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Spilling the beans on what to expect on USA Today (opens in new tab) (via Techradar), Keighley stated: “This year? Oh, God, there are probably four or five things of that level.” This was in relation to the big Elden Ring reveal during this year’s Summer Game Fest, but apparently, the host also expects around 40 to 50 new games to be announced. A better look at Breath of the Wild 2? A sneak peek at Starfield or The Elder Scrolls 6? Only time will tell. Whatever games will be announced, we do know Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss from The Matrix Resurrections will be part of the show, along with Reggie Fils-Aime, Giancarlo Esposito, Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, Ming-Na Wen, JackSepticEye, Donald Mustard and more. Plus, musical performances from Sting, Imagine Dragons and The Game Awards Orchestra. Check out where to watch The Game Awards 2021 and all the nominees below.
How to watch The Game Awards 2021
The Game Awards 2021 is taking place on Thursday, December 9 from 8pm EST, with the show scheduled to go on until 11pm. In the UK, the show will kick off on Friday, December 10 at 1am GMT. There are plenty of places to watch the official livestream, including on The Game Awards 2021’s official website. However, fans can also catch the show over on YouTube, Twitch channel, Twitter page, TikTok page, or Facebook page. Check out the youTube video below for the full livestream of the event once it kicks off.
The Game Awards 2021 nominees
This year’s Game Awards is jam-packed with an exciting list of contenders across multiple categories, but all eyes are on the Game of the Year award. There are six games nominated to be crowned 2021’s best game of the year, with each being nominated for multiple awards. This includes Deathloop (nine nominations), Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (six nominations), It Takes Two (five nominations), Psychonauts 2 (five nominations), Resident Evil Village (four nominations), and Metroid Dread (two nominations). Check out the full list and each category below. Plus, December 7 is your last chance to vote for your favourite games, so head over to The Game Awards website cast your vote.
The Game Awards 2021: Game of the Year
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)Metroid Dread (MercurySteam, Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Game Direction
Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)Returnal (Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment)Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Game Awards 2021: 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 Productions/Xbox Game Studios)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Art Direction
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna)Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Score and Music
The Artful Escape (Johnny Galvatron & Josh Abrahams, Composers)Cyberpunk 2077 (Marcin Przybylowicz, Piotr T. Adamczyk, Composers)Deathloop (Tom Salta, Composer)Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Richard Jacques, Composer)NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 (Keiichi Okabe, Composer)
The Game Awards 2021: 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)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Performance
Erika Mori as Alex Chen, Life is Strange: True ColorsGiancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo, Far Cry 6Jason E. Kelley as Colt Vahn, DeathloopMaggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu, Resident Evil VillageOzioma Akagha as Julianna Blake, Deathloop
The Game Awards 2021: Games for Impact
Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games/Skybound Games)Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Greg Lobanow, Alexis dean-Jones, Lena Raine, Madeline Berger, A Shell in the Pit/Finji)Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine/Square Enix)No Longer Home (Humble Grove, Hana Lee, Cel Davison, Adrienne Lombardo, Eli Rainsberry/Fellow Traveler)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Ongoing
Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)Final Fantasy XIV Online (Square Enix)Fortnite (Epic Games)Genshin Impact (Mihoyo)Call of Duty: Warzone (Infinity Ward, Raven Software/Activision)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Indie
12 Minutes (Luis Antonio/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)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Mobile Game
Fantasian (Mistwalker)Genshin Impact (Mihoyo)League of Legends: Wild Rift (Riot Games)Marvel Future Revolution (Netmarble)Pokémon Unite (TiMi Studios/The Pokémon Company)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Community Support
Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)Destiny 2 (Bungie)Final Fantasy 14 (Square Enix)Fortnite (Epic Games)No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
The Game Awards 2021: Innovation in Accessibility
Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto/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 (Creative Bytes Studios/Falling Squirrel)
The Game Awards 2021: Best VR/AR
Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)I Expect You to Die 2 (Schell Games)Lone Echo 2 (Ready at Dawn/Oculus Studios)Resident Evil 4 (Armature Studio, Capcom/Oculus Studios)Sniper Elite VR (Coatsink, Just Add Water/Rebellion Developments)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Action Game
Back 4 Blood (Turtle Rock Studios/Warner Bros. Games)Chivalry 2 (Torn Banner Studios/Tripwire Interactive)Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)Returnal (Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Action / Adventure
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)Metroid Dread (MercurySteam, Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios)Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Role Playing
Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco)Shin Megami Tensei 5 (Atlus/Sega)Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Fighting
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)Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown (Sega)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Family
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)Mario Party Superstars (NDcube/Nintendo)New Pokémon Snap (Bandai Namco/The Pokémon Company/Nintendo)Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo)WarioWare: Get It Together! (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Sim / Strategy
Age of Empires 4 (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)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Sports / Racing
F1 2021 (Codemasters/EA Sports)FIFA 22 (EA Vancouver/EA Sports)Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)Hot Wheels Unleashed (Milestone)Riders Republic (Ubisoft Annecy/Ubisoft)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Multiplayer
The Game Awards 2021: Best Debut Indie
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna)The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers)Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)Sable (Shedworks/Raw Fury)Valheim (Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain Studios)
The Game Awards 2021: Most Anticipated Game
Elden Ring (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)God of War Ragnarok (SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)Untitled sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Esports Games
Call of Duty (Activision)Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)Dota 2 (Valve)League of Legends (Riot Games)Valorant (Riot Games)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Esports Athlete
Chris “Simp” LehrHeo “ShowMaker” SuMagomed “Collapse” KhalilovOleksandr “s1mple” KostylievTyson “TenZ” Ngo
The Game Awards 2021: 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)
The Game Awards 2021: Best Esports Coach
Airat “Silent” GazievAndrey “ENGH” SholokhovAndrii “B1ad3” HorodenskyiJames “Crowder” CrowderKim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
The Game Awards 2021: Best Esports Event
2021 League of Legends World ChampionshipPGL Major Stockholm 2021 (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020The International 2021 (DOTA 2)Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters