The 25th annual DICE awards have officially wrapped up and after months of speculating which games would come out on top, we now have our list of winners.
Taking home the ceremony’s prestigious Game of the Year award was none other than Hazelight Studio’s It Takes Two, a quirky, cooperative adventure game all about a divorce gone terribly wrong. It Takes Two also won Game of the Year at the 2021 Game Awards, a pretty impressive accomplishment for the small studio.
Other big winners include Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which took home awards for Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Technical Achievement, and Family Game of the Year, Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy (Adventure Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Story), and Returnal (Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design and Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition).
In addition to announcing the various award recipients, the show also honored multiple industry leaders. Those recognized include NetherRealm Studios Ed Boon, the 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, as well as Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.
You can see all the categories, and their nominees, below. The winners are printed in bold.
2021 DICE Awards Nominees
Winners in bold
Game of the Year
- It Takes Two
- Deathloop
- Returnal
- Inscryption
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Inscryption
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- It Takes Two
- Deathloop
- Loop Hero
- Inscryption
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Resident Evil Village
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Resident Evil Village
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu
- Deathloop – Colt Vahn
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena
- Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Returnal
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
- Returnal
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Before Your Eyes
- Inscryption
- Psychonauts 2
- The Forgotten City
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Battlefield 2042
- Forza Horizon 5
- Moncage
- Returnal
Action Game of the Year
- Halo Infinite
- Deathloop
- Metroid Dread
- Returnal
- The Ascent
Adventure Game of the Year
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Death’s Door
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Resident Evil Village
Family Game of the Year
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise
- Cozy Grove
- Mario Party Superstars
- WarioWare: Get it Together
Fighting Game of the Year
- Guilty Gear: Strive
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Racing Game of the Year
- Forza Horizon 5
- F1 2021
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise
- Wildermyth
Sports Game of the Year
- Mario Golf: Super Rush
- FIFA 22
- NBA 2K22
- Rider’s Republic
- The Climb 2
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Age of Empires IV
- Gloomhaven
- Griftlands
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
Online Game of the Year
- Halo Infinite
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- Knockout City
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Lone Echo II
- Puzzling Places
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Song in the Smoke
- Yuki
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Lone Echo II
- Demeo
- I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
- Resident Evil 4 VR
- Song in the Smoke
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Unpacking
- Death’s Door
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
- Sable
Mobile Game of the Year
- Pokemon Unite
- Behind the Frame
- Fantasian
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Moncage
