Vote Now in The Steam Awards 2021
(Image credit: Valve)
Valve has opened voting in The Steam Awards for 2021, and there are ten categories for non-limited Steam account users to make their selections. Players who have not purchased products or deposited funds on the Steam Store may have a limited account; see the Limited User Accounts Steam Support page for more information. The games listed are only from titles available on the Steam platform, including nominations for indie developers and some of the hottest titles released this year. The Load Screen briefly covers their favorite categories, including VR Game of the Year and Best Game You Suck At.
The most interesting category for any video game to win is the Best Game You Suck At award, now in its third year. While the honor may sound bad, it covers games that are loved for their unforgiving toughness. The nominees for this year include the action RPG Nioh 2 by Team Ninja, the latest in the strategy franchise Age of Empires IV from Relic Entertainment, World War Z: Aftermath from Saber Interactive, Naraka Bladepoint from 24 Entertainment, and DICE’s Battlefield 2042. A surprising title that missed the list despite making other categories was Iron Gate Studio’s Valheim since the brutality increases as players progress within the game.
One of the awards that Valheim is up for is Game of the Year. It has stiff competition from Capcom’s Resident Evil Village and Forza Horizon 5 by Playground Games. However, more interesting choices for players are Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt Red and Amazon Game Studio’s New World. Since release, both titles have had rough development, but fans may forgive them in their current states. If the award was given away solely by the highest hours played by The Load Screen team in 2021, then Valheim wins with hundreds of hours to spare, and it’s kind of embarrassing with over 400 hours of logged playtime.
Another category with an interesting set of nominees is VR Game of the Year. It has four indies like Cooking Simulator VR from GameBoom, Sniper Elite VR by Just Add Water, Schell Games’ I Expect You to Die 2, and Blair Witch VR by Bloober Team. Respawn Entertainment brings in the only AAA production from EA with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. The World War II VR shooter has already won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Colette. However, its massive storage size could deter voters. The Medal of Honor Above and Beyond Steam page shows the Emmy win as well as the PC specs, which are higher than all other VR games except for Blair Witch VR Edition.
There are seven more awards, including Labor of Love, Better with Friends, and Most Innovative Gameplay. The full set of nominees for each category is available on the Steam Awards website, and it is also the place for gamers to get their vote in. Will there be any upsets in this year’s selection, especially with the range available in Game of the Year and VR Game of the Year? Players have until January 3 at 9 AM PST to make their voices heard, and the winners will be announced an hour later.
