | Nominees |
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| Best Ongoing | Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Fortnite, Genshin Impact |
| Best Indie | 12 Minutes, Death’s Door, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Inscryption, Loop Hero |
| Best Debut Indie | Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Sable, The Artful Escape, The Forgotten City, Valheim |
| Best Community Support | Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Fortnite, No Man’s Sky |
| Best Mobile Game | Fantasian, Genshin Impact, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Marvel Future Revolution, Pokémon Unite |
| Best VR/AR | Hitman 3, I Expect You To Die 2, Lone Echo II, Resident Evil 4, Sniper Elite VR |
| Best Action | Back 4 Blood, Chivalry II, 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 Role Playing | Cyberpunk 2077, Monster Hunter Rise, Scarlet Nexus, Shin Megami Tensei V, 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 Pokémon Snap, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, WarioWare: Get It Together! |
| Best Sports/Racing | F1 2021, FIFA 22, Forza Horizon 5, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Riders Republic |
| Best Sim/Strategy | Age of Empires IV, Evil Genius 2: World Domination, Humankind, Inscryption, Microsoft Flight Simulator |
| Best Multiplayer | Back 4 Blood, It Takes Two, Knockout City, Monster Hunter Rise, New World, Valheim |
| Most Anticipated | Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Starfield |
| 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 |
| Content Creator of the Year | Dream, Fuslie, Gaules, Ibai, TheGrefg |
| Best Esports Game | Call of Duty, CS:GO, DOTA2, 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, DWG KIA, Natus Vincere, Sentinels, Team Spirit |
| 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 |
Publisher Standings and Eligibility
A follow-up post from The Game Awards highlighted the publishers leading the nomination count. Xbox and Bethesda had raked in the greatest number of nominations during their first shared awards season after Bethesda’s acquisition, totaling 20. Sony Interactive Entertainment followed in second place with 11 nominations. EA and Square Enix were tied for third place. Despite Xbox’s lead, the final award count remained unpredictable.
The eligibility period ran from November 21, 2020 to November 19, 2021. That window meant major releases such as Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite would not be considered until the following year’s show. The 2022 Game of the Year pool was already shaping up to be competitive, with those titles joining games like Elden Ring and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In comparison, the 2021 GOTY and Player’s Voice decisions appeared relatively clear, even though the nominees represented a strong year.
This discussion is informed by GamesIndustry.biz, whose reporting on industry awards and publisher strategy helps contextualize why nomination totals (like Xbox/Bethesda leading the 2021 field) matter beyond the trophies—shaping marketing beats, platform momentum, and the timing of big reveals that increasingly share the spotlight with categories such as Game of the Year.