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.
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 @ 5:55 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:
Nominees
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Best Action Game Winner: Returnal

Nominees
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry 2
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
Best Action/Adventure Game Winner:
Nominees
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Psychonauts 2
Most Anticipated Game Winner: Horizon Forbidden West

Nominees
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnorak
- Horizon Forbidden West
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel
- Starfield
Best Art Direction Winner:
Nominees
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Best Audio Design Winner: Forza Horizon 5

Nominees
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Best Community Support Winner:
Nominees
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Final Fantasy 14
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Content Creator of the Year Winner:
Nominees
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- The Grefg
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

Nominees
- B1ad3
- Crowder
- Engh
- Kkoma
- Silent
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:
Nominees
- Call of Duty
- CSGO
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete Winner: S1mple

Nominees
- Collapse
- S1mple
- Showmaker
- Tenz
- Simp
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:
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:
Nominees
- Demon Slayer
- Guilty Gear Strive
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
Best Game Direction Winner:
Nominees
- Deathloop
- Psychonauts 2
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
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:
Nominees
- 12 Minutes
- Death’s Door
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
Innovation in Accessibility Winner:
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:
Nominees
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Marvel Future Revolution
- Pokemon Unite
Best Multiplayer Game Winner:
Nominees
- Back 4 Blood
- Knockout City
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- It Takes Two
- Valheim
Best Narrative Winner:
Nominees
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
Best Ongoing Game Winner:
Nominees
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Final Fantasy 14
- Genshin Impact
- Fortnite
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:
Nominees
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei 5
- Tales of Arise
Best Score and Music Winner:
Nominees
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Nier Replicant remake
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Artful Escape
Best Sports/Racing Game Winner:
Nominees
- F1 2021
- FIFA 22
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Forza Horizon 5
- Riders Republic
Best Strategy/Sim Game Winner:
Nominees
- Age of Empires 4
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best VR/AR Game Winner:
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:
- Thirsty Suitors from Falcon Age studio revealed at The Game Awards 2021
- Telltale returns with new game based on Amazon’s Expanse franchise
- Texas Chain Saw Massacre multiplayer game announced at The Game Awards 2021
- Homeworld 3 gets Q4 2022 release window at The Game Awards
- Perfect World Entertainment reveals Have a Nice Death at The Game Awards 2021
- Star Wars Eclipse is the newest game from Quantic Dream
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 gameplay revealed at The Game Awards 2021
- Wonder Woman game announced by Monolith at The Game Awards
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie trailer premieres at The Game Awards 2021
- Alan Wake 2 officially announced at The Game Awards 2021
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 world premiere of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre! #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/GCIjMZAMvL
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards)
Everyone’s favorite writer returns in Alan Wake 2, a new survival horror brought to you by @remedygames and presented by @EpicGamesPub.
Available in 2023 on the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 & Xbox X|S.https://t.co/CEIAdB0dXJ pic.twitter.com/Vafj6jIvlT
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards)
The moment we’ve all been waiting for… the debut of the new #SonicMovie2 trailer! Thanks to @RejectedJokes and @JimCarrey for presenting this during the show. #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/UAfBPhKiVm
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards)
Incredible look at the game play from Aloy’s latest adventure in Horizon Forbidden West from @Guerrilla! #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/r86h8z3LaU
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards)
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.