On the other hand, Hazelight studio’s co-op game, It Takes Two, which bagged five spots on the list, won 3 awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year trophy. This comes as a big relief for director Josef Fares, who recently received a trademark claim from GTA parent company, Take-Two over similar-sounding names. Following the disastrous launch of the Marvel’s Avengers game, even Square Enix earned a redemption arc when Guardians of the Galaxy lifted the trophy for best narrative.
In the Player’s Choice category, Halo Infinite came victorious, despite only having released 2 nights ago. Keanu Reeves made an appearance this year as well, alongside co-star Carrie-Ann Moss to promote their film and the new Unreal Engine 5 tech demo – The Matrix Awakens. Players can download the game for free on their PS5 or Xbox Series X|S consoles and play a few missions based on iconic moments from the franchise.
With all that out of the way, here’s a complete list of winners from The Game Awards 2021 (winners in bold):
Game of the Year
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
WINNER: It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
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
WINNER: Deathloop
It Takes Two
Returnal
Psychonauts 2
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Narrative
Deathloop
It Takes Two
Life is Strange: True Colors
WINNER: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Psychonauts 2
Best Art Direction
WINNER: Deathloop
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Psychonauts 2
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
The Artful Escape
Best Score and Music
Cyberpunk 2077
Deathloop
WINNER: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
The Artful Escape
Best Audio Design
Deathloop
WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Resident Evil Village
Returnal
Best Performance
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
WINNER: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil Village
Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake – Deathloop
Best Ongoing
Apex Legends
Call of Duty: Warzone
WINNER: FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
Best Indie
12 Minutes
Death’s Door
WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Inscryption
Loop Hero
Best Debut Indie
WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Sable
The Artful Escape
The Forgotten City
Valheim
Games for Impact
Before Your Eyes
Boyfriend Dungeon
Chicory
WINNER: Life is Strange: True Colors
No Longer Home
Best Community Support
Apex Legends
Destiny 2
WINNER: FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
Fortnite
No Man’s Sky
Best VR/AR
Hitman 3
I Expect You To Die 2
Lone Echo II
WINNER: Resident Evil 4
Sniper Elite VR
Best Mobile Game
Fantasian
WINNER: Genshin Impact
League of Legends: Wild Rift
MARVEL Future Revolution
Pokemon Unite
Best Action
Back 4 Blood
Chivalry II
Deathloop
Far Cry 6
WINNER: Returnal
Best Action/Adventure
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Tales of Arise
Best Fighting
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles
WINNER: Guilty Gear: Strive
Melty Blood: Type Lumina
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
Best Family
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Riders Republic
Best Sim/Strategy
WINNER: Age of Empires IV
Evil Genius 2: World Domination
Humankind
Inscryption
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Multiplayer
Back 4 Blood
WINNER: It Takes Two
Knockout City
Monster Hunter Rise
New World
Valheim
Most Anticipated
WINNER: Elden Ring
God of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Starfield
Innovation in Accessibility
Far Cry 6
WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Content Creator of the Year
WINNER: Dream
Fuslie
Gaules
Ibai
TheGrefg
Best Esports Game
Call of Duty: Warzone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
DOTA2
WINNER: League of Legends
Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
Chris “Simp” Lehr
Heo “ShowMaker” Su
Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
WINNER: Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Best Esports Team
Atlanta FaZe (COD)
DWG KIA (LOL)
WINNER: Natus Vincere (CS:GO)
Sentinels (Valorant)
Team Spirit (DOTA2)
Best Esports Coach
Airat “Silent” Gaziev
Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov
Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
James “Crowder” Crowder
WINNER: Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
Best Esports Event
WINNER: 2021 League of Legends World Championship
PGL Major Stockholm 2021
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
The International 2021
Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters