2020 Game Awards Nominees Announced

By M. Kang

Posted on November 20, 2020

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Although this year was different for gaming because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Game Awards still goes on. This annual end of year awards show celebrates all things gaming as well as being a place where developers show first looks for games to come.

A few days ago, host Geoff Keighley announced the categories to be awarded. Perhaps more than years before, the awards will be extremely competive. Not only have generation-defining AAA games like The Last of Us Part II, Final Fantasy VII REMAKE, Ghost of Tsushima all released this year, the pandemic changed how and what people were looking for in games. Games like Among Us, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, and Animal Crossing all had massive appeal for people quarantining at home.

The Game Awards also serves as a place to get sneak peaks and trailers for games yet to come. One of the biggest announcements in recent memory was the surprise reveal of Persona 5’s Joker as a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Given the slow trickle of news in the pandemic as well as the next generation consoles just being released, the 2020 Game Awards may be a central place for developers to announce new titles coming in 2021.

As with previous years, fans will be able to vote online for each of the categories. Voting for all categories are available until December 9^th at the Game Awards website. More information on the categories and nominees can be found below or on the Game Awards website.

The Game Awards will be streamed live on December 10^th.

Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Doom Eternal
• Final Fantasy VII REMAKE
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• The Last of Us Part II

Best Game Direction

• Final Fantasy VII REMAKE
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Half-Life Alyx
• The Last of Us Part II

Best Performance

• Ashley Johnson as Ellie, The Last of Us Part II
• Laura Bailey as Abby, The Last of Us Part II
• Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima
• Logan Cunningham as Hades, Hades
• Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Marvel: Spider-Man Miles Morales

Best Multiplayer Game

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Among Us
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Valorant

Best Ongoing Game

• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Fortnite
• No Man’s Sky

Best Art Direction

• Final Fantasy VII REMAKE
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Last of Us Part II

Best Score/Music

• Doom Eternal
• Final Fantasy VII REMAKE
• Hades
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Last of Us Part II

Best Audio Design

• Doom Eternal
• Half-Life Alyx
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Resident Evil 3
• The Last of Us Part II

Innovation in Accesibility

• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Grounded
• Hyper|dot
• The Last of Us Part II
• Watch Dogs Legions

Best Narrative

• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
• Final Fantasy VII REMAKE
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• The Last of Us Part II

Games for Impact

• If found…
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• Spiritfarer
• Tell Me Why
• Through the Darkest of Times

Best Independent Game

• Carrion
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Hades
• Spelunky 2
• Spiritfarer 

Best Mobile Game

• Among Us
• Call of Duty: Mobile
• Genshin Impact
• Legends of Runeterra
• Pokémon Café Mix

Best Community Support

• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Fortnite
• No Man’s Sky
• Valorant

Best Debut Indie Game

• Carrion
• Mortal Shell
• Raji: An Ancient Epic
• Roki
• Phasmophobia

Best VR/AR Game

• Dreams
• Half-Life Alyx
• Marvel’s Iron Man VR
• Star Wars Squardrons
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Content Creator of the Year

• Alanah Pearce
• Jay-Ann Lopez
• Nickmercs
• TimTheTatMan
• Valkyrae

Best Action Game

• Doom Eternal
• Hades
• Half-Life Alyx
• Nioh 2
• Streets of Rage 4

Best Action/Adventure Game

• 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 II

Best RPG

• Final Fantasy VII REMAKE
• Genshin Impact
• Persona 5 Royal
• Wasteland 3
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Best Fighting Game

• Granblue Fantasy Versus
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
• Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
• One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
• Under Night In-Birth: Exe: Late[cl-r]

Best Family Game

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Crash 4: It’s About Time
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
• Minecraft Dungeons
• Paper Mario: The Origami King

Best SIM/Strategy Game

• Crusader Kings III
• Desperados III
• Gears Tactics
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• XCOM: Chimera Squad

Best Sports/Racing Game

• DiRT 5
• F1 2020
• FIFA21
• NBA2k21
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

Best Esports Game

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
• Counter Strike: Global Offensive
• Fortnite
• League of Legends
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

• Crimsix
• Showmaker
• Canyon
• Shotzzy
• Zywoo

Best Esports Team

• Damwon Gaming
• Dallas Empire
• San Francisco Shock
• G2 Esports
• Team Secret

Best Esports Coach

• Zefa
• Zonic
• Crusty
• Rambo
• Grabbz

Best Esports Event

• Blast Premier: Spring 2020 Europe Final
• Call of Duty League Championship 2020
• IEM Katowice 2020
• League of Legends World Championship 2020
• Overwatch League Grand Finals 2020

Best Esports Host

• Sjokz
• Machine
• Goldenboy
• Dash
• Sheever

2020 Game Awards Nominees Announced