The Game Awards winners: ‘It Takes Two,’ ‘Deathloop,’ and ‘Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ grab top honors
After being made virtual last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Game Awards has returned as a live, in-person event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, USA, on Dec. 9 (Dec. 10 in the PHL) honoring the best video games released in 2021 and featuring some highly-anticipated world premiere reveals with big-name celebrity presenters.
It Takes Two took home the Game Awards trophies for Best Family Game, Best Multiplayer Game, and Game of the Year. The Hazelight Studios title bested some heavy-hitters in its GOTY category, namely Psychonauts 2, Resident Evil Village, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Metroid Dread, and Deathloop.
For the second year in a row, Elden Ring was voted as Most Anticipated Game.
Taking home Best Indie Game was Kena: Bridge of Spirits which also bagged the Best Debut Indie award. Presenting the award for Best Indie was none other than actor Giancarlo Esposito, notably the star in open world game Far Cry 6.
Other big name celebs that graced the stage to present awards were Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu, live-action Sonic the Hedgehog voice actor Ben Schwartz, Ming-Na Wen, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Jim Carrey.
At the top of the show, musician Sting performed with The Game Awards Orchestra to sing What Could Have Been from Netflix animated series, Arcane.
Here are the winners of The Game Awards 2021:
Best Game Direction
- Deathloop – Winner
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Narrative
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy – Winner
- Psychonauts 2
Best Art Direction
- The Artful Escape
- Deathloop – Winner
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Score and Music
- The Artful Escape
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139 – Winner
Best Audio Design
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5 – Winner
- 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 Kelley (as Colt Vahn), Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson (as Lady Dimitrescu), Resident Evil Village – Winner
- Ozioama Akagha (as Julianna Blake), Deathloop
Games for Impact
- Before Your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Life is Strange: True Colors - Winner
- No Longer Home
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends
- Final Fantasy XIV Online – Winner
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
- Call of Duty: Warzone
Best Indie Game
- 12 Minutes
- Death's Door
- Inscryption
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Winner
- Loop Hero
Best Mobile Game
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact – Winner
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Marvel Future Revolution
- Pokémon Unite
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy XIV Online – Winner
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Innovation in Accessibility
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5 – Winner
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Best VR/AR Game
- Hitman 3
- I Expect You to Die 2
- Lone Echo II
- Resident Evil 4 VR – Winner
- Sniper Elite VR
Best Action Game
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry II
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal – Winner
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread – Winner
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Psychonauts 2
- Resident Evil Village
Best Role Playing Game (RPG)
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise – Winner
Best Fighting Game
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles
- Guilty Gear -Strive- – Winner
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
Best Family Game
- It Takes Two – Winner
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokémon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Age of Empires IV – Winner
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Sports/Racing Game
- F1 2021
- FIFA 22
- Forza Horizon 5 – Winner
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Riders Republic
Best Multiplayer Game
- Back 4 Blood
- Knockout City
- It Takes Two – Winner
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- Valheim
Content Creator of the Year
- Dream – Winner
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- Grefg
Best Debut Indie Game
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Winner
- Sable
- Valheim
Best Esports Athlete
- Chris "Simp" Lehr
- Heo "ShowMaker" Su
- Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov
- Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev – Winner
- Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
Best Esports Team
- Atlanta FaZe
- DWG KIA
- Natus Vincere – Winner
- Sentinels
- Team Spirit
Best Esports Coach
- Airat "Silent" Gaziev
- Andrey "ENGH" Sholokhov
- Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi
- James "Crowder" Crowder
- Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun – Winner
Best Esports Event
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship – Winner
- The International 2021
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
Best Esports Game
- Call of Duty
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends – Winner
- Valorant
Most Anticipated Game
- Elden Ring – Winner
- God of War: Ragnarök
- Horizon Forbidden West
- The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Starfield
Game of the Year
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two – Winner
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village