The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley’s Spike TV-derived end-of-the-year gaming event has been ongoing annually for the last seven years. What was once a farcical attempt at trying to make a gaming award show is now…well, progress has been made, but it’s still largely a commercial for both video games and movies with some awards being given out as well.
Keighley likes to say that The Game Awards is a celebration of the gaming industry, which I fully believe he genuinely believes, and made a broad speech to that effect at the beginning of the show. He did not specifically name the big headlining abusers in the industry of the past calendar years — Activision, Ubisoft, etc. — but mentioned that developers should be supported and that gaming needs to purge itself of its worst aspects. The rest of the show didn’t really pay much attention to that opening salvo, however, as it was mostly just game announcement after game announcement.
The awards, which have always felt a little secondary to said announcements, felt even more wedged into the background this time around than usual. I imagine to get a three hour runtime down from three and a half hours requires cutting some things, but several times the nominees weren’t even read aloud. They were simply on screen and a single name announced before quickly rushing on. It felt at times like watching an award show localized entirely on TikTok or those TV screens built into gas station pumps.
Those commercials are still newsworthy, though, and so are the awards, so we’ve collected them here in case you didn’t have time to spare three hours to watch it.
The Game Awards Announcements
- Google Play is bringing Android games to PC, so you don’t have to use your phone to play an Android game if you don’t want to.
- Metal: Hellsinger — Gods of Metal is a rhythm shooter with vibes of Hexen and Amplitude.
- After multiple years, we now finally know the fox-driven Zelda-like Tunic will be released on March 16.
- Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, originally released on PS3 and 360, will come to PS4, Switch, and PC on March 17.
- Annapurna reveals Thirsty Suitors, a new game from Falcon Age’s developer that appears to be about dating, family, and being brown. I’m in.
- Homeworld 3 will release at the tail end of next year.
- Hey, GTFO is finally out of early access!
- Steelrising, an alternate history game about the French Revolution BUT WITH ROBOTS got a new trailer.
- Check out The Wind Waker 2, wait, I mean Tchia. It will be releasing in Spring 2022.
- Oh man, Babylon’s Fall still exists! You can play it on March 3, but it will require a constant internet connection to do so.
- Originally announced in 2019, Hellblade: Senua’s Saga got an extended gameplay trailer and I don’t know what the hell is going on in it.
- Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, one of the pioneers of the battle royale explosion, is going free-to-play on PC and consoles in January.
- Iron Galaxy and Epic Games introduce Rumbleverse, a melee- and grapple-heavy take on the battle royale genre.
- There’s a lady in the Destiny 2: The Witch Queen trailer that is live action and man maybe Destiny 2 should have a FMV game event.
- Warhammer Space Marine 2 is announced, a decade after the original game.
- There was a cinematic trailer for Dying Light 2 that is pretty much every dramatic zombie game trailer in the world since Dead Island ruined dramatic zombie game trailers.
- After literal years of rumors, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is coming to PC via the Epic Games Store on December 16.
- Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak got a small little trailer that showed the expansion’s new hub town and a new monster.
- CrossfireX and its Remedy-developed singleplayer campaign will be coming to Xbox on February 10.
- Nightingale, a new fantasy-victorian game from ex-BioWare veterans, got a debut trailer.
- Among Us is getting a VR release eventually on PSVR, Quest 2, and Steam.
- Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama unveils Slitterhead, which shows normal people in Japan turning into grotesque monsters.
- There was a gameplay demo for Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad where the antiheroes talked an appropriate level of trash to The Flash.
- There’s a Dune game called Spice Wars that will be released on PC in 2022 as a 4X RTS title.
- The remains of what is being called Telltale and Deck-Nine, the developers behind Games for Impact winner Life is Strange: True Colors, are creating an Expanse game that is a prequel to the TV series.
- Said Telltale is also making a Star Trek game coming to PCs and consoles in 2022.
- Finally, after years since its debut, Cuphead’s Delicious Last Course DLC gets another trailer and a release date. Enjoy the DLC in six months when it comes out on June 30.
- Hey, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel is the story of Sonic & Knuckles.
- Also! Sonic Frontiers officially revealed. The weirdly serious trailer show Sonic navigating an open world. Expect it in holiday (!!!) 2022.
- Forspoken, Square Enix’s witch parkour game, will officially be released on May 24 for PC and PS5.
- Monolith, which is most recently known for the Mordor games and the nemesis system, reveals a short teaser for a Wonder Woman game.
- Holy shit, Alan Wake 2 exists! It seems to be a part of Remedy’s publishing relationship with Epic Games. You can check it out in 2023.
- Star Wars: Eclipse is the first High Republic Star Wars game. Also it’s being developed by Quantic Dream, which kind of flies in the face of Geoff’s comments about supporting game developers from abuse and harassment, huh.
- A UE5 demo for a Matrix experience is now available on PS5 and Xbox Series S|X.
The Actual Game Awards
[Winners will be in bold]
Game of the Year:
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Metroid Dread – MercurySteam/Nintendo
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Best Game Direction:
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best Narrative:
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Life Is Strange: True Colors – Deck Nine/Square Enix
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos Montreal/Square Enix
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Best Art Direction:
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Artful Escape – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
Best Score and Music:
Cyberpunk 2077 – Marcin Przybylowicz and Piotr T. Adamczyk
Deathloop – Tom Salta
Nier Replicant ver 1.22474487139 – Keiichi Okabe
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Richard Jacques
The Artful Escape – Johnny Galvatron and Josh Abrahams
Best Audio Design:
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Returnal – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best Performance:
Erika Mori as Alex Chen – Life Is Strange: True Colors
Giancarlo Esposito as Antón Castillo – Far Cry 6
Jason E. Kelley as Colt Vahn – Deathloop
Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil Village
Ozioama Akagha as Juliana Blake – Deathloop
Games for Impact:
Before Your Eyes – GoodbyeWorld Games/Skybound Games
Boyfriend Dungeon – Kitfox Games
Chicory: A Colorful Tale – Greg Lobanov/Finji
Life Is Strange: True Colors – Deck Nine/Square Enix
No Longer Home – Humble Grove/Fellow Traveller
Best Ongoing Game:
Apex Legends – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
Call of Duty: Warzone – Raven Software/Activision
Final Fantasy XIV – Square Enix
Fortnite – Epic Games
Genshin Impact – miHoYo
Best Indie Game:
12 Minutes – Luís António/Annapurna Interactive
Death’s Door – Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
Inscryption – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
Loop Hero – Four Quarters/Devolver Digital
Best Mobile Game:
Fantasian – Mistwalker
Genshin Impact – miHoYo
League of Legends: Wild Rift – Riot Games
Marvel Future Revolution – Netmarble/Marvel Games
Pokemon Unite – TiMi Studio/The Pokémon Company
Best Community Support:
Apex Legends – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Bungie
Final Fantasy XIV – Square Enix
Fortnite – Epic Games
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Best VR/AR Game:
Hitman 3 – IO Interactive
I Expect You to Die 2 – Schell Games
Lone Echo II – Ready at Dawn/Oculus Studios
Resident Evil 4 – Armature Studio/Capcom/Oculus Studios
Sniper Elite VR – Coatsink/Just Add Water/Rebellion Developments
Innovation in Accessibility:
Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft
Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos Montreal/Square Enix
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown – Falling Squirrel
Best Action Game:
Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios/WB Games
Chivalry II – Torn Banner Studios/Tripwire Interactive
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft
Returnal – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best Action/Adventure Game:
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos Montreal/Square Enix
Metroid Dread – MercurySteam/Nintendo
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Best Role Playing Game:
Cyberpunk 2077 – CD Projekt RED
Monster Hunter Rise – Capcom
Scarlet Nexus – Bandai Namco
Shin Megami Tensei V – Atlus/Sega
Tales of Arise – Bandai Namco
Best Fighting Game:
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles – CyberConnect2/Sega
Guilty Gear Strive – Arc System Works
Melty Blood: Type Lumina – French Bread/Delightworks
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl – Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill Entertainment
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown – Sega
Best Family Game:
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Mario Party Superstars – NDcube/Nintendo
New Pokémon Snap – Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokémon Company
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Nintendo
WarioWare: Get It Together! – Nintendo
Best Sports/Racing Game:
F1 2021 – Codemasters/EA Sports
FIFA 22 – EA Vancouver/EA Sports
Hot Wheels Unleashed – Milestone
Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Riders Republic – Ubisoft
Best Sim/Strategy Game:
Age of Empires IV – Relic Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios
Evil Genius 2: World Domination – Rebellion Developments
Humankind – Amplitude Studios/Sega
Inscryption – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
Microsoft Flight Simulator – Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios
Best Multiplayer Game:
Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios/WB Games
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Knockout City – Velan Studios/Electronic Arts
Monster Hunter Rise – Capcom
New World – Amazon Games
Valheim – Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain Studios
Best Debut Game:
Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
Sable – Shedworks/Raw Fury
The Artful Escape – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
The Forgotten City – Modern Storyteller/Dear Villager
Valheim – Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain Studios
Most Anticipated Game:
Elden Ring – FromSoftware/Bandai Namco
God of War Ragnarök – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Horizon Forbidden West – Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel – Nintendo
Starfield – Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Players’ Voice:
Halo Infinite – 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studiosdouble-dagger
Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Metroid Dread – MercurySteam/Nintendo
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Best Esports Game:
Call of Duty – Activision
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – Valve
Dota 2 – Valve
League of Legends – Riot Games
Valorant – Riot Games
Best Esports Player:
Chris “Simp” Lehr
Heo “ShowMaker” Su
Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Best Esports Team:
DAMWON KIA (League of Legends)
Atlanta FaZe (Call of Duty)
Natus Vincere (Counter Strike: Global Offensive)
Sentinels (Valorant)
Team Spirit (Dota 2)
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 10
PGL Major Stockholm 2021
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
2021 Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2
Content Creator of the Year:
Dream
Leslie “Fuslie” Fu
Alexandre “Gaules” Borba
Ibai Llanos
David “TheGrefg” Cánovas
