Game of the Year is one of the most coveted awards and this year a wide range of video games have been nominated in this category. In a year of social distancing and working from home, Animal Crossing found popularity as an innocent source of pleasure and a safe way to keep connected with other gamers around the world. Hence, it is not surprising that Animal Crossing is one of the nominees for Game of the Year. The Last of Us Part II, which is also nominated for Game of the Year, was polarizing thanks to its daring narrative choices but nevertheless was a technical marvel that pushed the PlayStation 4 to its limits.
Naughty Dog, the developer of The Last of Us Part II, is not the only Sony first party studio that earned itself a Game of the Year nomination. They share this honor with Sucker Punch who shocked the world the release of Ghost of Tsushima which, according to IGN, has since become the fastest-selling original PS4 exclusive. Other nominees include DOOM Eternal by id Software, Final Fantasy VII Remake by Square Enix and Hades by Supergiant Games.
Ghost of Tsushima has been nominated for Game of the Year.
Best Indie Game is a category that ensures that The Game Awards are not monopolized by large AAA studios. As one might expect, Fall Guys has received a nomination. Thanks in part to its debut as a PlayStation Plus title in August, Fall Guys saw massive popularity upon release and attracted 1.5 million players in its first 24 hours, as BBC reports. Spenlunky 2, a 2D roguelike that has been well received by gamers and critics alike, has also been nominated for Best Indie Game.
Other nominations for Best Indie Game include Carrion by Phobia Game Studio, Hades by Supergiant Games and Spiritfarer by Thunder Lotus Games.
Earlier this year, it was announced that The Game Awards would feature a new category for Innovation in Accessibility. Games are nominated for this award based on their ability to cater for gamers who may have disabilities or impairments. The Last of Us Part II earns itself a nomination in this category thanks to its wide range of accessibility options for gamers with sight impairments, hearing impairments and motor control impairments. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest title in the long-running Assassin’s Creed series, is also nominated in this category along with Watch Dog Legions by Ubisoft, Grounded by Obsidian Entertainment and Hyperdot by Tribe Games.
The Last of Us Part II earned itself 10 The Game Awards nominations.
The Last of Us Part II, with 10 The Game Awards nominations under its belt, leads the packs. Hades, despite being an indie game, manages to punch far above its weight and has gathered 9 The Game Awards nominations.
Fortunately, you are not stuck simply crossing fingers for your favorite video game to win. As is explained on The Game Awards website, winners are “determined by a blended vote between the voting jury (90%) and public fan voting (10%)”. By simply heading to TheGameAwards.com, you can cast your vote to ensure that your favorites games of 2020 get the recognition they deserve. The full list of nominations is as follows:
Game of the Year
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- DOOM Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part 2
Best Game Direction
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
- The Last of Us Part 2
Best Narrative
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part 2
Best Art Direction
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part 2
Best Score and Music
- DOOM Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part 2
DOOM Eternal has been nominated for Best Score and Music.
Best Audio Design
- DOOM Eternal
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Resident Evil 3
- The Last of Us Part 2
Best Performance
- Ashley Johnson as Ellie (The Last of Us Part 2)
- Laura Bailey as Abby (The Last of Us Part 2)
- Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima)
- Logan Cunningham as Hades (Hades)
- Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales (Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales)
Best Indie
- Carrion
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Hades
- Spelunky 2
- Spiritfarer
Best Ongoing
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Call of Duty Warzone
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Best Mobile
- Among Us
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Genshin Impact
- Legends of Runeterra
- Pokémon Café Mix
Best Community Support
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fall Guys
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
- Valorant
Games for Impact
- If Found …
- Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
- Spiritfarer
- Tel Me Why
- Through the Darkest of Times
Innovation in Accessibility
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Grounded
- HyperDot
- The Last of Us Part 2
- Watch Dogs Legion
Best Action
- DOOM Eternal
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Nioh 2
- Streets of Rage 4
Nioh 2 has been nominated for Best Action Game.
Best Action/Adventure
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- The Last of Us Part 2
Best Fighting
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus
- Mortal Kombat 11/Ultimate
- Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
- Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[cl-r]
Best Sim/Strategy
- Crusader Kings 3
- Desperados 3
- Gears Tactics
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
Best VR/AR
- Dreams
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Marvel’s Iron Man VR
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Best Role Playing
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Genshin Impact
- Persona 5 Royal
- Wasteland 3
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Genshin Impact has been nominated for best Role Playing game.
Best Sports/Racing
- Dirt 5
- F1 2020
- FIFA 21
- NBA 2K21
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
Best Multiplayer
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Among Us
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Valorant
Best Family
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
Content Creator of the Year
- Alanah Pearce
- NickMercs
- TimtheTatman
- Jay Ann Lopez
- Valkyrae
Best Debut Game
- Carrion
- Mortal Shell
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- Röki
- Phasmophobia
Carrion has been nominated for Best Debut game.
Best Esports Game
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Fortnite
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best Esports Athlete
- Ian “Crimsix” Porter (Call of Duty)
- Heo “Showmaker” Su (League of Legends)
- Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu (League of Legends)
- Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro (Call of Duty)
- Matthieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (CS:GO)
Best Esports Team
- DAMWON Gaming (League of Legends)
- Dallas Empire (Call of Duty)
- San Francisco Shock (Overwatch League)
- G2 Esports (League of Legends)
- Team Secret (DOTA2)
Best Esports Event
- BLAST Premier: Spring E2020 European Finals (CS:GO)
- Call of Duty League Championship 2020
- IEM Katowice 2020 (CS:GO)
- League of Legends World Championship 2020
- Overwatch League Grand Finals 2020
Best Esports Host
- Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez
- James “Dash” Patterson
- Jorien “Sheever” van der Heijden
Watch the full video announcement of all The Game Awards nominations below.
