The Game Awards 2021 nominees announced, with Deathloop and Metroid Dread among the GOTY contenders

The Game Awards, which recognizes the year’s best games, announced the six nominees for 2021 on Wednesday (November 17), as well as the nominees in each category. At the same time, the public vote is now open on the official website.
The Game Awards are the world’s biggest gaming awards, held at the end of every year, and in 2020 The Last of Us Part II won the award with 83 million viewers watching live. The following games were named Game of the Year, the year’s best games.

Game of the Year

Deathloop
It Takes Two
Metroid Dread
Psychonauts 2
Ratchet & Clank: Parallel Trouble
Resident Evil: The Village

Each of these titles received multiple nominations in other categories, with Deathloop making a particularly strong showing. It Takes Two” and “Ratchet & Clank: Parallel Problems” are also in the running. The full list of nominees for each category is as follows

Best Game Direction

Deathloop
It Takes Two
Returnal
Psychonauts 2
Ratchet & Clank Parallel Trouble

Best Narrative

Deathloop
It Takes Two
Life is Strange True Colors
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Psychonauts 2

Best Art Direction

Deathloop
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Psychonauts 2
Ratchet & Clank: Parallel Trouble
The Artful Escape

Best Score/Music

Cyberpunk 2077
Deathloop
Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
The Artful Escape

Best Audio Design

Deathloop
Forza Horizon 5
Ratchet & Clank: Parallel Trouble
Resident Evil: The Village
Returnal

Best Performance

Erika Mori (Life is Strange True Colors)
Giancarlo Esposito (Far Cry 6)
Jason E. Kelley (Deathloop)
Maggie Robertson (Resident Evil: The Village)
Ozioama Akagha (Deathloop)

Games for Impact

Before Your Eyes
Boyfriend Dungeon
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Life is Strange True Colors
No Longer Home

Best Ongoing Game

Apex Legends
Call of Duty: Warzone
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Original God

Best Independent Game

Twelve Minutes
Death’s Door
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Inscription
Loop Hero

Best Mobile Game

FANTASIAN
FANTASIAN
League of Legends: Wild Drift
MARVEL Future Revolution
Pokemon Unite

Best Community Support

Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
No Man’s Sky

Innovation in Accessibility

Far Cry 6
Forza Horizon 5
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Ratchet & Clank: Parallel Trouble
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown

Best VR / AR

HITMAN 3
I Expect You To Die 2
Lone Echo II
Resident Evil 4
Sniper Elite VR

Best Action Game

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: Parallel Trouble
Resident Evil: The Village

Best Role Playing

Cyberpunk 2077
Monster Hunter Rise
SCARLET NEXUS
Shin Megami Tensei V
Tales of Arise

Best Fighting

Blade of Annihilation Hinokami Keppu Tan
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- (import)
MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Virtua Fighter eSports

Best Family

It Take Two
Mario Party Superstars
New Pokémon Snap
Super Mario 3D World + Fury World
Osusowake Made in Wario

Best Sim / Strategy

Age of Empires IV
Evil Genius 2: World Domination
HUMANKIND
Inscryption
Microsoft Flight Simulator

Best Sports / Racing

F1 2021
FIFA 22
Forza Horizon 5
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Rider’s Republic

Best Multiplayer Game

Back 4 Blood
It Takes Two
Knockout City
Monster Hunter Rise
New World
Valheim

Content Creator of the Year

dream
Fuslie
Gaules
Ibai
Grefg

Best Debut Indie

The Artful Escape
The Forgotten City
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Sable
Valheim

Most Anticipated Game

The Elden Ring
God of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
Starfield

Best Esports Game

Call of Duty
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
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
Andrei “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
James “Crowder” Crowder
Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun

Best Esports Event

2021 League of Legends World Championship
The International 2021
PGL Major Stockholm 2021
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: Stage 2 Masters

　The Game Awards will be held at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday 10 December. The Game Awards will be held on Friday 10 December at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, and we’ll be keeping you updated with real-time coverage. In the meantime, we’ve rounded up our favourite Game of the Year nominees, which we’ll be reviewing as we await the announcement.