It Takes Two, Josef Fares’ co-op action-adventure game about a couple going through a divorce, won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. Know Game Awards winners & nominees and more
The Game Awards 2021 took place on December 9. Fares congratulated his Stockholm-based company Hazelight Studios in his winning speech. It Takes Two and the popular and acclaimed racing game Forza Horizon 5 tied for the most honours at The Game Awards 2021 (three each), with the latter’s publisher, Xbox Game Studios, finishing as the night’s most successful publisher.
The Game Awards 2021 presented a total of 26 video game prizes. With the exception of two categories (Players’ Voice and Best Esports Game), which were decided by a jury and fans, respectively. As usual, dozens of reveals, trailers, and news announcements took precedence at The Game Awards, ranging from PUBG going free-to-play in January 2022 to a trailer for the upcoming Halo TV series, and from a Wonder Woman game from the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor developers to Star Wars: Eclipse from the Heavy Rain team.
The Game Awards Winners, Nominees 2021: Full List
The Game Awards Winners, Nominees 2021 Game Of The Year
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA) — WINNER
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam/Nintendo)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Best Game Direction
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda) — WINNER
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
Returnal (Housemarque/SIE)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
Best Narrative
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix) — WINNER
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine/Square Enix)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
Best Art Direction
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda) — WINNER
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna
Best Score And Music
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 (Keiichi Okabe, Composer) — WINNER
Cyberpunk 2077 (Marcin Przybylowicz and Piotr T. Adamczyk, Composers)
Deathloop (Tom Salta, Composer)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Richard Jacques, Composer)
The Artful Escape (Johnny Galvatron and Josh Abrahams, Composers)
Best Audio Design
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios) — WINNER
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Returnal (Housemarque/SIE)
Best Performance
Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu, Resident Evil Village — WINNER
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
Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine/Square Enix) — WINNER
Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games/Skybound Games)
Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
Chicory (Greg Lobanow, Alexis dean-Jones, Lena Raine, Madeline Berger, A Shell in the Pit/Finji)
No Longer Home (Humble Grove, Hana Lee, Cel Davison, Adrienne Lombardo, Eli Rainsberry/Fellow Traveler)
Best Ongoing Game
FINAL FANTASY XIV Online (Square Enix) — WINNER
Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
Call of Duty: Warzone (Infinity Ward/Raven/Activision)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
Best Indie Game
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab) — WINNER
12 Minutes (Luis Antonio/Annapurna Interactive)
Death’s Door (Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital)
Loop Hero (Four Quarters/Devolver Digital)
Best Mobile Game
Genshin Impact (MiHoYo) — WINNER
Fantasian (Mistwalker)
League of Legends: Wild Rift (Riot Games)
Marvel Future Revolution (Netmarble)
Pokemon Unite (TiMi Studios/The Pokemon Company)
Best Community Support
FINAL FANTASY XIV Online (Square Enix) — WINNER
Apex Legends (Respawn/EA)
Destiny 2 (Bungie)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best VR/AR
Resident Evil 4 (Armature Studio/Capcom/Oculus Studios) — WINNER
Lone Echo II (Ready at Dawn/Oculus Studios)
Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)
I Expect You to Die 2 (Schell Games)
Sniper Elite VR (Coatsink/Just Add Water/Rebellion Developments)
Innovation In Accessibility
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios) — WINNER
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Creative Bytes Studios/Falling Squirrel)
Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Action Game
Returnal (Housemarque/SIE) — WINNER
Chivalry II (Torn Banner Studios/Tripwire Interactive)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)
Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock/WB Games)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Action/Adventure Game
Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam/Nintendo) — WINNER
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/SIE)
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Role Playing Game
Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco) — WINNER
Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco)
Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus/Sega)
Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Fighting Game
Guilty Gear -Strive- (Arc System Works) — WINNER
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles (CyberConnect2/Sega)
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill)
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown (Sega)
Melty Blood: Type Lumina (French-Bread/Delightworks)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Family Game
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA) — WINNER
Mario Party Superstars (NDcube/Nintendo)
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo)
WarioWare: Get It Together! (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
New Pokémon Snap (Bandai Namco/The Pokémon Company/Nintendo)
The Game Awards 2021 Winners, Nominees – Best Sports/Racing Game
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios) — WINNER
F1 2021 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
Hot Wheels Unleashed (Milestone)
Riders Republic (Ubisoft Annecy/Ubisoft)
FIFA 22 (EA Vancouver/EA Sports)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Sim/Strategy Game
Age of Empires IV (Relic Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios) — WINNER
Humankind (Amplitude Studios/Sega)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios)
Evil Genius 2: World Domination (Rebellion Developments)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Multiplayer
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA) — WINNER
Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
New World (Amazon Games)
Valheim (Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain)
Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock/WB Games)
Knockout City (Velan Studios/EA)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Debut Indie Game
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab) — WINNER
The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers)
Valheim (Iron Gate/Coffee Stain)
Sable (Shedworks/Raw Fury)
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna)
The Game Awards 2021 Players’ Voice
Halo Infinite (343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios) — WINNER
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)
Metroid Dread (MercurySteam/Nintendo)
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
The Game Awards 2021 Best Esports Game
League of Legends (Riot Games) — WINNER
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
DOTA 2 (Valve)
Valorant (Riot Games)
Call of Duty (Activision)
The Game Awards 2021 Most Anticipated Game
Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) — WINNER
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/SIE)
Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)
Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
God of War Ragnarök (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)