The nominees for The Game Awards have been announced, and six big hitters will be vying for top honors. The nominees for Game of the Year are:
- Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda)
- It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)
- Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam/Nintendo)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/ Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/Sie)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Metroid Droid has to be an early favorite after it was released to overwhelming critical and commercial success. Deathloop could easily run away with the category as well after online voting is all said and done. The winner will be announced live on December 9 from Hollywood.
Gamers will have access to a 4K UHD free global livestream to the industry’s biggest night of the year. Geoff Keighley will be hosting, as the show returns to the stage after a virtual ceremony in 2020.
Last year’s top game was The Last of Us Part II, Naughty Dog’s controversial sequel to The Last of Us.
Other previous winners include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, God of War, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Dragon Age: Inquisition.
While this year’s nominees are all undeniably loved, fans online were quick to point out one major snub – Forza Horizon 5. The racing game is one of a handful of games to receive a consensus score over 90 on Metacritic, but was left stuck in traffic by the nominating body.
Of the nominated games, the highest scoring on Metacritic were Psychonauts 2 and It Takes Two, both earning cumulative scores of 89. Metroid Dread, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Deathloop all scored 88, while Resident Evil Village was given an 84.
It Takes Two is the most surprising of the nominees. An action-adventure platformer about a married couple getting divorced, the unique game must be played cooperatively by two people. Could the biggest surprise hit of 2021 also take home the biggest prize?
Make sure to vote on your favorite games before the deadline ends!
