Ahead of the main event taking place on December 1, long-time host Geoff Keighley has lifted the lid on the official nominees for The Game Awards 2016.
Spotlighting the crème de la crème of the past 12 months, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Blizzard’s über-popular Overwatch are up for multiple awards, while the likes of Firewatch and Playdead’s critically adorned Inside have received nods for Best Art Direction, Best Sound Design and more.
For the first time, The Game Awards 2016 will be live across every gaming screen – Facebook Live, PlayStation Network, Steam, Twitch, Twitter, Xbox Live, or YouTube – and the event itself can even be streamed via compatible VR devices. It’ll take place on Thursday, December 1 at 9:00 pm ET and if previous years are any indication, should herald a number of worldwide reveals and all-new trailers.
Below, you’ll find the comprehensive list of nominees. Tell us, which candidate will you be lobbying for in two weeks’ time? Don’t forget you can cast your vote right here.
GAME OF THE YEAR
For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.• DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)BEST GAME DIRECTION
Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.• Blizzard (for Overwatch)
• DICE (for Battlefield 1)
• id Software (for DOOM)
• Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
• Respawn (for Titanfall 2)BEST NARRATIVE
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.• Firewatch (Campo Santo)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
• Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)BEST ART DIRECTION
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.• Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
• Firewatch (Campo Santo)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
• DOOM (id/Bethesda)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
• Thumper (Drool)BEST PERFORMANCE
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.• Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III
• Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
• Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Rich Summer as Henry, Firewatch
• Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s EndGAMES FOR IMPACT
Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.• 1979 Revolution (iNK Stories)
• Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
• Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
• Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
• That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.• Firewatch (Campo Santo)
• Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
• The Witness (Thelka, Inc.)BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD
For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.• Clash Royale (Supercell)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
• Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
• Pokemon Go (Niantic)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)BEST VR GAME
For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.• Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)
• EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
• Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
• Thumper (Drool)BEST ACTION GAME
For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
• DOOM (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
• Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.• Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hitman (IO Interactive/Square-Enix)
• Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
• Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)BEST RPG
The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.• Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square-Enix)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED)
• World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)
• Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)BEST FIGHTING GAME
For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.• Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
• King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)
• Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
• Street Fighter V (Capcom)BEST STRATEGY GAME
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.• Civilization VI (Firaxis Games/2K)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
• The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
• Total War: Warhammer (Creative Assembly/Sega)
• XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K)BEST FAMILY GAME
Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.• Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
• Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)
• Pokemon Go (Niantic)
• Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)BEST SPORTS/RACING
For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.• FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
• Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
• MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)
• NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)BEST MULTIPLAYER
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
• Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
• Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.• God of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)TRENDING GAMER
For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.• AngryJoeShow
• Boogie2988
• Danny O’Dwyer
• JackSepticEye
• LirikBEST FAN CREATION
For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.• Project A2MR
• Pokemon Uranium
• Brutal Doom 64
• Enderal: The Shards of OrderBEST ESPORTS PLAYER
The eSports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.• Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League of Legends)
• Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
• ByuN –Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
• Infiltrator – Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
• Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)BEST ESPORTS TEAM
The eSports team or organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.• SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
• Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
• SK Gaming
• ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
• Cloud 9BEST ESPORTS GAME
The eSports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
• DOTA2 (Valve)
• League of Legends (Riot)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Street Fighter V (Capcom)