The Game Awards 2021 winners, announcements, & trailers

Who won at The Game Awards 2021 and what was announced? We've got all of it right here for you.

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The Game Awards 2021 has arrived, and with it, we got yet another night of whole night of video game awards, announcements, and trailers to go with all of it. If you happened to miss out on the show, we’ve got you covered. We gathered up all of the major announcements and trailers that were revealed during the event, as well as The Game Awards 2021 winners from every category throughout the night.

Updated: December 9, 2021 @ 8:22 p.m. PT

The Game Awards 2021 Winners

The focal point of every year’s Game Awards are, of course, the awards themselves. With that in mind, we’ve got every winner from every category and their previously revealed nominees introduced throughout the night. Check it all out below:

Game of the Year Winner: It Takes Two

Game of the Year Winner: It Takes Two
Game of the Year Winner: It Takes Two

Nominees

  • Deathloop
  • It Takes Two
  • Metroid Dread
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil Village

Best Action Game Winner: Returnal

Best Action Game Winner: Returnal
Best Action Game Winner: Returnal

Nominees

  • Back 4 Blood
  • Chivalry 2
  • Deathloop
  • Far Cry 6
  • Returnal

Best Action/Adventure Game Winner: Metroid Dread

Best Action/Adventure Game Winner: Metroid Dread
Best Action/Adventure Game Winner: Metroid Dread

Nominees

  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Metroid Dread
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil Village
  • Psychonauts 2

Most Anticipated Game Winner: Elden Ring

Most Anticipated Game Winner: Elden Ring
Most Anticipated Game Winner: Elden Ring

Nominees

  • Elden Ring
  • God of War Ragnorak
  • Horizon Forbidden West
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel
  • Starfield

Best Art Direction Winner: Deathloop

Best Art Direction Winner: Deathloop
Best Art Direction Winner: Deathloop

Nominees

  • Deathloop
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Psychonauts 2
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • The Artful Escape

Best Audio Design Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Best Audio Design Winner: Forza Horizon 5
Best Audio Design Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Nominees

  • Deathloop
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil Village
  • Returnal

Best Community Support Winner: Final Fantasy 14

Best Community Support Winner: Final Fantasy 14
Best Community Support Winner: Final Fantasy 14

Nominees

  • Apex Legends
  • Destiny 2
  • Final Fantasy 14
  • Fortnite
  • No Man's Sky

Content Creator of the Year Winner: Dream

Content Creator of the Year Winner: Dream
Content Creator of the Year Winner: Dream

Nominees

  • Dream
  • Fuslie
  • Gaules
  • Ibai
  • The Grefg

Best Debut Indie Game Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Best Debut Indie Game Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Best Debut Indie Game Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Nominees

  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Sable
  • The Artful Escape
  • The Forgotten City
  • Valheim

Best Esports Coach Winner: Kkoma

Best Esports Coach Winner: Kkoma
Best Esports Coach Winner: Kkoma

Nominees

  • B1ad3
  • Crowder
  • Engh
  • Kkoma
  • Silent

Best Esports Event Winner: League of Legends Worlds 2021

Best Esports Event Winner: League of Legends Worlds 2021
Best Esports Event Winner: League of Legends Worlds 2021

Nominees

  • Dota 2: The International 2021
  • League of Legends Worlds 2021
  • Valorant Champions Tour Masters
  • CSGO PGL Major Stockholm 2021
  • PUBG Mobile Global Championship

Best Esports Game Winner: League of Legends

Best Esports Game Winner: League of Legends
Best Esports Game Winner: League of Legends

Nominees

  • Call of Duty
  • CSGO
  • DOTA 2
  • League of Legends
  • Valorant

Best Esports Athlete Winner: S1mple

Best Esports Athlete Winner: S1mple
Best Esports Athlete Winner: S1mple

Nominees

  • Collapse
  • S1mple
  • Showmaker
  • Tenz
  • Simp

Best Esports Team Winner: Natus Vincere (CSGO)

Best Esports Team Winner: Natus Vincere (CSGO)
Best Esports Team Winner: Natus Vincere (CSGO)

Nominees

  • Atlanta Faze (Call of Duty)
  • DAMWON Gaming (League of Legends)
  • Natus Vincere (CSGO)
  • Team Spirit (DOTA 2)
  • Sentinels (Valorant)

Best Family Game Winner: It Takes Two

Best Family Game Winner: It Takes Two

Nominees

  • It Takes Two
  • Mario Party Superstars
  • New Pokemon Snap
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
  • WarioWare: Get It Together!

