While we might be well into 2022, the 2021 award season is still going strong. BAFTA is the latest organization to reveal its list of nominees for its game awards, and with 39 games nominated, it’s safe to say there’s a little something for everyone.
Among the most celebrated titles to make the list are the quirky co-op game It Takes Two and Housemarque’s roguelike Returnal, both of which earned an impressive eight nominations. Included in those nominations is the one for Best Game, an honor It Takes Two has already earned at both the DICE Awards and The Game Awards. Both games also received nominations for Artistic Achievement, Best Game Design, Best Narrative Game, and Best Original Property.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart trails just behind It Takes Two and Returnal with seven nominations, while Forza Horizon 5 and Psychonauts 2 each have six. GameSpot’s own Game of the Year, Deathloop, sits at five. A number of notable independent games have made the list as well, including Death’s Door, Inscryption, Sable, and Unpacking.
While what games ultimately take home awards is almost entirely decided upon by BAFTA’s panel of experts, those of you at home can vote for the EE Game of the Year–the only award chosen by the public. Among the nominees are Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Deathloop, The Forgotten City, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, and Unpacking. Voting is available from now until April 1.
You can see all the categories, and their nominees, below:
2021 BAFTA Game Awards Nominees
Animation
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- It Takes Two
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Artistic Achievement
- The Artful Escape
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Audio Achievement
- The Artful Escape
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Halo Infinite
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Returnal
Best Game
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
British Game
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Death’s Door
- Fights In Tight Spaces
- Forza Horizon 5
- Overboard!
- Sable
Debut Game
- The Artful Escape
- Eastward
- The Forgotten City
- Genesis Noir
- Maquette
- Toem
Evolving Game
- Among Us
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Apex Legends
- Disco Elysium
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Family Game
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Forza Horizon 5
- Mario Party Superstars
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Unpacking
Game Beyond Entertainment
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Before Your Eyes
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Game Builder Garage
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
Game Design
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
Multiplayer Game
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- Hell Let Loose
- It Takes Two
Music
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Halo Infinite
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
Narrative Game
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
- Returnal
- Unpacking
Original Property
- Deathloop
- Death’s Door
- Inscyrption
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Unpacking
Technical Achievement
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hitman 3
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
EE Game of the Year (Voted by Public)
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Deatloop
- The Forgotten City
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Unpacking
