22nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

Honoring the Best Games of 2021

For photos, please browse our albums.

Ambassador Award

Steven Spohn

The Ambassador Award honors an individual or individuals who have helped the game industry advance to a better place, either through facilitating a better game community from within, or by reaching outside the industry to be an advocate for video games and help further our art.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Yuji Horii

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the craft of game development and games as a whole.

Audience Award

Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)

The Audience Award winner is selected from the list of finalist games from every Main Category. The Audience Award winner is selected through a public vote.

Game of the Year

Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)

Finalists:

• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Honorable Mentions: Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios), Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal / Square Enix), Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios), Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji), Death's Door (Acid Nerve / Devolver Digital)

Best Audio

Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)

Finalists:

• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal / Square Enix)
• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)

Honorable Mentions: Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios), It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts), Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den / Fellow Traveller), Kid A Mnesia: Exhibition (Arbitrarily Good Productions, Namethemachine / Epic Games), Resident Evil Village (Capcom)

Best Debut

Valheim (Iron Gate Studio)

Finalists:

• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
• Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games)
• The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
• Sable (Shedworks)

Honorable Mentions: Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den / Fellow Traveller), ElecHead (Tsuyomi / NamaTakahashi), Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk / Humble)

Best Design

It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Finalists:

• Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
• Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)

Honorable Mentions: Resident Evil Village (Capcom), Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble), Death's Door (Acid Nerve, Devolver Digital), Loop Hero (Four Quarters, Devolver Digital)

Innovation Award

Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)

Finalists:

• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
• Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)

Honorable Mentions: Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji), Loop Hero (Four Quarters, Devolver Digital)

Best Narrative

Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)

Finalists:

• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal / Square Enix)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)

Honorable Mentions: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine / Square Enix), The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller / Dear Villagers), Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital), Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)

Social Impact Award

Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)

Finalists:

• Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games)
• It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
• Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji)

Honorable Mentions: Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)

Best Technology

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)

Honorable Mentions: Battlefield 2042 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), Resident Evil Village (Capcom)

Best Visual Art

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
• Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)

Honorable Mentions: The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive), Resident Evil Village (Capcom), Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den / Fellow Traveller), Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sable (Shedworks / Raw Fury)