The D.I.C.E. Awards 2021 categories & nominees

Published , by TJ Denzer

Another year has come, and with it returns the D.I.C.E. Awards, in which the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences recognizes exemplary achievements in the gaming industry. Ahead of 2021’s 24th annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy has officially released its list of video game awards and the nominees that will be competing for them in this year’s presentation.

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences released its official list of D.I.C.E. Awards 2021 categories and nominees on its official website on January 26, 2021. Competing for the Game of the Year award in 2021 are Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and The Last of Us Part 2. Oddly absent from this particular category is Shacknews 2020 Game of the Year Half-Life: Alyx, though it did receive nominations for Best Action Game, Immersive Reality Technical Achievement, Immersive Reality Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Design, and Outstanding Achievement in Direction. Running away with nominations is The Last of Us Part 2, which ended up in 11 categories. It will remain to be seen if it also gets away with the most awards as it did during The Game Awards 2020.

Much like The Game Awards 2020, DICE Awards 2021 features copious amounts of Last of Us 2 while Half-Life: Alyx caught an odd snub in several notable spots.

The D.I.C.E. Awards 2021 categories & nominees

The 24th annual D.I.C.E. Awards is scheduled to begin voting among Academy winners on January 26, 2021. Winners will be announced when the D.I.C.E. Awards 2021 ceremony takes place in a livestream on April 8, 2021. The categories and nominees can be found below.

Game of the Year

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

Outstanding Achievement in Character

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

Outstanding Achievement in Story

Outstanding Technical Achievement

Action Game of the Year

Adventure Game of the Year

Family Game of the Year

Fighting Game of the Year

Racing Game of the Year

Role-Playing Game of the Year

Sports Game of the Year

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

Mobile Game of the Year

Online Game of the Year

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

That covers the list of categories and nominees up for wins at the D.I.C.E. Awards 2021. Be sure to check out the winners from last year’s D.I.C.E. Awards and stay tuned for April 8, 2021 as we await to see which games take home the accolades from the previous year.