Best Fighting Game Winner: Guilty Gear Strive

Best Fighting Game Winner: Guilty Gear Strive

Nominees

  • Demon Slayer
  • Guilty Gear Strive
  • Melty Blood: Type Lumina
  • Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
  • Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown

Best Game Direction Winner: Deathloop

Best Game Direction Winner: Deathloop
Best Game Direction Winner: Deathloop

Nominees

  • Deathloop
  • Psychonauts 2
  • It Takes Two
  • Returnal
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Games for Impact Winner: Life is Strange: True Colors

Games for Impact Winner: Life is Strange: True Colors
Games for Impact Winner: Life is Strange: True Colors

Nominees

  • Before Your Eyes
  • Boyfriend Dungeon
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  • Life is Strange: True Colors
  • No Longer Home

Best Indie Game Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Best Debut Indie Game Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Best Indie Game Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Nominees

  • 12 Minutes
  • Death's Door
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits
  • Inscryption
  • Loop Hero

Innovation in Accessibility Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Innovation in Accessibility Winner: Forza Horizon 5
Innovation in Accessibility Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Nominees

  • Far Cry 6
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • The Vale: Shadow of the Crown

Best Mobile Game Winner: Genshin Impact

Best Mobile Game Winner: Genshin Impact
Best Mobile Game Winner: Genshin Impact

Nominees

  • Fantasian
  • Genshin Impact
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift
  • Marvel Future Revolution
  • Pokemon Unite

Best Multiplayer Game Winner: It Takes Two

Nominees

  • Back 4 Blood
  • Knockout City
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • New World
  • It Takes Two
  • Valheim

Best Narrative Winner: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Narrative Winner: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Narrative Winner: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Nominees

  • Deathloop
  • It Takes Two
  • Life is Strange: True Colors
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Psychonauts 2

Best Ongoing Game Winner: Final Fantasy 14

Best Ongoing Game Winner: Final Fantasy 14
Best Ongoing Game Winner: Final Fantasy 14

Nominees

  • Apex Legends
  • Call of Duty: Warzone
  • Final Fantasy 14
  • Genshin Impact
  • Fortnite

Best Performance Winner: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimetrescu (Resident Evil Village)

Best Performance Winner: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimetrescu (Resident Evil Village)
Best Performance Winner: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimetrescu (Resident Evil Village)

Nominees

  • Erika Mori as Alex Chen (Life is Strange: True Colors)
  • Giancarlo Esposito as Antón Castillo (Far Cry 6)
  • Jason Kelley as Colt Vahn (Deathloop)
  • Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimetrescu (Resident Evil Village)
  • Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake (Deathloop)

Best Role-Playing Game Winner: Tales of Arise

Best Role-Playing Game Winner: Tales of Arise
Best Role-Playing Game Winner: Tales of Arise

Nominees

  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Scarlet Nexus
  • Shin Megami Tensei 5
  • Tales of Arise

Best Score and Music Winner: Nier Replicant remake

Best Score and Music Winner: Nier Replicant remake
Best Score and Music Winner: Nier Replicant remake

Nominees

  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Deathloop
  • Nier Replicant remake
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
  • The Artful Escape

Best Sports/Racing Game Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Best Sports/Racing Game Winner: Forza Horizon 5
Best Sports/Racing Game Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Nominees

  • F1 2021
  • FIFA 22
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed
  • Forza Horizon 5
  • Riders Republic

Best Strategy/Sim Game Winner: Age of Empires 4

Best Strategy/Sim Game Winner: Age of Empires 4
Best Strategy/Sim Game Winner: Age of Empires 4

Nominees

  • Age of Empires 4
  • Evil Genius 2: World Domination
  • Humankind
  • Inscryption
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator

Best VR/AR Game Winner: Resident Evil 4 VR

Best VR/AR Game Winner: Resident Evil 4 VR
Best VR/AR Game Winner: Resident Evil 4 VR

Nominees

  • Hitman 3
  • I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
  • Lone Echo 2
  • Resident Evil 4 VR
  • Sniper Elite VR

The Game Awards 2021 Announcements

There were, of course, plenty of other reasons to watch The Game Awards 2021. There was plenty of news out of the show and we wrote on a lot of it. You can find many of the announcements and reveals that occurred throughout the night just below:


The Game Awards 2021 Trailers

Just want to get a look at any one of the announcement, premiere, or reveal trailers that were shown during The Game Awards? We’ve got you covered there too. Check out all of the trailers that showed up during the event right here:


The Game Awards 2021 have come and gone and the winners have been revealed. Did your favorite win? Don’t forget that the Shacknews Year of the Games 2021 awards are coming up as well! Stay tuned for more GOTY fun right around the corner.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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