When are The Game Awards 2021?
The Game Awards 2021 show takes place today, Thursday 9th December (or Friday 10th depending on where you live). You can find the exact start time in your time zone below:
West Coast US: Thursday, December 9th, 5pm PST East Coast US: Thursday, December 9th, 8pm EST UK: Friday, December 10th, 1am GMT
How to watch The Game Awards 2021
The event will stream across various video platforms, including YouTube and Twitch. These streams are scheduled to begin half an hour earlier than the times listed above. Based on previous Game Award pre-shows, there are likely to be some juicy news announcements hidden away in here, but the big announcements will likely be reserved for the main show. The main Game Awards show will last 3 hours, taking us UK folk into the early hours of the morning.
Will The Game Awards 2021 have any big reveals?
You might be mistaken for thinking The Game Awards are just about, well, awards. There are also lots of announcements about upcoming games, with previous years showing off the Perfect Dark reboot, The Wolf Among Us 2, and the Xbox Series X. There are plenty of hints starting to slip out that point to some announcements we should expect this year. This Twitter exchange between Keighley and the official Sonic account indicates we could see more on the upcoming Sonic game, while this tweet from Xbox Game Pass also teases that we can expect to see plenty of Game Pass PC Day One launches announced at The Game Awards. I’m going to keep my expectations relatively low for all of this so that I’m pleasantly surprised by any big reveals. My one big prediction at every major event for the past few years has been something Fable related, but Microsoft answered that wish with their teaser at E3 2020. So, Fable gameplay trailer please? Now that I’m part of the RPS treehouse, you can all witness my regular attempts to summon some kind of Fable announcement and the immense disappointment when I inevitably have to wait another year.
Who are The Game Awards 2021 Nominations?
As mentioned above, Deathloop has the most nominations at The Game Awards 2021, but there are lots of other titles up for consideration across every category. Psychonauts 2 and It Takes Two both bagged 5 nominations each, while Resident Evil Village is up for 4 awards. I recently gushed over Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy for the RPS Advent Calendar and it seems the Game Awards jury were equally impressed, as it also bagged 4 nominations. You can see the full list of nominees in every category below:
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 NARRATIVE
Deathloop It Takes Two Life is Strange: True Colors Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Psychonauts 2
BEST ART DIRECTION
The Artful Escape Deathloop 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
BEST AUDIO DESIGN
Deathloop 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 Kelley as Colt Vahn (Deathloop) Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil Village) Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake (Deathloop)
GAMES FOR IMPACT
Before Your Eyes Boyfriend Dungeon Chicory: A Colorful Tale Life is Strange: True Colors No Longer Home
BEST ONGOING
Apex Legends Final Fantasy XIV Online Fortnite Genshin Impact Call of Duty: Warzone
BEST INDIE
12 Minutes Death’s Door Kena: Bridge of Spirits Inscryption Loop Hero
BEST MOBILE GAME
Fantasian Genshin Impact League of Legends: Wild Rift Marvel Future Revolution Pokémon Unite
BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Apex Legends Destiny 2 Final Fantasy 14 Fortnite No Man’s Sky
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 VR/AR
Hitman 3 I Expect You to Die 2 Lone Echo 2 Resident Evil 4 Sniper Elite VR
BEST ACTION GAME
Back 4 Blood Chivalry 2 Deathloop Far Cry 6 Returnal
BEST ACTION / ADVENTURE
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Metroid Dread Psychonauts 2 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Resident Evil Village
BEST ROLE PLAYING
Cyberpunk 2077 Monster Hunter Rise Scarlet Nexus Shin Megami Tensei 5 Tales of Arise
BEST FIGHTING
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
It Takes Two Mario Party Superstars New Pokémon Snap Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury WarioWare: Get It Together!
BEST SIM / STRATEGY
Age of Empires 4 Evil Genius 2: World Domination Humankind Inscryption icrosoft Flight Simulator
BEST SPORTS / RACING
F1 2021 FIFA 22 Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels Unleashed Riders Republic
BEST MULTIPLAYER
Back 4 Blood Knockout City It Takes Two Monster Hunter Rise New World Valheim
CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
DREAM fuslie Gaules Ibai Grefg
BEST DEBUT INDIE
The Artful Escape The Forgotten City Kena: Bridge of Spirits Sable Valheim
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 GAMES
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) DWG KIA (League of Legends) Natus Vincere (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) Sentinels (Valorant) Team Spirit (DOTA 2)
BEST ESPORTS COACH
Airat “Silent” Gaziev Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi James “Crowder” Crowder Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
BEST ESPORTS EVENT
2021 League of Legends World Championship PGL Major Stockholm 2021 The International 2021 PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020 VALORANT Champions Tour: Stage 2 Master
