The Game Awards 2021 reveals its nominees for this year’s event

Some big nods for smaller teams and also, Cyberpunk?

The Game Awards 2021 has revealed its list of nominees for this year’s event. Par for any awards show, there are certainly some pleasant surprises and interesting selections.

Host Geoff Keighley announced the lineup of 2021 Game Awards nominees today during a livestreamed special, running down the list of games in each category. The selections were determined by ballot, with over 100 media and influencer outlets participating.

Some pleasant surprises were in store for indie teams, as some of this year’s hidden gems like Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Inscryption, Loop Hero, and more getting nominations. Leading the pack were some expected AAA games, including Deathloop, Returnal, Psychonauts 2, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Xbox/Bethesda was the most nominated publisher, followed by Sony, EA, and Square Enix.

Here are the Most Nominated Publishers at #TheGameAwards this year, led by the combined Xbox + Bethesda with 20 nominations, and Sony Interactive Entertainment with 11. pic.twitter.com/FQT4utrCZy

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) November 16, 2021

Also, Cyberpunk 2077 appears in the Best RPG category. It clears the bar, as a December 2020 launch, but it’s an odd choice up against stiff competition in the form of Tales of Arise, Monster Hunter Rise, Scarlet Nexus, and Shin Megami Tensei V.

You can go vote on the nominees at The Game Awards 2021 site here.

Here’s the full lineup of The Game Awards 2021 nominees, broken down by category:

Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Metroid Dread
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Best Game Direction

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Returnal
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Best Mobile Game

• Fantasian
• Genshin Impact
• League of Legends: Wild Rift
• Marvel Future Revolution
• Pokemon Unite

Best Independent Game

• 12 Minutes
• Death’s Door
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero

Best Debut Indie Game

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

Best AR/VR

• Hitman 3
• I Expect You To Die 2
• Lone Echo
• Resident Evil 4
• Sniper Elite VR

Best Narrative

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

Best Action Game

• Back 4 Blood
• Chivalry II
• Deathloop
• Far Cry 6
• Returnal

Best Action/Adventure

• Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• Metroid Dread
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village
• Psychonauts 2

Best RPG

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Scarlet Nexus
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Tales of Arise

Best Fighting Game

• 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 Game

• 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 IV
• Evil Genius 2: World Domination
• Humankind
• Inscryption
• Microsoft Flight Simulator

Best Sports/Racing

• F1 2021
• FIFA 2022
• Hot Wheels Unleashed
• Forza Horizon 5
• Riders Republic

Games For Impact

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

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 Art Direction

• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Psychonauts 2
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• The Artful Escape

Best Score/Music

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Deathloop
• Nier Replicant
• Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• The Artful Escape

Best Audio Design

• Deathloop
• Forza Horizon 5
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village
• Returnal

Best Performance

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

Best Multiplayer

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

Best Ongoing Game

• Apex Legends
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Final Fantasy XIV Online
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

Best Community Support

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

Most Anticipated Game

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

Best Esports Game

• Call of Duty
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• 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 (Call of Duty)
• DAMWON Gaming (League of Legends)
• Na’Vi (CS:GO)
• Team Spirit (Dota 2)
• Sentinels (Valorant)

Best Esports Coach

• B1AD3
• Crowder
• Engh
• Kkoma
• Silent

Best Esports Event

• The International 2021
• Worlds 2021
• Valorant Masters 2021
• PGL Major Stockholm 2021
• PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2021

Content Creator of the Year

• Dream
• Fuslie
• Gaules
• Ibai
• The Grefg

The Game Awards 2021 will air on Dec. 9, 2021.