Vote Now for The Game Awards 2021
(Image credit: The Game Awards)
2021 was a rough year for product development that saw delays in many fields, including the video game industry, but there were plenty of developers who published titles that deserve recognition. Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards is returning to honor those game makers in over 30 different areas that include fan voting. The individual categories are competitive, so every ballot cast on The Game Awards website has a more significant impact. The Load Screen covers three closest categories and several games that were overlooked because of fierce competition.
Game of the Year is an all-out battle with nominations for Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil Village. There is minimal overlap in gameplay or genre among the set, and some of the games are more polarizing than others. While this is a fantastic group of games, Hitman 3 by IO Interactive could have easily been in the running. Although the title is an assassin simulator, the gameplay mechanics and graphics make this the best Hitman in recent years.
Another difficult award to pick in 2021 is Best Indie since the contenders are 12 Minutes, Death’s Door, Inscryption, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and Loop Hero. Each of these titles features a unique art style or gameplay that has drawn player attention and critical acclaim, so the winner may come down to fan voting again. This category had several great titles that did not make the cut, like Lost in Random by Zoink Games, which was picked as favorite indie by The Load Screen; check out the 2021: An Indie Odyssey article for more. Interestingly, Iron Gates Studio’s Valheim and Sable by Shedworks are not on the list despite entries in different categories.
The Best Multiplayer award is super competitive with Back 4 Blood, Knockout City, It Takes Two, Monster Hunter Rise, New World, and Valheim. Some games in this section have problematic mechanics or poor player engagement, so it might reduce the chances of several nominees. Add in the vastly different genres from story-focused action-adventure to an open world MMORPG, and the category divides voters further by gameplay.
The show has returned to a live event but will also receive a Livestream on YouTube and other platforms for viewers at home. Similar to prior years, The Game Awards will also feature game reveals and brand-new trailers throughout the night, so expect some news there for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, VR players, and more. Will The Game Awards include new trailers for Horizon: Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, or Moss Book II? Only time will tell.
